Motivation and demotivation of teachers in primary schools: the challenge of change

Motivation is crucial to both individual and organisational performance and even a very able and well-trained member of staff will not perform effectively unless they are motivated to do so. Despite this fact, research into the motivation of teachers is limited both internationally and, more specifically, in relation to the English system of education which has undergone a series of rapid, multiple and systemic changes since the 1988 Education Act which are likely to have affected teachers' motivation and morale. This article reports on research in six primary schools in England which attempted to determine the nature of the issues impacting upon motivation and demotivation at the start of the twenty-first century. The study provides additional insight about how these factors might be affected by ethnographic and demographic characteristics. Findings suggest that the principal motivators for teachers in primary schools are extrinsic motivators, such as positive responses from children and that, conversely, demotivators are poor responses from children and workload factors.