ERIC Number: EJ1260686
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2020
Pages: 18
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1366-4530
EISSN: N/A
'Overworked and Underappreciated': Special Education Teachers Describe Stress and Attrition
Hester, Olivia R.; Bridges, Shannon A.; Rollins, Lauren Hart
Teacher Development, v24 n3 p348-365 2020
Rising attrition rates and the shortage of highly qualified special education teachers have a negative impact on students and school districts. This study explores the open-ended questions that were part of a larger mixed-method analysis to uncover the voices of current special education teachers (n = 366) from across the United States. Using their own words, teachers identify work-related stressors and express their reasonings behind leaving the field of special education. Overall, results indicate that teachers did not feel supported by their administrators and that their profession had an adverse effect on their overall quality of life, thereby contributing to feelings of burnout. Recommendations for future research and the need for professional development are discussed.
Descriptors: Special Education Teachers, Stress Variables, Teaching Conditions, Faculty Mobility, Teacher Attitudes, Administrator Role, Teacher Burnout, Quality of Life, Legal Responsibility, Teacher Responsibility, Student Behavior, Student Needs, Mental Health, Physical Health, Educational Resources, Career Change, Teacher Retirement
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A