Perceptions of autonomy: Differential job satisfaction for general and special educators using a nationally representative dataset

Abstract

Understanding how general and special education teachers perceive autonomy has been linked to job satisfaction and increased student outcomes. The current research investigated the interaction between teacher autonomy and teacher type on teacher job satisfaction using a nationally representative dataset. The study included approximately 22,850 teachers from 4,620 public schools, representing a weighted sample of 2.38 million teachers. Results from multilevel modeling found that special education teachers may be less sensitive to changes in classroom autonomy compared to general educators. Implications for research and practice are provided.