Special education teachers' intent to remain in the teaching profession: Perceptions of special educators in South Dakota

The purpose of this study was to determine the factors that contribute to special education teachers' intent to remain in the special education field in South Dakota. This study also examined the administrator's role in enhancing special education teacher intent to stay.;Data was collected using a researcher-designed survey instrument administered to 300 special education teachers in the state of South Dakota. The survey instrument consisted of five subscales including (a) demographic information, (b) internal and external motivators, (c) intent to leave the field, (d) administrative supports, and (e) short-answer questions. Additional comments were also generated by a space provided at the bottom of the survey. Participants' responses were recorded by checking boxes and writing brief comments closest to their current situation and through the use of a five point Likert scale.;The response rate of participants totaled 243 (81.0%). Independent t tests and analyses of variance found no significant differences among participants' demographic variables and internal and external motivators, intent to leave the field, and administrative supports. However, significant differences were found when the survey questions were analyzed individually. Internal and external motivators were perceived as the most important factor affecting special education teachers' intent to remain in the field. In contrast, variables related to intent to leave the field were found to have the least significant impact on special educators' career decisions.;The results of this study indicate that special educators perceive the personal satisfaction they receive from teaching and professional values as the most important in enhancing intent to remain in the field. Conversely, special education teachers report that the lack of student growth, pay unequal to other positions, and non-teaching duties (including special education paperwork) negatively impact their intent to remain in the field.