Exploring the Influence of Job Satisfaction Upon the Retention of Bahamian Special Educators

Theoretical Framework

Researchers have proposed a simple, yet a complex solution to retaining quality employees: promote on-the-job satisfaction, reassure employees of their competence, and provide professional and social support within the workplace (Canrinus et al., 2012; Klassen et al., 2013). This position is based upon the assumptions of Locke (1969) job satisfaction theory, which was often used as a lens through which to better understand why employees remain in their current jobs or careers. Job satisfaction theory was used in this study as the framework to show how special educators’ emotional state influences their career commitment or lack thereof within the field of special education. This theory applies to teacher satisfaction, retention, and attrition, as it may be used in developing an understanding of teachers’ work performance, commitment, and motivation toward their job (Braun-Lewensohn, 2012). Application of Locke (1969) theory offers guidance on ways in which to facilitate teacher retention by providing insight concerning teacher performance and commitment.

The social cognitive career theory (Lent et al., 1994) was also used as the lens through which to focus the attention of this study on the process of career development, and how educators (and employees in general) decide to continue within a given field. This theory confirms the assumption that large workloads and stress from accompanying special education are influential in discouraging educators from remaining within the field of special education (Dukes et al., 2014).

Employee Engagement

Employee engagement is a positive affective–motivational state which includes vigor—employees are full of energy and willingness to invest effort to their work; dedication—employees are enthusiastic and proud of what work they do; and absorption—employees totally immerse in their work and feel time passing quickly (Bakker & Demerouti, 2008). It is essential to improve employee engagement because it positively influences retention and job performance rates (Swarnalatha & Prasanna, 2013). For example, Lowe (2012) conducted a quantitative study involving over 10,000 hospital employees in Canada and found employee engagement is strongly related to organizational performance, retention, and job satisfaction.

In the education setting, several studies have found similar results regarding employee engagement. For example, in a study conducted among 192 educators in Norway, it revealed employee engagement was positively correlated to job satisfaction but negatively correlated with work burnout and the intention to quit (Høigaard et al., 2012). Minghui et al. (2018) conducted a quantitative study among 1,027 special education teachers in Mainland China and indicated that to improve employee engagement of special education teachers, it is vital to reduce teachers’ social, emotional, physical, and financial burdens and provide them practical feedback about effective teaching. Therefore, it is essential that special education schools establish an appropriate environment to improve teachers’ engagement, which may influence their job satisfaction, job performance, and retention rates.

Job Satisfaction

Job satisfaction is defined as the feeling of happiness that employees hold toward their job (Cameron & Lovett, 2015; Erdem et al., 2014; Rahmati et al., 2018). In the education setting, job satisfaction is a factor, which influences teachers’ attitudes, performance, quality of education, and levels of productivity (Şahin, 2013; Yu et al., 2015). Previous studies (Viel-Ruma et al., 2010; Vittek, 2015) have shown that special education teachers who have higher perspective job satisfaction are more willing to remain in their current positions and professions. However, Burkhart (2018, p. 95) conducted a study among 61 special education teachers in the United States and concluded that “high levels of job satisfaction may not be enough to keep special educators in their positions, but low levels of job satisfaction may play a large role in special educators leaving their position.”

The factors that influence teachers’ job satisfaction has been studied and reported including working conditions, administrators, colleagues (Ghavifekr & Pillai, 2016), salary, responsibilities, duties, content of work, security, appreciation (Belias, 2014; Waters, 2013), and working hours (Jackson et al., 1986). Yavuz (2018) investigated the issues regarding job satisfaction among 465 special education teachers across Turkey and indicated that teachers, who receive higher salaries, support from colleagues, appreciation from administrators, and think it is convenient to work at special education schools, are more likely to have higher job satisfaction. Rahmati et al. (2018) conducted research among 80 special education in Iran and reported that teachers’ job satisfaction could be enhanced by their job motivation and promotion of spirituality.

