Motivational Factors Toward Pursuing a Career in Special Education Essay

This study looked at factors which motivated individuals to initially go after careers in special education, factors which contributed toward their programs to remain or leave the field, and their perceptions of faculty districts’ powerful and unproductive recruitment and retention practices. The sample comprised of 12-15 individuals employed in public educational institutions throughout north Texas whom initially pursued careers in special education. Data were collected through the form of audio-recorded semi-structured cell phone interviews.

Accord towards students, family, and opportunities to fill job vacancies were factors that members cited the most for primarily pursuing careers in particular education. Furthermore, most of the interviewees reported satisfaction within their jobs, but known excessive demands and lack of administrative support as leading to job unhappiness. Motivational Factors toward Seeking a Career in Special Education. Chronic disadvantages in the field of exceptional education always pose challenges for open public schools across the United States (Billingsley, Carlson, & Klein, 2004; Boe, 2006; Billingsley & McLeskey, 2004; Brownell, Hirsch, Seo, 2004; Singh & Billingsley, mil novecentos e noventa e seis; Strunk & Robinson, 06\; Thornton, Peltier, & Medina, 2007).

The limited number of individuals entering and/or remaining in neuro-scientific special education has led to school districts’ inability to fill the mandatory teaching positions; such shortages have been linked to difficulties inside the recruitment and retention of qualified persons (Olivarez & Arnold, 2006). Although difficulties with the recruitment of professors, low retention, and excessive attrition rates are apparent across most teaching careers, it is much more prevalent amongst special teachers. Specifically, educators of college students with emotional/behavioral disorders display the largest lack, followed by individuals serving college students with severe/profound disabilities, and learning afflictions (McLeskey, Tyler, & Flippin, 2004).

The national institution districts are in a crisis. Specifically, zones are scrambling to find qualified special teachers to fill the empty teaching positions. According to Plash and Piotrowski (2006), a projected 611, 550 positions in special education will need to be packed by the season 2010. However , the inability to recruit the essential number of eligible individuals to fill up positions remains a major problem pertaining to school administrators.

An infinite number of research studies have been conducted so that they can identify limitations which prevent people by entering the field (Billingsley, 2004; Gersten, Keating, Yovanoff, & Harniss, 2001; McLeskey et ‘s., 2004; Olivarez & Arnold, 2006; Thornton, Peltier, & Medina, 2007). Studies include identified perceptions of low social status associated with being a special instructor, poor doing work conditions, large rates of stress, abnormal paperwork, and low salaries with the reduced number of individuals entering the discipline of unique education (Barmby, 2006; McLeskey et al., 2004; Rice, Goeling, & Peters, 2005).

A vast volume of analysis also is available regarding factors which have contributed to the decisions of individuals to leave the field of special education (Billingsley, Carlson, & Klein, 2004; Singh & Billingsley, 1996; Thornton, Peltier, & Medina, 2007) and consequently help the shortage of and high attrition rates of special education teachers (Barmby, 2006; Seafood & Stephens, in press; McLeskey, Tyler, & Saunders, 2004). According to Plash and Piotrowski (2006), 13. 2% of special education teachers keep their placement each year. When six percent of exceptional educators keep the discipline of education altogether, 7. 2% transfer to general education positions.

Prevalent factors identified as contributing factors to the exodus from the field include occupational stress, termes conseilles (Botwinik, 3 years ago; Greiner & Smith, 2006), weak support by administrators, unreasonable caseloads, large school size, low salaries (Darling-Hammond, 2003), assessment and responsibility pressures (Tye & O’Brien, 2002), and ineffective in-service programs (Kaufhold, Alverez, & Arnold, 2006; Plash & Piotrowski, 2006). A study carried out by Brownell, Smith, McNellis, and Lenk (1994) investigated the in-text variables associated with teacher regret.

Findings indicated that those professors who chose to stay in the field of special education were more committed to instructing students with disabilities, had a higher perception of efficacy, felt even more prepared by all their pre-service and initial educating experiences, and exhibited more effective coping tactics than those whom decided to leave the discipline. Two international studies had been identified which in turn focused on the motivating elements of individuals primarily pursuing careers as basic educators (Barmby, 2006; Watts & Richardson, 2007).

Relying on a study executed in England and Wales, Barmby identified intrinsic (e. g., the activity training children) and altruistic (e. g., desire to help kids succeed) reasons which contributed to the teachers’ decision to pursue careers within the discipline of education. Similar studies (e. g., working with children, shape future of children, and make a social contribution) were through Watt and Richardson whom investigated the motivational elements which motivated Australian visitors to initially go after a career generally education.

Moreover to checking out special educators’ job satisfaction and decisions to remain in the field, obtaining an understanding of individuals’ motivations intended for entering the field of special education have ramifications which may help in the improved recruitment and retention of special teachers. Such results would contribute to enhanced educator educational organizing, curriculum style and plan decisions. Therefore , the purpose of this study was to obtain awareness of unique educators in relation to factors that contributed toward their (a) initial pursuit of special education careers, (b) job pleasure and/or unhappiness levels and (c) decisions whether to be on the exceptional education vocation.

Participants had been further asked to provide tips that university districts could take to efficiently recruit and retain unique educators. Design of Study Qualitative methodology was utilized in this study by means of audio-recorded semi-structured telephone selection interviews to obtain the awareness of special educators. Qualitative research is appropriate in dealing with probably multiple realities, mutually healthy diet influences, and value habits (Lincoln & Guba, 1985). Interviews provide the purpose of “obtaining here-and-now improvements of persons, events, activities, organizations, emotions, motivations, promises, concerns, and also other entities” (p. 268).

According to Bogdan and Biklen (1998), semi-structured interviews motivate interviewees to expand after ideas, which will provide the investigator opportunities to create abstract tips through descriptive material. Members Respondents playing this research consisted of 15 educators utilized in public institution districts through the entire north Tx area. This purposive sample was comprised of 11 unique education educators, three diagnosticians and a single former special education tutor currently serving as a high school graduation principal during the selection interviews.

Four with the 11 special education educators within this analyze were recently general education teachers. Info Collection and Analysis The interview questions conducted just for this study focused on factors which in turn contributed toward special educators initially chasing careers in special education in addition to conditions that might contribute toward them remaining in or perhaps leaving the field. Interviewees were additionally asked to provide feedback regarding their college districts’ exceptional educator recruitment and preservation efforts.

The next open-ended questions were asked to each in the 15 participants.