Abstract

Teacher burnout is a critical issue in the field of education and is a psychological occupational hazard with negative impacts on both teacher well-being and students’ academic outcomes. Based on the job demands-resources model, it is proposed that teacher burnout can be predicted by perceptions of job demands and resources. This study aimed to analyse how teachers’ perceptions of student engagement (resource) affect their burnout, considering the mediating role of anger (demand) and the moderating role of the teacher-student relationship (resource) in this association. An explanatory cross-sectional correlational design was used, involving 338 Chilean teachers (76% women) aged from 23 to 73 years (M = 41; SD = 10.29). Measures of student engagement (perceived by teachers), teacher emotions, teacher-student relationship, and burnout were used. To test the proposed relationships, a moderated mediation analysis was performed using Hayes model 14 PROCESS macro. The results showed a moderated mediation effect of anger and the teacher-student relationship on the association between teacher-perceived student engagement and burnout. Specifically, the quality of the teacher-student relationship moderates the negative mediating impact of anger on the relationship between perceived student engagement and teacher burnout. These findings highlight the importance of promoting student engagement and positive teacher-student relationships as job resources to mitigate teacher burnout, thereby improving the educational climate and teacher well-being. © 2025, Universidad Internacional de la Rioja. All rights reserved.