The Prioritization of Special Educator Well-Being: An Empirical Perspective of Contemporary Importance

The Prioritization of Special Educator Well-Being: An Empirical Perspective of Contemporary Importance

Katherine Carpenter-Ware, Ed.D., Meredith Welch, Ed.D., and Sandra Battige, Ph.D.

Liberty University

Purpose: This study aimed to describe the subjective well-being of experienced special education teachers in one mid-Atlantic state in the United States.  The significance of this study was amplified by the onset of COVID-19. These circumstances were reflected within the data and provide implications for school administrators.

Methods: Qualitative data collection methods, including semi-structured interviews, focus groups, and audio journals, were used to generate data from twelve experienced special education teachers.  Research Design:  A transcendental phenomenological methodology, framed within Martin Seligman’s well-being theory, structured this study.

Findings: The themes that arose from the data indicated that experienced special education teachers sourced positive emotions, engagement, relationships, meaning, and accomplishment from role-related experiences.  However, barriers to these elements of well-being and negative emotions were also described.  Some of this data aligned with previous literature and some data was shaped by the unique experiences of early pandemic virtual instruction.

Conclusions:  Culminating from the data are practical implications for K-12 school leaders to provide intentional support for the retention and well-being of special educators.  Of these implications, acknowledging the hefty paperwork demands within the role, prioritizing teacher planning time, and expressing appreciation could benefit the well-being of those who teach within the special education community.

Keywords: COVID-19, special education teachers, K-12 school leadership, teacher well-being, well-being theory

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How to cite this article:
Katherine Carpenter-Ware, Meredith Welch, Sandra Battige. The Prioritization of Special Educator Well-Being: An Empirical Perspective of Contemporary Importance. American Journal of Educational Research and Reviews, 2022,7:88. DOI: 10.28933/ajerr-2021-12-2105

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