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Teacher Motivation in Low-Income Contexts An Actionable Framework for Reform Emily E Richardson Co-Chair of the Teacher Motivation Working Group

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Presentation Agenda 1.Introduction & Background 2.The Study 3.Review of the literature 4.Findings & Analysis 5.Recommendations 6.Q&A

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Introduction There is growing concern that teachers in low- income contexts are increasingly de-motivated (Bennell & Mukyanuzi 2005) Teaching profession has become characterized by absenteeism, high attrition, turnover and teacher shortages in many low-income countries

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Rationale for the Study Teachers motivations matter both in the short and longer-term, not only for their own well- being and career satisfaction, but also for how they relate to and interact with students, and their teaching effectiveness (Richardson et al., 2014, p. xv). What personal and contextual factors sustain teacher commitment, interest and enthusiasm?

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Goals of the Study 1.To map the literature on teacher motivation across a variety of contexts 2.To identify trends in teacher motivation around the world 3.To obtain insight from key experts- researchers and practitioners- in the field of (teacher) education 4.To develop actionable recommendations

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The Literature on Teacher Motivation WHY IS THE RESEARCH SO LIMITED? 1.Difficult to define and measure o Commitment, satisfaction, morale & attitudes o Subjective; not easily observable 2.Small-scale qualitative studies o Ethnographies o Very few studies of beginning teachers

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Definitions & Theories There is no universally agreed upon definition of teacher motivation. Some of the theories: Maslows hierarchy of needs Extrinsic vs. intrinsic vs. altruistic motivation Principal-agent theory TMWG defines teacher motivation as the internal and external factors that stimulate desire and energy in teaching to be continually interested and committed to making their best effort to help support student learning goals

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Trends in Teacher Motivation Teacher motivation, in general, is low and/or decreasing in low-income contexts In some countries, teacher motivation is not as critically low as predicted In a study of 11 Save the Children country offices, staff reported that the majority of permanent public school teachers with whom they worked in both Africa and Latin America were somewhat unmotivated A VSO study across Zambia, Papua New Guinea and Malawi found teachers motivation is both fragile and declining

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Urban vs. Rural Lower motivation in urban schools in Tanzania Lower motivation in rural schools in Northwest China Public vs. Private Higher motivation among private school teachers in Malawi Higher motivation among public school teachers in Pakistan, Turkey & Oman Primary vs. secondary Lower motivation among secondary school teachers in Tanzania Lower motivation among primary school teachers in Malawi Trends in Teacher Motivation

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Gender Differences Female teachers were altruistically or intrinsically motivated to enter teaching in studies across Sub-Saharan Africa & Asia and Turkey (Bennell 2004; Topkaya 2012) Men were more intrinsically motivated to enter teaching in Pakistan (Razzaque 2013) Several studies found that there were no significant differences in motivation between male and female teachers Age/Experience Younger and less qualified teachers were less motivated in Tanzania, Malawi, Zambia, South Asia and Northwest China (Bennel & Mukyanuzi 2005; Thomas et al. 2014; Kadzmira 2006) Older more experienced teachers reported a greater sense of job security, higher salary and a greater connection to communities (Alcazar et al. 2006) Teachers who are not certified are less satisfied (Sargent & Hannum 2005).

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Factors that Influence Teacher Motivation Workload and challenges Remuneration and incentives Recognition, voice & prestige Institutional environment & accountability Career development

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Workload and School Challenges Teachers housing is an issue in many low- income contexts Remote postings with no incentives No health insurance, transportation, or other basic amenities

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Remuneration & Incentives Low and/or declining salaries Irregular salaries Corruption in bonuses, raises and other incentives Mixed evidence on monetary incentives

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Leadership & Accountability Teachers do not feel accountable to principals, parents or the community Corrupt hiring decisions Little supervision leads to absenteeism and misconduct

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Recognition, Voice & Prestige Teachers want to be viewed as professionals Teachers want a voice in curriculum development and school-based decisions

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Career Development New teachers need the most support! Professional developed tailored to classroom needs, such as classroom management for large classes, multi-grade classes, etc. Corruption in career ladder; promotions

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Policy level Deployment policies Hiring process Distance to family Retention policies Job security Accountability Professional development Remuneration Sufficience Regular payment Promotion policies Career ladder Merit pay vs. political ties Assessment policies Evaluations School level Type and level Primary vs. secondary Private vs. government Multigrade vs. single grade Location Urban vs. rural Distance from family School conditions Class size Infrastructure Curricula Working environment Housing Collaboration Leadership and supervision Support/mentoriship Accountability Teacher level Entry into the profession Altruistic vs. extrinsic vs. last resort Experience New vs. veteran Qualification level Recognition and prestige Appreciation Social accountability Relationship with the community Opportunities for growth Career ladder Professional development

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Teachers want a place to live, respect within their schools and communities, adequate teaching and learning materials for their students, to be deployed to schools that are not too far from their families and career and professional development that encourages them to thrive within the profession.

