Teachers’ Well-Being, Motivation, Job Satisfaction, and Organizational Commitment: An Explanatory Model Based in Self-Determination Theory

• In Event: Thriving Teachers, Thriving Students: New Directions for Promoting Teacher Effectiveness

Abstract

Objectives. Our study involved testing an explanatory model of teachers’ well-being, motivation, job satisfaction, and organizational commitment based in self-determination theory (SDT; Deci & Ryan, 1985). Our goal is to understand what helps teachers to thrive and be effective.

Perspectives. Teacher well-being, motivation, job satisfaction, and organizational commitment are interrelated constructs (e.g., Klassen & Chiu, 2011) that are associated with teaching effectiveness (e.g., Duckworth, Quinn, & Seligman, 2009). Typically, these constructs have been examined separately. An integrated theory of teacher well-being, motivation, job satisfaction, and organizational commitment requires that they be studied simultaneously to advance understanding about how certain work experiences (e.g., motivation) may affect others (e.g., job satisfaction), and ultimately help teachers to thrive and be effective. SDT (Deci & Ryan, 1985), which has informed much research examining factors of student success (e.g., Filak & Sheldon, 2008), is also relevant in research on teaching. However, only limited research has utilized SDT to study teachers (e.g., Klassen, Perry, & Frenzel, 2012).

SDT posits that an autonomy-supportive environment (i.e., where individuals are provided with choices, a meaningful rationale for their work, and acknowledgement of their opinions; Deci et al., 1994) promotes the satisfaction of psychological needs (i.e., autonomy, relatedness, and competence), leading to increased well-being and autonomous motivation (e.g., intrinsic regulation), and decreased controlled motivation (e.g., extrinsic regulation; Deci & Ryan, 2002). This study tested a model that uses core aspects of SDT to explain teacher motivation and well-being, and how these two constructs relate to teacher job satisfaction and organizational commitment.

Methods and Results. Participants included 603 schoolteachers (78% female) from Western Canada. Teachers completed an online questionnaire that measured perceived autonomy support, need satisfaction, motivation, well-being, job satisfaction, and organizational commitment. Evidence for validity, including reliability, was found for the measures in previous research (e.g., Klassen et al., 2012) and in this study (e.g., .73 ≤ α ≤ .96).

Factor analyses and structural equation modelling (with robust estimation that considered the hierarchical nature of the data) were used to examine the relationships among all constructs. The results support the relevance of SDT for understanding teacher motivation and well-being. Space prevents a full description of results. Briefly, perceived autonomy support predicted need satisfaction, which in turn predicted teacher motivation and well-being. Also, motivation and well-being predicted job satisfaction and organizational commitment. Some unexpected findings (e.g., a double-sided view of autonomy revealing that it can be both positive and negative) will be discussed in the presentation.

Significance. The findings provide preliminary support for the relationships elaborated in our explanatory model. The model helps to advance understanding of how teacher well-being and motivation relate to job satisfaction and commitment, as well as how SDT can be used to understand these relationships. Furthermore, it advances development of an integrative theory of teacher and contextual characteristics that help teachers to thrive and be effective, and also produce social, emotional, and academic benefits for students (e.g., Caprara et al., 2003).

Authors

• Rebecca J. Collie, University of New South Wales

• Nancy E. Perry, The University of British Columbia

• Jenna D. Shapka, The University of British Columbia