How Personality Dimensions and Motivation to Teach Shape the Learning Achievement Goals of Future Teachers in Croatia

• In Event: 34.019 - Global Perspectives on Teacher Motivation

Abstract

The goal of the present study was to explore the role of personality and motivations for choosing teaching as a future career in explaining achievement goals of student teachers in their teacher studies. Achievement goals are of particular importance for student teachers as learning is the core of their future profession. One could expect that their goals for their own learning would be congruent with their goals for teaching, as both could be conceptualised under the same theoretical framework (Butler, 2007). The sample included 197 third-year students enrolled in teacher education programs for classroom teachers in the three Croatian universities: University of Zagreb (57.1%), University of Rijeka (21.4%), and University of Zadar (21.4%). Instruments used were the Big Five Inventory (BFI; John, Naumann, & Soto, 2008), FIT-Choice scale (Watt & Richardson, 2007), and Achievement Goal Questionnaire (Elliot & McGregor, 2001).
Both personality traits and teacher motivations significantly accounted for the variance of all four achievement goals. Conscientiousness positively predicted both mastery and performance approach goals and performance avoidance goals. Conscientious future teachers appear to be oriented to master learning tasks and enhance their competencies, at the same time wishing to demonstrate competence and avoid showing incompetence. Agreeableness significantly explained mastery approach goals, in line with theoretical predictions and previous research revealing that agreeable individuals, being compliant and cooperative in nature, tend to master tasks in learning situations without comparing their own performance to others (McCabe, Van Yperen, Elliot, & Verbraak, 2013). Neuroticism positively related to both performance and mastery avoidance orientations in the first regression step, but retained only a significant relation with mastery avoidance following the inclusion of teacher motivations. Negative emotionality of individuals prone to neuroticism will lead them to avoid situations that could elicit negative emotions, such as self-referential failure to master the task or incompetence in comparison to others in achievement situations (Elliott, 2005; McCrae & Costa, 1996). Finally, individuals low in openness tended to avoid demonstrating incompetence, also in line with earlier findings (McCabe at al., 2013)
Motivations to teach predicted achievement goals for learning among preservice teachers over and above personality dimensions. Mastery approach orientations were predicted by social utility value motivations, while performance approach goals related to personal utility value motivations. Student teachers who reported being motivated to work with children and adolescents for altruistic reasons of supporting their development and contributing to social equity were oriented to master demands of their learning situations and to enhance their own competencies to accomplish purposes related to their future profession. Those guided by more personally utilitarian motivations were more oriented to demonstrate their own competence. Student teachers who had higher perceptions of the status and salary of teaching were oriented towards avoiding failure in learning situations or leaving learning tasks unfinished. Our research provided valuable insights into the functioning of future teachers as learners during their studies.

Authors

• Iris Marušić, Institute for Social Research

• Ivana Jugović, Institute for Social Research

• Tea Pavin Ivanec, Faculty of Teacher Education, University of Zagreb