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Abstract

Burnout is the leading cause of the special education teacher shortage. A burnout intervention adapted for teachers was tested in two studies. Study 1 used a randomized design; Study 2 was a pre-post design. In Study 1, 44 teachers were randomized into the intervention or an active control. To enhance impact, for Study 2, personal goal-setting was added, and the intervention was renamed BREATHE-EASE (Burnout Reduction: Enhanced Awareness, Tools, Handouts, and Education–Evidence-Based Activities for Educators) Goals and evaluated with a different cohort of 42 teachers. Teachers completed assessments of social support, coping, and mindfulness. For Study 1, a medium to large nonsignificant effect for reduced emotional exhaustion (η² = .087) was found based on a per-protocol analysis of attending at least two sessions. For Study 2, emotional exhaustion was reduced (d = 0.45), and mindfulness (d = 0.39) and coping (d = 0.78) skills were improved. The findings offer a promising approach for special education teacher burnout and intrapersonal skills.

Keywords

special education teacher burnout randomized trial BREATHE-EASE burnout intervention goal setting

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BREATHE-EASE Goals for Reducing Special Education Teacher Burnout

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