Status, influencing factors and paths on professional identity of special education teachers

The aim of the present study was to explore the status, influencing factors and paths on professional identity of special education teachers. The statistical population of the study included 438 special education teachers in Guangdong Province, China. The age of the participants ranged from 22 to 57 years old (M = 32.16, SD = 1.85 years). Of the 438 teachers, 346 were females, 92 were males. The Occupational Stress Questionnaire (He, J. H. 2013. A Study on the Occupational Stress and Work Engagement of Special Education Teacher. Hangzhou: Hangzhou Preschool Normal College of Zhejiang Normal University), School Support Questionnaire (Zhang, Y. 2018. Study on Professional Identity and School Support of Special Education Teachers in Guizhou. Chengdu: Sichuan Normal University), and Professional Identity Questionnaire (Tang, J. R. 2012. Study on Professional Identity of Special School Teachers. Shanghai: East China Normal University) were used. The independent sample t-test, one way ANOVA, correlation analysis, and multiple stepwise regression were used for the data analysis. The results show that: (1) the professional identity of special education teachers is relatively high in the overall and dimensions. (2) There are significant differences in the professional identity in terms of leadership, marriage, education level, teaching years and professional titles. (3) Both occupational stress and school support can significantly predict the professional identity of special education teachers.