Special education teachers' emotional intelligence and its relationships with social support, work engagement and job performance: a job demands-resources theory's perspective.

Based on the Job Demands-Resources theory, this research investigated the multiple mediating role of special education teachers' social support and work engagement in the relationship between their emotional intelligence and job performance. Data of 710 Chinese mainland teachers in special education schools were analyzed. The results showed that emotional intelligence directly predicted job performance. Both social support and work engagement partially mediated the relationship between emotional intelligence and job performance. Furthermore, social support and work engagement serially mediated the relationship between emotional intelligence and job performance. The limitations and implications for future studies and practices are discussed.

Predictors of musculoskeletal disorders among special education teachers in Sabah, Malaysia.

Special education teachers encounter considerable occupational challenges, yet there is limited information concerning musculoskeletal disorders (MSD) within this group. Therefore, this study aimed to address this gap by determining the prevalence of MSD, investigating associated factors of MSD, and identifying predictors of MSD among special education teachers. A cross-sectional study was conducted among special education teachers in Kota Kinabalu and Penampang, Sabah. Data were collected through self-administered questionnaires and musculoskeletal fitness assessments. Chi-square tests and independent t-tests were utilized to determine factors associated with MSD, while multiple logistic regression was performed to develop a comprehensive predictive model for MSD, which was then validated and tested for model fitness. A total of 122 individuals participated in the study, yielding a response rate of 95 %. The findings revealed a high prevalence of MSD (77.9 %) among special education teachers, with the lower back, shoulder, neck, knee, upper back, and foot being the most affected regions. The multivariable regression model identified several predictors of MSD, including marital status (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 4.78, 95 % confidence interval [CI] = 1.49-15.40), body fat percentage (aOR = 1.06, 95 % CI = 1.00-1.12), teaching in prolonged standing for few days a week (aOR = 3.20, 95 % CI = 0.99-10.29) or every day (aOR = 6.20, 95 % CI = 1.44-26.70), mindfulness (aOR = 0.47, 95 % CI = 0.22-0.98), and back extensor strength (aOR = 5.86, 95 % CI = 1.92-17.92). This study highlights the necessity of implementing interventions focusing on the ergonomic, psychological, and musculoskeletal fitness components to mitigate the prevalence of MSD and improve the overall well-being of special education teachers.

Enhancing IEP Goal Development for Preschoolers with Autism: A Preliminary Study on ChatGPT Integration.

PURPOSE: The impact of well-crafted IEP goals on student outcomes is well-documented, but creating high-quality goals can be a challenging task for many special education teachers. This study aims to investigate potential effectiveness of using ChatGPT, an AI technology, in supporting development of high-quality, individualized IEP goals for preschool children with autism. METHODS: Thirty special education teachers working with preschool children with autism were randomly assigned to either the ChatGPT or control groups. Both groups received written guidelines on how to write SMART IEP goals, but only the ChatGPT group was given handout on how to use ChatGPT during IEP goal writing process. Quality of IEP goals written by the two groups was compared using a two-sample t-test, and categorization of goals by developmental domains was reported using frequency counts. RESULTS: Results indicate that using ChatGPT significantly improved the quality of IEP goals developed by special education teachers compared to those who did not use the technology. Teachers in the ChatGPT group had a higher proportion of goals targeting communication, social skills, motor/sensory, and self-care skills, while teachers in the control group had a higher proportion of goals targeting preacademic skills and behaviors. CONCLUSION: The potential of ChatGPT as an effective tool for supporting special education teachers in developing high-quality IEP goals suggests promising implications for improving outcomes for preschool children with autism. Its integration may offer valuable assistance in tailoring individualized goals to meet the diverse needs of students in special education settings.

Special Education Teachers' Self-Assessed Voice Health Regarding Voice Use Habits.

OBJECTIVES: Special education teachers (SETs) work with students with disabilities. To get and keep these students' attention during the lesson, they may use their voices with high loudness and frequent pitch changes. These situations can be tiring for their voices and affect their vocal health. This study aimed to compare SETs' voice fatigue, reflux symptoms, and self-assessments according to their voice use habits in their work and social lives. METHODS: A total of 208 SETs were included. A Teacher Voice Use Habits Questionnaire was developed by considering the literature, taking expert opinion, and conducting a pilot study. In addition, the Vocal Fatigue Index (VFI), Voice Handicap Index-30 (VHI-30), and Reflux Symptom Index (RSI) were used. One-way ANOVA, Mann-Whitney U, Kruskal Wallis-H, and Pearson correlation analyses were performed. RESULTS: Of SETs, 37.5% reported frequent hoarseness, and 65.4% reported voice fatigue during/at the end of the day. Those who answered "yes" to the questions about talking loudly at home, having the television on at home, feeling stressed in the work environment, eating and drinking before going to bed at night, smoking, having frequent colds, talking loudly during the day, and voice fatigue during/at the end of the day had significantly higher scores in all scales. Those who used their voice for more than 6hours were found to have significantly higher scores on the VFI and RSI. In all scales, the scores of those who made very frequent long phone calls were significantly higher. CONCLUSION: According to the SETs' reports, it was concluded that they did not comply with the rules of vocal hygiene, although they used their voices for a long time. This situation should be considered an occupational health problem in schools, and it may be helpful to screen this group's voice disorders and design preventive programs.