Retention

Retention refers to employees’ decisions to leave or stay in the profession, or the commitment of employees to the profession (Andrews & Brown, 2015; Campbell-Whatley & Lyons, 2013). Employee turnover does not only result in financial cost but also reduced employee morale and productivity (O’Connell & Kung, 2007). Low teacher retention is a global issue and is evident across different countries, such as the United States (Ingersoll et al., 2014), Canada (Karsenti & Collin, 2013), the United Kingdom (House of Commons Education Committee, 2010), Australia (Manuel, 2003), Belgium (Struyven & Vanthournout, 2014), and especially, developing countries including Malawi (Mtika & Gates, 2011), Tanzania (Towse et al., 2002), and Southern Ghana (Kumedzro et al., 2016). In a study conducted among 453 teachers in Trinidad and Tobago, the results indicated that teachers left the teaching service because of low salary, outside opportunities, and lack of parental and administrative support (Joseph & Jackman, 2014). High levels of teacher shortages place special education in The Bahamas at risk of failing to adequately address the special education needs of all students (Department of Education, 2013).

The problem of teachers’ retention is worse in the special education field compared with other areas because of lower job satisfaction (Horrison-Collier, 2013). McDonnell (2014) suggested that to reduce employee turnover; it is crucial to understand what factors affect an employee’s decisions regarding leaving or staying in a position or field. Identifying the underlying causes of attrition among special educators is crucial for policy makers in making informed decisions about the enhancement of teacher retention levels. Research findings revealed that the more disgruntled, burnt-out, and dissatisfied educators were the higher the possibility of them leaving the area of special education or the education profession entirely (Cancio et al., 2013; Karsenti & Collin, 2013; Kumedzro et al., 2016). According to the study conducted among 391 special education teachers through the Council for Children with Behavioral Disorders by Cancio et al. (2013), it revealed that teachers with stronger administrative support were more likely to have higher commitment and job satisfaction. Kumedzro et al. (2016) collected data with questionnaire from 140 special education teachers in Southern Ghana, and the findings indicated that head-teachers’ leadership style influenced the teachers’ job satisfaction and retention and recommended that the teachers should be involved in the decision-making process regarding the development of the school.

Challenges

Special education teachers experience more diverse work-related difficulties and stressors than their general education counterparts (Brunsting et al., 2014). Special educators face numerous challenges including “lack of support from parents and administrator, too much paperwork, limited availability of resources, and large class size” (Vittek, 2015) and they are often required to complete extra work without additional compensation, comparing general education teachers. Also, Charran and Seetahal (2018) reviewed the literature and national policy on special education in Trinidad and Tobago and concluded that special education teachers experience the lack of training, teacher preparation, special education resources, and government supports. In The Bahamas, special education teachers also expressed the lack of training in special education and limited resources as a contributing factor (Hunter-Johnson et al., 2014).

The challenges experienced contribute to special education teachers becoming frustrated and cause burnout. For example, Brunsting et al. (2014) reviewed 23 studies regarding special education teacher burnout and noted: “teacher experience, student disability, role conflict, role ambiguity, and administrative support were particularly salient factors in special education teacher burnout.” Burnout has been shown the negative impacts on teachers’ feeling and behaviors. For example, Aloe, Amo, and Shanahan (2014) conducted a multivariate meta-analysis involving 16 studies and indicated that there is a negative relationship between burnout and classroom management self-efficacy. According to Brunsting et al. (2014), burnout often results in “teacher attrition, teacher health issues, and negative student outcomes.” Also, the feeling of helplessness and frustration of special education teachers often make them loose motivation to remain within the special education professions retention (DeAngelis et al., 2013). Aloe, Amo, and Shanahan (2014) also found that teacher burnout results in student misbehavior.

Participants

A total of 12 special educators, former special educators (n = 8), and current reading specialist (n = 4) participated in the study (see Table 1 for participants’ demographic profile). The inclusion criteria for the participants were all participants taught for 3 years or more in The Bahamas’ public education system and possessed a bachelor’s degree. Creswell and Poth (2017) suggested a minimum sample size of five participants. Given these recommendations, this study’s sample of 12 participants was reasonable.

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Table 1.

Demographics of Study Participants.

