Teachers’ Perceptions of Motivational Messages in the Context of High Stakes Testing

• In Event: Motivation in the Classroom: The Role of Teachers and Contextual Factors

Abstract

This survey study examined elementary teachers’ perceptions of the effectiveness of messages reflecting positive (Autonomy-Support and Mastery Orientation) and negative (Rewards and Control) motivational constructs and determined the extent to which perceptions varied by students’ achievement level or teachers’ work context. Responses established that teachers perceived positive messages as more effective than negative messages but all messages as less effective for low achievers. Teachers in lower SES schools reported higher test pressure. As test pressure increased, teachers perceived all messages as less effective, but test pressure was significantly and inversely related only to Rewards. As grade levels increased, Rewards and Controls were increasingly viewed as effective for all students, but particularly for average/high achievers.

Authors

• Josephine Serrano Potucek, Hofstra University

• Karen F. Osterman, Hofstra University