Special Educators’ Experiences of Interpersonal Interactions While Serving Students With Emotional/Behavioral Disorders

2021 ◽  
pp. 074193252110228
Author(s):  
Elizabeth Bettini ◽  
Jennifer Lillis ◽  
Kristabel Stark ◽  
Nelson C. Brunsting ◽  
Hannah Morris Mathews
Keyword(s):  
General Education ◽  
Behavioral Disorders ◽  
Special Educators ◽  
Behavioral Disabilities ◽  
Emotional Behavioral Disorders ◽  
Interpersonal Interactions ◽  
Student Needs ◽  
Emotional Behavioral Disabilities

Students with emotional/behavioral disorders are increasingly included in general education settings, requiring their special educators to coordinate with other educators. Yet, research provides limited insights into their interactions with other educators. Thus, we qualitatively examined how special educators experienced and navigated interactions with other educators when serving students with emotional/behavioral disabilities in self-contained classes that were actively moving students into more inclusive placements. Participants emphasized that their work was interdependent with others; they relied on others for work essential to meeting students’ needs. They shared that interactions were shaped by conceptions of students’ needs, the division of responsibilities, and resources. They experienced interactions on a continuum from alignment to misalignment; when experiencing alignment, they felt supported to meet student needs, whereas they felt misalignment challenged those efforts. Participants described using varied strategies to promote alignment. Results have implications for coordinating teachers’ efforts to serve students with emotional/behavioral disabilities.

Burnout of Special Educators Serving Students With Emotional-Behavioral Disorders: A Longitudinal Study

2021 ◽  
pp. 074193252110305
Author(s):  
Nelson C. Brunsting ◽  
Elizabeth Bettini ◽  
Marcia L. Rock ◽  
David James Royer ◽  
Eric A. Common ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Behavioral Disorders ◽  
Emotional Exhaustion ◽  
Special Educators ◽  
National Level ◽  
National Sample ◽  
Personal Accomplishment ◽  
Emotional Behavioral Disorders ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
School Year ◽  
Curve Modeling

We examined changes in burnout across three timepoints in one school year, in a sample ( N = 230) of special educators serving students with emotional-behavioral disorders, in 15 school districts selected through stratified random sampling at the national level. Emotional exhaustion decreased at each timepoint in the school year and personal accomplishment increased from fall to spring. Latent growth curve modeling did not produce latent trajectories of burnout among teachers; however, cross-lagged panel structure equation modeling revealed that emotional exhaustion and personal accomplishment had both direct and indirect effects on depersonalization. Differences in burnout were significant by race/ethnicity but not by gender. Participants reported higher emotional exhaustion, lower depersonalization, and higher personal accomplishment than a national sample. We provide implications for researchers and practitioners.

Teacher Certification Area and the Academic Outcomes of Students With Learning Disabilities or Emotional/Behavioral Disorders

2019 ◽  
Vol 54 (1) ◽  
pp. 40-50 ◽  
Author(s):  
Allison F. Gilmour
Keyword(s):  
Special Education ◽  
Learning Disabilities ◽  
General Education ◽  
Behavioral Disorders ◽  
Teacher Certification ◽  
Teaching Quality ◽  
Emotional Behavioral Disorders ◽  
Students With Learning Disabilities ◽  
Certified Teachers ◽  
Certified Teacher

Special education certification is used as an indicator of teaching quality in research, practice, and policy. This study examined whether elementary and middle school students with learning disabilities (LD) or emotional/behavioral disorders (EBD) scored better on state math and English language arts (ELA) assessments in years when they were taught by a teacher certified in special education or dual-certified in special education and another area compared to years when they were taught by general education–certified teachers. For most student groups, academic achievement appeared unrelated to teacher certification type. Students with LD and higher academic skills appeared to benefit from having a dual-certified teacher over a general education–certified teacher in ELA. Lower achieving students with EBD scored worse in math when they were taught by special education–certified teachers instead of general education–certified or dual-certified teachers. Implications for indicators of teaching quality in special education are discussed.

Special Educators’ Working Conditions, Self-Efficacy, and Practices Use With Students With Emotional/Behavioral Disorders

2020 ◽  
pp. 074193252092412
Author(s):  
Michelle M. Cumming ◽  
Kristen Merrill O’Brien ◽  
Nelson C. Brunsting ◽  
Elizabeth Bettini
Keyword(s):  
Behavioral Disorders ◽  
Working Conditions ◽  
Self Efficacy ◽  
Behavior Management ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Special Educators ◽  
Emotional Behavioral Disorders ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Students With Ebd

Students with emotional/behavioral disorders (EBD) in self-contained settings depend on special educators to deliver high-quality instruction and behavior management, and special educators depend on administrators to create supportive working environments. Yet, to date, no studies have examined how working conditions relate to special educators’ provision of effective instructional or behavior management practices for students with EBD in self-contained settings. To fill this crucial gap, we conducted a national survey of 171 special educators serving students with EBD in self-contained settings. Using structural equation modeling, we found special educators who experienced more supportive working conditions (i.e., stronger logistical resources and lower demands) reported more manageable workloads, experienced less emotional exhaustion and stress, felt greater self-efficacy for instruction, and reported using evidence-supported instructional practices more often with their students. Results have implications for future research and practice.