Professional title	Area(s) of professional training	Number of years of teaching	Highest educational level
Special educator: 8	Special education only: 3	5–10 years: 2	Bachelor’s degree: 3 Master’s degree: 9
	Special education and social work: 1
	Kinesiotherapy: 1	11–15 years: 2
	Special education and intervention: 1
Reading specialist: 3	Primary education only: 2
	Special education and primary education: 1	16–20 years: 2
	Reading with inclusive education and high school education: 1
Resource teacher: 1	Reading with inclusive education and primary education: 1	>20 years: 6
Total participants: 12	Reading with inclusive education, high school education, and tourism management: 1

Study Design

Creswell et al. (2007) describe the qualitative approach as the best approach whereby the purpose of the study is exploratory. A multi-method qualitative approach was employed, taking into consideration the study’s purpose. This approach encourages the use of multiple data sources (Saunders et al., 2012), which is essentially a combination of semi-structured interviews and focus groups. Sherraden (2001) explains the benefits of utilizing focus groups as being useful for exploring in-depth, qualitative information in terms of the participants’ thoughts, feelings, experiences, attitudes, and perceptions relating to the relevant concept or phenomenon.

Study Setting

This study was conducted in the capital city of The Bahamas. The Ministry of Education, Science and Technology is the institution responsible for governing education within the country. This governing body has responsibility for more than 50,000 K–12 students in approximately 170 public educational institutions within The Commonwealth of The Bahamas, which are dispersed over 14 districts in the major islands.

The Bahamian public schools are comprised of diverse cultures, ethnicities, and learning disabilities; however, the execution of an inclusive education curriculum has yet to be effectively pursued. This is primarily due to the absence of paraprofessionals, Individualized Education Plans (IEPs), modified curricula, and assistive technology. The lack of these elements limits teacher efficacy in accommodating the special education needs of students with learning disabilities (Cushner et al., 2012). In 2011, The Bahamas’ Department of Education offered grants to primary and secondary public educators to pursue Master of Science degrees in reading, with a concentration in inclusive education. This initiative came on the heels of the department’s decision to officially implement inclusive education throughout its primary and secondary schools (Hunter-Johnson et al., 2014), thereby increasing retention rates of quality educators.

Data Collection

Convenience sampling was the sampling technique employed in this study due to the feasibility of accessing the participants (Creswell, 2013). Participants were provided an overview of the research from a script approved by the Institutional Review Board and informed of their rights. Once participants agreed, data were collected through semi-structured interviews. The open-ended interview questions allowed for a more in-depth understanding of contributing factors in teacher attrition, reflecting several and perhaps new perspectives and lasted approximately 50 min per session. Member checking of the data was conducted among each participant individually.

The focus-group session consisted of participants (n = 12), which lasted approximately 2 hr. Questions were crafted reflective of the study’s objective, guiding research questions, and underlying problem to ensure that the questions were consistent with the context of this specific study (Zohrabi, 2013). Using a customized interview script allowed for greater depth in participants’ responses (Flick, 2006).

Data Analysis

All interviews and focus groups were audio-recorded and immediately transcribed upon completion of each session. The researchers also actively engaged in note taking to promote accuracy. Thematic analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2006), which incorporated the process of open coding (Strauss & Corbin, 1990), was conducted to establish themes and significant concepts, thereby creating greater knowledge from the interview data obtained. NVivo9 software was used for storing and organizing interview data. This software does not make sense of data, thus warranting manual coding by the researcher.

Lack of Administrative Support

Research supports that employees require some form of support and encouragement to become more engaged with their work (Cancio et al., 2013)). This position was confirmed by the results of this study, which indicated that the primary reason special educators leave their current school or the field of special education is because of ineffective administrators. One participant stated, “Administrators need leadership training; they need to be more knowledgeable about special education best practices.” Study results revealed that 100% of participants (n = 12) cited lack of administrative support as an influencing factor of attrition among special educators, while 92% (11 out of 12) participants cited poor leadership skills of administrators as a contributor to the problem of special education attrition. These results confirm those within the current literature, which indicated that special needs schools are only as effective as their leaders (Andrews & Brown, 2015; Campbell-Whatley & Lyons, 2013).

Support, as participants indicated, is more than merely providing incentives, but also providing special educators with on-going professional development opportunities to perfect their instructional competencies. One special educator said, “They [administrators] very rarely provided meaningful workshops for us; they always rejected our suggestions.” The dictatorship-style leadership, as referred to by the participants, is a typical style of leadership found within many public schools (Newton, 2018).

The existing literature on effective strategies for retention and engagement of teachers spoke to the implementation of induction programs for beginning educators and on-going mentoring programs for both beginning and veteran special educators (Cameron & Lovett, 2015). Contrary to this literature, however, study participants did not perceive such programs as a successful strategy for promoting teacher retention. According to the resource teacher, “Mentoring programs do not work because they talk about the same things over and over. They don’t support us in meaningful ways.” Other participants shared the view that induction and mentoring programs could provide possible aid in teacher retention if appropriately executed.

