The SAS Project: Online Motivational Intervention Effects on Faculty Well-Being

• In Event: Emotional Well-Being in Faculty: Construct Assessment and Motivational Antecedents

Abstract

Emerging research highlights the importance of examining predictors of emotional well-being in post-secondary faculty (Byrne et al., 2013; Catano et al., 2010; Watts & Robertson, 2011). Research to date has principally examined contextual predictors of faculty adjustment (e.g., tenure status, Ghorpade et al., 2011; teaching-research balance, Gonzalez & Bernard, 2006; class size, Lackritz, 2004; institutional support, Rothmann et al., 2008). Recent research has also found motivational beliefs to predict faculty well-being such as dispositional optimism (Barkhuizen et al., 2014; Otero-López et al., 2008), intrinsic motivation (Fernet et al., 2004; Singh et al., 1998), values (Siegall & McDonald, 2004), self-efficacy (Sharma & Kaur, 2013; Zhang et al., 2018), and perceived control (Gomes et al., 2013; Mark & Smith, 2012; Navarro et al., 2010). However, research to date exploring how contextually situated motivational interventions might impact faculty well-being is lacking.

Based on Weiner’s (1985) attribution theory, Attributional Retraining (AR) encourages students to attribute failure to personally controllable factors (e.g., insufficient effort, ineffective strategies) to bolster positive emotions and performance (for reviews, see Forsterling, 1985; Haynes et al., 2009). In contrast, interventions based on Eccles’ (2005) expectancy-value theory consistently improve academic motivation and performance by reminding students to consider the personal values that underlie their academic decisions (why their work is important, useful; for reviews, see Harackiewicz & Priniski, 2018; Lazowski & Hulleman, 2016). Concerning motivational beliefs that promote well-being specifically in educators, findings from Rahimi et al. (2017) show K-12 teachers who make social comparisons to role models who have succeeded despite similar setbacks to report substantially better emotional well-being (e.g., job satisfaction, anxiety, burnout).

The present longitudinal pilot study followed from research on brief motivational interventions with students (Wilson, 2016) and well-being benefits of online AR for K-12 teachers (Hall et al., 2014, 2015) in exploring how motivational interventions impact faculty well-being. Participants included 526 faculty across ranks who completed a 3-phase questionnaire study (5-6 month lags) including random assignment to 1 of 4 online conditions in Phase 1 (see Appendix) requesting open-ended, written responses on either motivational topics (controllable attributions, personal values, role models) or a control topic (academic impact). The sample was primarily female (72.4%), 39.6 years of age on average, and reported a mean of 7.5 years of academic employment. Participants spoke mainly English as a first language (86.3%), were employed primarily in the U.S. (69.3%), and were recruited from 34 additional countries and across 45 disciplines. Established well-being measures assessed burnout (emotional exhaustion; Maslach et al., 1996; α = .91), depression (Andresen, 1994; α = .86), and quitting intentions (Moe et al., 2010; α = .81). Repeated measures ANCOVAs controlling for gender, years of employment, and Phase 1 baselines on Phase 2 and 3 outcomes showed control participants to report the highest depression and quitting intentions (not significant), with a significant between-subjects effect (F(3,514) = 3.15, p = .025, ηp2 = .018) showing each motivational condition, and especially the value-enhancement intervention, to predict lower faculty burnout over time (see Figure 1).

Authors

• Nathan C. Hall, McGill University

• So Yeon Lee, McGill University