Nelson Brunsting

University of Florida | UF · School of Special Education, School Psychology, and Early Childhood Studies

Teacher burnout occurs when teachers undergoing stress for long periods of time experience emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and lack of personal accomplishment (Maslach, 2003). Outcomes associated with burnout include teacher attrition, teacher health issues, and negative student outcomes. Special educators are at high risk for burnout, as...

We examined changes in burnout across three timepoints in one school year, in a sample ( N = 230) of special educators serving students with emotional-behavioral disorders, in 15 school districts selected through stratified random sampling at the national level. Emotional exhaustion decreased at each timepoint in the school year and personal accomp...

Consistent evidence indicates the importance of teachers of color for experiences and outcomes of students of color. Fortunately, extant studies consistently indicate special education teachers (SETs) teaching students with EBD are more likely to be people of color than other SETs. These SETs require supportive working conditions, but, to our knowl...

Due to ongoing and severe teacher shortages, preparing and sustaining a skilled special education teacher (SET) workforce is a top policy priority. Understanding predictors of SETs’ intent to leave is crucial for policy makers and school leaders alike, as they seek to develop interventions to support retention efforts. In this study, we examined at...

Special education teacher (SET) burnout is a significant concern, especially for SETs serving students with emotional–behavioral disorders (EBD), as they tend to experience higher burnout than other teachers. Working conditions, especially social support, have the potential to ameliorate burnout, but prior research has not articulated the sources a...

Study abroad comes with challenges, yet it is not clear how language proficiency may longitudinally predict students’ social engagement and well-being. Recent changes in international student demographics, including age decreases and increased international school backgrounds, may also affect students’ well-being. This study views language as a cul...

Burnout is a significant challenge for special educators’ wellbeing, as they report higher levels of stress than general educators. Rates of burnout are highest among special educators serving youth with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD). At a time when nearly half of all students with EBD are spending more than 20% of their school day outsi...

We present a methodological example of an initial use of critical quantitative analysis (CritQuant) in international education research focused on international students to explore differences in social-emotional experiences intersectionally. Drawing on a sample of 558 international students attending 14 colleges and universities in the United Stat...

This study provides greater understanding of the student characteristics and practices that affect the success of a study abroad experience as evidenced by students’ adjustment. Two personal characteristics of students, grit and cultural intelligence (CQ), and one learning behavior, reflective thinking, were investigated. The study was conducted am...

A team of practitioners, researchers, and scholar-practitioners collaborated to spotlight successes and to enhance areas for improvement in study abroad practices through interaction with research. The joint effort focused on study abroad students from five identity groups for which the research base was large enough to permit generation of researc...

In this article, we introduce active supervision as a simple, feasible strategy for teachers and families to increase student engagement as well as decrease off-task and disruptive behaviors across a range of contexts. We provide step-by-step guidance to illustrate how active supervision can be used by teachers in in-person and virtual learning env...

Little focus has been afforded to LGBT+ students’ study abroad experiences. We conducted a systematic literature search and synthesis which identified 13 articles either with a focus on or inclusion of participants who were LGBT+ studying abroad. We coded included articles’ key information, including participant demographics; program duration, loca...

This article is in direct response to Garwood’s call to action about burnout and the special education teacher workforce. While Garwood’s call to action is critically needed, we contend that the call is incomplete as it lacks emphasis on factors linking sociocultural identity and burnout. Therefore, in this article, we discuss the significance of e...

Little focus has been afforded to LGBT+ students’ study abroad experiences. We conducted a systematic literature search and synthesis which identified 13 articles either with a focus on or inclusion of participants who were LGBT+ studying abroad. We coded included articles’ key information, including participant demographics; program duration, loca...

Prior literature reviews of study abroad outcomes (Miller & Perrin-Thompson, 2014; Twombly et al., 2012; Varela, 2017) have provided important direction for the field, yet they either were conducted without clear inclusion criteria or excluded qualitative research. In the current scoping review, we extend their work through conducting a systematic...

Special education teachers’ (SETs) working conditions play a crucial role in shaping the size, quality, and effectiveness of the SET workforce, and thereby shape the quality of instruction provided to students with disabilities. Valid measures of SETs’ working conditions are essential for conducting robust research on how to improve working conditi...

Special education teacher (SET) burnout is a significant concern, especially for SETs serving students with emotional–behavioral disorders (EBD), as they tend to experience higher burnout than other teachers. Working conditions, especially social support, have the potential to ameliorate burnout, but prior research has not articulated the sources a...

Shared conceptions of special and general educators’ roles are essential to effective inclusive elementary schools. Yet extant research indicates there is wide variability in how their roles are conceptualized and enacted across different contexts, as educators have varied conceptions of the purposes of their roles, as well as broad discretion in h...

Treatment integrity is an important component of rigorous educational research. Information about the extent to which an intervention was implemented as planned provides necessary context for interpreting student outcomes. In the context of increasing use of tiered systems in schools, treatment integrity takes on additional practical importance. Ti...

Using a biopsychosocial framework, our study examined the biological, psychological, and sociocultural factors associated with depression among a cross-sectional sample of undergraduate international students (N = 712) attending 28 U.S. colleges and universities. Consistent with hypotheses, regression analysis revealed that self-esteem, life satisf...

Students with emotional/behavioral disorders are increasingly included in general education settings, requiring their special educators to coordinate with other educators. Yet, research provides limited insights into their interactions with other educators. Thus, we qualitatively examined how special educators experienced and navigated interactions...

To advance understanding of international students’ psychological well-being and social-emotional experiences, we tested whether specific social influences could enhance international students’ belonging and well-being and attenuate loneliness. Graduate and undergraduate international students (N = 126) from two universities in the United States pa...

