Online ISSN: 2667-8772
Founding Year: 2019
Publication Frequency: Triannual
Country: Türkiye

Research Article

A Study on the Work-Life Balance of Special Education Teachers

Özel Eğitim Öğretmenlerinin İş -Yaşam Dengesi Üzerine Bir Araştırma

DOI
https://doi.org/10.56720/mevzu.1586335
This study investigates how special education teachers maintain work-life balance. Utilizing a qualitative research approach, semi-structured inter-views were conducted with 15 special education teachers from institutions in Alanya, Antalya. The findings reveal significant challenges faced by these teachers in achieving a work-life balance. Due to the demanding nature of their roles, they often find it difficult to balance professional responsibilities with personal obligations. Particularly, early-career teachers struggle more with heavy workloads and stress, while experienced teachers develop stra-tegies over time to manage this balance better. Married teachers and those with children report greater difficulties compared to their single colleagues, often citing family responsibilities as a major factor. The study suggests imp-lementing support mechanisms, such as providing teaching assistants, en-couraging task-sharing, and offering psychosocial support services, to alle-viate the burden on special education teachers. These measures are expected to enhance job satisfaction and overall quality of life. Ultimately, the fin-dings highlight the need for institutional policies aimed at improving work-life balance through flexible working arrangements, professional develop-ment opportunities, and consistent feedback systems. By addressing these issues, organizations can foster a healthier work environment and better support the well-being of special education teachers.
Bu çalışma, özel eğitim öğretmenlerinin iş-yaşam dengesini nasıl sağla-dığını incelemek amacıyla gerçekleştirilmiştir. Araştırma, nitel araştırma yöntemi kullanılmış ve Antalya’nın Alanya ilçesindeki özel eğitim kurumla-rında görev yapan 15 öğretmenle yarı yapılandırılmış görüşmeler yapılmış-tır. Bulgular, özel eğitim öğretmenlerinin iş-yaşam dengesi sağlamada ciddi zorluklarla karşılaştığını göstermektedir. Öğretmenler, özel gereksinimli öğ-rencilerin ihtiyaçlarına cevap verebilmek için ekstra çaba harcadıklarını ve bu durumun iş yüklerini artırdığını belirtmişlerdir. Özellikle kariyerlerinin başındaki öğretmenler, yoğun iş yükü ve stres nedeniyle dengeyi kurmada daha fazla zorlandıklarını ifade ederken; deneyimli öğretmenlerin zamanla stratejiler geliştirdiği ve denge sağlamada daha başarılı olduğu gözlemlen-miştir. Ayrıca, evli ve çocuk sahibi öğretmenlerin iş-yaşam dengesi kurma konusunda bekar meslektaşlarına göre daha fazla zorluk yaşadıkları ortaya çıkmıştır. Araştırmada, öğretmenlerin iş yükünü hafifletmek amacıyla des-tek personeli sağlanması, görev paylaşımının teşvik edilmesi ve öğretmenle-re psikososyal destek hizmetlerinin sunulması önerilmektedir. Bu tür destek-lerin, öğretmenlerin mesleki tatminini ve genel yaşam kalitesini artıracağı düşünülmektedir. Sonuç olarak, özel eğitim öğretmenlerinin iş-yaşam den-gesi sağlama sürecinde karşılaştıkları sorunların çözümü için kurumsal poli-tikaların geliştirilmesi, esnek çalışma düzenlemeleri ve düzenli geri bildirim mekanizmaları önem arz etmektedir.
References

Ajibade, A. T., Antonacopoulou, E., Beauregard, A., Dickmann, M. – Adekoya, O. D. “Exploring the Impact of COVID‐19 on Employees’ Boundary Management and Work–Life Balance.” British Journal of Management 33/4 (2022), 1694–1709. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-8551.12643.

