Teacher Motivation

Book excerpt: Teacher Motivation: Theory and Practice provides a much needed introduction to the current status and future directions of theory and research on teacher motivation. Although there is a robust literature covering the theory and research on student motivation, until recently there has been comparatively little attention paid to teachers. This volume draws together a decade of work from psychological theorists and researchers interested in what motivates people to choose teaching as a career, what motivates them as they work with students in classrooms, the impact of intrinsic and extrinsic forces on career experiences, and how their motivational profiles vary at different stages of their career. With chapters from leading experts on the topic, this volume provides a critical resource not only for educational psychologists, but also for those working in related fields such as educational leadership, teacher development, policy makers and school psychology.