This conversation explores the well-being of teacher educators in higher education, focusing on the prevalence of burnout, its symptoms, and the factors contributing to it. Sabrina Fitzsimons shares insights from her research, highlighting the complexity of burnout, the importance of rest, and the need for institutional support. The discussion also emphasizes protective factors that can help educators maintain resilience and the significance of social connections in their professional lives.
Sabrina is Co-Director of CREATE-The Centre for Collaborative Research Across Teacher Education and an Assistant Professor of Education in the School of Policy and Practice at Institute of Education at Dublin City University.
Sabrina’s works in the field of Initial Teacher Education and is most keenly interested in educators’ occupational wellbeing. For example, Sabrina’s recent research explored wellbeing, burnout and rustout in higher education-based Teacher Educators in Ireland and the United Kingdom. With colleagues in DCU CREATE, Sabrina is also engaged in collaborative research on the mental health and well-being of teachers, student teachers, leaders, and HEI academics in Ireland and the UK
Sabrina has a PhD in Education (Dublin City University) and is currently completing a PhD in Psychology at Robert Gordon University in Aberdeen, Scotland.
My social media profiles include:
LinkedIn: https:/www.linkedin.com/in/sabrina-fitzsimons-1b1b6a35b/.
Twitter: @sfitzsimons2
BluSky: @sabrinafitzsimons.bsky.social
DCU Biography page: https://www.dcu.ie/policy=
and-practice/people/sabrina-fitzsimons
DCU CREATE Webpage: https://www.dcu.ie/.
create
List of recent articles on the topic:
Fitzsimons, S., & Smith, D. S. (2025). “Just plough on and pretend it’s not happening”:
Understanding burnout in teacher educators in Ireland and the United Kingdom. International Journal of Educational Research Open, 9,
100491. https://doi.org/10.
1016/jijedro.2025.100491
Fitzsimons, S., Boag, L. & Smith, D.S.
(2025) Understanding Teacher Educators’ Quality of Life: Insights from the PERMA Model. Applied Research Quality Life. https://doi.org/10.1007/
s11482-025-10435-z