Burnout, motivation, and (de-)motivating teaching style in different phases of a teaching career.

In a teacher's career, each phase brings its own challenges. In a convenience sample of 913 teachers from 76 different schools, this cross-sectional study examined self-reported differences in burnout, motivation to teach, and (de-)motivating teaching styles, across the full teacher career. Three multivariate analyses of variances (controlled for gender) showed that in the first three years, teachers appeared lower on a structuring style. From 8 and more years of experience, teachers were higher on emotional exhaustion. By the end of their career (>24 years of experience) teachers appeared at greater risk of becoming more controlled motivated and too demanding. • Burnout, teachers' motivation, and (de-)motivating teaching styles were compared between six professional life phases. • Guidance of beginning teachers should focus on helping them to become more structuring. • Almost no differences were found between teachers with 8-31 years of experience. • From their mid-career, teachers were more vulnerable to be emotionally exhausted. • Teachers with >24 years of experience reported high levels of controlled motivation and controlling teaching. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]