nd how demographic and attitudinal factors contribute to differences in burnout, this research attempted to answer the following research questions:
(1) Do measures of burnout (three subscales of the Maslach Burnout Inventory) significantly differ depending upon whether teachers have made the switch from Special Education to regular education, have remained in the field, or have left the teaching profession altogether? In other words, this question examines whether degree of burnout itself may be a factor affecting these three different decisions.
(2) Do assessed demographics differ depending upon whether
teachers have made the switch from Special Education to regular education, have remained in the field, or have left the teaching profession altogether? If the study evidences systematic differences in demographics of the three teacher groups, it may provide at least a preliminary understanding of which decisions are affected by demographic indices.
(3) Are teachers attitudes toward various organizational and school-related factors different depending upon whether teachers have made the switch from Special Education to regular education, have remained in the field, or have left the teaching profession altogether? The answer to this question should inform as to the role attitudes toward specific job-related factors plays in causing teachers to make different decisions about the field related to their level of burnout.
Because of the interest in teacher burnout and its potentially negative impact on the education process, there is a need for additional research related to teacher burnout (Gold & Roth, 1993). Additional research can and will help to achieve a better understanding of the personal, social, and institutional factors that are associated with teacher burnout in Special Education.
In addition to the significance of this knowledge for theories of emotion and job stress, such studies could have the pra...