Qualitative Inquiry on Distance Education Experiences and Support Needs of Special Education Teachers Dealing with the Pandemic

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to explore special education teachers' experiences with distance education and changes in the experiences during the pandemic along with support needs of special education teachers and to figure out future directions in the field of special education after the pandemic. Method: The participants were a total of 20 special education teachers from elementary, middle, high schools, and special schools(12 of them were from special education classrooms in elementary, middle, and high schools, and eight of them from special schools). Focus group interviews and individual interviews were conducted with the participants through a non-face-to-face method. All collected data were analyzed using a constant comparative method. Results: As a result of the analysis, five main themes emerged as follows: a period of confusion, exploration, adaptation, and improvement along with support needs for future education. Conclusion: Based on the findings, further directions were discussed for better future education: 1) providing environmental and administrative support, and human services to promote educational equality, 2) providing systematic support to enhance competencies of special education teachers and strengthen cooperation between the teachers, and 3) seeking ways for blending face-to-face teaching and non-face-to-face teaching based on the flexibility of teaching methods.