Must burnout end up with dropout?

Abstract

This paper examines burnout’s consequence on architecture students’ commitment profile. The Chinese version of the Maslach Burnout Inventory-Student Survey and the revised version of the Occupational Commitment Questionnaire were administered to students enrolled in two architecture schools in Hong Kong; 294 of which participated in the study. Multiple-regression results support the idea that burnout does not necessarily result in dropout. As affective commitment and normative commitments decrease with burnout, continuance commitment increases to retain the burned-out students in the study program. However, burnout de-healthilises the commitment profile of students, shifting students’ focus of learning from the task to the cost, as well as shifting students’ attitudes of study from passionate to calculative. This study suggests a need to prevent burnout and build up healthy commitment profile among architecture students.