Date of Award
9-22-2025
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Educational Leadership, Ed.D.
First Advisor
Bronwyn MacFarlane
Committee Members
Chris Deeter; Lori Sanchez
Abstract
This qualitative narrative inquiry examined the lived experiences of special education teachers working within United States public schools, focusing on factors contributing to special education teacher attrition, such as intrinsic and extrinsic motivation, job satisfaction, and gender dynamics. Fifteen certified special education teachers with at least two years of experience participated in semi-structured interviews conducted during the summer of 2024. This study is framed in theories of human motivation and gender roles, which informed the research questions and the analysis. The study’s findings indicated that intrinsic motivators—including a sense of purpose and the opportunity to positively impact students' lives were central to retention. Extrinsic factors such as salary, benefits, respect from peers, and support from administrators were also significant in teachers’ career decisions. Participants described feeling disrespected, isolated, and overworked, particularly in comparison to their general education colleagues. Many reported struggling with insufficient classroom staff, limited resources, and a lack of basic supplies and equipment. They also observed that limited understanding, both within schools and among the general public, about students with disabilities and the role of special education contributes to ongoing negative perceptions of the field and those who work in it. Gender differences found male participants reported higher job satisfaction linked to extrinsic motivators, and all expressed interest in moving into higher-level or administrative roles. Female participants felt that men had greater access to leadership opportunities, which they attributed to societal perceptions linking masculinity to leadership. However, the women in the study did not express interest in pursuing leadership roles. These findings offer insight for school leaders and education policymakers as they work to address the continuing shortage of qualified special education teachers.
Rights Management
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License
Recommended Citation
Yurczak, Kristen, "Special Education Teacher Attrition, Gender Roles and Human Motivation" (2025). Student Theses and Dissertations. 1088.
https://arch.astate.edu/all-etd/1088
