Hostname: page-component-68c7f8b79f-smksp Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2026-01-21T17:22:34.342Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Combating Special Educator Attrition: Mentor Teachers’ Perceptions of Job Satisfaction, Resiliency, and Retention

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  07 May 2019

Samantha Mrstik ,
Cynthia Pearl ,
Rebecca Hopkins ,
Eleazar Vasquez III  and
Matthew T. Marino
Samantha Mrstik*
Affiliation:
Georgia Gwinnett College, USA
Cynthia Pearl
Affiliation:
University of Central Florida, USA
Rebecca Hopkins
Affiliation:
University of Central Florida, USA
Eleazar Vasquez III
Affiliation:
University of Central Florida, USA
Matthew T. Marino
Affiliation:
University of Central Florida, USA
*
*Corresponding author. Email: smrstik@ggc.edu
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Special educator attrition is a major problem in the United States (US) and in many countries worldwide. In the present study, we investigated the experiences of 5 highly successful special education teachers serving students with autism spectrum disorder in the central Florida area of the US with particular attention to factors associated with teacher retention. A phenomenological research design was employed to identify factors leading participants to persevere where others have not. A representative sample was included of multiple teachers in classrooms of varying grade levels and school districts across central Florida as part of a funded project by the Office of Special Education Services and the U.S. Department of Education. Findings include that teachers of students with ASD who are involved in extracurricular activities may show a lowered burnout rate.

Keywords

autismsecondary educationspecial educationteacher burnoutteacher retention

Information

Type
Original Articles
Information
Australasian Journal of Special and Inclusive Education , Volume 43 , Issue 1 , July 2019 , pp. 27 - 40
Copyright
© The Author(s) 2019 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Article purchase

Temporarily unavailable

Footnotes

†

This manuscript was accepted under the Editorship of Michael Arthur-Kelly.

