How School Administrators Influence the Retention of Teachers of Students with Emotional and Behavioral Disorders

Abstract

This study was a qualitative investigation of the reasons that experienced teachers of students with emotional and/or behavioral disorders give for remaining in that field. The study focused on the positive findings of why teachers stay, rather than the negative findings of why teachers leave (which currently dominate the field). The findings of this study indicate that having a sufficient level of support is a major factor influencing these teachers' career decisions. The study found that support was especially critical during teachers' initial years in the field, and that continued support, from both administrators and colleagues, was an important factor in their decisions to remain in their current teaching positions. Findings also revealed three specific characteristics of the administrative support that participants believed contributed to their perseverance in this challenging field. Implications regarding administrator preparation are also discussed.

Key influences on special education teachers’ intentions to leave

“…These findings coincide with previous studies identifying lack of administrative support as a frequently cited cause of level of satisfaction and teacher attrition (Albrecht et al, 2009;Billingsley, 2004a;Billingsley and Cross, 1991;Boe et al, 1999;Menon, 2012;Prather-Jones, 2011;Schlichte et al, 2005). Ure (as cited in Sari, 2004) reported that major sources of stress among Turkish special education school teachers may arise from a general lack of guidance in their work and a sense of isolation within their profession.…”

A study of the relation between special education burnout and job satisfaction

“…Several studies have indicated strategies to increase job satisfaction as it relates to professional development, feeling supported by their school environment, and increasing retention. Studies have found that special education teachers feel more supported by their school when they have administrators that value their input, provide effective feedback and involves the teacher in decision‐making (Bettini, Cheyney, Wang, et al., ; Prather‐Jones, ). However, prior research has found that administrators report feeling unprepared in how to best support special education teachers (Bettini, Cheyney, Wang, et al., ).…”

“…Previous studies have found a range of factors that can affect the level of job satisfaction experienced by special education teachers such as the overall school environment, access to resources, and workload manageability (Andrews and Brown, ; Bettini, Jones, Brownell, et al., ; Boyer and Gillespie, ; Brunsting, Sreckovic, and Lane, ; Thornton, Peltier, and Medina, ). A teacher's perceived level of school support directly impacts their job satisfaction (Mastropieri, ; Prather‐Jones, ). Kaff () found that a lack of administration support is the most frequently referenced source of teachers feeling unsupported by their school environment and causing higher levels of burnout.…”

The potential role of perceived support for reduction of special education teachers’ burnout

“…Therefore, their feeling of uncertainty in educational action and interaction is particularly pronounced, thus resulting in high stress and significant adverse consequences (Norwich, 2013). About two out of three teachers who leave the profession state as main reasons too much paperwork to be completed, lack of administrative support, not enough supplies, too many students and scarce collaboration with colleagues (Futernick, 2007;Kaff, 2004;Prather-Jones, 2011). Moreover, pressure from parents can be meaningfully intense, due to the complex and confusing emotional states parents may go through when dealing with physical and psychological health of their children (Kourkoutas, Langher, Vitalaki, & Ricci, 2015).…”