Inadequate Training

Study findings revealed that 83% of participants (10 out of 12) did not feel as if they were adequately trained to teach special needs students. They shared the view that their pre-service education did not prepare them for the “real world” of special education. “Now that I look back on my training,” remarked one special educator, “everything was so ‘textbook’. I was not immersed in special education instructional practices enough.” Twenty-five percent of the participants (3 out of 12) were not certified special educators, even though they taught special education classes. “No one wants to go into special ed.[education] because of the stress, so I took the position,” stated one of the participants whose certification is in primary education only. Regrettably, it is common to find many general educators in special needs classes (Hunter-Johnson et al., 2014). Participants explained how the inability to achieve success with their students is frustrating for a special educator. “We don’t know what to do to reach these kids, but they (the kids) are expected to take the same exams as the non-disabled students.” It is this feeling of inadequacy that, according to 83% of participants, prompts an educator to “quit” the profession. “I can’t get through to the students; no one is helping me, so why stay?” Self-efficacy, as discussed in the review of literature is essential to employee engagement; this feeling about one’s competency coincides with the assumption of the social cognitive career theory—the way an employee feels about his performance determines whether he will remain in his current career. One participant added, “No one wants to stay in a career where they feel like a failure, or their administrators, and even colleagues often remind them of their capabilities or lack thereof.”

Burnout

All employees become tired at some point in their career. Burnout, however, is more than simply being tired. Burnout refers to being emotionally, physically, and mentally drained to the point of “having enough” or being “fed up,” as some of the participants pointed out. “Tired is like I’ve had a rough day, but I come back the next day ready to go.” On the contrary, as another participant describes teacher burnout, “It’s like I’m tired, and I don’t want to do this job anymore because it’s draining me too much. There’s no joy in it.” All the challenges listed by special educators, as shown in Figure 1, lead to teacher burnout when experienced together. Participants expressed their ability to handle one or two problems at a time, but when so many are combined, they become too much for the special educator to handle. According to one of the former special educators, “I can deal with having no resources but having more than 30 students in a class of mixed learning disabilities along with having to complete paperwork and not having a break because a teacher is absent.”

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Figure 1.

Factors influencing attrition among Bahamian special educators.

Three participants indicated that although they are often tired and frustrated, they are motivated by the success of their students; but what about those special educators who are not fortunate to promote student achievement? They become another attrition statistic (Author, 2018). Based on this study’s results, teacher burnout negatively affected 75% of participants’ career decisions (9 out of 12). They decided to leave not only special education but the education profession entirely, as justified by the literature (Al-Zboon et al., 2015). Burnout, stress, and exhaustion are not only commonplace among special educators, but among other employees (Bakker & Demerouti, 2008; Belias, 2014; Burkhart, 2018). Little research has been conducted specifically on burnout among special educators; however, this study’s findings revealed that Bahamian special educators identified burnout as one of the most significant reasons why educators leave the field, thereby adding to the limited data on burnout specifically among special educators.

Engagement, Attrition, and Job Satisfaction

Results obtained via this study are consistent with those of the existing literature on the phenomenon, which is that of employee engagement and retention specifically to special educators. Findings revealed that the level of an employee’s job satisfaction significantly determines commitment and longevity within any given field of expertise (Swarnalatha & Prasanna, 2013). Parallel to the existing research literature, this study’s findings also indicate that employee engagement is impossible without some level of personal or professional achievement, feelings of individual competence, and the ability to balance the challenges faced daily in the employee’s workplace (Belias, 2014). Special educators, like any employee, begin to lose passion for their career when they perceive their efforts to be futile. This, therefore, supports the assumption of the social cognitive career theory, which suggests that employees remain where they feel effective in what they do, and comfortable within their surroundings (Author, 2018).

Findings validated the assumptions of the job satisfaction concept, in that it was revealed that the less satisfied educators felt, the less likely were they to commit to the education profession (Lent et al., 1994). Findings indicated that educators who were belittled by administrators or parents or felt unappreciated often chose to transfer to different schools or leave special education entirely. Similar to the review of literature presented in this article, findings also showed that concerns about money (i.e., salaries) failed in comparison to the more pressing concerns expressed by special educators (Author, 2018). Overall, this study confirmed and extended the existing employee engagement and attrition literature in revealing that special educators are only as committed to their careers as much as they are happy with their jobs.

