Republic of the Philippines

Western Mindanao State University

COLLEGE OF TEACHER EDUCATION
Zamboanga City

Determinants that
Influence Special
Educators Retention in the
Profession

Yuri Harris S. Pamaran

BEED IV-D
 INTRODUCTION

Background of the Study

Our society has increasingly higher and more complex expectations of teachers. Being a
teacher comes together with a wider job description than merely passing knowledge on to
students (Verhoeven et al., 2006).

According to Lambert (2006), each year, schools across the globe face the fear of
retaining teachers because the teaching profession has become much like a revolving door: as
one teacher enters, another leaves. Yearly, thousands of teachers leave the profession or change
schools in pursuit of better working conditions.

Teaching is a uniquely difficult job, one that comes with a set of huge responsibilities and
the various disabilities of the students with whom special educators work intensifies the job’s
difficulty.

Special educators often choose this profession because of their passion in teaching
students with more significant needs. However, special educators often leave, not because of
their students, but because of the unsupportive conditions and unwanted circumstances that is
constantly happening around them.

The special educators have expectations and additional responsibilities. They have
additional meetings, are responsible for Individual Educational Plans, and work with student
populations that are more difficult to manage in terms of behavior and academic growth. As a
result of these added stressors, the retention of special education teachers is an issue that many
schools face today.

In an interview with Stephanie Johnson (2016), a special educator, stated that “I chose
special education for what felt like the right reason. I wanted to help the students who struggle to
learn but I soon realized that was only a part of the job – the paperwork, the meetings, and the
accountability. Eventually, it got to me. I couldn't do it all and I got tired of showing up to a job I
knew I couldn't do. It's that simple. So as I've been looking into the teacher shortage it hasn't felt
like a revelation that people are leaving the profession. I get it, but I have always been curious
about my friends and colleagues who have stayed in the field.”

With the growing numbers of teachers’ attrition and pitfalls in the field of special
education, it is imperative for ensuring special educators to have a working environment that
sustain their involvement and commitment in the profession and as well as retaining the special
educators who all have stood the test of time over the course of their teaching career, and also to
understand better their perceptions and the factors that influence them to their intent to remain
the drastic field of special education.
RATIONALE

This study aims to identify the specific factors that have encouraged special education
teachers to remain in the field of special education for more than five years. It also focused
primarily on ways to attract special educators and on the reasons they leave the field. This study
furthers the concern about the positive factors that have influenced teachers to stay in their
special education teaching positions for an extended period of time. In addition, the data that will
be collected through this study will be used to determine whether special educators feel
influenced more by administrative support factors or by job satisfaction or other related factors
when making the choice to remain in the special education profession.

RESPONDENTS

The possible respondents for this study are the special educators who are still rendering
service for over five consecutive years.
 REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

Review of Related Literature

Special education teachers are an integral part of all quality educational teams within the
public school system (Boyd, Lankford, Loeb, Ronfeldt, & Wyckoff, 2010). Every student with
special needs deserves great special educators. To meet this goal, there must be an adequate
supply of certified and well-prepared educators.

According to Scott (2013), special education is a very challenging career that is why it
has a higher rate of turnover than in found in most other professions. In a study of Westat
Research Association (2001), special educators have determined that they were more likely to
stay in teaching when their task was convenient, their school was supportive of staff and
students, and paperwork did not interfere significantly with their teaching. In addition, workforce
conditions that encourage their capabilities and emphasize the worth of individuals contribute to
greater retention (Council for Exceptional Children, 2001). Understanding these reasons why
special education teachers leave is the first step in getting them to stay (Ingersoll, 2001).

Research indicates that the job of the special educator is difficult, demanding, and more
stressful than that of general educators (Bettini et al., 2017). Study shows that in order to avoid
an ongoing shortage of special educators, it is imperative to focus on more than just the reasons
teachers leave the profession. It is equally important to identify the specific reasons special
education teachers choose to remain in the field (Billingsley, 2004).

With the research study of Billingsley (2004), he discovered a number of retention

factors that can presumably be controlled to some extent by school administrators. As salary
levels and benefits increase, special education teachers move around and leave their districts less
frequently. In addition, teachers who have greater access to relevant, high-quality professional
development opportunities are more likely to stay in special education teaching positions. When
teachers sense a positive school climate, administrative support, and collegiality with other
teachers in their buildings, they tend to remain in their current teaching assignments.

However, special educators who feel overwhelmed by paperwork, who find their various
teaching roles to be ambiguous or conflicting, and who are under chronic and unrelenting stress
are more likely to leave the special education profession (Billingsley, 2004).

Various definitions of retention and attrition have been reported by researchers. The
term retention as it is commonly defined in the field, referring to teachers who stay in the
teaching profession in their current positions (Billingsley, 1993; Bozonelos, 2008; Prather-Jones,
2011; Swars, Meyers, Mays, & Lack, 2009). In order to examine retention issues, it is important
to define and understand the term attrition as well. Many researchers use the term attrition to
refer to teachers who leave their position for another position in education, to transfer to another
school, or to leave the field of education altogether (Billingsley, 2004a, 2005; Morvant, Gersten,
Gillman, Keating, & Blake, 1995; Plecki, Elfers, Loeb, Zahir, & Knapp, 2005). Other
researchers define attrition as only the teachers who leave the field entirely (Boe, Cook, and
Sunderland, 2008; Ingersoll & Smith, 2003; Swars et al., 2009).

In another study, Kaff (2004) investigated the reasons for why the school systems are
unable to retain special education teachers in the field. The lacks of administrative support for
special education teachers were found the main problem. Teachers who perceive remain in the
field are more likely to perceive their administrators and the overall school climate as being
supportive of them professionally (Bozonelos, 2008). In contrast, teachers who were not satisfied
with the amount of support and feedback that they received from administrators were less likely
to stay in their current job assignment, and many were inclined to leave the field of education
altogether.

Another noble story by Dr. Nancy Pascual (2011), a part-time Filipino professor, a
former Special Education (SPED) teacher and school principal, and an all-time SPED advocate,
shares her lived experiences, life lessons and the very reason why she stayed in the profession
despite of struggles and challenges that may come along.

At first, she handled eight students, who had conditions of autism, cerebral palsy,
intellectual disabilities, and attention deficit hyperactive disorder (ADHD). The next thing she
knew, she had 16 students all of whom had disabilities. She said this number may be small for
some, but handling 16 students with disabilities was like handling 60 learners in a regular school.
Each student needed individualized instruction depending on the disabilities. Each of them
needed extra care and attention and handling them together as a class was indeed a great
challenge (Dr. Pascual, 2011).

Many people ask why Dr. Pascual stayed for a long time teaching special children. They
said that even if she teaches these children, they could never be normal and would just end up as
liabilities. Instead of listening to their advice, Dr. Pascual decided to stay in the profession and
she continues equipping learners with special needs with the skills to become regular citizens.
She is always out to prove to them that they are wrong in thinking that people with disabilities
are worthless; in fact, they could even be better than regular people, she adds. She says that she
will do everything to help these children become equipped with life skills. As a teacher, she
believes that teaching special children could be one of the best experiences for teachers as they
are able to apply and exercise almost all the theories that they have learned in school. With that
impulsive decision of taking special education, Dr. Pascual was led to a job she was very
passionate about. It led her to her life. Dr. Pascual’s stint in regular classes may have made her
happy, but teaching special children, she says, made her feel more fulfilled than ever.