Individualizing Instruction for Students With Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities in China: Teachers' Perceptions and Practices.

This study investigated Chinese special education teachers' perceptions and practices of individualizing instruction for students with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). Semistructured interviews were conducted with 31 teachers who taught elementary Chinese language arts and math in six public special education schools for students with IDD in Shanghai. In addition, lesson plans written by 19 of the 31 teachers were collected. Thematic analysis revealed that teachers recognized the necessity of adapting instruction. However, practices and beliefs associated with one-size-fits-all approaches to teaching were prevalent. Although all teachers described making efforts to address individual differences, these efforts appeared to be inadequate. Teachers perceived fully addressing the needs of individual students as difficult and described challenges in four areas.

Teachers' Familiarity, Confidence, Training, and Use of Problem Behavior Interventions for Learners with Autism Spectrum Disorder in School Settings.

Our main purpose in this study was to investigate the levels of and the relationship between familiarity, confidence, training, and use of problem behavior interventions by special education teachers working with learners with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in school settings. A total of 80 special education teachers in South Carolina and Virginia completed an online survey. Results indicate a positive correlation between teachers' familiarity, confidence, training, and use of problem behavior interventions. Across all intervention categories, providing choices, prompting, modeling, and direct instruction received the highest rankings for familiarity, confidence, and use. In addition, our results reveal that familiarity and confidence in implementing these interventions differs across groups of special education teachers based on years of experience. The most frequently reported factors that limit the use of problem behavior interventions in school settings were competing responsibilities, the need to involve multiple people, the amount of time required, and the difficulty using interventions during typical routines. Implications for research and practice are discussed. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10882-022-09885-2.

Factors Associated with Musculoskeletal Disorders among Regular and Special Education Teachers: A Narrative Review.

Musculoskeletal disorder (MSD) is a major health problem, which can lead to an enormous burden to the institution as well as chronic disability to the individual. Teachers are at risk of developing MSD due to the exposure to various ergonomic risk factors. Teachers of special education, for example, are expected to perform extra duty such as lifting and moving students, feeding food, changing diapers, and helping them in ambulation. Although there is an adequate amount of scientific research on MSD's prevalence and its risk factors among regular teachers, only few studies have focused on special education teachers. This review aimed to address these gaps by describing the evidence from various papers on the prevalence of MSD among regular and special education teachers and the related risk factors. The papers have been gathered using electronic databases, including PubMed, Science Direct, Google Scholar, and Springer. The prevalence of MSD among regular teachers ranges from 48.7% to 73.7%, while the prevalence ranges from 38.7% to 94% in special education teachers. Risk factors, such as individual (age, duration of teaching, working hours, and work burden), physical (teaching activities, affected body areas), and psychological factors (stress, anxiety, fear), were identified. From the review, it is recommended to implement ergonomically designed workplaces, comprehensive ergonomic training, psychological approaches, and functional training among teachers at risk.

Influencing factors of Chinese special education teacher turnover intention: understanding the roles of subject well-being, social support, and work engagement.

Turnover intentions are peoples' plans of turnover action, representing their expressed motivation to perform the turnover behavior, which may be the best predictor of turnover. The study aimed to investigate the level of turnover intentions of special education teachers in mainland China as well as exploring the factors that influenced their turnover intention. A total of 496 Chinese special education teachers participated in the current study. Results found that (1) the turnover intention was influenced by gender and years of teaching, meaning that female teachers and teachers with more years of teaching had the lower turnover intention, and (2) subject well-being and social support were negatively related to the turnover intention above and beyond teachers' demographic background, which was mediated by work engagement. To stem the special education teacher turnover intentions, suggestions for policymakers are discussed to lower the turnover intention of special education teachers as well as increase the special education teacher retention in mainland China.

Psychological Capital and Occupational Well-Being: Mediating Effects of Work Engagement Among Chinese Special Education Teachers.

This study examines whether psychological capital (PsyCap) indirectly predicts occupational well-being among Chinese special education teachers through work engagement. In total, 615 Chinese special education teachers (female = 567) completed the Psychological Capital Questionnaire, the Special Education Teachers' Occupational Well-Being Questionnaire, and the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale. The results indicated that PsyCap was positively correlated with occupational well-being and work engagement. Furthermore, work engagement mediated the influence of PsyCap on occupational well-being. Notably, the multiple mediation model indicated that the indirect effects of PsyCap on occupational well-being were mainly due to dedication and absorption. The study's results illustrate the association between PsyCap, work engagement, and occupational well-being, which may help educational administrators and social workers assist with special education and special education teachers develop and maintain good working conditions.

