Job demands, job resources, wellbeing and student outcomes : a study of sign language interpreter educators' perceptions

Abstract

This multi-phase study aims to improve understanding of sign language interpreter educators’ perceptions of their work experiences in relation to student-learning outcomes, as it specifically relates to the readiness to work gap. The analytical framework used to underpin this study is Job Demands-Resources theory (Bakker and Demerouti 2014), which considers the relationships between employees job demands and job resources. These factors have been used to predict employee wellbeing in terms of work engagement and burnout, as well as to predict individual job performance of the employee and the success of the organisation as a whole. This study is unique, as it has placed sign language interpreter education within the context of higher education, and explores how sign language interpreter educators perceive their work experiences as a contributing factor to the readiness to work gap, rather than focusing solely on student abilities. Therefore, findings of this study call for an increased understanding of the relationships between the professional domain and higher education and the expectations each have for the other in relation to student readiness. The Job Demands-Resources Survey-Interpreter Educators is a tool that was created to explore sign language interpreter educators’ job demands, job resources and how they perceive such factors to influence student-learning outcomes. A total of 66 sign language interpreter educators participated in this study. By way of convenience sampling, 29 sign language interpreter educators participated in a follow up survey, incorporating the Maslach Burnout Inventory-Educators Survey, Utrecht Work Engagement Survey-17, and the Areas of Worklife Survey. These tools were used to explore overall wellbeing and identify possible domains of work that may influence burnout. Results of these studies indicate that while sign language interpreter educators have high job demand and low job resources, they are accessing their personal resources (e.g. self-efficacy and motivation) to buffer some of the impact their job demands have on them, while remaining engaged in their work. However, results also identified that sign language interpreter educators experience high levels of emotional exhaustion and perceive their workload related demands to negatively impact the student learning experience, and they lack confidence in their graduates’ readiness to work.