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ERIC Number: EJ1305181
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2019
Pages: 11
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1085-5300
EISSN: N/A
A Structural Equation Model for Understanding Teacher Motivation, Years in Teaching, and Student Test Scores
Leech, Nancy L.; Haug, Carolyn A.
Research in the Schools, v26 n2 p64-73 Fall 2019
There is very little extant research on in-service teachers' motivation to remain in the field of teaching. The purpose of this survey study was to test how well Richardson and Watt's (2014) model of influences of initial teaching motivations and teaching behaviors fit for in-service teachers. Seven school districts from a mid-western state were purposely selected to represent districts from all geographic areas of the state: 2 large urban districts, 1 mid-sized district, and 4 small rural districts. In the small rural districts, all teachers were sampled. In the mid-sized district, teachers were sampled from 6 elementary, 2 middle, and 2 high schools. In each of the large urban districts, teachers were drawn from 7 elementary, 2 middle, and 2 high schools. These 234 in-service teachers completed the Factors Influencing Teaching Choice scale. Results showed that teachers are motivated by their sense of the social utility of the profession and demotivated by negative social influences. Teachers are more likely to remain and be effective if they have chosen teaching as a first-choice career rather than as a fall-back position. Finally, increasing motivations affects how long a teacher remains in the field and how effective a teacher is in terms of student reading achievement. Results from this study contribute to a growing body of literature pointing to potential ways, including more positive social influences and widespread understanding of social utility of the profession, to increase the teaching workforce with educators who will stay.
Mid-South Educational Research Association (MSERA). Web site: http://www.msera.org/publications-rits.html
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Elementary Education; Junior High Schools; Middle Schools; Secondary Education; High Schools
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A