We examined educators’ sense of efficacy and burnout within comprehensive, integrated, three-tiered (Ci3T) models of prevention implemented in four middle and two high schools. At the time of this study, schools had completed 2 years of implementing Ci3T models as part of a larger district initiative. We examined how educators were faring with a sp...

The present study explores how international students’ (IS; N = 169; Mage = 19.81 years, 36% male) identity fusion, the extent to which they feel connected with a particular social group, is concurrently and longitudinally correlated with belonging, loneliness, well-being, and perceived social support. IS reported higher fusion with other IS than w...

Students with emotional/behavioral disorders (EBD) in self-contained settings depend on special educators to deliver high-quality instruction and behavior management, and special educators depend on administrators to create supportive working environments. Yet, to date, no studies have examined how working conditions relate to special educators’ pr...

In this article, we examined educators’ efficacy and burnout within Comprehensive, Integrated, Three-tiered (Ci3T) models of prevention, as implemented in 14 elementary schools in a Midwestern state. Participating schools completed a year-long training series to design their Ci3T plans and were in their second year of implementation as part of a di...

Special educators are responsible for providing quality reading instruction to students with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD), but they often experience difficulties fulfilling this responsibility, especially for students with EBD who are placed in dedicated settings, including self-contained classes. Administrators can help by ensuring spe...

Writing is an essential skill for success in K-12 schooling and the 21st century workforce. Unfortunately, students identified with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD) often struggle to develop proficient writing skills. The self-regulated strategy development (SRSD) model is the only evidence-based practice for teaching writing to students wi...

To increase knowledge of international students' psychological well-being at U.S. universities, we examined the degree to which demographic factors, perceived language competence, and domestic student social support were associated with Ryff's (1989a, 1989b) six aspects of psychological well-being. Participants (n = 216) were undergraduate and grad...

Special education teachers (SETs) who teach students with emotional or behavioral disorders (EBD) in self-contained settings are often less qualified, more stressed and burned out, and more likely to leave teaching than other SETs, resulting in a less effective workforce teaching students with significant behavioral and academic needs. Working cond...

Schools experience difficulty retaining special educators to serve students with emotional or behavioral disorders (EBD) in self-contained settings, as they have higher rates of burnout and attrition than other educators. Administrators could prevent these outcomes by improving working conditions, but research provides limited insights into which c...

We conducted this systematic review to map the literature and classify the evidence-based status of teacher-directed strategies to increase students’ opportunities to respond (OTR) during whole-group instruction across the K-12 continuum. Specifically, we conducted this review to determine whether OTR could be classified as an evidence-based practi...

Despite the increase in methodological sophistication and complexity of models being tested for international student adjustment to universities in the United States (U.S.), researchers often do not test or control for salient demographic differences between students, including their educational status (i.e., graduate or undergraduate) and country...

The current study details changes in first-year international undergraduate students’ perceived knowledge of, confidence in, and usefulness of intercultural skills in specific US university contexts after completing a semester-long academic and cultural transition course at a mid-sized private university. Results revealed significant increases in p...

The current study details changes in first-year international undergraduate students’ perceived knowledge of, confidence in, and usefulness of intercultural skills in specific US university contexts after completing a semester-long academic and cultural transition course at a mid-sized private university. Results revealed significant increases in p...

We report findings of a psychometric study comparing scores from two screening tools: Student Risk Screening Scale–Internalizing and Externalizing (SRSS-IE, an adapted version of the Student Risk Screening Scale) and Behavior Assessment System for Children–Second Edition, Behavioral and Emotional Screening System (BASC-2 BESS). Participants were 62...

The most recent literature review of predictors of international student adjustment in institutions of higher education in the United States (U.S.) included studies from 1990 to 2009 (Zhang & Goodson, 2011). The current review was designed to understand the strengths and gaps of the literature on undergraduate international student adjustment to U....

Wake Forest University (WFU) developed the academic college transition (ACT) program to increase international pre-college students’ academic preparedness for US universities. High school students at one private high school in Qingdao, China, completed a one-week course and additional programming components focused on two student learning outcomes:...

In addition to behavior problems, students with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD) often experience persistent reading difficulties. These struggles in reading become more pronounced in secondary school (grades 6-12) due to the increased rigor of the curriculum. Although the research pertaining to academic interventions for students with EBD...

The presentation examined academic and socio-emotional outcomes of Wake Forest first-year international students enrolled in an academic writing and cultural transitions course.

Students with emotional disturbance (ED) depend upon special education teachers (SETs) to use evidence-based practices (EBPs) to promote their well-being. SETs, in turn, depend upon school leaders to provide working conditions that support learning and implementation of academic and social EBPs. We conducted an integrative narrative review of resea...

This paper provides outcomes of a study examining the effectiveness of a year-long professional development training series designed to support in-service educators in learning a systematic approach to functional assessment-based interventions developed by Umbreit and colleagues (2007) that has met with demonstrated success when implemented with un...

Bullying is a serious problem among school-aged youth. Research suggests students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are overrepresented as victims within the bullying dynamic. This review synthesizes 21 articles involving prevalence rates of victimization of school-age youth with ASD and factors related to the victimization of youth with ASD. Pre...

As the reading difficulties experienced by students with emotional-behavioral disorders (EBD) receive more attention, the corresponding call for evidence-based practices has become more pronounced. We conducted a systematic review of comprehension and fluency interventions for middle and high school students with EBD served outside of the general e...

We report findings of a validation study comparing two screening tools: the Student Risk Screening Scale–Internalizing and Externalizing (SRSS-IE, an adapted version of the Student Risk Screening Scale) and the Social Skills Improvement System–Performance Screening Guide (SSiS-PSG). Participants included 458 kindergarten through fifth-grade element...