Limitations of the Study

There were three limitations that arose during this study. These included (a) generalizability, (b) poor replicability of the study, and (c) no male participants.

Recommendations for Future Research

To extend this current study, and satisfy future generalizability, it would be beneficial to conduct a study including special educators (including males) from the other islands of The Bahamas. Such a study will produce diverse and more extensive responses and consequently, more abundant data. The data collected can, in turn, be used to design a comparative study exploring the experiences of special educators in the capital city versus those in the rural settlements of the other islands.

Continuous Training and Development

Continuous training and development are essential in all professions, and special education is no exception. It is suggested that special educators participate in training and development exercises every quarter which can be facilitated as workshops, seminars, webinars, distribution of literature, conferences, and/or guest speakers. To promote international exposure and development, it is imperative that special educators attend mandatory special education conferences at least once every 3 years. This would allow special educators not only an opportunity to network with leading scholars and practitioners in their field but the opportunity to be exposed to best practices in the field. At a local level, administrators can present opportunities for cross training for general education teacher who have an interest in special education which can lend to job rotation which may have a positive impact on decreasing employee burnout among special education. Also, such an initiative will allow the employee to gain additional experience and skills by taking on new responsibilities. Furthermore, it would also promote workplace flexibility while enhancing employee engagement and retention. During this period, senior special educators can serve as mentors to novice educators or employees on job rotation.

As pre-service special educators, it is paramount that they are exposed to a multiplicity of “in class” experiences with special needs children and special educators. Such exposure would assist in the transition from pre-service teaching to a novice special educator and provide a foundational platform for learning practices and strategies regarding special needs children. This is essential as it would minimize culture shock and burnout of novice educators once fully accredited and transitioned as a special educator. Furthermore, it is paramount that pre-service special educators also be privy to mandatory study abroad opportunities in special needs academic settings, hence providing additional exposure to the experiences of special educators.

Continuous training and development should not only be limited to special educators and pre-service teachers but also administrators with responsibility for special educators. While it is a usual practice for administrators to participate in leadership training, it should be equally critical that they participate in special education training initiatives but from an administrative perspective, that is, identifying and managing resources, promoting synergy in the academic setting (general educators and special educators), motivational strategies for special educators, and creating incentive/mentoring programs for special educators. Once administrators are exposed to such training initiatives, they will be well versed with challenges special educators are confronted with daily and would be more informed when making administrative decisions regarding special educators. In addition, it would assist in creating a more fluid working relationship with special educators.

On-the-Job Incentives

Maintaining special educators’ intrinsic motivation is challenging, especially when they feel they are not effectively engaging their students. Administrators should consistently provide forms of extrinsic motivators (i.e., incentives, recognition, awards) to build teachers’ resilience and commitment. It is on this premise that many organizations have implemented employee of the year prizes to keep their staff motivated (Cummings & Worley, 2014). Equally important, as indicated by participants, is learning from teachers what keeps them motivated and actively engaged. School leaders (i.e., principals and other administrators) and Department of Education policy makers must be intentional about the concerns that agitate special educators professionally, physically, mentally, and socially. Furthermore, to promote employee engagement among special educators, administrators can involve special educators in formulating goals and responsibilities regarding special education units rather than merely articulating those goals.

Adequate Support Systems

As eluded to in the findings of this study and the corresponding literature, there are limited support systems for special educators. On this premise, it is paramount that support systems be implemented at three distinct levels: (a) support in the academic setting (i.e., paraprofessionals in the classroom, mentoring programs, employee onboarding for novice special educators, networking opportunities); (b) support from administrative or leadership perspective (i.e., incentive programs, team building initiatives between general and special educators, team building exercises between administrators and special educators, communication forums for special educators to voice their concerns, provide possible solutions and goal setting); and (c) parental support (i.e., programs that promote parental involvement in schools, training, and development initiatives for parents of kids with special needs and networking opportunities). Furthermore, it is suggested that education policy makers should establish a taskforce specifically for employee retention within special education. The starting point of education reform is the classroom (Tyack & Cuban, 1995). In addition, administrators need to be more effective in their leadership abilities and how they manage schools.