Date
11-13-2024
Department
School of Education
Degree
Doctor of Philosophy in Education (PhD)
Chair
Antionette Stroter
Keywords
emotional exhaustion, special education, interrelated resource, teacher burnout, students with disabilities
Disciplines
Education
Recommended Citation
Penrod, Navia Doris, "Examining the Predictive Relationship of Perceived Preparedness and Career Stage on the Emotional Exhaustion of Interrelated Resource Special Education Teachers: A Quantitative Study" (2024). Doctoral Dissertations and Projects. 6208.
https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/doctoral/6208
Abstract
This quantitative, predictive correlational study aimed to investigate the extent to which emotional exhaustion can be predicted by the perceived preparedness and career stage of interrelated resource (IRR) special education teachers serving students with disabilities. This study is important, as understanding the correlation between preparedness, career stage, and emotional exhaustion offers the opportunity to understand better other issues within the field, such as teacher burnout, turnover, and shortage. Literature relevant to the topic was reviewed, including special education legislature, special education settings, teacher burnout and emotional exhaustion, teacher preparedness, and career stage. The expectancy theory of motivation, originating from Victor Vroom, grounded this study. This study's data was garnered through The Maslach Burnout Inventory-Educators Scale (MBI-ES) and The Teaching Preparedness Survey. The participants in this study were certified IRR teachers working in a selected school district in northern Georgia. 109 participants were drawn from a convenience sample of a public school district in a metropolitan area during the 2023-2024 school year. Multiple linear regression was utilized to find the correlation between predictor variables, perceived preparedness and career stage, and criterion variable, emotional exhaustion. Results indicated a significant relationship between variables allowing the researcher to reject the null hypothesis. Perceived preparedness proved to be the best predictor of emotional exhaustion. The researcher made implications and conclusions relevant to future research. Recommendations for further research included replicating the study utilizing a larger sample size, different timing, modifying the predictor variable, and examining other predictor variables.
