Bibliographic Literature Review of Postgraduate Theses Examining Burnout of Employees in Special Education Institutions

This study aims to bibliographically examine postgraduate theses on burnout among individuals working in special education institutions in Türkiye. A total of 46 postgraduate theses obtained from the Council of Higher Education (YÖK) database were analyzed using document analysis, a qualitative research method. The theses were evaluated based on prede-termined inclusion and exclusion criteria. The findings revealed that the topic of burnout was predominantly addressed at the master’s level (95.66%), with a limited number of studies conducted at the doctoral (2.17%) and medical specialization (2.17%) levels. Quantitative research methods (100%) were exclusively used, with relational (54.35%) and desc-riptive survey (45.65%) designs being the most frequently employed appro-aches. Studies conducted in the fields of psychology (19.59%) and special education (15.26%) were prominent, while fewer studies were observed in areas such as public health, business administration, and rehabilitation. Among the most frequently examined variables alongside burnout were job satisfaction (11.90%), work engagement (11.90%), and self-efficacy (11.90%), reflecting a focus on individual and professional factors. When examining the geographical distribution of research, it was found that stu-dies conducted at universities in the western regions were more prevalent compared to those in the eastern regions. The study emphasizes the neces-sity of qualitative and mixed-method research to explore the contextual and multidimensional aspects of burnout. Furthermore, increasing research in underrepresented fields such as health and organizational management could provide a more comprehensive understanding of the phenomenon. This bibliographic review contributes to the existing literature while provi-ding practical recommendations for addressing burnout in special education institutions. It underscores the importance of support mechanisms tailored to the unique challenges faced by employees in this field.