Exploring influences on teachers' motivational orientations

Abstract

Teachers must work toward multiple goals, including both goals that they choose for themselves and goals that are assigned to them by administrators or policy-makers. To the extent that these two sets of goals diverge, teachers may experience goal conflict. This study investigated how goal conflict and two other variables (job satisfaction and perceived needs for increased autonomy) may influence teachers' motivational orientations toward teaching. Two dimensions of motivational orientation were examined separately, including motivational orientations toward: (1) innovation and creativity, and (2) external measures of success. Data were drawn from a survey of 366 elementary school teachers. Structural equation modeling revealed that relationships between the independent variables and teachers' motivational orientations toward teaching differ for the two dimensions of motivational orientation. Both job satisfaction and goal conflict are potentially important in predicting motivational orientations toward teaching. Implications for the work of teachers and administrators are discussed.