Investigating the Relationship Between Burnout and Self-Determination With In-Service Special Education Teachers Using Single-Case Design

• In Event: Learning and Motivation Research Inclusive of Disability

Abstract

Teacher burnout is a significant issue that influences retention (Skaalvik & Skaalvik, 2010). This problem is exacerbated in special education teacher populations, which has a higher rate of educators leaving the profession (Brunsting et al., 2014). An influential factor that may influence burnout is perception of self-determination (Deci et al., 2017). We define self-determination as the agency and motivation that teachers experience. Thus, we implemented a burnout reduction intervention and investigated the relationship between burnout and self-determination in K-12 in-service special education teachers.

We constructed an interdisciplinary team that represents the fields of educational psychology and special education to address this issue. We implemented educational psychology theory related to burnout and self-determination. Furthermore, we used single case design methodology, which is often implemented in the field of special education and ignored in the field of educational psychology. This research exhibits an interdisciplinary approach to being inclusive of the special education community, which educational psychologists have historically ignored (Emery et al., 2022). One reason for this lack of inclusivity is small sample sizes, which often doesn’t fit the methodological approach in educational psychology. In response, we showcase single case design as a way to address smaller sample sizes.

In our research we investigated the effects of an Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) intervention on special education teacher reports of burnout and self determination using the Maslach Burnout Toolkit for Educators (Leiter & Maslach, 2003; Maslach et al., 1986) and the Self-Determination Inventory (Hagiwara, 2019). We administered the instruments on a weekly basis between 14 and 19 weeks.

Our sample consisted of 43 special education teachers. Participants were randomly assigned to five groups. We then used a single-case multiple baseline design across groups of participants. We used a fixed-schedule approach to enter groups 1 through 4 into treatment in a time-lagged fashion and group 5 served as a waitlist control. To evaluate the time-series data, we used the between-case standardized mean difference (Pustejovsky et al., 2014).

In the evaluation of the time-series data, we observed small improvements in depersonalization (BC-SMD = -0.16; 95% CI = -0.32, -0.01) and personal accomplishment (BC-SMD = 0.21; 95% CI = 0.41, 0.01), the point estimate for emotional exhaustion was small but not statistically significant (BC-SMD = -0.20; 95% CI = -0.41, 0.01). For cases with no missing data (n = 20), we observed gains in self-determination from pre to post (d = 0.57; 95% CI = 0.09, 1.04). We observed limited correlation between self-determination measured at pretest to emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and personal accomplishment at posttest. We did identify moderate correlation between self-determination and personal accomplishment (r = 0.56) at posttest, but limited correlation to emotional exhaustion and depersonalization.

Our findings provide a foundation for addressing special education teacher burnout, which could have a positive influence on retention. Additionally, we found that perceived self-determination predicted components of teacher burnout. Furthermore, the study provides a path for educational psychologists to be more inclusive of the special education community by implementing single case design methodology.

Authors

• Heather Eisel, University of Oklahoma
  Non-Presenting Author

• Corey Peltier, University of Oklahoma
  Presenting Author

• Benjamin C. Heddy, University of Oklahoma
  Non-Presenting Author

• Kendra L. Williams-Diehm, University of Oklahoma
  Non-Presenting Author