The consequences of job-related pressure for self-determined teaching

• Published in: Social psychology of education Vol. 22; no. 1; pp. 133 - 148
• Main Author: Martinek, Daniela
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Dordrecht Springer Netherlands 01.02.2019; Springer; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Education; Educational psychology; Foreign Countries; Health aspects; Needs; Occupational stress; Personality and Social Psychology; Politics of Education; Professional Autonomy; Psychological Needs; Psychological Patterns; Secondary School Teachers; Self Determination; Self Efficacy; Sociology of Education; Stress Variables; Surveys; Teacher Attitudes; Teacher Characteristics; Teacher Motivation; Teachers; Teaching; Teaching Conditions; Teamwork; Austria; Psychological needs satisfaction; Autonomy; Job-related pressure; Self-efficacy; Teaching profession
• ISSN: 1381-2890; 1573-1928
• DOI: 10.1007/s11218-018-9446-x

In education, there is a common understanding that teachers contribute significantly to the motivation of their pupils. However, the instructors’ own psychological needs in the tradition of the Self-determination Theory (Ryan and Deci Self-determination theory: basic psychological needs in motivation, development, and wellness, Guilford Press, New York, 2017 ) are often overshadowed and undermined by external as well as internal processes. Present research so far has solely focused on the scientific perception of this problem, neglecting the viewpoint of the subjects—the teachers. In this paper, 732 secondary school teachers in Austria were surveyed; data were assessed through questionnaires regarding basic psychological needs, perceived job-related pressure, team orientation as well as self-efficacy and proactive attitude. The results emphasize the impact of job-related pressure on the motivation of teachers and the importance of psychological needs satisfaction in teaching with special focus on autonomy. Yet, it is this feature that is often neglected in Austrian educational politics. Consequently, students’ motivation can be improved through the enhancement of teachers’ occupational psychological needs, which in turn relies on the reduction of unnecessary controlling elements and strengthens their work-related autonomy.