Subjective Well-being of Special Education Teachers in China: The Relation of Social Support and Self-Efficacy.

In order to explore the relationship of social support, self-efficacy, and subjective well-being of special education teachers in China, 496 teachers from 67 special education schools were surveyed by questionnaire. We found that (1) the subjective well-being of special education teachers in China was in the medial level. (2) There were significant differences in subjective well-being level among teachers of different genders, teacher position, education background, and teaching age. Male teachers were of higher subjective well-being; subjective well-being of head teachers was lower than those were not head teachers; teachers with the educational background of postgraduate were of higher relaxation and tension than those with junior college educational background; the control scores of emotion and behavior of teachers with teaching age of 3 years and below were significantly lower than those of teachers with teaching age of more than 10 years. (3) Self-efficacy played a partially mediating role in the relationship between social support and subjective well-being of special education teachers. Suggestions to improve the subjective well-being of special education teachers were discussed in the article.

Socially distanced teaching: The mental health impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on special education teachers.

Little is known about the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on special education teachers. Of 468 surveyed across the United States, 38.4% met clinical criteria for generalized anxiety disorder, a rate 12.4 times greater than the U.S. population, and 37.6% for major depressive disorder, a rate 5.6 times greater than the population. Race/ethnicity, gender, or school funding was not related to mental health. The impact of the pandemic was moderate to extreme on stress (91%), depression (58%), anxiety (76%), and emotional exhaustion (83%).

Assistive technologies as a curriculum component in Jordan: Future special education teachers' preparation and the field status.

The purpose of this study was to provide evidence-based information about future special education teachers' perceptions of their preparation for using assistive technology (AT), and the field status with respect to the use of AT. Content analysis was conducted in order to analyze the data from 15 semi-structured interviews and a focus group consisting of 8 participants. The results indicate that overall, the participants were dissatisfied with their preparation programs and the field status regarding the use of AT. Furthermore, the participants reported barriers and ethical considerations regarding the use of AT. Implications and recommendations are provided both for the research community and for decision-makers for special education teacher preparation programs and in the field.

'There isn't a checklist in the world that's got that on it': Special needs teachers' opinions on the assessment and teaching priorities of pupils on the autism spectrum.

Two focus groups were conducted with special needs teachers to: (a) identify barriers to learning for autistic pupils, (b) consider broad assessment domains and specific skills or behaviours which teachers consider important for these pupils, and (c) give their opinions on teacher assessments. Data analysis resulted in six main themes: (a) barriers to learning, (b) teacher priorities for autistic pupils, (c) ways of overcoming barriers, (d) the concept of 'true mastery', (e) assessing the bigger picture, and (f) practicalities of assessment. Results showed that teachers have priorities for the pupils they know well and concerns about the assessments they regularly use. To ensure face and content validity of teacher assessments, and for assessments to be useful to and valued by the teachers who use them, it is recommended that teachers have opportunities to input during various aspects of the assessment development process.

Video Modelling to Improve Hand Dexterity in Students with Learning Disabilities: Special Education Teachers' Perspectives (Permodelan Video Bagi Meningkatkan Kecekatan Tangan Murid Dengan Masalah Pembelajaran: Persepsi Guru Pendidikan Khas) / Jurnal Sains Kesihatan Malaysia

@#Proficient hand dexterity (HD) may help students with learning disabilities (LDs) perform various hand tasks efficiently. Video modelling (VM) is a strategy that uses a model to improve desired skills. However, the limited study focuses on VM to improve HD among students with LDs. Therefore, this study explores VM implementation in the learning and teaching process to improve the HD of students with LDs. Five Special Education (SE) teachers who taught the Hand Manipulative Component lessons in two different states were purposefully selected and invited to participate in this study. A one-toone interview was conducted with individual SE teachers. The interview sessions were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim, and the data was analysed through thematic analysis. Rigorous approaches were performed to ensure the findings' trustworthiness, such as triangulation, member checking, and an audit trail. Four key themes emerged: conventional learning and teaching methods, challenges faced by students with LDs in improving HD, and the advantages of implementing VM in learning and teaching to improve HD and develop a video module. This study suggests SE teachers can implement VM in their learning and teaching processes to improve the HD performance of students with LDs. This current study concludes that VM can be a supportive strategy in the teaching process to improve HD performance among students with LDs.

Emotional Intelligence and Well-Being of Special Education Teachers in China: The Mediating Role of Work-Engagement.

