The Effect of Organisational Climate and Physical Activity on Attitude Toward Sport and Burnout among School Administrators

Background School administrators work under heavy pressure, juggling demanding workloads, expanding managerial responsibilities, and constant organisational expectations. Such conditions often heighten the likelihood of burnout. The present study explores how administrators’ views of the organisational climate and their levels of physical activity relate to both their attitude toward sport and their experience of job burnout. It also considers whether attitude toward sport serves as a mediating factor in these associations. Method This study involved 223 school administrators employed across various types of schools. Data were gathered through four instruments: the Organisational Climate Scale, the International Physical Activity Questionnaire–Short Form (IPAQ-SF), the Attitude toward Sport Scale, and the Burnout Scale. To analyse the direct and indirect links among these variables, Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) was applied. Mediation effects were then assessed using the Bootstrap method, allowing for a more detailed examination of the relationships within the model. Results The findings revealed clear positive associations between school administrators’ perceptions of organisational climate, their levels of physical activity, and their attitudes toward sport. Organisational climate, physical activity, and attitude toward sport all notably lowered occupational burnout. The SEM showed organisational climate and physical activity accounting for 32% of attitude toward sport variance, while these plus attitude toward sport explained 30% of burnout variance. Attitude toward sport also mediated significantly the impacts of organisational climate and physical activity on burnout. Conclusion Findings underscore that positive organisational climate, steady physical activity, and favorable attitude toward sport together play a key role in curbing school administrators' burnout. These insights stress the need for organization-wide and personal strategies to bolster administrators' mental health in schools.