The relationship between special education teachers' professional burnout levels and job satisfaction levels

This study aims to reveal the relationship between burnout levels and job satisfaction levels of special education teachers. In this respect, the research is a relational scanning model. The participants of the research consist of 160 special education teachers working in special education classes and special education schools in public schools in Kastamonu province in the 2021-2022 academic year. In the study, data were obtained using three different data collection tools: personal information form, Maslack Burnout Inventory and Minnesota Job Satisfaction Scale. The data obtained in the research were analyzed using the SPSS package program. In this regard, one-way analysis of variance, one of the parametric tests, was applied in addition to descriptive statistics to analyze the data. Tukey HSD test was used to determine whether there was a significant difference between the variables. Additionally, independent samples t test was used for pairwise comparisons. According to the results of the research, it was determined that the burnout of special education teachers did not differ according to the variables of age, marital status, type of disability of their students, class size and professional seniority. Differences were detected in gender and type of school variables. Male special education teachers experience more burnout than female special education teachers; It has been observed that special education teachers working in special education kindergartens experience more burnout than special education teachers working in other types of schools. According to the job satisfaction results, it was determined that special education teachers did not differ significantly according to age, marital status, type of disability of their students, class size and professional seniority. It has been determined that it varies according to gender and type of school where the student works. Female special education teachers experience more job satisfaction than male special education teachers; It has been revealed that special education teachers working in primary school special education classes experience more job satisfaction than special education teachers working in other types of schools. As a result of the analysis, it was found that there was a significant negative relationship between burnout and job satisfaction.