Teacher Motivation: Does It Matter to Primary School Teachers in Their Practice?

Abstract

Motivation is a fundamental concept of professionalism and efficacy for teachers. The present study investigated the motivational factors that affect the performance of primary school teachers in Mauritius. Governments have in the past come up with major educational reforms, but many shortcomings of the education system have influenced teacher motivation. The empirical data was analysed by using mixed methods with a semi-structured questionnaire and interviews from practising teachers to allow the researcher to draw valid conclusions. The purposive and convenient sampling was used for the case study research design. The findings indicated that the motivation of teachers was influenced by several aspects of their job. Teachers were not motivated due to excessive parental involvement, a lack of discipline of pupils inside and outside the classroom, unwilling learners and poor working conditions. However, most of them were more intrinsically than extrinsically motivated. It was also found that the Ministry of Education had a significant influence on their motivation, especially in the context of the Nine Year Continuous Basic Education reform. The researcher recommended that teaching materials and further teacher training should be provided to teachers and the management staff should be trained in using effective leadership and management of schools.