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Autonomous Motivation for Teaching: How Self-Determined Teaching May Lead to Self-Determined Learning
Abstract and Figures
This study examined teachers' experience of autonomous motivation for teaching and its correlates in teachers and students. It was hypothesized that teachers would perceive various motivations posited by E. L. Deci and R. M. Ryan's (2000) self-determination theory as falling along a continuum of autonomous motivation for teaching. Autonomous motivation for teaching was predicted to be associated positively with teachers' sense of personal accomplishment and negatively with emotional exhaustion. Most important, teachers' self-reported autonomous motivation for teaching was expected to promote students' self-reported autonomous motivation for learning by enhancing teachers' autonomy-supportive behavior, as indicated by students' reports. Results from a sample of 132 Israeli teachers and their 1,255 students were consistent with the hypotheses. Discussion focuses on the importance of the experience of autonomous motivation for teaching for teachers and students.
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... In terms of the relation with teaching behaviors and their students' learning outcomes, it is found that autonomous teaching motivation is related to teachers' autonomysupportive teaching behaviors (e.g., Fernet et al., 2012;Pelletier et al., 2002;Reeve & Su, 2014;Roth, 2014;Roth et al., 2007;Taylor & Ntoumanis, 2007;Taylor et al., 2008). These autonomy-supportive teaching behaviors are in turn connected to students' autonomous learning motivation, increased engagement in their learning, and better learning outcomes (e.g., Assor et al., 2005;Reeve, 2009;Reeve & Jang, 2006;Reeve et al., 2003;Roth et al., 2007;Soenens & Vansteenkiste, 2005). ...
... In terms of the relation with teaching behaviors and their students' learning outcomes, it is found that autonomous teaching motivation is related to teachers' autonomysupportive teaching behaviors (e.g., Fernet et al., 2012;Pelletier et al., 2002;Reeve & Su, 2014;Roth, 2014;Roth et al., 2007;Taylor & Ntoumanis, 2007;Taylor et al., 2008). These autonomy-supportive teaching behaviors are in turn connected to students' autonomous learning motivation, increased engagement in their learning, and better learning outcomes (e.g., Assor et al., 2005;Reeve, 2009;Reeve & Jang, 2006;Reeve et al., 2003;Roth et al., 2007;Soenens & Vansteenkiste, 2005). It is interesting to note that there seem to be more studies that look at the effects of teachers' motivational orientations and/or autonomy-supportive teaching behaviors on students' motivation and learning outcomes, but relatively few studies that examined how students' motivation and/or engagement in learning may influence teachers' motivation and their behaviors. ...
Teachers often face pressures both from above and from below as they adhere to their supervisors’ requirements and work with students who may be disengaged from the learning process. These interpersonal influences are argued to thwart instructors’ teaching motivation and result in a more controlled teaching experience and a more controlling teaching style, whereas supportive supervisors and engaged learners could promote a self-determined motivational orientation and greater teaching engagement. Regression analyses of survey responses collected from 63 English language instructors in Canada showed that supportive supervisors helped satisfy English language teachers’ psychological needs for autonomy, competence, and relatedness, which in turn promoted self-determined motivation and teaching engagement. Student disengagement undermined the satisfaction of instructors’ needs and led to more controlled teaching motivation, but student engagement enhanced teachers’ self-determined motivation and/or teaching engagement. These results underscore the importance of supervisory attentiveness to instructors’ psychological needs. As well, they suggest that whereas teachers might be inspired by engaged students, they might also need to find strategies to cope with the potentially negative impact of disaffected students on their own teaching motivation and engagement.
... Ahora que ya sabemos a qué nos referimos cuando hablamos de motivación diremos que, la motivación del profesorado está implicada directamente en una serie de aspectos esenciales cuando pensamos en un sistema educativo de calidad� Estos son: la motivación del discente, el burnout, la atención a la diversidad, la satisfacción en el trabajo, los estilos de liderazgo y al cambio metodológico que exige la juventud actual� Nos detendremos en los dos primeros� Como ya nos podemos imaginar, los profesores tienen una gran influencia en la motivación de los estudiantes (Viseu et� al, 2016)� Es un componente esencial para mejorar la eficacia de la clase� Las interacciones de los profesores con sus alumnos afectan directamente al comportamiento y los sentimientos de sus alumnos� El aprecio, el afecto, la sintonía, la disponibilidad o la confianza demostrada por el profesor en relación con sus alumnos, repercute no solo en la relación profesoralumno, sino también en el ambiente de la clase y en la autonomía de los alumnos� También resulta muy importante el clima del aula como factor influyente en la motivación discente, siendo los profesores motivados lo que tienen más éxito en este sentido ya que son estos los que consiguen crear un mejor ambiente y un espacio en el que apetece estar y aprender� Otra investigación que aporta peso a esta relación motivación docentemotivación discente es la de Roth (2007), quien mostró que los profesores con una alta motivación intrínseca hacia su trabajo, predecían alumnos intrínsecamente motivados hacia el aprendizaje� Estos son alumnos que aprenden por la satisfacción que les produce aprender, por encontrar esa tarea interesante y reveladora y que consecuentemente alcanzarán un éxito académico� En relación al burnout o síndrome de estar quemado por el trabajo, diremos que los profesores desmotivados son los que tienen una mayor probabilidad de padecerlo� Se trata de una reacción afectiva debida a la exposición prolongada al estrés laboral� En el origen de esta problemática se encuentra un déficit motivacional del profesor hacia su actividad profesional, provocado por el desarrollo de creencias de autoeficacia negativa (Silvero Miramón, 2007)� De toda la investigación llevada a cabo sobre este tema sobresalen dos ideas principales: que los profesores son más vulnerables que otros profesionales a padecerlo, y que el burnout afecta a profesorado de todo el mundo� Es una problemática cada vez más frecuente entre el profesorado� ...
