A phenomenological study of the experiences of special education teachers who choose to change careers

Abstract

Research has shown that job satisfaction of special education teachers is defined by a number of factors including: administrative and colleague support, workload, training, student discipline problems, excessive paperwork, and stress. Collectively these factors determine the degree to which teachers recognize satisfaction with their work. This paper demonstrates that while these factors are not unique to the field of special education it indicates a more global concern in the field of education in the school system. The paper also outlines that the primary causes of job dissatisfaction for special education teachers lies, not in the instructional duties but the non-instructional duties of special education teachers. While these factors are not unique to the area of special education there are certain aspects of the roles and responsibilities of special education teachers that affect job satisfaction that are unique to the field of education.