Working Conditions and Instructional Decision-Making Among Special Educators Teaching Elementary Students with Emotional/Behavioral Disorders

Growing research indicates working conditions can facilitate or constrain special education teachers’ (SETs) instructional quality. However, prior studies provide limited insight into how working conditions shape instruction—how SETs’ responsibilities and resources contribute to their decisions as they plan for and provide instruction. We conducted a mixed methods study to explore how working conditions shape instructional decision-making among nine elementary SETs serving students with emotional/behavioral disorders. Using a convergent parallel mixed methods design, we brought together quantitative data on the quality of SETs’ reading lessons with qualitative data on their working conditions and instructional decision-making. Our findings highlight the complexity of SETs’ instructional decisions: When deciding what or how to teach, they were not simply identifying an evidence-based practice that matched individual student learning needs. Rather, each instructional decision required them to simultaneously navigate (a) students’ complex academic and social-emotional strengths and support needs, (b) paraeducator availability and skill, and (c) available instructional resources. Their decisions were shaped by the interplay of these factors. Results have implications for how school leaders can support SETs to make more effective instructional decisions, and thereby improve instruction for students with disabilities.