Student Conduct in Exceptional Schools: The Impact of Project-based Instruction on Students Challenging Behavior and Teachers’ Professional Burnout

Karimi, Milad

doi:10.22034/jitle.2025.510999.1026

Student Conduct in Exceptional Schools: The Impact of Project-based Instruction on Students Challenging Behavior and Teachers’ Professional Burnout

Document Type : Original Article

Author

Milad Karimi

Ministry of Education, Tehran, Iran

10.22034/jitle.2025.510999.1026

Abstract

Teaching in special schools, especially with students who demonstrate signs of behavioral disorder, is a difficult and challenging task that leads to professional burnout for teachers. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of project-based instruction on the behavior of such students and, subsequently, on teachers’ professional burnout. For this purpose, four students with disorder, one teacher, and one teaching assistant in a special school in Tehran were purposively selected and participated in a project-based instructional intervention. The data collection tools were a daily behavior report worksheet and a job satisfaction questionnaire. The results of the analyses showed that project-based instruction not only significantly improved the behavioral performance of students, but also reduced teachers’ professional burnout and increased their job satisfaction. Therefore, based on the findings of this study, it can be stated that using project-based instruction as an alternative to traditional and teacher-centered teaching has the potential to support constructive social behavior of students with disorders and can also have positive effects on teachers' job satisfaction.

Keywords

exceptional schools

professional burnout

student conduct

project-based instruction

Subjects