Publication Cover
Educational Research and Evaluation
An International Journal on Theory and Practice
Volume 29, 2024 - Issue 3-4
96
Views
0
CrossRef citations to date
0
Altmetric
Articles

Teaching in a P-12 private or public school: is there a difference in teacher motivation?

ORCID Icon, , , , &
Pages 186-200 | Received 08 Dec 2023, Accepted 13 Mar 2024, Published online: 19 Mar 2024
 

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this study was to compare motivations of teachers in P-12 private school settings with those in public school settings in a midwestern state in the United States. Through convenience sampling, 2315 surveys were sent out with 73 private and 234 public school teachers agreeing to participate. Descriptive statistics and t tests revealed that teachers from private schools responded statistically significantly lower than teachers on intrinsic career value (d = −.48), job security (d = −.47), family time (d = 1.04), social equity (d = −.43), work with children (d = −.41), prior experience (d = −.46), and social influences (d = −.43). The teachers from private schools scored statistically significantly higher on difficulty (d = .68), social dissuasion (d = .42), and satisfied teaching (d = .41) factors. The findings suggest that teachers in private and public-school settings are motivated to teach for different reasons.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Nancy L. Leech

Nancy L. Leech is a professor of Research and Evaluation Methods at the University of Colorado Denver in the School of Education and Human Development.

Courtney Donovan

Courtney Donovan is a Clinical Associate Professor of Research and Evaluation Methods at the University of Colorado Denver in the School of Education and Human Development.

Dara Prais

Dara Prais is a researcher at Hanover Research.

Carolyn A. Haug

Carolyn A. Haug is Director of Research and Impact, Educator Talent Division at Colorado Department of Education.

Ngoc Phan

Ngoc Phan is a Data Analyst with Cherry Creek School District in Colorado.

Angela Rexwinkle

Anglea Rexwinkle is a doctoral student at the University of Colorado Denver.

Reprints and Corporate Permissions

Please note: Selecting permissions does not provide access to the full text of the article, please see our help page How do I view content?

To request a reprint or corporate permissions for this article, please click on the relevant link below:

Academic Permissions

Please note: Selecting permissions does not provide access to the full text of the article, please see our help page How do I view content?

Obtain permissions instantly via Rightslink by clicking on the button below:

If you are unable to obtain permissions via Rightslink, please complete and submit this Permissions form. For more information, please visit our Permissions help page.