Investigation of the effect of female primary school teachers' occupational burnout levels on their attitudes towards students under temporary protection status: A case study of Şahinbey district, Gaziantep province

Türkiye's multicultural structure, which has emerged in educational environments alongside the mass migration process originating primarily from Syria, has expanded classroom teachers' pedagogical responsibilities and increased their professional workload. The inclusion of students with language differences, adaptation problems, and traumatic life experiences in classrooms causes teachers to encounter emotionally and professionally challenging conditions. This situation can lead to an increased risk of burnout, particularly among female classroom teachers, and can affect their attitudes towards students under temporary protection status. The research aims to examine the relationships between these variables. The main objective of the research is to determine the extent to which the professional burnout levels of female classroom teachers working in the Sahinbey district of Gaziantep province predict their attitudes towards students under temporary protection status. The scope of the study consists solely of female classroom teachers and their burnout levels and their communication, adaptation, and competence attitudes towards students under temporary protection status. Using the correlational survey model from quantitative research methods, the Maslach Burnout Inventory and the Refugee Student Attitude Scale were administered to a sample of 351 female classroom teachers. The data were analyzed using the independent samples t-test, one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), and Pearson's correlation coefficient. The findings indicate that teachers' burnout levels are generally moderate, with emotional exhaustion perceived as particularly high. Attitudes toward students under temporary protection were generally positive, although difficulties were identified in the areas of communication and adaptation. Correlation results revealed that as emotional exhaustion and cynicism increased, attitudes related to communication and adaptation were negatively affected; conversely, as the sense of personal accomplishment increased, attitudes became more positive. Overall, the results demonstrate that burnout variables are significantly associated with attitudes toward immigrant students.