Factors that Increase and Decrease Teachers’ Motivation: The example of Gaza

Abstract

The goal of this study is to find out the situations that motivate and demotivate teachers in their job. In this study, phenomenology, one of the qualitative research method designs, was used to reveal the factors affecting teachers' motivation. Content analysis, one of the qualitative data analysis techniques, was used to examine the acquired data. The study group consisted of (25) teachers working in primary schools in Gaza Governorate-Occupied Palestine in the academic year 2019-2020. They were selected according to the convenience sampling method. (15) extrinsic motivators, (26) intrinsic motivators, (32) extrinsic demotivators, and (3) intrinsic demotivators emerged from the analysis and interviews. The findings of the study are in line with the attribution theory of motivation, especially the dimension of locus of causality, as teachers’ motivators and demotivational factors are classified according to internal and external motivation factors. In addition, some factors can be attributed to the stability dimension, specifically the demotivational factors including the school physical environment, administrative bureaucracy, the routine of governmental organizations, weak incentives, and unstable political conditions. These factors are stable causes that influence teachers’ behaviours consistently over time. Internal motivating factors are effective in increasing motivation more than exterior motivating factors; however, the external factors are effective in decreasing the motivation of teachers more than the internal factors.

Keywords

• motivation
• teacher
• primary school
• attribution theory

Öğretmenlerin Motivasyonunu Arttıran ve Azaltan Faktörler: Gazze Örneği

Abstract

Bu çalışmanın amacı, öğretmenleri mesleklerinde motive eden ve motivasyonlarını azaltan iç ve dış motivasyon etkenlerini ortaya çıkarmaktır. Çalışmada öğretmenlerin mesleki motivasyonlarını etkileyen faktörleri ortaya çıkarmak için nitel araştırma yöntemi, fenomenoloji deseni kullanılmıştır. Elde edilen verilerin çözümlenmesinde nitel veri analiz tekniklerinden içerik analizi kullanılmıştır. Çalışma grubunu 2019-2020 eğitim öğretim yılında Gazze Valiliği-İşgal Altındaki Filistin'deki ilköğretim okullarında görev yapan ve kolay ulaşılabilir durum örneklemesi yöntemiyle seçilen 25 öğretmen oluşturmuştur. Elde edilen verilerin analiz edilmesi sonucu 15 dışsal motive edici etken, 26 içsel motive edici etken, 32 dışsal motivasyonu azaltan etken ve (3) içsel motivasyonu azaltan etken ortaya çıkmıştır. Araştırmanın bulguları, öğretmenlerin motive edici ve motivasyonu azaltan faktörlerin içsel ve dışsal motivasyon faktörlerine göre sınıflandırılması nedeniyle, özellikle nedensellik odağı boyutu olmak üzere, motivasyonun yükleme teorisi ile uyumludur. Buna ek olarak, istikrar boyutuna, özellikle okulun fiziksel ortamı, idari bürokrasi, devlet kurumlarının rutini, zayıf teşvikler ve istikrarsız siyasi koşullar dahil olmak üzere motivasyon bozucu faktörler gibi bazı faktörler atfedilebilir. Bu faktörler, öğretmenlerin davranışlarını zaman içinde tutarlı bir şekilde etkileyen sabit nedenlerdir. Motivasyonu artırmada içsel motive edici faktörler, dışsal motive edici faktörlerden daha fazla etkilidir; ancak dış etkenler öğretmenlerin motivasyonunu azaltmada iç etkenlerden daha fazla etkilidir.

Keywords

• motivasyon
• öğretmen
• ilkokul
• yükleme kuramı

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