Campus Location
Dallas Campus (Online)
Date of Award
6-2026
ORCID
https://orcid.org/0009-0001-7856-2439
Document Type
Dissertation
Department
Organizational Leadership
Degree Name
Doctor of Education
Committee Chair or Primary Advisor
J. Scott Self
Second Committee Member or Secondary Advisor
Sandra Hightower
Third Committee Member or Committee Reader
Teresa Starrett
Abstract
The purpose of this qualitative inquiry was to explore the narratives of 10 current Texas public school educators with disabilities, as defined by the Americans with Disabilities Act, to understand how these narratives shaped their perceptions of burnout in relation to isolation and self-efficacy in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic. The specific problem addressed the systemic, cultural, and interpersonal barriers that contribute to emotional exhaustion and professional marginalization for this population. The paradigm used was action research. The specific research methodology was a qualitative narrative inquiry. Data collection methods included 60-to-90-minute semistructured interviews conducted via Zoom and transcribed for analysis. The sample consisted of 10 secondary educators currently employed in Texas public schools who identified as having a disability. General research procedures involved identifying participants through purposeful sampling, conducting interviews, and utilizing multiple rounds of coding, including in vivo, emotions, values, and axial coding, to interpret findings through the framework of social constructionism. Key results revealed that participants experienced a fragmented sense of belonging, where strong student connections were overshadowed by exclusion from informal peer networks. Institutional policies perpetuated marginalization by framing teaching as a calling, which justified mission-driven exploitation and normalized overwork. Furthermore, participants engaged in hypercompetence and overperformance to counteract ableist stigmas, creating a paradoxical cycle where increased effort led to declining health, necessitating further overcompensation. Findings suggest that the pandemic functioned as an amplifier of preexisting inequities, intensifying feelings of stress and self-doubt. Key conclusions indicate that burnout is a predictable outcome of systemic institutional designs rather than individual failure. Resilience and self-efficacy were found to be double-edged constructs v that both sustained educators and contributed to their exhaustion. To improve support, the study recommends shifting from compliance-based policies to relational leadership models that prioritize proximity-based understanding, professional autonomy, and psychological safety. Findings underscore that professional flexibility should be institutionalized as an equitable support rather than a case-by-case privilege.
Keywords: educators with disabilities, burnout, isolation, self-efficacy, Texas public schools, narrative inquiry, ableism, COVID-19 pandemic
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.
Recommended Citation
Nimon, Paul M., "Isolation and Self-Efficacy Among Texas Educators With Disabilities Post-COVID: A Narrative Inquiry" (2026). Digital Commons @ ACU, Electronic Theses and Dissertations. Paper 1035.
https://digitalcommons.acu.edu/etd/1035