Burnout

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The purpose of this Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) study is to understand how special education (SPED) teachers make sense of their experiences as SPED teachers, how they view and understand factors that contribute to their career stress, as well as how they make sense of their relationships and experiences with other faculty, staff, and parents as well as how these relationships contribute to their feelings of stress and self-efficacy. Specifically, this study examines the influence of these experiences on teacher stress and burnout using the lens of the multidimensional burnout theory (Masloch, 1972) and the tenants of Banduras (2001) self-efficacy theory to understand the intricate relationship between the personal, behavioral, and environmental influences. The following questions were used to guide this research: How do special education teachers describe their experience of being a special education teacher? And How do various factors structures, practices, expectations and relationships contribute to their sense of challenge and stress? The findings indicate that the participants experienced varying levels of stress throughout their special education careers and their ability to deal with these stressors influenced their decisions to remain a SPED teacher or consider leaving special education. The findings of this study may lend new meaning and understanding in supporting SPED teachers effectiveness, while conclusions drawn could be used to inform, create dialogue, and aide in the development of ways to mitigate stressors that impede special education teacher success. Finally, implications for practice and future research are discussed.