Low motivation but highly committed?

[wildfire_emissary]

Howdy HAFers! I'v been quite busy doing research. And after data collection and processing using Pearson correlation, I noticed a negative correlation between teachers motivation (extrinsic and intrinsic) and their commitment to achieve school objectives. Will you please help me explain this odd turn of events?

[Whitney]

To make sure I'm following your...your data is showing that the more motivated a teacher the less likely that teacher is to actually achieve their classroom objectives?  If so, I'd assume burn out from worrying and thinking about it too much is a factor.

[xSilverPhinx]

I'm not following, care to expand?  ???

[Sandra Craft]

Howdy HAFers! I'v been quite busy doing research. And after data collection and processing using Pearson correlation, I noticed a negative correlation between teachers motivation (extrinsic and intrinsic) and their commitment to achieve school objectives. Will you please help me explain this odd turn of events?

Wouldn't it be practical to ask a teachers forum?

[wildfire_emissary]

To make sure I'm following your...your data is showing that the more motivated a teacher the less likely that teacher is to actually achieve their classroom objectives?  If so, I'd assume burn out from worrying and thinking about it too much is a factor.

Right.  And the less motivated they are, the higher is their commitment to achieve objectives. That is a good assumption. I'll look into it. Thanks!

I'm not following, care to expand?  ???

I'm studying the predictive validity of a test used by a university in hiring their teachers. One of the test areas measure their MOTIVATION to work.
The university conducts an annual evaluation of the faculty performance wherein COMMITMENT is one of the dimensions measured.
I want to know whether there is a significant relationship between the variables in the test used before they were hired and their performance as teachers.
The other variables show no significant relationship. Meanwhile, Motivation and commitment show negative correlation. Teachers with low motivation tend to be more committed. This data destroys the conclusion of 3 studies I cited. So, if anyone has any, any idea how this can occur, I'll take it and study it.

Howdy HAFers! I'v been quite busy doing research. And after data collection and processing using Pearson correlation, I noticed a negative correlation between teachers motivation (extrinsic and intrinsic) and their commitment to achieve school objectives. Will you please help me explain this odd turn of events?

Wouldn't it be practical to ask a teachers forum?

I did. I also asked here. I am going to need a lot of ideas from all walks of life.

[DeterminedJuliet]

Maybe the objectives are dumb objectives? That'd mean all the really motivated, enthusiastic, engaged teachers would see this and kind of do "their own thing", whereas a less motivated teacher would fall back on the objectives because it's easier/more straightforward path?

What makes me think that this is possible is the fact that my husband did a education degree in secondary education and that was one of his biggest complaints; He thought the curriculum guidelines were too specific and didn't give him a chance to really make his classroom his own.

[Sandra Craft]

Wouldn't it be practical to ask a teachers forum?

I did. I also asked here. I am going to need a lot of ideas from all walks of life.

OK, but it seems that unless the people you're asking have some personal experience (like DJ's husband) all you're going to get is assumptions.

[wildfire_emissary]

Maybe the objectives are dumb objectives? That'd mean all the really motivated, enthusiastic, engaged teachers would see this and kind of do "their own thing", whereas a less motivated teacher would fall back on the objectives because it's easier/more straightforward path?

What makes me think that this is possible is the fact that my husband did a education degree in secondary education and that was one of his biggest complaints; He thought the curriculum guidelines were too specific and didn't give him a chance to really make his classroom his own.

Hmm... good point. I'll go see some literature on curriculum. Thanks!

Wouldn't it be practical to ask a teachers forum?

I did. I also asked here. I am going to need a lot of ideas from all walks of life.

OK, but it seems that unless the people you're asking have some personal experience (like DJ's husband) all you're going to get is assumptions.

Yup. Assumptions are fine. Don't worry I am not going to write unfounded assumptions. 

[Tank]

Are you alllowed to post the whole questionnaire here? It would be very useful to see the whole issue in context.

[Whitney]

I'd also wonder if your problem is sample size...maybe you just got an odd batch of people or pulled data from an odd year (maybe those that work really hard were in a 'why bother' mood because all their co-workers were getting laid off left and right).  Maybe even their boss that year was demotivating because s/he didn't appreciate go getters so they just quit trying.  Perhaps you can reference similar studies to see if they had similar results?

It really doesn't make much sense that a correlation would actually come out in the data showing a connection between high motivation and failure to achieve goals.  I'd expect for that to happen to the odd person but most (competent) career teachers have a good idea of what kind of goals are achievable in a semester and wouldn't set yearly goals for themselves that are impossible (they would instead have a program in mind and build on it each year till it meets goal level).

[Wessik]

This is resolved with nonadulatory objectives. Motivation is not well defined, either. Either perceptions of motivation or with commitment are not aligned with actual practice.

[Ecurb Noselrub]

Creative people are usually motivated, but not toward mundane or delegated tasks.  They follow the beat of their own drum, so to speak, so "school objectives" might not motivate them. Uncreative people may be more task oriented, and a delegated task such as school objectives might give them the fulfillment they seek in meeting goals set by authority. So they would do well on such objectives, while the more creative would want to follow their own inclinations. Just a thought.

[Tank]

Creative people are usually motivated, but not toward mundane or delegated tasks.  They follow the beat of their own drum, so to speak, so "school objectives" might not motivate them. Uncreative people may be more task oriented, and a delegated task such as school objectives might give them the fulfillment they seek in meeting goals set by authority. So they would do well on such objectives, while the more creative would want to follow their own inclinations. Just a thought.

I think you're possibly on the right lines here. My wife, who has taught for 14 years in different settings, generally considers systematic objectives a hinderence not a help.

[Squid]

Just a quick bit of info and questions.  What was the overall design of the study?  And also, why correlation?  Why not analysis of variance?  What were the findings of others when you did your literature review?  How does this fit within a theoretical framework?  Is there an already established theoretical framework or is this completely novel stuff (again would be from the literature review)?  Sorry for all the questions, research is something I like to do and am even trying to get back into that field.

[Wessik]

What Squid said.