Contemporary school mathematics education is characterized by a high intensity of teachers’ work and the necessity to constantly master new educational standards, digital environments, and assessment formats. Teachers with over 15–20 years of experience constitute a particularly vulnerable group: alongside deep subject knowledge and methodological expertise, they often experience emotional exhaustion, decreased motivation, and professional stagnation — symptoms of professional burnout [1; 2].
One promising approach to overcoming burnout is reverse mentoring, in which the carrier of innovative experience is the novice specialist, while the experienced teacher assumes the role of “mentee” in specific areas [3]. In the context of mathematics education, this model not only helps update the digital and methodological competencies of the experienced teacher but also restores a sense of professional novelty and creative engagement, while giving the novice teacher a legitimate position as an equal partner.
The aim of our research is to theoretically justify and practically develop a toolkit for reverse mentoring aimed at preventing professional burnout among mathematics teachers, in the form of a workbook for the novice mentor (early-career teacher).
Professional burnout among teachers is examined in the works of V.V. Boyko, N.E. Vodopyanova, and C. Maslach as a three-component syndrome comprising emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and reduction of personal achievement [4]. Mathematics teachers, working under conditions of high demands for results and constant external evaluation, face an especially high risk of burnout.
Reverse mentoring, which originated in the corporate environment, has been actively adapted to education in recent years. Studies by I.A. Zimnyaya, N.V. Kuzmina, and works on school mentoring (T.S. Pavlova, M.V. Polevaya) show that horizontal interaction between teachers of different ages fosters mutual enrichment of competencies and reduces emotional tension. However, in the subject area of mathematics, the potential of reverse mentoring as a burnout prevention tool remains insufficiently studied, and there is a lack of practice-oriented materials specifically designed for early-career teachers acting as mentors.
The study was conducted during the 2024/2025 academic year at MBOU “Center of Education No. 15 ‘Luch’” (Belgorod). The experiment involved 8 pairs consisting of a novice mathematics teacher (with up to 3 years of experience) and an experienced mathematics teacher (with over 15 years of experience). A total of 16 teachers participated.
Research methods:
- theoretical analysis of psychological and pedagogical literature on burnout and mentoring;
- questionnaires (the Maslach Burnout Inventory adapted by N.E. Vodopyanova);
- participant observation of the interaction within the pairs;
- pedagogical experiment (formative stage – implementation of the developed workbook);
- methods of mathematical statistics (Wilcoxon signed-rank test to assess shifts).
During the ascertaining stage, experienced teachers showed medium and high scores on the “emotional exhaustion” subscale (68% of respondents), as well as low scores on the “professional satisfaction” scale. In interviews, teachers noted a lack of novelty in their work, monotony of teaching methods, and difficulties in mastering digital resources, which created a feeling of “professional stagnation”.
As the main tool for organizing reverse mentoring with a preventive focus, we developed the “Workbook for the Novice Mentor: Burnout Prevention for Mathematics Teachers”. The structure of the workbook includes four modules, each serving a specific function in reducing burnout risks.
Module 1. Diagnostic contains tools for assessing the current state of the experienced colleague (a burnout questionnaire, a needs map for updating teaching methods). The task of the novice teacher is to tactfully conduct the diagnosis and jointly identify priority areas that can restore interest in the profession (e.g., mastering the interactive environment GeoGebra, using short game formats in lessons).
Module 2. Planning includes templates for joint planning of micro-changes in teaching practice. It proposes a “Resource Exchange” algorithm: the novice teacher records what he/she can offer the experienced teacher (a digital tool, a modern motivation technique, a quick grading method), while the experienced teacher indicates what pedagogical experience he/she is ready to share in return. Such structuring helps avoid hierarchy and fosters an atmosphere of collaboration.
Module 3. Procedural (Case Studies and Scripts) contains scenarios for short (5–10 minute) joint activities:
- Case 1. “Visualization of a complex topic”: the novice teacher demonstrates creating a dynamic drawing in GeoGebra, while the experienced teacher comments on the methodological difficulties of the topic.
- Case 2. “Quick homework grading”: the novice introduces the possibilities of automated checking systems (Skysmart, YaKlass), and the experienced teacher evaluates their suitability for his/her class.
- Case 3. “Quiz warm-up”: the novice leads an interactive five-minute activity with game elements, and the experienced teacher observes and adapts it to his/her own style.
All cases are designed to allow the experienced teacher to experience the state of a “successful beginner” — mastering a new technique without fear of failure, which serves as an effective antidote to burnout.
Module 4. Reflective includes self-assessment sheets for the novice mentor and a joint success diary. It records situations where the experienced colleague expressed satisfaction with the collaboration, reported reduced stress, or independently applied a new technique. Reflection aims to strengthen the professional identity of the novice teacher and reinforce the experienced teacher’s sense of competence.
During the formative stage (4 months), the teacher pairs worked with the workbook, completing tasks from the modules according to an individual plan. Interactions were organized as 2–3 meetings per month; some tasks were completed asynchronously (the novice teacher prepared materials, the experienced teacher tried them in lessons).
At the end of the experiment, a follow-up assessment of professional burnout was conducted among the experienced teachers. The results are presented in Table 1.
Table 1.
Changes in burnout indicators among experienced teachers
|
Scale (Maslach Burnout Inventory) |
Mean Score Before Experiment |
Mean Score After Experiment |
Significance Level (p) |
|
Emotional exhaustion |
32.4 |
26.1 |
<0.05 |
|
Depersonalization |
14.2 |
11.5 |
<0.05 |
|
Reduction of personal achievement |
31.8 |
36.4 |
<0.05 |
To assess the statistical significance of the obtained shifts, the Wilcoxon signed-rank test was applied. The critical values confirmed the reliability of changes for all three scales (p < 0.05).
Furthermore, qualitative interviews revealed that experienced teachers noted:
- “new ideas for lessons appeared, which I hadn’t had for many years”;
- “the young colleague helped me figure out the services; now I spend less time on preparation”;
- “I felt that my experience also matters; we work as a team”.
The novice teachers noted that the workbook helped them structure interactions, overcome insecurity when working with experienced colleagues, and recognize their own contribution to the common cause.
Thus, the use of the workbook within reverse mentoring contributed to a reduction in key burnout symptoms among experienced mathematics teachers and an increase in their professional satisfaction.
Conclusion
The conducted research allows us to draw the following conclusions:
- Professional burnout among experienced mathematics teachers is a pressing issue that requires the implementation of innovative forms of methodological support, among which reverse mentoring holds a special place.
- The developed workbook for the novice mentor, built on the principles of resource exchange, reflection, and joint planning, enables systematic organization of reverse mentoring with a focus on burnout prevention.
- The pilot implementation in a real school demonstrated its effectiveness: a statistically significant reduction in emotional exhaustion and depersonalization was recorded, along with an increase in the personal achievement scores of experienced teachers.
- Further research prospects include scaling the developed toolkit to other schools and adapting the workbook for other subject areas.
Список литературы
- Vodopyanova, N.E., Starchenkova, E.S. (2018). Syndrome of Burnout: Diagnosis and Prevention. St. Petersburg: Piter. (in Russian)
- Maslach, C., Schaufeli, W. (2019). Professional Burnout: Contemporary Approaches. Psychology of Labor, (4), 12–27
- Gorbunova, N.V., Kuznetsova, E.V. (2023). Reverse Mentoring in Education: Opportunities and Prospects. Scientific Support of the Professional Development System, (2), 45–52. (in Russian)
- Boyko, V.V. (2018). The Energy of Emotions in Communication: A Look at Oneself and Others. Moscow: Filin. (in Russian)
