Disruptive Student Behavior and Emotional Exhaustion in Dutch Primary Special Education Teachers: The Mediating Role of Teachers' Competence Beliefs

Emotional exhaustion is prevalent among special education teachers (Brunsting et al. 2022). Previous research showed that disruptive student behavior is positively associated with teachers' emotional exhaustion (e.g., Kollerová et al. 2023). However, the underlying mechanisms are not yet fully understood. The present study investigated teachers' competence beliefs as potential underlying mechanisms in the relationship between disruptive student behavior and teachers' emotional exhaustion, specifically examining the sequential mediating role of (a) teachers' perceived capability to manage disruptive behavior and (b) teachers' perceived efficacy in the key domains of effective teaching (i.e., instructional practices, student engagement, and classroom management). In a cross-sectional design, 313 Dutch primary special education teachers completed an online survey assessing the relevant variables. The sequential mediation model was tested using path analysis. Results showed an indirect relationship between disruptive student behavior and teachers' emotional exhaustion through teachers' perceived capability to handle disruptive behavior and their perceived efficacy in classroom management consecutively. Additionally, a direct association between disruptive student behavior and teachers' emotional exhaustion was found. Findings suggest that training teachers' knowledge and skills to deal with disruptive student behaviors and strengthening their feelings of competence in handling these behaviors may be helpful in the prevention of emotional exhaustion.