Exploring teachers' well-being through a professional learning community

Abstract

Teachers in special needs education often face adverse experiences leading to stress and burnout, affecting their well-being, and this is even more considerable for teachers teaching learners with autism spectrum disorders. This study explored LSEN teacher well-being through a professional learning community. Teaching learners with ASD comes with diverse challenges, affecting teachers' self-efficacy and certainty in their capabilities and abilities regarding teaching and learning. This study hopes to address the scholarly neglect in the area of teacher well-being within special needs contexts. Personal well-being challenges as a novice teacher in an LSEN school inspired this research project. This study aimed at empowering SPED teachers with the autonomy to collectively explore and consider challenges and opportunities concerning their well-being. The literature review supported the argument that forging communities facilitated well-being. The teachers explored their well-being engagingly and collaboratively, forming mutual trust and connection. The research project involved eight teachers teaching learners with ASD. A phenomenological research design was employed for this study to explore teachers' lived experiences to collect rich, in-depth data. Observations, semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions were the chosen data collection methods. The study found that ASD teachers in LSEN contexts faced adverse experiences which affected their well-being and that adequate support structures were lacking for teachers. Participants highlighted social support as a possible measure for teacher well-being. This study was underpinned by the basic psychological needs theory, which was supported by the data findings, which revealed that the teachers felt a need for connection with their peers, competence in their profession, and autonomy to overcome obstacles with the help of the school management team to promote their well-being. Recommendations for the study included creating opportunities for special needs teachers to connect, accountability for well-being structures and adequate training in special needs for all novice teachers.