Teaching Students With Emotional/Behavioral Disorders: Teachers’ Burnout Profiles and Classroom Management

2021 ◽  
pp. 106342662110202
Author(s):  
Allison F. Gilmour ◽  
Lia E. Sandilos ◽  
William V. Pilny ◽  
Samantha Schwartz ◽  
Joseph H. Wehby
Keyword(s):  
Special Education ◽  
Classroom Management ◽  
General Education ◽  
Behavioral Disorders ◽  
Special Education Teachers ◽  
Latent Profile Analysis ◽  
Profile Analysis ◽  
Emotional Behavioral Disorders ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Management Skills

Teachers may have affective responses to teaching students with emotional/behavioral disorders (EBD) that influence their effectiveness. We used latent profile analysis to examine the burnout profiles of 102 K-6 general education and special education teachers who had students with or at-risk for EBD in their classrooms. We then examined if profile membership varied by teacher type (special education vs. general education) and if profile membership was related to teachers’ directly observed classroom management skills. Our results suggest that teachers exhibit three burnout profiles: “flourishing,” “buffered,” and “struggling”; that profile membership did not vary by teacher type; and that burnout profiles were related to teachers’ classroom management skills. These findings suggest teachers may need differential supports when working with students who have EBD and provide directions for future research regarding the association between teacher affect and classroom instruction.

Training, Supervising, and Supporting Students With Emotional–Behavioral Disorders as Cross-Age Tutors

2021 ◽  
pp. 105345122110148
Author(s):  
Gavin W. Watts ◽  
John W. McKenna
Keyword(s):  
Behavioral Disorders ◽  
Special Educators ◽  
Skills Training ◽  
Instructional Delivery ◽  
Behavioral Skills ◽  
Intervention Models ◽  
Effective Interventions ◽  
Effective Procedures ◽  
Students With Ebd

Students with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD) are frequently on the receiving end of intervention models (e.g., social skills training) in which targeted skills are modeled and practiced in unnatural arrangements (i.e., teacher-lead). Special educators consistently report a need for effective interventions and instructional arrangements that promote social-behavioral skills of students with EBD in natural learning environments (i.e., with peers). When students with EBD are provided the opportunity to serve in the role of tutor (i.e., on the instructional delivery end of the model), increases in academic and behavioral skills have been found for both tutors and tutees. This article provides an overview of effective procedures and considerations for training, supervising, and supporting students with EBD as cross-age tutors.

Working Conditions and Special Educators’ Reading Instruction for Students With Emotional and Behavioral Disorders

2021 ◽  
pp. 001440292199982
Author(s):  
Hannah Morris Mathews ◽  
Jennifer L. Lillis ◽  
Elizabeth Bettini ◽  
David J. Peyton ◽  
Daisy Pua ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Reading Instruction ◽  
Behavioral Disorders ◽  
Working Conditions ◽  
Special Educators ◽  
Emotional And Behavioral Disorders ◽  
Collegial Support ◽  
Instruction Time ◽  
Role Conceptions ◽  
Students With Ebd

Working conditions may be an important lever to support special educators’ reading instruction for students with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD). Thus, we explored how working conditions relate to the quality of special educators’ reading instruction in upper-elementary, self-contained classes for students with EBD. Using mixed methods to examine video observations of reading instruction and varied data sources on working conditions, we found that special educators who provided stronger instruction had a partner coleading their program, and consistent paraprofessionals, with time and support for training. Partners and paraprofessionals, together, protected special educators’ instruction time. Other conditions (i.e., material resources, role differentiation, role conceptions, planning time) emerged as potentially important, but evidence was less robust. Results indicate partners and paraprofessionals may be important forms of collegial support. These findings have important implications for improving the quality of instruction in self-contained settings for students with EBD.

Developing a Theory of Program Vision as Professional Socialization in Special Education Teacher Preparation

2021 ◽  
pp. 088840642110589
Author(s):  
Hannah Morris Mathews
Keyword(s):  
Special Education ◽  
Teacher Preparation ◽  
General Education ◽  
Special Educators ◽  
Professional Socialization ◽  
Special Education Teacher ◽  
Teacher Preparation Programs ◽  
Preparation Programs ◽  
Education Teacher ◽  
Roles And Responsibilities

In general education, researchers find candidates’ pre-service experiences are a tool for socialization into the knowledge, norms, and values of the profession. An important aspect of this process is program vision—the collective understanding of teaching put forth by a preparation program. Yet, few investigations in special education examine program vision. Using interviews with candidates across six teacher preparation programs, the author generates theory to understand the role of vision in special education teacher candidates’ professional socialization and how experiences of program vision are associated with their conceptions of their future roles and responsibilities. Candidates’ conception of special educators’ roles reflected three characterizations consistent within, but distinct across programs: Direct Instructor, Supportive Differentiator, and General Responder. Each profile was associated with unique roles and responsibilities for special educators. Findings draw attention to the importance of examining vision as a tool for professional socialization in special education teacher preparation.

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