Date of Conferral
6-2-2025
Date of Award
June 2025
Degree
Ph.D.
School
Education
Advisor
Dr. Terri Edwards
Abstract
Alternative teacher certification programs are used nationwide to address the critical teacher shortage in special education. There is a gap in knowledge regarding the challenges that early childhood special education teachers experience, which make them leave the profession at twice the rate of general education teachers. The purpose of this basic qualitative study was to explore alternatively certified early childhood special education teachers’ perspectives on remaining in their teaching positions and the support they need to continue teaching. The study framework was comprised of Day and Gu’s teacher resilience theory. Data were collected from semistructured interviews with 10 prekindergarten to third-grade special education teachers who have been alternatively certified in the United States through the Walden University Research Participant Pool and social media early childhood teacher groups. Thematic analysis was used to analyze the data from which three themes emerged: (a) teachers are challenged to remain in teaching due to a lack of support and personal demands, (b) teachers are incentivized to remain in teaching by relationships they form, and (c) teachers need support and resources to continue teaching. The study findings provide information on what early childhood special education teachers need to remain in the classroom. This information can be used by school leaders to support teachers, and by administrators of teacher certification programs to better prepare alternatively certified early childhood special education teacher candidates. When teachers remain in their classrooms, students ultimately benefit.
Recommended Citation
Dever, Sena Victoria Ann Belgard, "Alternatively Certified Early Childhood Special Education Teachers' Perspectives on Remaining in the Classroom" (2025). Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies. 17903.
https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/17903
