Comparing Special Education and General Education Teachers’ Stress, Job Demands, and Resources during COVID-19

Abstract

Recent scholarship has demonstrated the negative impacts of the pandemic on educators. However, it is less clear whether special education teachers (SETs) incurred more severe effects. This mixed-method study draws on a survey of 419 teachers from 38 schools in New York State to identify differential impacts of the pandemic on SETs. Our analysis found that SETs reported lower levels of stress compared to general education teachers and perceived that greater supports were available to them. Open-ended responses provided a space for SETs to describe the experience of teaching during the pandemic and identify particular stressors and challenges they faced. These findings hold important implications for the SET workforce as stress is a major factor linked to the educator shortages facing many schools. Ensuring that SETs are supported and retained is critical to ensuring the needs of students receiving special education services are being met in the post-pandemic era.