... In studies that classified motivation to teach, it was observed that motivations related to internal, external, and altruistic goals were mentioned (Kilinç et al., 2012;Mansfield et al., 2012;Roness, 2011;Thomson et al., 2012;. Roth et al. (2007) stated that self-motivation to teach was related to higher individual success and lower burnout levels in addition to teaching behaviors related to encouraging autonomous motivation for learning in students. ...
This study aims to reveal the relationship between burnout levels, attitudes toward the teaching profession, and motivation to teach in prospective physical education and sports teaching. Accordingly, the mediating role of motivation to teach in the relationship between burnout levels and attitudes toward the teaching profession of prospective teachers was investigated. The data of the study were collected online from 685 prospective teachers who studied in the field of sports education in 12 state universities in Turkey. The data were collected by using “Burnout,” Attitudes toward Teaching Profession,” and “Motivation to Teach” scales. Path analyses were conducted to test the direct prediction power of burnout and motivation to teach on the attitudes toward the teaching profession and the indirect prediction power of burnout on attitudes toward the teaching profession through motivation to teach. In conclusion, it was determined that burnout negatively predicted attitude toward the teaching profession and motivation to teach in a significant way, while motivation to teach predicted attitude toward the teaching profession positively in a significant way. Furthermore, it was determined that the negative effect of burnout on the attitude toward the teaching profession was reduced by the mediating role of motivation to teach.
... Universities have paid a lot of attention to work results but less attention to research on all the different angles related to factors that can cause a decrease in motivation and satisfaction levels lecturer's job satisfaction ( This growing scientific interest in faculty motivation has been addressed from various theoretical frameworks, such as achievement goal theory (Watt & Richardson, 2015). However, self-determination theory (Deci & Ryan, 1985) is most commonly used to analyze faculty motivational processes (Cheon et al., 2014;Roth et al., 2007;. Besides, studies on public service motivation of lecturers have found it meaningful to society and considered a valuable resource to improve teaching performance and job placement satisfaction (Perry & Wise, 1990;. ...
While the number of universities in Vietnam has increased dramatically over the past decade, the country's poor quality of higher education has received much attention in recent times. The increasing number of university graduates without jobs and the number of university lecturers switching to other jobs is attracting many studies to find the causes, including public service motivation, job satisfaction, and teaching performance of university lecturers. This study aims to enrich the research literature and examine the role of service motivation as a moderator variable in the relationship between job satisfaction and teaching effectiveness of Vietnamese university lecturers. This study was conducted through a cross-sectional survey using a purposive sampling technique (n=200). Multivariable linear regression analysis and moderator regression were applied to test the proposed research hypotheses. Research results show a positive and significant relationship between satisfaction at work, motivation to serve the public, and teaching effectiveness of Vietnamese university teaching. In particular, public service motivation moderates the relationship between job satisfaction and the teaching performance of university lecturers in this country.
... This is often useful in approving the learner's successful performance [30]. In fact, self-control practice provides a learner with an opportunity for a more creative practice by which to discover motor strategies [47], less stress and improved well-being [48], and more energy and liveliness [49] since it can meet an essential psychological need [25,26]. Therefore, another reason for better learning in the self-control practice group can be attributed to a more efficient processing of cognitive and motor information [29]. ...
