Number of students referred for special education services as a factor in preschool teacher burnout

This study investigated the relationship of preschool classrooms' percentage of students referred for special education evaluation and teacher burnout. The Maslach Burnout Inventory-Educators Survey (Maslach, Jackson, & Leiter, 1996) was administered to a sample of 42 preschool teachers. Findings indicated that there was a strong, positive correlation between degrees of emotional exhaustion and the percentage of students referred for special education evaluation. There was also a positive relationship between degrees of depersonalization and percentage of students who were referred to special education evaluation. In addition, number of years teaching was negatively correlated with the percentage of students who were referred for special education evaluation. Higher ratings of administrative support were moderately correlated with higher levels of personal accomplishment. Higher levels of personal accomplishment seemed to provide educators with a sense that they were continuing to influence the development of the children that they were educating. This feeling was prevalent among educators despite the fact that they were emotionally exhausted. A multiple regression analysis was also conducted and findings indicated that the best predictor of the number students who are referred for special education evaluation is emotional exhaustion.