A Comparison of Principal Motivational Orientation and the Orientation of Principal Actions to Motivate Teachers

Author Information

Charles K. Stewart, Alpine School District, United States
Amanda Taggart, Utah State University, United States

Abstract

Previous research has revealed that the impact of school principals on student learning is significant (e.g., Versland & Erickson, 2017). However, the majority of their impact is mediated through classroom teachers (e.g., Urton, 2014). The principal is key to creating a work environment that is conducive to high-quality instruction and a culture that is motivational for teachers. Motivation is a primary factor that drives people to action and is an important component in influencing teachers’ quality of instruction. Accordingly, scholars have studied factors that motivate teachers (e.g., Ford et al., 2019), although there has been relatively little investigation into the motivations of school leaders and the motivational tools used by them. As such, this study employed mixed methods to: (a) investigate the personal motivational orientation (i.e., intrinsic or extrinsic) of school principals to improve instructional practice among teachers for increased student learning, (b) examine the orientation principals use in their attempts to motivate teachers to improve instruction, and (c) compare the motivational orientation of principals to the orientation of their efforts to motivate teachers. Principals from nine elementary schools of different socioeconomic levels participated. Findings revealed that principals’ own identified motivational orientation and the actions they took to motivate teachers often were not the same. The principals in this study were overwhelmingly personally oriented toward intrinsic motivation; however, they relied mainly on external motivators to motivate teachers who, according to research, are better motivated by internal motivators. This research may help principals address such a disconnect.

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