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Study Participants NameTitle/AffiliationArea of Expertise Dr. Abhijit Banerjee Co-founder, J-PAL, MITTeacher incentives and teacher job satisfaction in South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa Dr. Alison Buckler Research Associate, TESS-IndiaTeacher education through school-based support and online education for teachers and teacher educators Dr. David Chapman Birkmaier Professor of Educational Leadership, University of Minnesota Quality of teacher work-life and teacher incentives in the Middle East, South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa Dr. William Firestone Distinguished Professor, GSE, Rutgers University Effects of leadership, professional development, student testing and teacher evaluation Dr. Mark Ginsburg Technical Advisor- Teacher Professional Development, FHI360 Education research, monitoring & evaluation, and teacher professional development in developing countries Dr. Richard Ingersoll Professor of Education and Sociology/Board of Overseers- Chair of Education, GSE, University of Pennsylvania Teacher supply and demand, turnover, retention, status of teaching as a profession, teacher induction and mentoring in the U.S.

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Interview Findings The importance of Teacher Motivation If teachers arent motivated, even if they are trained well, they wont do a good job. And that affects student outcomes Dr. D. Chapman If they [teachers] are motivated, they are more likely to seek out other resources to impact student outcomes Dr. A. Buckler Teacher motivation and student learning are reciprocal Dr. M. Ginsburg Defining teacher motivation

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Interview Findings Personal & Contextual Factors that motivate teachers Interfering responsibilities Incentives Curriculum Policies Working conditions How a school is set up and managed can shape the quality of teachers. You can take an excellent teacher and make him poor and take a poor teacher and make him excellent Dr. R. Ingersoll

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Interview Findings Measuring teacher performance as a means of motivation Peer feedback Teach teachers how to measure student learning Transparent evaluation framework Combination of formative and summative assessment Measuring teacher motivation in low-income contexts Job satisfaction and attendance Need for multi-dimensional measure No more research!

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Interview Findings What can we do to enhance teacher motivation? 1.Improve recruitment policies 2.Address working conditions 3.Make systemic changes 4.Adopt a longer-term approach 5.Find incentives that work

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Recommendation 1 Ensure that teachers have a voice Work with school administration and local education officials to ensure that teachers are represented in school-level and district-level meetings Establish a forum for teachers to come together and share their frustrations and concerns Work directly with teachers in establishing a definition of motivation and quality in education

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Recommendation 2 Ensure that teachers basic needs are met Ascertain which of teachers needs are not being met Work with local education departments to ensure that teachers are consistently paid on time Check-in regularly with teachers regarding any complaints they have related to housing, etc. Offer housing incentives or related benefits to teachers in hard-to-staff areas

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Recommendation 3 Provide quality support for beginning teachers Develop low-cost quality induction and mentoring programs for beginning teachers Involve veteran teachers in coaching and mentoring strategies Offer professional development tailored to new teachers specific needs Provide new teachers with adequate planning time in their school-day schedules and help these teachers improve their planning by giving feedback on lesson plans

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Recommendation 4 Improve and expand teacher professional development programs Ensure that teachers in hard-to-reach areas have access to professional development opportunities Explore and test alternative mechanisms for delivering teacher professional development (cluster schools, teacher-learning circles, etc.) Adjust existing professional development programs so that are tailored to teachers specific needs within a particular context and its classroom realities Ensure that teachers are recognized for participation and completion of professional development programs

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Recommendation 5 Provide the right incentives to enhance teacher motivation Create teacher recognition campaigns, such as Teacher of the Year Provide teachers with positive verbal feedback and praise for their accomplishments Offer merit-based (non-monetary) awards, such as scholarships for training or extra teaching materials Work with local education bodies to conduct campaigns to stress the importance of teachers in society Create forums for teachers to show-off their ideas and best practices

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Conclusion

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Thank You! Emily E Richardson Co-Chair, Teacher Motivation Working Group Doctoral Student Teachers College, Columbia University eer2129@tc.columbia.edu