A major concern voiced by motor behavior scientists is to find useful practice techniques that can be effective in improving motor learning and performance. Neurofeedback and self-controlled practice are among the techniques that have recently drawn attention from specialists in this area. The present study examined the additive and individual effects of sensorimotor rhythm (SMR) neurofeedback as well as self-controlled practice on motor learning and performance in novice golfers. In this semi-empirical study, forty adults (20 females, Meanage = 26.10, SD = 5.56 years) were conveniently selected and randomly assigned to four groups: (1) neurofeedback/self-controlled practice, (2) neurofeedback/yoked practice, (3) sham/self-controlled practice, and (4) sham/yoked practice. The participants performed golf putting task in four stages, namely pretest (12 trials), intervention (one day after pretest; 6 sessions, 36 trails each), post-test (one day after intervention; 12 trials), and follow-up (two weeks after interventions; 12 trials). In addition, the participants had their EEG (SMR wave in Cz point) recorded during pretest, post-test, and follow-up. The results indicated that, although no additive effect was observed for the two practices during different stages of the experiment (p > 0.05), in acquisition and post-test stages, SMR neurofeedback and self-controlled practice independently facilitated golf putting (p ≤ 0.05). However, in the follow-up test, only the neurofeedback practice maintained its positive effects (p ≤ 0.05). The results also showed that participation in SMR neurofeedback practice can enhance the power of the SMR wave (p ≤ 0.05), regardless of the type of the self-controlled practice used. In sum, the two practice techniques seem to be independently effective in facilitating motor learning in instructional settings, particularly for golfers.
In this instrumental-comparative case study, we analysed how seven US teachers reported co-teaching experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic and resulting remote instruction. We sought to understand how co-teaching during the pandemic affected teachers’ psychological needs of competence, autonomy, and relatedness. Data collection included: an initial questionnaire, weekly reflections, and semi-structured interviews. We found that special education co-teachers (SE-CTs) reported diminished feelings of competence and autonomy due to scheduling complications and demands associated with meeting the needs of students with disabilities. General education co-teachers (GE-CTs) experienced similar challenges, yet reported experiences of competence and autonomy associated with increased flexibility. SE-CTs with longstanding, trusting relationships with GE-CTs reported feelings of relatedness, which seemed to mitigate some of the threats to competence that we saw otherwise. Although our findings come from a time of crisis across the world, by providing a unique perspective on co-teaching experiences these findings may inform future education research, theory, and practice in K-12 settings considering remote instruction.
Background and Context
As computer science (CS) education expands and the need for well-prepared CS teachers grows, understanding what motivates teachers to teach CS can help address challenges to recruiting, preparing, and retaining teachers.
Objective
The goal of this work was to develop and validate a scale that measures teachers’ motivation to begin teaching CS.
Method
Items were field tested with CS teachers. Exploratory factor analysis (n=167) resulted in an 18-item scale measuring four factors of teachers’ motivation related to external pressures, external benefits, student benefits, and personal enjoyment. Confirmatory factor analysis (n=495) was used to assess construct validity of the final scale.
Findings
Results indicate that the scale is reliable and measures four distinct, but related, constructs of teacher motivation on a continuum from external to increasingly internal.
Implications
Researchers and practitioners can utilize this scale to understand teachers’ motivations to teach CS and explore how these motivations relate to CS teacher recruitment, preparation, and retention.
The present study examined relations between elementary school teachers' motivation and their pupils' motivation, and the mediating effects of autonomy support. In Study 1, 90 elementary school teachers completed questionnaires designed to obtain data on the relations between their motivation and their perception of autonomy support. Analysis of the data suggested that orientation to approval and comparison was negatively related to the teachers' perception of autonomy support, whereas intrinsic motivation, orientation toward their pupils, and a sense of duty were positively related to the teachers' perception of autonomy support. In Study 2, 35 teachers and 1,097 pupils completed questionnaires designed to obtain data on the relations between the teachers' motivation and their pupils' motivation, and the effects of autonomy support as a mediator. Analysis of the data suggested that the teachers' orientation toward their pupils was positively related to the pupils' intrinsic motivation through autonomy support as perceived by the pupils. Moreover, skill orientation was found to be negatively related to the children's introjected regulation. Positive aspects of the teachers' other-oriented motivation, such as acting for the sake of the children, were also revealed.
Teacher engagement is critical to teachers’ professional learning, but its antecedents remain underexplored. In this study, we examined and confirmed the influence of teachers’ job crafting on their engagement with their job. Based on data from 998 teachers, the results of structural equation modelling and bootstrapping confirmed that teachers’ job crafting is critical to their self-efficacy and engagement. The behaviours of increasing structural job resources and optimising job demands were positively related to all four dimensions of teacher engagement and were partially or fully mediated by self-efficacy. The behaviour of increasing challenging job demands was negatively related to social engagement with colleagues, whereas that of decreasing hindering job demands was positively related to social engagement with students and colleagues. Increasing social job resources was only associated with teachers’ social engagement with colleagues. The practical implications of teacher job crafting are discussed, in terms of how it can encourage teachers’ engagement in their work and professional learning.
