What Motivates Educators to Work Harder and Smarter?

In this thoughtful Education Week article, Deborah Stipek (Stanford University) says the theory of action behind America’s current accountability movement is that rewards and punishments will motivate teachers and administrators to do better work. Behaviorism is a well-accepted theory of human motivation, but decades of research have shown that for people to change, three elements must be present: a sense of autonomy, of respect, and of efficacy. “The promise of reward and the threat of punishment do not motivate people to perform effectively,” says Stipek, “and sometimes undermine their performance when those approaches make them feel coerced, disrespected, or incompetent.” Here are her suggestions for enhancing motivation and accomplishment in each area:

• Autonomy – People work most effectively when they have a sense of control and are working at least partly because they want to, not because somebody is making them. To increase this dimension, teachers should be involved in policy decisions and have a measure of choice in how policies and curriculum are implemented.

• Respect – People do their best work when they feel they belong to and are treated well in the social context in which they work. “The language used to discuss teacher accountability or evaluations matters,” says Stipek. “References to ‘getting rid of bad teachers’ in public discourse threaten rather than motivate teachers… Policies that create competition among teachers within a district or school, such as merit pay for a predetermined percentage of teachers, weaken the sense of community…” It’s better to talk in terms of providing support for continuous improvement and building robust professional learning communities. 

• Efficacy – People work best when they believe they can meet the demands of the job and their efforts will pay off. That means providing teachers with the tools they need to be successful – curriculum materials, technology, support for the psychological and physical challenges students face, and effective professional development. It also means understanding that intrinsic motivation is a powerful engine of improvement in schools. “Most teachers take great pleasure in a lesson that goes particularly well and in seeing students engaged and learning,” says Stipek. “Experiencing their own skills and developing and seeing the effects of their more effective practices on student learning are powerful motivators for teachers.” 

“Using Accountability to Promote Motivation, Not Undermine It” by Deborah Stipek in Education Week, Oct. 16, 2013 (Vol. 33, #8, p. 32, 28), www.edweek.org 

From the Marshall Memo #508