Exploring Job Demands That Increase Burnout Rates Among Secondary, Public, Interrelated Special Education Teachers: A Hermeneutic Phenomenology

The purpose of this hermeneutic phenomenology is to understand the experiences of secondary, interrelated, public-school teachers in Georgia and their job demands and job resources that affect the development of burnout syndrome. There are two theories guiding this study: the burnout theory and the job demands-resources theory. These theories work together to frame understanding and guide the research questions for this phenomenological study. The burnout theory lays the foundation for identifying the characteristics of burnout syndrome while the job demands-resources theory allows us to identify specific characteristics of the job that can increase or decrease the likelihood of special education teachers developing symptoms of burnout syndrome. This answers the question: What are the experiences of secondary, interrelated, public-school teachers in Georgia that increase their likelihood of developing symptoms of burnout syndrome? I have utilized calendar document analysis, anecdotal logs, and individual interviews to guide my understanding of this phenomenon. The participants revealed job demands such as; impossible amounts of paperwork, ineffective/inefficient communication, time, and missing support to effectively do the job as reasons for increasing their feelings of burnout. In contrast, job resources reduce those feelings of burnout and increase feelings of job satisfaction.