This study developed an organisational support model (OSM) aimed at preventing occupational burnout among academic staff members in an Open Distance e-Learning (ODeL) context. It undertook a cross-sectional quantitative survey among academic staff members at a South African ODeL institution, and the sample (N=308) included respondents who differed in terms of their gender, race, age, levels of education, and work experience. The literature review established a solid theoretical foundation for the research constructs, namely burnout, sense of coherence (SOC), and hope. It served to identify gaps, inform model development and hypothesis formulation, guide methodological decisions, and justify the study’s contribution. The literature review revealed theoretical relationships among a SOC, hope and burnout, and suggested that SOC and hope represent psychological resources that may serve to buffer against burnout in various contexts. It further was evident that burnout, SOC and hope could be measured by means of standardised and psychometrically sound instruments such as the Oldenburg Burnout Inventory (OLBI), the Sense of Coherence-Scale (SOC-S), and the Adult Hope Scale (AHS). The literature review provided a strong theoretical foundation for applying these psychometric instruments in the study, contributing to its credibility and practical value, and laying the groundwork for the empirical study and proposed model.
The components of the model featured two psychological resources, namely a SOC and hope. In the empirical study, Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) served to specify and estimate the model and assess model fit. Descriptive statistics served to determine baseline levels of the research constructs, contextualise respondents’ psychological wellbeing, based on the collected data, and justify the need for an OSM. Inferential statistics, including multi-level mediation modelling, regression analysis and tests for significant mean differences, served to test the statistical significance of the hypothesised relationships among the research constructs, establish causal pathways between them, and support evidence-based organisational interventions. The results indicated meaningful causal pathways between burnout, SOC, and hope across various levels, providing robust empirical evidence to inform and justify organisational interventions aimed at enhancing academic staff members’ wellbeing.
The model demonstrated an acceptable fit to the data. The path analysis indicated that sense of coherence (SOC) had a strong negative effect on burnout, suggesting that respondents with a higher SOC reported lower levels of burnout. The effect of hope on burnout, however, was not significant, indicating that hope did not directly reduce burnout but may have had an indirect influence through other psychological mechanisms. A positive association was also observed between SOC and hope, suggesting that these constructs may mutually reinforce one another.
The research made a theoretical contribution to improving academic staff members’ wellbeing by empirically validating both the direct and indirect buffering effects of SOC and hope on their exposure to burnout. At a practical level, the OSM model may support interventions aimed improving academic staff members’ wellbeing in ODeL settings.
Patlisiso eno e tlhagisitse sekai sa tshegetso ya mokgatlho (Organisational Support Model – OSM) se se ikaeletseng go thibela go lapisiwa ke tiro (occupational burnout) mo badirising ba dithuto (academic staff) mo tikologong ya Open Distance e-Learning (ODeL). Patlisiso e dirisitse mokgwa wa quantitative wa cross-sectional ka go dira dipatlisiso (survey) mo badirising ba dithuto mo setheong sengwe sa ODeL mo Aforika Borwa, mme sampole (N=308) e ne e akaretsa batlhatlheledi ba ba farologaneng ka bong, morafe, dingwaga, maemo a thuto, le maitemogelo a tiro.
Tshekatsheko ya dibuka e ne ya tlhoma motheo o o nonofileng wa dithuto tsa thutotlhale (theoretical foundation) mabapi le dikgopolo tsa botlhokwa tsa patlisiso, e leng burnout, sense of coherence (SOC), le tsholofelo (hope). E thusitse go lemoga diphatlha tsa patlisiso, go kaela tlhamo ya sekai le go bopa dipolelo tsa diteko (hypotheses), go kaela ditshwetso tsa mokgwa wa patlisiso, le go netefatsa seabe sa patlisiso eno. Tshekatsheko ya dibuka e supile dikamano tsa thutotlhale magareng ga SOC, tsholofelo le burnout, mme ya akantsha gore SOC le tsholofelo ke didirisiwa tsa tlhaloganyo tse di ka thusang go fokotsa kgotsa go sireletsa kgatlhanong le burnout mo ditikologong tse di farologaneng. Gape go lemogilwe gore burnout, SOC le tsholofelo di ka lekanyediwa ka didirisiwa tse di tlhomamisitsweng tsa psychometric tse di jaaka Oldenburg Burnout Inventory (OLBI), Sense of Coherence Scale (SOC-S), le Adult Hope Scale (AHS). Tshekatsheko eno e ne ya naya motheo o o tiileng wa go dirisa didirisiwa tseno mo patlisisong, ya oketsa botshepegi le boleng jwa yona, mme ya tlhoma motheo wa patlisiso ya empiriki le sekai se se sisintsweng.
Dikarolo tsa sekai di ne di akaretsa didirisiwa tse pedi tsa tlhaloganyo, e leng SOC le tsholofelo. Mo patlisisong ya empiriki, go dirisitswe Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) go tlhalosa le go lekanya sekai le go sekaseka gore se dumalana jang le data (model fit). Dipalopalo tsa tlhaloso (descriptive statistics) di thusitse go bontsha maemo a motheo a dikgopolo tsa patlisiso, go tlhalosa maemo a botsogo jwa tlhaloganyo jwa batlhatlheledi, le go netefatsa tlhokego ya OSM. Dipalopalo tsa inferential, go akaretsa multi-level mediation modelling, regression analysis le diteko tsa pharologanyo ya mekgwa (mean differences), di dirisitswe go leka botlhokwa jwa dikamano tse di akantsweng, go tlhoma ditsela tsa causality magareng ga tsona, le go tshegetsa dithulaganyo tsa mokgatlho tse di theilweng mo bosuping. Dipholo di bontshitse dikamano tse di nang le bokao magareng ga burnout, SOC le tsholofelo mo maemong a a farologaneng, di naya bosupi jo bo nonofileng jwa go kaela dikgato tsa mokgatlho tse di ikaeletseng go tokafatsa botsogo jwa badirising ba dithuto.
Mmotlolo o ne wa bontsha gore o dumalana sentle le datha e e neng ya kokoanngwa. Tshekatsheko ya ditsela tsotlhe (path analysis) e ne ya bontsha gore kutlwisiso ya kgolagano ya botshelo (Sense of Coherence – SOC) e na le seabe se segolo sa go fokotsa burnout, se se bontshang gore batlhatlhelediwa ba ba nang le maemo a a kwa godimo a SOC ba ne ba bontsha maemo a a kwa tlase a burnout. Le fa go ntse jalo, tshusumetso ya tsholofelo (hope) mo burnout e ne e se ya botlhokwa, e leng se se kayang gore tsholofelo ga e a ka ya fokotsa burnout ka tlhamalalo, mme e ka nna ya nna le seabe ka ditsela tse dingwe tsa saekholoji. Gape go ne ga lemogiwa kamano e e siameng magareng ga SOC le tsholofelo, se se bontshang gore dikakanyo tseno tsotlhe di ka nonotshana le go tshegetsana.
Patlisiso eno e dirile seabe sa thutotlhale ka go tokafatsa botsogo jwa badirising ba dithuto ka go netefatsa ka bosupi phello e e tlhamaletseng le e e sa tlhamalalang ya SOC le tsholofelo mo go sireletseng kgatlhanong le burnout. Mo tirong ya nnete, sekai sa OSM se ka thusa go kaela dikgato tsa mokgatlho tse di ikaeletseng go tokafatsa botsogo jwa badirising ba dithuto mo tikologong ya ODeL.
