New Roots in New Soil: Adjustment Experiences of Newly-Emigrated Filipino Special Education Middle School Teachers

Abstract

The increasing recruitment of Filipino special education (SPED) teachers to address teacher shortages in the United States has highlighted the need to better understand their transition into un-familiar educational and cultural contexts. Although previous studies have examined teacher migra-tion, cultural adjustment, teacher well-being, and coping mechanisms, limited research has focused specifically on newly emigrated Filipino SPED teachers in U.S. middle schools and on how these dimensions intersect during their early years of transition. This study addresses this gap by providing a context-specific and multidimensional account of how migration-related adjustment interacts with the distinctive professional, cultural, and institutional demands of special education. This qualitative phenomenological study explored the lived experiences of newly emigrated Filipino SPED teachers during their first one to three years of teaching in California middle schools. Four Filipino SPED teachers participated in semi-structured interviews, and the data were analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis. The findings revealed that participants experienced significant cultural, in-structional, emotional, and professional adjustments as they navigated the American special educa-tion system. Five overarching themes emerged: confronting a different classroom culture, navigating the complexity of special education systems, resilience through adaptation, relationship-centered practice, and growth through unfamiliar experiences. Participants identified flexibility, collaboration, emotional regulation, organization, mentorship, family support, and faith as essential resources that enabled them to cope with the demands of teaching in a new educational environment. Despite experiencing culture shock, uncertainty, and professional stress, participants demonstrated resilience and continuous professional growth through reflection, learning, and supportive relationships. The findings suggest that the adjustment of newly emigrated Filipino SPED teachers is a multidimen-sional and transformative process shaped by personal, professional, cultural, and institutional factors. The study contributes to the literature on teacher migration and special education by showing how these interconnected dimensions of adjustment shape the early transition and professional de-velopment of internationally recruited Filipino SPED teachers within the specific context of U.S. middle schools. Based on these findings, a Transition Support Action Plan was developed to facili-tate teacher adjustment and promote well-being, professional growth, and long-term retention among internationally recruited Filipino SPED teachers.