Semester

Spring

Date of Graduation

2023

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Type

EdD

College

College of Applied Human Sciences

Department

Special Education

Committee Chair

Melissa Sherfinski

Committee Member

Colleen Wood-Fields

Committee Member

Kimberly Floyd

Committee Member

Ugur Kale

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic not only caused a disruption to the education of children, but has contributed to the ever-growing teacher shortage in the United States. In an effort to better understand the effects of the pandemic on special education teachers, this study utilized a hermeneutic phenomenological methodology to explore the lived experiences of special education teachers in one southeastern state. Lived experiences of these teachers during the pandemic focused on “Frustrations Beyond Their Control,” “Unorganized Processes and Procedures,” and “Building Relationships.” Overall, participants were found to either languish in the ramifications of the pandemic on their schools and students, or to overcome those issues and blossom as a teacher, depending on their experiences and feelings of competence, autonomy, and relatedness (concepts from self-determination theory). Policies and practices that districts can implement to assist teachers during and after future traumatic events are provided, as well as areas for future research.

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