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Open Access Knowledge and Scholarship

Date of Award

5-2026

Culminating Project Type

Starred Paper

Styleguide

apa

Degree Name

Special Education: M.S.

Department

Special Education

College

School of Education

First Advisor

Dr. Brian Valentini

Second Advisor

Dr. Bradley Kaffar

Third Advisor

Dr. Cynthia Fitzthum

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.

Keywords and Subject Headings

Emotional and Behavioral Disorders (EBD), Setting III, burnout, retention, fidelity, special education

Abstract

No abstract is required for a starred paper.

Comments/Acknowledgements

Special education teachers working with students who have Emotional and Behavioral Disorders (EBD) in Setting III and higher programs experience significant levels of stress, burnout, and turnover (Brunsting, Sreckovic, & Lane, 2014; Maslach, Schaufeli, & Leiter, 2001). These educators frequently navigate crisis intervention, intense behavioral demands, and extensive documentation requirements that surpass those of typical classroom settings (Skaalvik & Skaalvik, 2017). This starred paper reviews existing research on factors contributing to burnout among special educators serving EBD populations and identifies evidence-based strategies that support retention. Guided by the Job Demands–Resources (JD-R) framework (Demerouti, Bakker, Nachreiner, & Schaufeli, 2001) and Conservation of Resources (COR) theory (Hobfoll, 1989), this review explains how high job demands paired with inadequate resources predict emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and intent to leave. Recommendations are provided for improving working conditions, strengthening administrative and collegial support, and promoting teacher well-being. The goal is to support more stable and effective programming for students with EBD while safeguarding the health and sustainability of the special education workforce.

Keywords: Emotional and Behavioral Disorders (EBD), Setting III, burnout, retention, fidelity, special education

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