Aruldoss, A., Kowalski, K. B., - Parayitam, S. “The Relationship Between Quality of Work Life and Work-Life- Balance Mediating Role of Job Stress, Job Satisfaction And Job Commitment: Evidence From India”. Journal of Advances in Management Research 18/1 (2021), 36–62. https://doi.org/10.1108/JAMR-05-2020-0082

Bhangu, S., Provost, F., - Caduff, C. “Introduction to Qualitative Research Methods – Part I”. Perspectives in Clinical Research 14/1 (2023), 39–42. https://doi.org/10.4103/picr.picr_253_22

Casper, Wendy J., Shelia A. Hyde, Shona G. Smith, Faezeh Amirkamali - Julie Holliday Wayne. “How Effective Are Work-Life Balance Policies? The Importance of Inclusion.” Annual Review of Organizational Psychology and Organizational Behavior (2024), October. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-orgpsych-110622-050544.

Cengiz, B. – Şalgamcıoğlu, M. E. “İstanbul’da Alçak Katlı Apartmanlaşma Sürecindeki Değişimin Mekan Dizimsel ve Anlamsal Olarak İrdenlemesi : 1930-2020 Dönemi.” In 6th International Symposium on Innovations in Scientific Areas Proceedings (2019), 60–68. SETSCI. https://doi.org/10.36287/setsci.18.1.0060.

Clark, S. C. “Work/Family Border Theory: A New Theory of Work/Family Balance”. Human Relations 53/6 (2000), 747–770. https://doi.org/10.1177/0018726700536001

Duan, S. X., Deng, H. - Wibowo, S. “Exploring the Impact of Digital Work on Work–Life Balance and Job Performance: A Technology Affordance Perspective.” Information Technology & People 36/5 (2023), 9–29. https://doi.org/10.1108/ITP-01-2021-0013.

Dworkin, S. L. “Sample Size Policy for Qualitative Studies Using In-Depth Interviews”. Archives of Sexual Behavior 41/6 (2012), 1319–1320. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-012-0016-6

Edwards, J. R., - Rothbard, N. P. “Mechanisms Linking Work and Family: Clarifying the Relationship Between Work and Family Constructs”. Academy of Management Review 25/1 (2000), 178–199. https://doi.org/10.5465/amr.2000.2791609

Frone, M. R. Work-family balance. In Handbook of occupational health psychology (2003), pp. 143–162. American Psychological Association. https://doi.org/10.1037/10474-007

Greenhaus, J. H., Ziegert, J. C., - Allen, T. D. “When Family-Supportive Supervision Matters: Relations Between Multiple Sources Of Support and Work–Family Balance”. Journal of Vocational Behavior 80/2 (2012), 266–275. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvb.2011.10.008

Hafeez, U., Akbar, W. Impact of work-life balance on job satisfaction among school teachers of 21st century. Australian Journal of Business and Management Research, 4/11 (2015), 25-37.

Jennett, H. K., Harris, S. L., - Mesibov, G. B. “Commitment to Philosophy, Teacher Efficacy, and Burnout Among Teachers of Children with Autism”. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders 33/6 (2003), 583–593. https://doi.org/10.1023/B:JADD.0000005996.19417.57

Kabasakal, H., - Bodur, M. “Arabic Cluster: A Bridge Between East and West”. Journal of World Business 37/1 (2002), 40–54. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1090-9516(01)00073-6

Kalliath, T., - Brough, P. “Work–life Balance: A Review of The Meaning of The Balance Construct”. Journal of Management & Organization 14/3 (2008), 323–327. https://doi.org/10.5172/jmo.837.14.3.323

Köffer, S., Anlauf, L., Ortbach, K., - Niehaves, B. "The Intensified Blurring of Boundaries Between Work and Private Life through IT Consumerisation". ECIS 2015 Completed Research Papers (2015),108- 126.http://aisel.aisnet.org/ecis2015_cr

Kossek, E. E., Baltes, B. B., - Matthews, R. A. “How Work–Family Research Can Finally Have an Impact in Organizations”. Industrial and Organizational Psychology 4/3 (2011), 352–369. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1754- 9434.2011.01353.x

Lott, Y. “Does Flexibility Help Employees Switch Off from Work? Flexible Working-Time Arrangements and Cognitive Work-to-Home Spillover for Women and Men in Germany.” Social Indicators Research 151/2 (2020), 471–94. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11205-018-2031-z.

