Workload Factors in Special Needs Education

Abstract

Teachers meet many challenges in their work. Their work is burdensome, with many associated load factors. The article is about the workload factors in special needs teachers’ work. It attempts to find factors of well-being at work that are significant from the point of view of safety, workload and management. The special needs teachers of one Finnish municipality participated in the study. The data for this paper were collected through a well-being survey. Results indicate that the work of special needs teachers is experienced to be mentally and ethically burdensome. Workload factors related to psychosocial risks, possibilities to influence work, and factors related to work community arose to be the most important factors in special needs teachers’ work.