A person-centered approach to teacher motivation towards information technology: integrating achievement goal and expectancy-value perspectives

The aim of our investigation is to identify teacher motivation profiles towards information technology, according to achievement goal and expectancy-value theories. Latent profile analysis (LPA) was applied to examine if homogenous latent profiles exist within a sample of 866 teachers in China. Four distinct profiles of teachers were identified: Very Low Goal Orientation, High Goal Orientation, High Mastery-Approach and Expectancy/Very Low Work-Avoidance, and Low Mastery- and Performance-Approach. Furthermore, profile membership was related to monitoring motivation, effort, help seeking, and future intention. Finally, we found the added benefits of integrating achievement goal and expectancy-value theories when forming teacher motivation profiles. These results, taken together, suggest that support for teacher motivation to use information technology ought to be differentiated.