Relationship between teacher motivation and organizational variables: A literature review

Abstract

Teacher motivation plays a central role in education because of its impact on student motivation. Previous reviews of teacher motivation have focused on individual variables and psychopathology indicators. However, it is also important to understand the effect of organizational variables on teacher motivation because these highlight the context that the teacher is a part of (i.e., the school). The literature review in this paper analysed studies related to teacher motivation and a pre-defined group of organizational variables that were published between 1990 and 2014 in several electronic databases. The study found that organizational culture was the most studied variable associated with teacher motivation and most studies in this area were published between 2010 and 2014. Further, there was a prevalence of quantitative studies. This paper concludes with the theoretical and practical implications of the results, as well as suggestions for future research directions.