References

Andrews, A., & Brown, J. L. (2015). Discrepancies in the ideal perceptions and the current experiences of special education teachers. Journal of Education and Training Studies, 3, 126–131. https://doi.org/10.11114/jets.v3i6.984 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Barnes, G., Crowe, E. & Schaefer, B. (2007). The cost of teacher turnover in five school districts: A pilot study. Arlington, VA: National Commission on Teaching and America’s Future.Google Scholar
Billingsley, B. S. (2002). Improving special education teacher retention: Implications from a decade of research. Journal of Special Education Leadership, 15, 60–66.Google Scholar
Billingsley, B. S. (2004). Promoting teacher quality and retention in special education. Journal of Learning Disabilities, 37, 370–376. https://doi.org/10.1177/00222194040370050101 CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Boe, E. E., Cook, L. H., & Sunderland, R. J. (2008). Teacher turnover: Examining exit attrition, teaching area transfer, and school migration. Exceptional Children, 75, 7–31. https://doi.org/10.1177/001440290807500101 Google Scholar
Boyer, L., & Lee, C. (2001). Converting challenge to success: Supporting a new teacher of students with autism. The Journal of Special Education, 35, 75–83. https://doi.org/10.1177/002246690103500202 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Brownell, M. T., Billingsley, B. S., McLeskey, J., & Sindelar, P. T. (2012). Teacher quality and effectiveness in an era of accountability: Challenges and solutions in special education? In Crockett, J. B., Billingsley, B. S., & Boscardin, M. L. (Eds.), Handbook of leadership and administration for special education (pp. 260–280). New York, NY: Routledge.Google Scholar
Center on Personnel Studies in Special Education. (2004). Retaining qualified special education teachers: Understanding why teachers leave and what school districts can do about it. Special Education Workforce Watch. Retrieved from http://copsse.education.ufl.edu/docs/PB-13/1/PB-13.pdf Google Scholar
Creswell, J. W. (2007). Qualitative inquiry & research design: Choosing among five approaches (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE.Google Scholar
Creswell, J. W. (2014). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches (4th ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE.Google Scholar
Dempsey, I., Arthur-Kelly, M., & Carty, B. (2009). Mentoring early career special education teachers. Australian Journal of Education, 53, 294–305. https://doi.org/10.1177/000494410905300307 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dempsey, I., & Christenson-Foggett, J. (2011). External mentoring support for early career special education teachers. Australasian Journal of Special Education, 35, 61–71. https://doi.org/10.1375/ajse.35.1.61 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dupriez, V., Delvaux, B., & Lothaire, S. (2016). Teacher shortage and attrition: Why do they leave? British Educational Research Journal, 42, 21–39. https://doi.org/10.1002/berj.3193 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fetterman, D. M. (2010). Ethnography: Step-by-step (3rd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE.Google Scholar
Fish, W. W., & Stephens, T. L. (2010). Special education: A career of choice. Remedial and Special Education, 31, 400–407. https://doi.org/10.1177/0741932509355961 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gall, M. D., Gall, J. P., & Borg, W. R. (2007). Educational research: An introduction (8th ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson.Google Scholar
Georgakis, S., & Wilson, R. (2011). Teacher shortage and newly qualified teachers in Australia: A physical and health education case study. Journal of Physical Education & Sport, 11, 393–400.Google Scholar
Gersten, R., Keating, T., Yovanoff, P., & Harniss, M. K. (2001). Working in special education: Factors that enhance special educators’ intent to stay. Exceptional Children, 67, 549–567. https://doi.org/10.1177/001440290106700408 Google Scholar
Gilligan, C. (1993). In a different voice: Psychological theory and women’s development. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.Google Scholar
Goldring, R., Taie, S., & Riddles, M. (2014). Teacher attrition and mobility: Results from the 2012–13 Teacher Follow-Up Survey (NCES 2014-077). Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved from http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch Google Scholar
Gray, L., & Taie, S. (2015). Public school teacher attrition and mobility in the first five years: Results from the first through fifth waves of the 2007–08 Beginning Teacher Longitudinal Study (NCES 2015-337) . Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved from http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch Google Scholar
Hirsch, E., & Emerick, S. (with Church, K., & Fuller, E.) (2007). Teacher working conditions are student learning conditions: A report on the 2006 North Carolina Teacher Working Conditions Survey (pp. 4–31). Retrieved from https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED498770.pdf Google Scholar
Ingersoll, R. M., & Smith, T. M. (2004). Do teacher induction and mentoring matter? NASSP Bulletin, 88, 28–40. https://doi.org/10.1177/019263650408863803 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ingersoll, R. M., & Strong, M. (2011). The impact of induction and mentoring programs for beginning teachers: A critical review of the research. Review of Educational Research, 81, 201–233. https://doi.org/10.3102/0034654311403323 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Israel, M., Kamman, M. L., McCray, E. D., & Sindelar, P. T. (2014). Mentoring in action: The interplay among professional assistance, emotional support, and evaluation. Exceptional Children, 81, 45–63. https://doi.org/10.1177/0014402914532231 Google Scholar
