Does Teacher Autonomy Affect Motivation? An Examination on Primary School Teachers
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.63556/ankad.v9i3.271Keywords:
teacher autonomy, teacher motivation, professional satisfaction, educational policies, teacher developmentAbstract
This study, conducted in 2024, aims to examine the relationship between primary school teachers’ perceptions of teacher autonomy and their professional motivation, as well as the impact of gender differences on these variables. The research was designed using the relational survey model. The findings indicate a positive but weak relationship between teachers' perceptions of autonomy and their professional motivation. This suggests that other factors also influence teachers' motivation, such as workload, support from school administration, and professional commitment. Gender differences emerged as a significant finding of the study. Male teachers scored higher in classroom-level autonomy perception, while female teachers reported higher scores in school-level autonomy perception. Furthermore, female teachers demonstrated more positive attitudes toward the profession, higher professional achievement motivation, and greater job satisfaction compared to their male counterparts. On the other hand, male teachers exhibited a higher tendency to avoid the profession. No significant gender differences were found in the sub-dimension of professional internalization, indicating that professional internalization levels are shaped by personal experiences and working conditions. The study emphasizes the importance of strengthening teachers’ autonomy perceptions to enhance their professional motivation; however, it also highlights that this alone is not sufficient, and factors such as gender, workload, and administrative support should also be taken into consideration.
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