The well-being of special education teachers is key to their mental health and also influences the development of their students. This study aimed to investigate the psychological mechanism of the well-being of special education teachers in China, where they are maximum in number. We explored the role of emotional intelligence (EI) and work engagement on the well-being of teachers. A total of 496 Chinese special education teachers participated in the current study. Results suggested that (1) the EI and work engagement were positively associated with the well-being of special education teachers; and that (2) work engagement played a mediating role on EI and well-being of special education teachers. To promote the well-being of special education teachers, suggestions for policymakers and schools are discussed.

The mediation effect of self-esteem on job-burnout and self-efficacy of special education teachers in Western China.

Teacher self-efficacy may reduce the likelihood of burnout through preventing the occurrence of work stress. The study inquiries the relationship between teaching efficacy and burnout, focus on mediation of self-esteem. A sample of 329 Chinese special teachers who teach in the special schools in western China was measured with the Maslach Burnout Inventory, the Rosenberg self-esteem scale and the Self-efficacy scale. Results indicated that emotional exhaustion and depersonalization of Chinese special teachers are at a medium level and personal accomplishment are at a low level. The mediation analysis shows that under the education background of special education, self-esteem plays partial mediation role in general teaching efficacy or personal teaching efficacy and job burnout of special education teachers.

Special Education Major or Attitudes to Predict Teachers' Self-Efficacy for Teaching in Inclusive Education.

This study aimed to determine the predictors for Saudi Arabian teachers' self-efficacy to work in inclusive education. Five independent variables were tested in this study: attitudes toward inclusive education, participants' educational major, having relative with disability, working with students with disability and gender. Further, predictors of teachers' attitudes toward inclusive education were examined. The sample was 185 elementary-school teachers in Saudi Arabia. The Arabic version of the Teacher Efficacy for Inclusive Practices scale was used to measure self-efficacy. To assess attitudes toward inclusion an Arabic version of the Sentiments, Attitudes, and Concerns about Inclusive Education Revised subscale was used. Results showed teacher attitude toward inclusion are strongly linked with teachers' self-efficacy to work in inclusive classrooms. Further, participants with a relative with a disability showed more positive attitudes for inclusive education. Levels of self-efficacy were unaffected by gender, having a special education degree, or having a relative with a disability. In sum, this study highlighted the importance of teachers' attitudes toward inclusive education as a main predictor of teachers' self-efficacy.

Attitudes of Mainstream and Special-Education Teachers toward Intellectual Disability in Italy: The Relevance of Being Teachers.

The attitudes of teachers toward intellectual disability (ID) contribute to an effective school inclusion of students with ID, thereby enhancing their quality of life. The present study was aimed at investigating the attitude differences toward ID of mainstream and special-education teachers in Italy and the general and specific teachers' characteristics most related to these attitudes. An online version of the Attitudes toward Intellectual Disability (ATTID) questionnaire was filled by 307 mainstream teachers and 237 special-education teachers. The findings show that special-education teachers held more positive attitudes. Specific ATTID dimensions were positively affected for both types of teachers by previous training in special education/ID, perceived support, and promotion of positive attitudes toward ID, in addition to the quality of relationships with individuals with ID, while they were positively affected for special-education teachers by perceived efficacy of ID knowledge. No or very limited effects were observed for previous experience in teaching students with typical development or ID (even with severe/profound ID). Fostering resources to provide teachers with high-quality training, support, and resources and strategies to promote positive attitudes toward ID seems a relevant approach leading to favorable attitudes, thereby improving the quality of life of students with ID.

Clinical benefits of rational-emotive stress management therapy for job burnout and dysfunctional distress of special education teachers.

It has been observed that managing job burnout and dysfunctional distress constitute part of the major challenges among special educators, and that empirical data on the management of burnout and dysfunctional distress associated with the job of special education teachers are lacking in the literature. The current article discusses the clinical benefits of a rational-emotive stress-management therapy program in reducing the level of job burnout symptoms and dysfunctional distress in special education teachers, using evidence from a 2018 clinical trial study that reported the efficacy of this intervention. Results show the clinical benefits and implications of conducting a rational-emotive stress management intervention, and recommendations are made for future research.

Academic Self-Efficacy, Social Support, and Professional Identity Among Preservice Special Education Teachers in China.

The relationship among the social support, professional identity, and academic self-efficacy (ASE) of Chinese preservice special education teachers are explored by measuring the perceived social support, professional identity, and ASE of 302 undergraduate students. Results of the multiple regression are as follows. (1) A significant positive correlation exists among ASE, social support, and professional identity. When preservice special education teachers perceive high social support, they have a high sense of professional identity and high ASE. (2) Professional identity exerts a full mediation effect on the relationship between social support and ASE. In particular, social support positively influences ASE via professional identity. The results are discussed at the end of this paper and recommendations for improving the ASE of preservice special education teachers are presented.