Jennett, H. K., Harris, S. L., & Mesibov, G. B. (2003). Commitment to philosophy, teacher efficacy, and burnout among teachers of children with autism. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 33, 583–593. https://doi.org/10.1023/B:JADD.0000005996.19417.57 CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Johnson, S. M., Kraft, M. A., & Papay, J. P. (2012). How context matters in high-need schools: The effects of teachers’ working conditions on their professional satisfaction and their students’ achievement. Teachers College Record, 114, 1–39.Google Scholar
Kaff, M. S. (2004). Multitasking is multitaxing: Why special educators are leaving the field. Preventing School Failure, 48, 10–17.Google Scholar
Keigher, A. (2010). Teacher attrition and mobility: Results from the 2008–09 teacher follow-up survey (NCES 2010-353) . Washington, DC: National Center for Education Statistics.Google Scholar
Kram, K. E. (1985). Improving the mentoring process. Training & Development Journal, 39, 40–43.Google Scholar
Lincoln, Y. S., & Guba, E. G. (1985). Naturalistic inquiry. Newbury Park, CA: SAGE.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
McGee, G. G., & Morrier, M. J. (2005). Preparation of autism specialists. In Volkmar, F. R., Paul, R., Klin, A., Cohen, D., Volkmar, F. R., Paul, R., … Cohen, D. (Eds.), Handbook of autism and pervasive developmental disorders: Assessment, interventions, and policy (3rd ed., Vol. 1, pp. 1123–1160). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.Google Scholar
McLeskey, J., Tyler, N. C., & Flippin, S. S. (2004). The supply of and demand for special education teachers: A review of research regarding the chronic shortage of special education teachers. The Journal of Special Education, 38, 5–21. https://doi.org/10.1177/00224669040380010201 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Morrier, M. J., Hess, K. L., & Heflin, L. J. (2011). Teacher training for implementation of teaching strategies for students with autism spectrum disorders. Teacher Education and Special Education, 34, 119–132. https://doi.org/10.1177/0888406410376660 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Moustakas, C. (1994). Phenomenological research methods. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Obiakor, F. E., Rotatori, A. F., & Burkhardt, S. (Eds.). (2007). Advances in Special Education: Vol. 17. Current perspectives in special education administration. Bingley, UK: Emerald Group.Google Scholar
Pearl, C. E., Vasquez, E. III, Marino, M. T. Wienke, W., Donehower, C., Gourwitz, J., … Duerr, S. R. (2018). Establishing content validity of the Quality Indicators for Classrooms Serving Students With Autism Spectrum Disorders instrument. Teacher Education and Special Education, 41, 58–69. https://doi.org/10.1177/0888406416687814 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Plash, S., & Piotrowski, C. (2006). Retention issues: A study of Alabama special education teachers. Education, 127, 125–128.Google Scholar
QSR International. (2015). NVivo 11 for Windows (Version 11) [Computer software]. Melbourne, Australia: Author.Google Scholar
Raue, K., & Gray, L. (2015). Career paths of beginning public school teachers: Results from the first through fifth waves of the 2007–08 beginning teacher longitudinal study. Washington, DC: National Center for Education Statistics.Google Scholar
Rock, M. L., Spooner, F., Nagro, S., Vasquez, E., Dunn, C., Leko, M., … Jones, J. L. (2016). 21st century change drivers: Considerations for constructing transformative models of special education teacher development. Teacher Education and Special Education, 39, 98–120. https://doi.org/10.1177/0888406416640634 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Scheuermann, B., Webber, J., Boutot, E. A., & Goodwin, M. (2003). Problems with personnel preparation in autism spectrum disorders. Focus on Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities, 18, 197–206. https://doi.org/10.1177/10883576030180030801 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sutcher, L., Darling-Hammond, L., & Carver-Thomas, D. (2016). A coming crisis in teaching? Teacher supply, demand, and shortages in the U.S. Palo Alto, CA: Learning Policy Institute.Google Scholar
Tyler, T. A., & Brunner, C. C. (2014). The case for increasing workplace decision-making: Proposing a model for special educator attrition research. Teacher Education and Special Education, 37, 283–308. https://doi.org/10.1177/0888406414527118 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
U.S. Department of Education (USDOE). (2016). Teacher shortage areas nationwide listing 1990–1991 through 2016–2017. Retrieved from https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ope/pol/tsa.pdf Google Scholar
U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services, Office of Special Education Programs. (2015). 37th annual report to Congress on the Implementation of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, 2015. Washington, DC: Author.Google Scholar
van Geffen, R. E., & Poell, R. F. (2014). Responding to teacher shortages: Relationships among mobility experiences, attitudes, and intentions of Dutch teachers. Asia-Pacific Journal of Teacher Education, 42, 275–290. https://doi.org/10.1080/1359866X.2014.902424 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Vittek, J. E. (2015). Promoting special educator teacher retention: A critical review of the literature. SAGE Open, 5, 1–6. https://doi.org/10.1177/2158244015589994 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wasburn, M. H., Wasburn-Moses, L., & Davis, D. R. (2012). Mentoring special educators: The roles of National Board Certified teachers. Remedial and Special Education, 33, 59–66. https://doi.org/10.1177/0741932510364549 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Whitaker, S. D. (2000). Mentoring beginning special education teachers and the relationship to attrition. Exceptional Children, 66, 546–566. https://doi.org/10.1177/001440290006600407 Google Scholar
White, M., & Mason, C. (2001). The mentoring induction project: What new teachers need from mentors. Teaching Exceptional Children, 33, 81–82.Google Scholar