Exploring teacher motivation in state secondary schools

Abstract

Teacher motivation matters as it correlates to satisfaction and fulfillment within the profession (Watt & Richardson, 2012). This dissertation aims at exploring factors that influence teacher motivation and the reasons why people pursue a career in education. The main focus is to discover whether the initial impetus to commence a career in education change along the teaching profession years. The study adopted an interpretivist research approach that employs a qualitative method to examine the established research questions and therefore, explores the internal dynamics of the complex and multifaceted construct of teacher motivation built upon the narratives of six participants from three different state schools. The teachers were interviewed about their decision to pursue this career and factors which impact their motivation during their years of teaching. The results revealed that the level of motivation fluctuates over the years due to external factors which diminish as well as heighten their initial motivation in their career. Various factors affect teachers' motivation in this study namely macro-contextual factors including the salary, unsupportive environment at school along with student behaviour and demotivation to learn. On the other hand, student achievement and progress are two main factors that enhance their motivation. In short, teachers demonstrated a high level of motivation with intrinsic motivation that stimulates extrinsic motivation and thus boosts teachers’ motivation throughout their career. The teachers in this study offered their recommendations, stemming from their own teaching experience, for furthering teacher motivation in Malta such as continuous support rather than just initial support for newly qualified teachers and more incentives to boost their motivation. In conclusion, intrinsic and extrinsic factors seem to have a profound effect on enhancing teaching motivation.