The instrumental motivation of teachers: implications of high-stakes accountability for professional learning

Proudfoot, K. and Boyd, P. (2023) The instrumental motivation of teachers: implications of high-stakes accountability for professional learning. British Journal of Educational Studies, (doi: 10.1080/00071005.2023.2267657) (Early Online Publication)

Abstract

This article considers the motivations of teachers to pursue ongoing professional learning. During recent decades, the international policy context has been characterised by high-stakes accountability, but the implications of this agenda for teachers’ motivations toward professional learning remains under-explored. In this mixed methods study, combining a large teacher survey and in-depth teacher interviews, a new and significant concept of ‘instrumental motivation’ is generated to capture how high-stakes performance management policies damage the motivation of teachers to learn professionally. This innovative approach, employing ordinal factor analysis and inductive/deductive hybrid thematic analysis inclusive of self-determination theory, reveals how the ‘instrumental motivation’ of teachers should be constrained and argues for the adoption of alternative motivational strategies to support effective professional learning in schools.

• Item Type: Articles
• Status: Early Online Publication
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Proudfoot, Dr Kevin
• Authors: Proudfoot, K., and Boyd, P.
• College/School: College of Social Sciences > School of Education > Pedagogy, Praxis & Faith
• Journal Name: British Journal of Educational Studies
• Publisher: Taylor & Francis
• ISSN: 0007-1005
• ISSN (Online): 1467-8527
• Published Online: 23 October 2023
• Copyright Holders: Copyright © 2023 The Author(s)
• First Published: First published in British Journal of Educational Studies 2023
• Publisher Policy: Reproduced under a Creative Commons license