Teacher’s motivation for teaching: questionnaire validity evidence

The teacher’s motivation is associated with his/her achievements, health and well-being, which reflect on the quality of teaching. Based on the Theory of Self-Determination, validity evidence of an instrument to assess teacher’s motivation for teaching was developed, containing 26 items to be answered on a Likert-type scale.

Method:

The questionnaire Teacher’s motivation for teaching was applied online in a sample of 509 higher education teachers, 50.39% female and 49.41% male, with ages ranging from 25 to 73 years. Data were analyzed using Exploratory Factor Analysis, using the Parallel Analysis method.

Results:

Exploratory Factor Analysis revealed a two factors structure with a few structural problems that required the deletion of some items. The 17-item version of the teacher’s motivation for teaching was simple and the estimated adjustment indexes were very good.

Conclusion:

The high factor loadings obtained among the items and the two factors to which they clustered allow to consider them representatives of the constructs Autonomous and Controlled Motivation.

Keywords:
Factorial analysis; Motivation; Psychological tests; Teachers

Programa de Pós-Graduação em Psicologia, Pontifícia Universidade Católica de Campinas Núcleo de Editoração SBI - Campus II, Av. John Boyd Dunlop, s/n. Prédio de Odontologia, 13060-900 Campinas - São Paulo Brasil, Tel./Fax: +55 19 3343-7223 - Campinas - SP - Brazil
E-mail: psychologicalstudies@puc-campinas.edu.br

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[1] Correspondence to: S.E. RUFINI. E-mail: <rufinisueli@gmail.com>

Items	1	2	4	5	6	9	10	12	13	14	15	16	18	19	20	22	24
1	1
2	-0.3	1
4	0.48	-0.3	1
5	0.71	-0.5	0.6	1
6	0.36	-0.1	0.41	0.46	1
9	-0.4	0.86	-0.3	-0.5	-0.2	1
10	0.3	-0.1	0.35	0.29	0.54	0.06	1
12	0.48	0.36	0.47	0.63	0.57	-0.4	0.5	1
13	0.26	-0	0.37	0.33	0.6	0.1	0.65	0.62	1
14	-0.2	0.56	-0.1	-0.2	0	0.61	0.02	-0.1	0.14	1
15	0.42	-0.3	0.6	0.51	0.45	-0.3	0.41	0.63	0.41	-0	1
16	-0.3	0.65	-0.1	-0.4	-0.1	0.67	-0.1	-0.2	-0	0.54	-0.1	1
18	-0.3	0.68	-0.2	-0.4	-0.1	0.73	-0.1	-0.3	-0.1	0.58	-0.2	0.66	1
19	-0.4	0.766	-0.3	-0.5	0.17	0.83	-0.1	-0.4	-0.1	0.53	-0.3	0.67	0.74	1
20	-0.2	0.56	-0.2	-0.3	0.08	0.62	0	-0.3	0.01	0.45	-0.2	0.61	0.66	0.76	1
22	-0.2	0.53	-0.2	-0.4	-0	0.6	-0	-0.2	0.01	0.45	-0.1	0.58	0.59	0.65	0.57	1
24	-0.2	0.6	-0.1	-0.3	-0	0.61	0.05	-0.2	0.05	0.46	-0.1	0.66	0.71	0.68	0.72	0.72	1

Variables	% of variance
Variables	Current data	Random average	95^th percentile random
1	44.9169*	11.9054	13.2124
2	22.2901*	10.8988	12.0595
3	6.4451	10.1003	11.0772
4	4.1787	9.3154	10.0020
5	3.8365	8.6099	9.2464

Items		F1	F2	h²
1	Because my employment contract requires me to continue teaching	0.51		0.40
4	Because I am paid for this	0.63		0.46
5	Because the school forces me to teach	0.59		0.60
6	Because this is my job and I would feel guilty if I didn’t teach	0.74		0.51
10	Could let people down if I didn’t teach	0.67		0.42
12	If I don’t teach, I will be in trouble	0.73		0.61
13	If I didn’t, I’d be embarrassed	0.74		0.50
15	Because by teaching I keep my job	0.70		0.52
2	Because I take great pleasure in teaching		0.81	0.69
9	I feel fulfilled when I am teaching		0.86	0.76
14	Because during classes I am in a pleasant state of excitement		0.66	0.41
16	Because I find the task of teaching interesting		0.78	0.60
18	Because it’s nice to teach		0.83	0.68
19	Because, when teaching. I feel professionally fulfilled		0.87	0.79
22	Because I see my work as important to my students		0.75	0.53
24	Because I consider personally important the task of teaching		0.84	0.65
3	I don’t know, sometimes I don’t know why I’m still a teacher	0.312	-0.57	0.53
7	I don’t feel good.working as a teacher		-0.456	0.34
17	Teaching means little to me because I don’t see how teaching can help my students		-0.62	0.52
21	I have no particular interest in being a teacher	0.312	-0.55	0.50
23	If I could. I would quit this profession	0.310	-0.64	0.62
8	For the feeling of accomplishment	0.473	0.47	0.31
26	Because teaching gives me access to other activities such as research, extension, administration	0.258	0.18	0.07

Items		F1 (0.91)*	F2 (0.81)*	h²
2	Because I take great pleasure in teaching	0.83		1.00
9	I feel fulfilled when I am teaching	0.86		0.96
14	Because during classes I am in a pleasant state of excitement	0.69		0.66
16	Because I find the task of teaching interesting	0.79		0.77
18	Because it’s nice to teach	0.83		0.80
19	Because, when teaching, I feel professionally fulfilled	0.88		0.94
20	Because for me the task of teaching is of personal importance	0.78		0.72
22	Because I see my work as important to my students	0.76		0.77
24	Because I consider personally important the task of teaching	0.86		0.99
1	Because my employment contract requires me to continue teaching		0.54	0.68
4	Because I am paid for this		0.65	0.70
5	Because the school forces me to teach		0.66	0.98
6	Because this is my job and I would feel guilty if I didn’t teach		0.73	0.68
10	Could let people down if I didn’t teach		0.75	0.72
12	If I don’t teach, I will be in trouble		0.80	0.87
13	If I didn’t, I’d be embarrassed		0.82	0.96
15	Because by teaching I keep my job		0.72	0.80