Relationship amongst technology use, work overload, and psychological detachment from work

Abstract

Permanent connection to the work world as a result of new technologies raises the possibility of workday extensions and excessive workloads. The present study addresses the relationship between technology and psychological detachment from work resulting from work overload. Participants were 313 professionals from the health sector who responded to three instruments used in similar studies. Through PLS-SEM, regression and dependence analyses were developed, and through the bootstrapping method, significance of factor loadings, path coefficients and variances were examined. Results of the study corroborate a negative effect of technology use on psychological detachment from work and a positive correlation between technology and work overload. Additionally, there is a significant indirect effect of technology on psychological detachment from work as a result of work overload. Findings extend the literature related to the stressor-detachment model, and support the idea that workers who are often connected to their jobs by technological tools are less likely to reach adequate psychological detachment levels. Implications for the academic community and practitioners are discussed.

Este estudio de caso reporta la experiencia de un maestro en formación inicial, quien articula la teoría de inteligencias múltiples con la educación ambiental, en el contexto de una macroinvestigación basada en diseño (Design based research), con mediación de un equipo colaborativo. Desde este marco metodológico, el maestro diseñó una estrategia didáctica sobre el agua y la ejecutó en un grupo de 25 alumnos de primero de primaria, algunos de ellos con diversidad funcional (déficit de atención –TDA–, dificultades de aprendizaje sin diagnóstico específico y ceguera total). Como resultados, en primer lugar, se describe el proceso de investigación en educación ambiental, desde la dinámica colaborativa; en segundo lugar, las implicaciones de la experiencia en la formación inicial del maestro.