Burnout Level of Special Education Teachers Students with Learning Disabilities in Special Integrated Education Program

Abstract

Special education needs (SEN) teachers often encounter various challenges and demands, particularly when dealing with disruptive behavior from their students. Among these challenges is the issue of Special Education teachers’ burnout, which can have negative impacts on their well-being and the quality of education provided to students with learning disabilities. To address this issue, this study examines the burnout levels of SEN teachers who taught students with learning disabilities under the Special Integrated Education Program (SIEP) in Petaling Utama District of Selangor. Additionally, this study aims to evaluate the burnout levels of SEN teachers based on their gender and teaching experiences using a quantitative methodology and cross-sectional survey design. The Job Demand-Resources model was employed, and a set of questionnaires adapted from the Maslach Burnout Inventory was distributed to 140 SEN teachers teaches students with learning difficulties under the Special Integrated Education Programme (SEIP) using a simple random sampling method. The findings demonstrate that SEN teachers in the study location exhibited low levels of burnout, emotional exhaustion, and depersonalization, with a moderate level of personal achievement. Furthermore, the results of the Mann-Whitney U test and Kruskal Wallis H Test indicate that there was no significant difference in burnout scores between gender and teaching experience. Consequently, it can be concluded that neither gender nor teaching experience did not contribute to teachers' burnout. Stakeholders are advised to develop quality programs to support and empower SEN teachers, meanwhile establishing a collaborative culture through school support systems and providing sufficient resources are vital to maintain teachers' well-being.