Dimensionality of the Maslach Burnout Inventory in school teachers:: A study of several proposals

The Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) is an instrument which has been used worldwide to assess occupational stress in human service professions. While the MBI has been used in school settings, an inventory specifically oriented to measure burnout in teachers was developed (MBI-Form Ed; Schwab, in Maslach & Jackson, 1986). A Catalan version of the MBI-Form Ed was administered to 631 elementary school teachers. Several models, including those posited by some studies using the English language MBI-Form Ed, were analyzed in order to test their cross-cultural validity. Confirmatory factor analyses (CFAs) were used to fit all models by maximum likelihood (ML) and asymptotically distribution-free (ADF) estimation methods to test the hypothesis that incorrect use of the ML estimation method could be the reason for model misfit in previous studies. Results show that there are no differences due to the estimation method and support the three-factor structure. Furthermore, a shortened three-factor model of 17 items shows a better fit and similar reliability, and its use seems plausible in the research and psychological evaluation of teachers' burnout in both English and Catalan language settings.