Program
K-12 Administration Ed.D.
Number of Pages
214
Year Approved
2025
First Advisor
Dr. Judith Nagel
Second Reader
Dr. Emily Rustman
Third Reader
Dr. Sandra Pettingell
Abstract
This quantitative study investigated the extent to which special education teachers' perceptions of burnout are associated with two contextual variables: federal instructional setting and years of teaching experience. Although burnout in special education is well documented, few studies have examined how these particular factors influence reported levels of burnout. A total of 15,412 licensed special education teachers in Minnesota, including those with Tier 1 through Tier 4 licenses and Out of Field Permission, were invited to participate. Of these, 1,468 completed the Copenhagen Burnout Inventory, a validated instrument measuring personal, work-related, and student-related dimensions of burnout. Participants were grouped by their most recent instructional setting (Federal Settings 1 through 4 or a combination) and by teaching tenure. An independent samples t-test and one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) were conducted to assess whether burnout scores varied significantly across settings or experience levels. Results indicated no statistically significant differences in overall burnout based on instructional setting, t(1, 1463) = 1.173, p = 0.120, or years of experience, F(4, 1461) = 1.941, p = 0.085. While teachers with zero to three years of experience reported the lowest mean burnout scores, these differences were not statistically significant. Framed within Maslach's Burnout Theory, findings suggest that burnout may be less dependent on teaching context or tenure and more reflective of broader systemic or organizational stressors. These results highlight the importance of addressing structural conditions such as administrative support, workload, and policy demands that contribute to educator stress and negatively impact teacher well-being. Keywords: attrition, burnout, Federal Setting, highly qualified teacher, perceived burnout, retention, special education teacher.
Degree Name
Education Doctorate
Document Type
Doctoral dissertation
Recommended Citation
Haugen, A. N. (2025). Special Education Teachers’ Burnout: Exploring the Impact of Special Education Setting and Teaching Experience [Doctoral dissertation, Bethel University]. Spark Repository. https://spark.bethel.edu/etd/1213
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