Pathak, K. P., - Thapaliya, S. “Some Philosophical Paradigms and their Implications in Health Research: A Critical Analysis”. International Research Journal of MMC 3/3 (2022), 9–17. https://doi.org/10.3126/irjmmc.v3i3.48627

Perreault, M. - Power, N. “Work-Life Balance as a Personal Responsibility: The Impact on Strategies for Coping with Interrole Conflict.” Journal of Occupational Science 30/2 (2023), 160–74. https://doi.org/10.1080/14427591.2021.1894596.

Popoola, S.O. - Olaronke O.F. “Work Motivation, Job Satisfaction, Work-Family Balance, and Job Commitment of Library Personnel in Universities in North-Central Nigeria.” The Journal of Academic Librarianship 49/4 (2023), 102741. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.acalib.2023.102741.

Rice, M. F. - Ortiz, K.R. “Parents of Children with Special Educational Needs’ Shared Work in Fully Online Learning.” Journal of Research on Technology in Education 55/5 (2023), 784–98. https://doi.org/10.1080/15391523.2022.2030269.

Saldivar-Henke, Mary Jane. "Valuing self-love: lived experiences in work-life balance of special education teachers." Technium Soc. Sci. J. 44 (2023): 352.

Sampaio-Dias, S., Silveirinha, M. J. - Garcez, B. “On Being a Good Worker, a Good Mother, a Good Carer: Women Journalists, Motherhood, and Caregiving.” Journalism Studies (2024), October, 1–18. https://doi.org/10.1080/1461670X.2024.2420187.

Shaker Ghanim, Roba, and Radhwan Hussein Ibrahim. "Work-Life Imbalance in Mosul’s Female Nursing Workforce: Societal Pressures and Professional Strain." Croatian Nursing Journal 8/2 (2024): 141-151.

Staines, G. L. “Spillover Versus Compensation: A Review of the Literature on the Relationship Between Work and Nonwork”. Human Relations 33/2 (1980), 111–129. https://doi.org/10.1177/001872678003300203

Stallard, P. “A Retrospective Analysis To Explore The Applicability Of The Ehlers And Clark (2000) Cognitive Model To Explain PTSD In Children”. Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapy 31/3 (2003), 337-345. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1352465803003084

Stoilova, R., Ilieva-Trichkova, P. - Bieri, F. “Work–Life Balance in Europe: Institutional Contexts and Individual Factors.” International Journal of Sociology and Social Policy 40/3 (2020), 366–81. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJSSP-08-2019-0152.

Sunar, D. Contemporary Turkish families. In U. Gielen & J. Roopnarine (Eds.), Families in Global Perspective (2005), 169-183. Allyn & Bacon/Pearson.

Taller-Azulay, G., Heiman, T. - Olenik-Shemesh, D. “Principals Attitudes toward the Inclusion of Special Education Students in Regular Schools: Associations with Self-Efficacy, Satisfaction, and Stress at Work.” Psychology 15/7 (2024), 1154–72. https://doi.org/10.4236/psych.2024.157068.

There are 30 references in total.
How to Cite
Vural, Mehmet Fatih. “A Study on the Work-Life Balance of Special Education Teachers”. Mevzu - Journal of Social Sciences 13 (March 14, 2025), 837-858. https://doi.org/10.56720/mevzu.1586335
View No. 13 (2025): Sayı 13

No. 13 (2025): Sayı 13

Article Information

  • Article Type Research Article
  • Submitted February 19, 2026
  • Published March 14, 2025
  • Issue No. 13 (2025): Sayı 13
  • Section Research Article
  • File Downloads 339
  • Abstract Views 165
  • Altmetrics
  • Share
Download data is not yet available.