Because They Need It: Teacher Motivations to do More for Students

Abstract

This study examines the experiences of teachers being motivated to do more for their students. While the lives and practices of teachers have received significant scholarly attention, to this point the extant literature on teacher motivation and expanded roles is limited. In response to that gap, this study uses a phenomenological design with semi-structure interviews and observations of classrooms to examine the motivations that inspire teachers to go beyond their prescribed roles in service of their students. Additional lines of inquiry examined how these motivations to embody expanded roles for students evolve from pre-service to actual classroom experience. The study also investigated teacher-reported possibilities and limitations of doing more in service of students. Self Determination Theory of Motivation was used as the theoretical framework to guide the methodological design of the study. Results from the study illuminate a symbiotic relationship in which teachers engage in role expansion in order to both meet the needs of their students as well as to have their basic psychological needs of competence, relatedness, and autonomy satisfied. Implications for further research highlight the need to understand how to support and sustain these practices as a mechanism to combat burnout and teacher attrition.