What Motivates Teachers?

A Study on Stress, Recovery, Sleep and Physical Activity Affecting Teacher Motivation

Pipsa P.A. Tuominen and Dr. Päivi Mayor from Tampere University of Applied Sciences, Finland, examined the relationship between intrinsic motivations and the autonomic nervous system, such as heart rate, heart rate variability regulation, sleep and physical activity levels.

Participants The participants who volunteered for the study were 66 primary and high school teachers in Tampere, Finland. The mean age of the participants was 46.4 years and the mean teaching experience was 11.4 years. The majority of participants (92%) were female.

Measurements The Reiss Motivation Profile® (RMP) was used to assess each participant's prioritization of 16 life motivations.

The Firstbeat (FB) Bodyguard 2 device was used to measure heart rate, heart rate variability, physical activity level and sedentary behavior. Data for each participant was collected continuously for three days.

Assessments were conducted between November 2020 and January 2021, when schools were not closed due to COVID-19.

Results The RMP motivations of Approval, Eating, Physical Activity, Power, Peace of Mind, and Revenge were found to have a significant association with outcomes measured by FB.

Approval motivation (desire for a positive self-esteem) showed a significant association with sleep rate and intensive activity rate. The higher the approval score, the lower the amount of both sleep and intense physical activity. According to Professor Steven Reiss' theory of motivation, people high in approval are unusually sensitive to failure, criticism and rejection. Therefore, they may have difficulty falling and/or staying asleep if they are worried about their job performance, the possibility of being criticized or social exclusion. Furthermore, lack of self-confidence in people with high need for acceptance may reduce their participation in intense sports activities.

Motivation to eat (desire to consume food) showed a significant association with the rate of sedentary behavior measured by FB. The higher the eating score, the lower the amount of sedentary behavior. This finding is in line with previous research that people with healthy eating habits engage in more physical activity. It may also be related to the need for teachers to actively observe students while they eat.

Physical Activity motivation (desire for muscle exercise) had a significant association with stress rate, recovery rate, light physical activity rate and vigorous physical activity rate. The higher the score on the Physical Activity scale, the lower the amount of stress and light physical activity and the higher the amount of recovery and intense physical activity. It makes sense that individuals with a high desire to exercise would engage in vigorous rather than light physical activity.

Power motivation (desire for willpower influence) had a significant association with the proportion of sedentary behavior measured by FB. The higher the power score, the higher the amount of sedentary behavior. People with a high need for power often work long hours and are often sedentary in jobs that do not involve physical labor.

Tranquillity motivation (the desire to avoid experiencing anxiety and pain) was significantly associated with the proportion of light physical activity as measured by FB. The higher the tranquillity score, the higher the amount of light physical activity. According to Reiss' motivation theory, people with a high need for Tranquility value their personal safety and are therefore expected to prefer low-risk physical activities.

Revenge motivation (the desire to confront those who disappoint or offend us) showed a significant association with the proportion of intense physical activity measured by FB. The higher the revenge score, the higher the amount of intense physical activity. People with a high need for revenge are confrontational and care about winning. It is understandable that these individuals exert maximum effort in athletic competitions, as sports offer opportunities to compete against rivals.

According to the science of RMP motivation, the results obtained on teacher motivation showed that the RMP motivators of Approval, Eating, Physical Activity, Power, Peace/Tranquility and Revenge showed significant relationships with stress, recovery, sleep, sedentary behavior and physical activity as measured by FB. The Physical Activity scale showed the largest effect. Therefore, the 16 life motivations assessed by the RMP may provide a framework for understanding how individual behaviors influence health and for developing strategies to promote healthier habits.