| Limited research has been conducted during the last decade on the psychological impact of participating in a due process hearing on special education administrators. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore the influence of special education due process hearings on special education administrators and to discover if participation in these events led to increased levels of job burnout. Burnout is defined as feelings of emotional exhaustion, depersonalization and a lack of personal accomplishment (Maslach, 1982). The construct of burnout used in this research was the six areas of work-life fit theory researched and documented by Maslach, Schaufeli, and Leiter (2001). This research consisted of individual interviews with ten special education administrators who had participated in a due process hearing. An analysis of the recorded interviews revealed categories and themes from the data. Results of the study indicated a connection between feelings of burn out and participating in a due process hearing. In addition, this study provided special education administrators validation of the stressful environment in which they work, provided recommendations to avoid future litigation and recommended healthy ways to relieve work-related stress for the special education administrator and the school staff. |
