Date of Award
2025
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Education (Ed.D.)
Department
Transformative Action in Education
First Advisor
Dr. Anne Zeman
Second Advisor
Dr. Louise Santiago
First Committee Member
Dr. Laura Aguada-Hallberg
Second Committee Member
Dr. Jonathan Toccoli
Abstract
Teacher attrition and resulting shortages have become severely problematic across the United States. This is especially true within special education. This study employs role theory (Kahn et al., 1964) to isolate the case manager role carried by special education teachers, investigate it through the stories of current practitioners, and establish it within academia. Burnout theory (Maslach, 1993) provides a lens through which to evaluate the strain of working conditions surrounding the case manager role. Elements of narrative inquiry (Clandinin, 2006; Creswell & Guetterman, 2019) in the form of 1-1 interviews with current IEP case managers from across California provided the means for data collection. Reflexive thematic analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2019) applied to the stories yielded five supporting categories and six subthemes grouped under four main themes; Unreasonable Expectations, Power Dynamics, Teamwork & Coordination, and a Strong Sense of Why/Purpose. The case manager role infringes upon the teacher role. The entire timeline of special education policy is reviewed to present day, implications pertaining to the current political-educational landscape are discussed, and considerations for future research are proposed. This was insider research conducted by a fellow practitioner to achieve rich contextual details (Bhattacharya, 2017) and enhanced depth of findings.
Pages
134
Recommended Citation
Abouhamad, Khalil Milad. (2025). The Caseload Chronicles: Investigating the Case Manager Role Through the Perspectives of Current Special Education Teachers. University of the Pacific, Dissertation. https://scholarlycommons.pacific.edu/uop_etds/4291
Included in
Accessibility Commons, Disability Law Commons, Disability Studies Commons, Education Law Commons, Other Teacher Education and Professional Development Commons, Public Interest Commons, Special Education Administration Commons, Special Education and Teaching Commons
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