In pursuit of primary teachers’ work motivation amid increased external neoliberal pressure in education

Figures & data

Table 1. Motivational groups of teachers (n = 243). Inputs are ordered by their importance

	Autonomous	Declining autonomous	Shifting to autonomous	Controlling
	n = 87 (35.8%)	n = 57 (23.5%)	n = 49 (20.2%)	n = 50 (20.6%)
Variable	%	%	%	%
The motive to become a teacher
It was my vocation	100	100	0	32
It was due to an occurrence of certain circumstances	0	0	89.8	58
It was the wish of someone else or another external pressure…	0	0	10.2	10
Factors for retention
I like teachers’ work	100	100	100	0
I can do what I like either, during, or alongside teaching	0	0	0	18
Teaching has non-work-related advantages	0	0	0	76
I have no choice to leave teaching	0	0	0	6
Thoughts about leaving the profession
No	100	0	53.1	22
Yes	0	100	46.9	78

Table 2. Overview of motivational groups’ perceptions about the increase of different pressure sources (n = 243)

	Autonomous	Declining autonomous	Shifting to autonomous	Controlling
	n = 87 (35.8%)	n = 57 (23.5%)	n = 49 (20.2%)	n = 50 (20.6%)
External or internal source of pressure	Mean (SD)	Mean (SD)	Mean (SD)	Mean (SD)
Overall perception of an increase in pressures	3.98 (0.83)	4.22 (0.80)	3.98 (0.88)	4.13 (0.79)
National educational politics and regulations	4.25 (0.70)	4.42 (0.69)	4.22 (1.03)	4.27 (0.72)
County-level regulations and inspections	3.11 (1.01)	3.19 (0.85)	3.09 (1.15)	3.11 (0.97)
Local area educational officials’ activities	3.32 (1.05)	3.14 (0.94)	3.33 (1.04)	2.91 (1.06)
School administration/leadership	3.86 (0.80)	3.95 (0.86)	3.86 (0.97)	3.66 (1.01)
Colleagues	3.18 (1.09)	3.11 (1.01)	3.22 (1.04)	3.05 (0.88)
Parents	4.32 (0.83)	4.52 (0.79)	4.46 (0.69)	4.36 (0.65)
Students	4.20 (0.80)	4.10 (0.82)	4.00 (0.86)	4.20 (0.73)
My demands on myself as a professional	4.00 (0.96)	3.66 (1.01)	3.89 (1.01)	3.86 (0.95)

Table 3. Five highest factors minimising perception of external pressure by number of interviews coded (n = 13)

Past	No. of interviews coded	References	Present	No. of interviews coded	References	Future	No. of interviews coded	References
Overcoming difficult situations	10	25	Work-related emotions	13	24	Wanting to contribute to school development	2	2
Experiences with students	9	19	Work-related beliefs	12	35	Wanting to make a change	1	3
Personal life-related events	9	14	Student-related beliefs	9	23	Parent-related beliefs	1	1
Work-related events	8	21	Values about work	8	19
Experiences with school leadership	7	10	Experiences with students	8	11

Table 4. Five highest factors intensifying perception of external pressure by number of interviews coded (n = 13)

Past	No. of interviews coded	References	Present	No. of interviews coded	References	Future	No. of interviews coded	References
Experiences with parents	9	19	Parent-related beliefs	7	19	Doubts about own skills	4	6
Personal life-related events	7	10	Work-related beliefs	6	11	Lack of resources	1	2
Teaching-related experiences	6	10	Emotional overload	5	10	Work-related beliefs	1	1
Lack of pedagogical knowledge	5	10	Doubts about own skills	5	8	Hesitation to meet parents’ expectations	1	1
Lack of resources	5	9	Lack of resources	4	6