Friday, May 21, 2010
Franklin Hall B Level 4 (Philadelphia Marriott Downtown)
9:00 AM
D. C. Coman
,
Psychology, University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL
A. Gutierrez
,
Psychology, University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL
M. R. Schneider
,
Psychology, University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL
L. Sperry
,
Center for Collaborative Educational Leadership, University of Colorado Denver, Denver, CO
K. Hume
,
FPG Child Development Institute, Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC
M. Alessandri
,
Psychology, University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL
B. Boyd
,
Allied Health Sciencees, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC
S. Odom
,
FPG Child Development Institute, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC
Background: The primary source of intervention for most children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and their families is provided through the school system. As such, it is critical that there are highly qualified special education teachers implementing these interventions. For more than two decades, special education teacher shortages and attrition have been of concern to policymakers and administrators who work to recruit and retain special educators (Council for Exceptional Children [CEC], 2000; Morsink, 1982; Smith-Davis & Billingsley, 1993; Smith-Davis, Burke, & Noel, 1984). The resulting deficiency has serious and far-reaching consequences for children with disabilities; particularly those with ASD. It is imperative, therefore, to investigate the antecedents that may be at the root cause of the decision by special educators to leave the field. Although a multiplicity of variables have been shown to be related to teacher attrition, considerable research has shown teacher burnout, a unique type of stress syndrome, to be directly influencing this outcome (Billingsley, 2004; Winiewski & Gargiulo, 1997; [CEC], 1998). Fortunately, there are factors that have been shown to mitigate the onset of this syndrome. Prior research suggests that teachers who endorse the underlying philosophy of their teaching approach are more satisfied with the work they were doing and exhibit less burnout (Jennet, Harris, & Mesibov, 2003).
Objectives: We propose to explore the relationship between teacher commitment to model philosophy and the three domains of teacher burnout Emotional Exhaustion (EE), Depersonalization (DP), and Personal Accomplishment PA, across three widely utilized preschool treatment models for children with ASD: TEACCH (Treatment and Education of Autistic and Related Communication-Handicapped Children), LEAP (Learning Experiences and Alternative Program for Preschoolers and their Parents), and a Business As Usual (BAU) model. It is hypothesized that teachers with a greater commitment to the philosophy underlying their teaching approach will experience less burnout across the year.
Methods: This study was conducted in conjunction with and support from a larger multi-site (CO, NC, FL) treatment comparison project. 22 teachers (9 TEACCH, 5 LEAP, and 8 BAU) were asked to complete the Teacher Philosophy Questionnaire-Adapted Version and a demographic questionnaire at the beginning of the school year. Additionally, the Maslach Burnout Inventory-Educators Survey was administered at 4 different time points across the year.
Results: While controlling for selected variables (e.g., number of years teaching, number of years teaching children with ASD, average classroom size, and number of full time classroom staff), preliminary analyses of hierarchical linear modeling indicated a significant positive relationship between teacher commitment to model philosophy and the average amount of EE experienced throughout the year, R2 = .52, adjusted R2 = .36, F(5, 15) = 3.212, p < .05. Approximately 16% of the variance of EE was accounted for by its relationship with teacher commitment to philosophy. This is year 1 data of a three year project.
Conclusions: Preliminary analyses suggest that an understanding and commitment to the theoretical underpinnings of particular autism-specific teaching approaches may serve as a buffer for experiencing aspects of teacher burnout across the school year.
