Working with people who have intellectual disabilities is very difficult and causes different professional burden, which can lead to stress and in some cases also to burnout.
This study examines how teachers, who work with people with intellectual disabilities, experience burnout and how it affects on their job and life functioning. In the research I found out teachers’ motivation for their occupation, factors which caused professional burdening while working with people with intellectual disabilities as well as their affects on individual’s life and work. I investigated which stress or burnout signs have individuals, who participated in the research, identified in themselves. The study also aims to examine whether there is a difference in experiencing burnout at work between beginning teachers in the early years of their career and experienced teachers who have many years of working experience. Furthermore, I studied if there are any differences between individuals who work with people with intellectual disabilities individually or in groups. Then I also inquired the difference between special education teachers and other professionals who have different education but work as special education teachers in experiencing burnout. Moreover, I examined how individuals manage burnout and who helps and supports them. The descriptive method of research and qualitative approach were used for this study. Semi-structured interviews were selected as the means of data collection. Research sample consists of ten employees, who work with people with intellectual disabilities and have different education and working experience in this particular field. I found out that research participants have similar signs of stress/burnout, except the beginning teachers who have no problems with stress/burnout. Individuals use very similar burnout coping strategies to overcome work-related stressors. Burnout coping strategies they use are different like exercise, reading, change of environment, sociability and social sources – support of leadership, co-workers and family, intervision and supervision. The differences in experiencing stress/burnout are evident between beginning teachers, who have little working experience, and experienced teachers, who have many years of working experience. Some of the latter already experienced the feeling of being burnout, which is why they need help. Based on the results of the research I explained the problem of burnout from subjective perspective and give effective burnout prevention strategies useful at the individual level and at the level of educational institutions (employers).
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