Date of Award

2026

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Education (EdD)

Department

Organizational Leadership

First Advisor

Steven James

Second Advisor

Robin Pierson

Third Advisor

Megan Chaney

Abstract

Purpose: This phenomenological study aimed to identify the factors that influence the retention of elementary special education teachers in virtual, independent study environments and brick-and-mortar environments, and to explore similarities and differences in how elementary special education teachers experience work-life balance across educational settings.

Methodology: Purposeful sampling was used to identify 10 elementary special education teachers in California who worked in brick-and-mortar and virtual independent study settings and met the study's inclusion criteria. Semi-structured, open-ended interviews were conducted virtually, recorded, transcribed, and analyzed using NVivo qualitative data analysis software. Both deductive and inductive coding strategies were employed, guided by the Job Demands-Resources (JD-R) Model.

Findings: Analysis yielded 1,408 coded references across 26 codes and six parent categories, resulting in 17 emergent themes across four research questions. The most consequential findings were the emergence of workload unsustainability, administrative disconnect, professional isolation, and strained student relationships among brick-and-mortar participants, and the universal emergence of scheduling autonomy and supportive leadership among virtual, independent study participants.

Conclusions: Five conclusions were drawn from the major findings and supporting literature. Elementary special education teacher retention and work-life balance are shaped by (a) IEP administrative burden as a universal structural threat across both settings, (b) the presence or absence of meaningful job resources as the primary determinant of professional sustainability, (c) responsive and knowledgeable leadership as the most consistent differentiator between settings where teachers thrive and those where they do not, (d) scheduling autonomy as a foundational resource whose absence is a significant disadvantage in brick-and-mortar settings, and (e) professional isolation, a structural and largely unaddressed condition that accelerates attrition among brick-and-mortar special education teachers.

Recommendations: School and district leaders must take systemic action to reduce the IEP administrative burden, develop leadership that is both administratively knowledgeable and responsive, extend scheduling autonomy to brick-and-mortar settings, address professional isolation through intentional structural integration, and apply the organizational lessons from the virtual, independent study setting to improve conditions for special education teachers across both instructional contexts.

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