Burnout among Special Educators: A Meta-Analysis.

This paper presents a meta analysis of the literature on special education teacher burnout. Discussion of a theoretical framework reviews theoretical models of burnout, especially Maslach's model, and stages and constructs of burnout. The meta analysis of 46 studies of special educator burnout with sufficient data for further quantitative analysis addressed 23 research questions. Findings are reported in terms of descriptive analysis of primary studies, descriptive analysis of statistical tests, and independent meta analyses of selected findings. The study found small to negligible negative mean correlations for relationships between the burnout constructs of emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and personal accomplishment and the predictor construct of experience, suggesting that burnout tends (slightly) to decrease as experience increases. Also, small, negative relationships between age and the burnout constructs of emotional exhaustion and depersonalization suggest that emotional exhaustion and depersonalization decrease as age increases. Recommendations are offered for research management standards and advancing knowledge about burnout among special educators. (Contains approximately 140 references.) (DB) Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the ori inal document.