“This is My Dream Career”: Understanding Personal and Environmental Conditions That Motivate and Deter Paraeducators in Seeking Special Education Teacher Licensure

Paraeducator-to-teacher (PTT) programs offer a promising approach to addressing teacher shortages and diversifying the workforce. Paraeducators, however, often encounter barriers such as limited awareness of licensure requirements, challenges in self-perception as learners, and academic readiness. According to the Social Cognitive Career Theory, career decisions are shaped by personal, behavioral, and environmental factors. In this study, the authors explore paraeducators’ perceived motivators and deterrents to pursuing PTT pathways using generalist qualitative methods anchored in a pragmatic epistemological framework. Using inductive and deductive coding of 43 journal responses from three program cohorts, the authors identify three key themes: (a) experiences with students with disabilities, (b) contextual factors influencing licensure pursuit, and (c) perceived academic and career self-efficacy. Based on these findings, the authors highlight how university-based PTT programs can tailor support for paraeducators.