Is full inclusion lessening self-contained teachers’ feeling of personal accomplishment?

Burnout is a significant challenge for special educators’ wellbeing, as they report higher levels of stress than general educators. Rates of burnout are highest among special educators serving youth with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD). At a time when nearly half of all students with EBD are spending more than 20% of their school day outside of the general education classroom—and when special education researchers continue to support the need for self-contained settings for students with EBD—it is necessary to explore if and to what extent the movement toward full inclusion is having an impact on self-contained EBD classroom teachers. A focus group with three special educators provided unique insights regarding advantages and disadvantages of working in self-contained settings, as well as the extent to which working in a self-contained setting during an era of full inclusion is having deleterious effects on teachers’ feelings of personal accomplishment. Implications for research and practice are provided.