This study examined a process model of relations among children's perceptions of their parents, their motivation, and their performance in school. Children's perceptions of their parents on dimensions of autonomy support and involvement were measured with the new children's perceptions of parents scale. Three motivation variables-control understanding, perceived competence, and perceived autonomy-were hypothesized to mediate between children's perceptions of their parents and their school performance. Analyses indicated that perceived maternal autonomy support and involvement were positively associated with perceived competence, control understanding, and perceptions of autonomy. Perceived paternal autonomy support and involvement were related to perceived competence and autonomy. In turn, the 3 motivation variables, referred to as inner resources, predicted children's performance. Structural equation modeling generally supported the mediational model.
On the basis of a new model of motivation, we examined the effects of 3 dimensions of teacher (n = 14) behavior (involvement, structure, and autonomy support) on 144 children's (Grades 3-5) behavioral and emotional engagement across a school year. Correlational and path analyses revealed that teacher involvement was central to children's experiences in the classroom and that teacher provision of both autonomy support and optimal structure predicted children's motivation across the school year. Reciprocal effects of student motivation on teacher behavior were also found. Students who showed higher initial behavioral engagement received subsequently more of all 3 teacher behaviors. These findings suggest that students who are behaviorally disengaged receive teacher responses that should further undermine their motivation. The importance of the student-teacher relationship, especially interpersonal involvement, in optimizing student motivation is highlighted.
In this article, we attempt to distinguish between the properties of moderator and mediator variables at a number of levels. First, we seek to make theorists and researchers aware of the importance of not using the terms moderator and mediator interchangeably by carefully elaborating, both conceptually and strategically, the many ways in which moderators and mediators differ. We then go beyond this largely pedagogical function and delineate the conceptual and strategic implications of making use of such distinctions with regard to a wide range of phenomena, including control and stress, attitudes, and personality traits. We also provide a specific compendium of analytic procedures appropriate for making the most effective use of the moderator and mediator distinction, both separately and in terms of a broader causal system that includes both moderators and mediators. (46 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
Canadian voters' reasons for following political events were assessed prior to the 1992 Constitutional Referendum and the 1993 federal election. Results showed that reasons reflecting identification were endorsed more frequently than those reflecting introjection, and distinctive patterns of cognitions, emotions, and actions were associated with the 2 types of internalization. Identification was associated with actively seeking information about political events, possessing a complex set of political attitudes, and being more likely to actually vote. Introjection was associated with relying on the influence of important others, experiencing conflicted emotions about political outcomes, and vulnerability to persuasion. The study also provided evidence that identification and introjection toward politics are distinguishable from intrinsic motivation and amotivation.
The chapter outlines a general model of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation, the Hierarchical model. This model serves two objectives. First, the model provides a framework to organize the literature on intrinsic and extrinsic motivation, as well as to identify the psychological mechanisms underlying motivational changes. Intrinsic and extrinsic motivation represents a substantial portion of people's experiences when involved in activities. Furthermore, conceptual and methodological advances are presented supporting a multidimensional approach to the study of motivational phenomena. Such an approach has been found useful—for instance, for distinguishing nonintrinsic but internalized motivational forces that promote adaptive consequences such as persisting at difficult tasks from other internalized forces that compromise adaptive adjustment. A second objective of the hierarchical model is to lead to novel and testable hypotheses. Moreover, other aspects of the model also appear as prime candidates for future research. Such a model serves to integrate the literature and points toward new research. It is within such a contextually situated perspective that the model shows its greatest promise of usefulness.
Psychology is, before all else, a life science. The inescapable and basic fact is that humans must count themselves among organisms, not so different in kind from the weeds that tenaciously grip the crevices, or the small creatures that persist in multiplying beneath the feet of our heavily treading civilization. Humans, too, grip the same earth and from it draw sustenance in an attempt to maintain and elaborate themselves. As Piaget (1971) once argued, “the very nature of life is constantly to overtake itself,” to adapt, to assimilate, to extend ever further. Humans, and all other animate entities (i.e., organisms) are differentiated from the inanimate by this inherent neg-entropic orientation in which they actively enter into exchanges with the environment and respond to perturbations in a manner that preserves and extends their integrity. This idea is reflected in the very term organism, which derives from the idea of organization (Jacob, 1976; von Bertalanffy, 1968).
This paper proposes a psychodynamic existential perspective to teacher burnout. It is based on the assumption that people seek a sense of existential significance through their work and have psychodynamic reasons for their career choice. Ninety-seven Israeli teachers were interviewed using both quantitative and qualitative measures. Results show a significant correlation between lack of significance in teaching and burnout. The qualitative data suggest a tentative relationship between critical childhood experiences and the choice of a teaching career and between goals and expectations when entering teaching and the causes of burnout. Four samples of American teachers were used for a cross-cultural comparison. The lower level of the Israeli teachers' burnout when compared with the American teachers, despite more stressful work conditions, is interpreted as further support for the relevance of the existential perspective to teacher burnout.