Stress and Burnout: Examining Risk and Protective Factors for Special Education Teacher Job Satisfaction

• In Event: Focus on Teacher Stress

Abstract

Special education teachers, who often navigate frequent and complex student social, emotional, and behavioral concerns, may be especially vulnerable to experiencing burnout (Emery & Vandenberg, 2010; Brunsting et al., 2014). Previous research has identified both personal factors, such as teacher ability to cope with stress (Brunsting et al., 2014), and school-specific variables, such as organizational support (Brunsting et al., 2014) as relevant to special education teacher burnout. We surveyed special education teachers on several important constructs: burnout, perceived organizational support, coping ability, self-compassion, and job satisfaction. Results suggest that special education teachers have unique patterns of burnout, and that perceived organizational support and emotional exhaustion are protective and risk factors, respectively, regarding teachers’ overall levels of job satisfaction.

Authors

• Derek Rodgers, University of Iowa

• Ashley Rila, University of Iowa

• Duhita Mahatmya, University of Iowa

• Gerta Bardhoshi, University of Iowa

• Allison L Bruhn, University of Iowa