Teacher Attrition in Special Education: Perspectives From the Field

In the field of special education, attrition plays a major role in a persistent teacher shortage problem. Over the past few decades, researchers in general education and special education have investigated the various reasons why new teachers leave the field and ways in which they can be better supported to stay in their positions. Despite the increased focus on why new special education teachers leave the field, the knowledge related to teacher attrition in special education is still somewhat limited when compared with the field of general education. For example, previous research has heavily relied on survey research to understand teacher attrition, but these methods may limit some of the important information related to the complexity of why a teacher might leave the field or their job within the first few years. In this study, the authors conduct several Nominal Group Technique (NGT) focus groups to learn more about the perceived needs of new special education teachers. Focus groups are held with three specific groups, preservice special education teachers, new special education teachers, and school administrators to further investigate the potential differences in perceptions about the needs and roles of new special education teachers.