Research shows that successful collaborations among educators can reduce job-related stress and improve student outcomes. This is important for special educators (SPEDs) working in self-contained settings, as these settings often employ co-teaching models. Teachers’ social and emotional competencies (SEC) may contribute to their capacity to form and engage in these effective collaborative relationships. This study explores the structure of SPEDs’ school-based social networks and how these networks might be influenced by SPEDs’ SECs. The research employed a sequential, equal-status (quantitative + qualitative) design. SPEDs from five schools within one private school system completed surveys about their formal and informal collaborations, co-teaching team quality, and their SECs. In-depth interviews were also conducted to triangulate and expand upon quantitative findings. Results indicate that school network structure may be unique across educational contexts and that SPEDs identify several SECs as critical levers for forming and maintaining school-based collaborations. Implications for fostering SPEDs’ SECs and improving teacher collaborations in schools are discussed.

中文翻译：

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社会和情感能力如何告知特殊教育者的社交网络

研究表明，教育者之间的成功合作可以减轻与工作有关的压力并改善学生的学习成绩。这对于在独立环境中工作的特殊教育者（SPED）至关重要，因为这些环境通常采用共同教学模式。教师的社交和情感能力（SEC）可能有助于他们形成和参与这些有效合作关系的能力。这项研究探讨了SPED的学校社交网络的结构，以及SPED的SEC如何影响这些网络。该研究采用了顺序的，等态的（定量+定性）设计。来自一所私立学校系统中五所学校的SPED完成了有关其正式和非正式合作，共同教学团队质量以及SEC的调查。还进行了深入访谈，以三角化和扩大定量结果。结果表明，学校网络结构在整个教育环境中可能是唯一的，并且SPED将几个SEC视为形成和维持校际合作的关键杠杆。讨论了促进SPEDs SEC和改善学校教师合作的意义。