The relationship between moral identity, motivation, and basic psychological needs to special education teacher retention

A persistent teacher shortage obstructs equitable education in the United States. Ample empirical research has identified myriad (often system-level) variables that predict retention of special education teachers (SETs). However, three teacher-level psychological factors have yet to be examined: the moral identity of SETs, basic psychological needs (BPN) satisfaction from special education work, and intrinsic/extrinsic motivation for special education work. This exploratory study conducted multiple regression modeling on 202 cases of practicing SETs to determine the extent that the three factors relate with SET retention as measured by total years special education teaching experience. Results present preliminary empirical evidence that internalized and symbolized moral identity relate with SET retention—but with inverse negative and positive relationships. Furthermore, BPN satisfaction and intrinsic/extrinsic motivation appear to not relate with SET retention. Results point to the potential in considering proximal teacher-level psychological factors to describe and address teacher retention.