A qualitative meta-analysis of special education teachers’ experiences with burnout

Objectives This study aims to analyze the burnout experienced by special education teachers in schools and to explore the factors influencing burnout as well as ways to overcome it. Methods To this end, a qualitative meta-analysis was conducted, focusing on qualitative studies of a special education teachers’ burnout experiences. Nine qualitative research articles published in Korean academic journals (KCI-indexed) from 2015 to September 2024 were selected for analysis. The seven-step qualitative meta-analysis method proposed by Noblit & Hare (1988) was applied to examine the burnout experiences of a special education teacher. Results The findings of this study are as follows. First, the burnout experiences of special education teachers were characterized by emotional exhaustion, physical changes, and both positive and negative changes resulting from burnout. Second, the factors influencing the burnout among special education teachers included feelings of social isolation, excessive workload, students' challenging behaviors, and relationships within the school community. Third, methods for overcoming burnout included enhancing resilience through self-care, organizational support, and institutional support. Based on these findings, this study explains and synthesizes the burnout experiences of special education teachers to derive comprehensive results. Conclusions This study is compared, analyzed, and interpreted various qualitative studies to analyze the burnout experiences of special education teachers. Through this process, the study synthesizing in-depth and multifaceted perspective on burnout experiences presented in various studies, identifying common themes and patterns to achieve an integrated understanding. In particular, it is significant in that it suggests ways to overcome the complex and multifaceted burnout experienced by special education teachers.