Improving the retention of special education inclusion teachers: Understanding their experiences in work and preparation in an urban setting
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Authors
Schanck, Justin
Issue Date
2023-01
Type
Dissertation
Language
en_US
Keywords
Burn out (Psychology) , Dissertations, Academic--United States , Education, Secondary , Educational leadership , Georgia , High school teachers , Special education , Teacher turnover
Alternative Title
Abstract
This research sought to understand the experiences and perceptions of special education inclusion teachers (SEITs) from an urban county in Central Georgia. The qualitative narrative analysis proposed here aims to give school districts insight into why SEITs leave the field. This study followed a basic qualitative design. Participants were pulled from an urban school district in Central Georgia by emailing or phone calling through an open records request. A total of four participants were selected for this study. Two of the chosen participants were female, and two were male. The two females were aged 26 and 26; the two males were aged 23 and 25. The two male participants were African American, while the female participants were white.
Data were collected in four interviews and coded by In Vivio, Pattern, and Codeweaving during the analysis process. Five themes were developed through the analysis process. Those themes were Job Choice, Preparation, Workload, and Job Effectiveness. Implications for practice include lessening teacher workloads, developing more robust mentorship programs, and improving how SEITs are prepared for the job. Future research suggested would be to compare SEITs that left the field to those that are still in the area. Also, reaching those with an innate desire to teach to those who choose to teach for convenience would be essential. Lastly, the participants of this study all had some disability they were diagnosed with at an early age. It could be helpful to look at the differences between SEITs with a diagnosed disability and those without a disability.
Keywords: Burnout, Secondary School, Special Education, Teacher Retention, Urban School
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This dissertation is protected by the Copyright Laws of the United States (Public Law 94-553, revised in 1976). Consistent with fair use as defined in the Copyright Laws, brief quotations from this material are allowed with proper acknowledgement. Use of the materials for financial gain with the author's expressed written permissions is not allowed.