How Expert Special Educators Effectively Negotiate Their Job Demands

Shawna P. Ortogero; Rhonda S. Black; Bryan G. Cook

doi:10.64546/jaasep.323

How Expert Special Educators Effectively Negotiate Their Job Demands

Shawna P. Ortogero, Ph.D. (Author) Hawaii Department of Education Author Biography
Shawna Ortogero earned her Ph.D. in special education from the University of Hawaii a, Manoa in Honolulu in 2013 and is currently a Special Education Administrator in the Nanakuli-Waianae Complex Area for the Hawaii Department of Education. Ortogero's primary research interests include special education teacher retention, assistive technology, and utilizing evidence-based practices to help close the achievement gap between students with disabilities and their general education counterparts. She is President for the Hawaii non-profit organization called Center for Assistive Technology Communication Hawaii (CATCH).
Rhonda S. Black, Ed.D. (Author) University of Hawaii at Manoa Author Biography
Rhonda Black earned her Ed.D. from The University of Georgia in 1996 and is currently a Professor of Special Education at University of Hawaii at Manoa. Black’s primary research interests include social competence, transition for students with disabilities, and media portrayals of individuals with disabilities. She is on the editorial board of Career Development for Exceptional Individuals and the This (JAASEP). She is active in the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC), the American Association of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (AAIDD), and the American Educational Research Association (AERA).
Bryan G. Cook, Ph.D. (Author) University of Hawaii at Manoa Author Biography
Bryan Cook earned his Ph.D in special education from the University of California at Santa Barbara in 1997 and is currently a Professor of Special Education at University of Hawaii at Manoa. Cook’s primary research interests include evidence-based practices for learners with disabilities and meta-research in special education (i.e., researching the research base in special education). He is co-editor of the journal Behavioral Disorders, associate editor for Remedial and Special Education, co-editor of the annual volume Advances in Learning and Behavioral Disabilities, and chairs the Research Committee for the Council for Exceptional Children’ s (CEC’s) Division for Learning Disabilities.

DOI

https://doi.org/10.64546/jaasep.323

Abstract

This qualitative case study explored how three expert secondary special education teachers in Hawaii successfully negotiated their job demands. Purposeful sampling was used to select one secondary school on the Leeward coast of Oahu. We used reputational-case sampling to select participants that fit Dreyfus and Dreyfus’ (1980) expert theoretical construct, and defined expert special education teachers as (a) licensed to teach special education in Hawaii, (b) taught special education in Hawaii for a minimum of 6 years, and (c) nominated by their principals and special education department chair as experts. Data were derived from semi-structured interviews, observations, and teacher-kept time journals and were analyzed through individual and cross-case analysis to uncover underlying themes. Findings from this qualitative study identified resources and supports, skills, behaviors, and dispositions that three expert special education co-teachers used to effectively manage their multiple job demands such that they averted burnout and remained in the field. Major themes regarding what helped the participants juggle their job demands included relying on others for help; working beyond required work hours; multitasking; and having good classroom management skills, a positive attitude, and empathy. These results have implications for teacher education programs, administrators, and practitioners regarding the qualities of expert special educators, how to move from a novice to expert teacher, and providing role clarification.

Keywords

Case Studies, Classroom Techniques, Expertise, Grounded Theory, Individualized Education Programs, Journal Writing

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How to Cite

Ortogero, S. P., Black, R. S., & Cook, B. G. (2017). How Expert Special Educators Effectively Negotiate Their Job Demands. Journal of the American Academy of Special Education Professionals, 12(1), 6-24. https://doi.org/10.64546/jaasep.323