Analyzing Teacher Goals on Three Conceptual Levels to Explain Motivational Effects on Instructional Practice

• In Event: Understanding and Supporting the Motivation of K–12 Teachers and Postsecondary Instructors

Abstract

The processes explaining how teacher motivation leads to specific teaching behaviors remain unclear. We examined teacher goals on three levels (personal goals, student-oriented goals, intended classroom goal structures) to clarify these processes. We investigated the associations of teachers’ personal goals and self-efficacy with specific teaching behaviors, mediated by student-oriented goals and intended classroom goal structures. Seventy secondary school mathematics teachers completed 345 lesson diaries over five weeks. Two-level path modeling showed personal performance goals positively influenced student-oriented performance goals, while self-efficacy predicted student-oriented mastery goals. Intended mastery goal structures were influenced by both student-oriented mastery goals and teachers’ personal goals and efficacy. The findings underscore the importance of student-oriented goals and classroom goal structures in understanding teacher motivation and practices.

Authors

• Martin Daumiller, Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich

• Hanna Gaspard, University of Konstanz

• Oliver Dickhäuser, University of Mannheim

• Markus Dresel, University of Augsburg