Burning out before they start? An achievement goal theory perspective on medical and education students

Students training for people-oriented careers, such as medicine and teaching, experience disproportionately high levels of burnout before entering the workforce. This is problematic because burnout is associated with negative outcomes such as unprofessionalism, low self-efficacy, and early career departure. The purpose of this research was to compare medical students’ and pre-service teachers’ achievement goals and examine the extent to which achievement goals contribute to or protect students from academic burnout. Using a cross-sectional survey design, we collected data from a total of 281 medical students and pre-service teachers enrolled at a Western Canadian university. To answer our research questions, we used descriptive data, correlational analyses, and multiple linear regression. Results suggest that both medical students and pre-service teachers score highest on mastery-approach achievement goals; although all goal types are endorsed similarly. Medical students reported higher burnout than pre-service teachers but across groups mastery-approach and performance-approach goals were negatively associated with burnout whereas performance-avoidance goals were positively associated with burnout. Limitations and directions for future research are discussed, as well as implications of these findings for researchers, educators, and students training for people-oriented professions.