Teacher motivation in <i>stricto sensu</i> postgraduation: an analysis based on self-determination theory<sup>,</sup>

Colares, Ana Carolina Vasconcelos; Castro, Mariana Camilla Coelho Silva; Barbosa Neto, João Estevão; Cunha, Jacqueline Veneroso Alves da

doi:10.1590/1808-057x201909090

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Articles • Rev. contab. finanç. 30 (81) • Sep-Dec 2019 • https://doi.org/10.1590/1808-057x201909090 copy

Teacher motivation in stricto sensu postgraduation: an analysis based on self-determination theory^* * Paper presented at the VI Teaching and Research Conference in Business Administration and Accounting - EnEPQ, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil, May 2018. ^,^ The authors are grateful to the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq) for its financial support to carry out this research.

Authorship SCIMAGO INSTITUTIONS RANKINGS

ABSTRACT

The objective of this research was to analyze the motivational factors that lead accounting sciences professors to teach on stricto sensu postgraduate courses, based on self-determination theory. Research on motivation in education in the area of accounting sciences mostly concerns student motivation. Thus, there are few studies related to teacher motivation, especially in the area of accounting sciences and in stricto sensu postgraduate programs. Teacher motivation is directly linked to the teaching-learning process and student motivation, so it is important to identify what motivates these teachers and, given this, to act in a way that the motivation, or lack of it, will not interfere with the quality of teaching. The importance of teachers in the quality of education is indisputable and inevitably relates to the motivation to remain in the teaching career, taking both personal and professional aspects into account. The Work Tasks Motivation Scale for Teachers was applied and answered by 108 professors from the 33 stricto sensu postgraduate programs in the area of accounting sciences. The data were analyzed in an aggregated way, using descriptive statistics and Wilcoxon-Mann-Whitney and chi-squared tests, with the purpose of assessing the relationship between levels of motivation and age group, time teaching, and time teaching in the stricto sensu postgraduate course. Most of the professors analyzed are extrinsically motivated via identified regulation; however this is less related to access to financial resources and more linked to the prestige that teaching on the stricto sensu postgraduate course brings. Also, the overall mean of the dimensions of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation was shown to be higher for teachers of the female gender and who work in private institutions.

Keywords:
motivation; self-determination theory; stricto sensu postgraduation; accounting sciences; teacher motivation

Dimension	Description
Intrinsic motivation	Involves the pleasure or satisfaction derived from carrying it out.
Identified regulation	Defined as the behavior that individuals choose to display because it is coherent with their own values and objectives. Instead of succumbing to external or internal pressures, individuals experience the choice by doing the activity, although the activity is not intrinsically interesting.
Introjected regulation	Corresponds to the process through which an external demand becomes an internal representation. Individuals experience pressure through internal coercion (for example, anxiety, shame, or guilt) to certify that a specific behavior is carried out.
External regulation	Occurs when the behaviors are regulated to obtain a reward or to avoid a restriction.
Demotivation	Demotivation corresponds to the lowest level of self-determination. Individuals are demotivated when they are unwilling to engage in a particular behavior, and do not really know why they are doing it.

Gender	Quantity (n)	%	Institution type	Quantity (n)	%
Female	31	29.0	Public	93	86.1
Male	76	71.0	Private	15	13.9
Did not answer	1
Age group	Quantity (n)	%
Up to 30	3	2.8
31-40	22	20.4
41-50	48	44.4
51-60	22	20.4
More than 60	13	12.0
Time teaching (years)	Quantity (n)	%	*Time in stricto sensu* postgraduation (years)**	Quantity (n)	%
Up to 5	3	2.8	Up to 5	59	54.6
6-10	18	16.7	6-10	22	20.4
11-15	26	24.1	11-15	13	12.0
16-20	26	24.1	16-20	9	8.3
21-25	12	11.1	21-25	1	0.9
More than 25	23	21.3	More than 25	4	3.7

Dimension	Items		Mean	General mean	Standard deviation
Intrinsic motivation	1	Because it is pleasant to perform this task.	5.54	5.81	1.24
	2	Because I find this task interesting to do.	5.94		0.98
	3	Because I like doing this task.	5.97		1.05
Identified regulation	4	Because carrying out this task is important to me.	6.05	6.04	1.00
	5	Because this task allows me to achieve work objectives I consider important.	6.15		1.01
	6	Because I think this task is important for the academic success of my students.	5.92		1.24
Introjected regulation	7	Because if I don’t carry out this task, I’ll feel bad.	3.42	3.01	1.76
	8	Because I’d feel guilty if I didn’t do it.	2.85		1.73
	9	To not feel bad if I don’t do it.	2.76		1.68
External regulation	10	Because my job requires it.	3.53	2.77	2.07
	11	Because the university obliges me to do it.	2.36		1.78
	12	Because I’m paid to do it.	2.44		1.82
Demotivation	13	I don’t know, I don’t always see the relevance in carrying out this task.	2.11	1.87	1.66
	14	I used to know why I was doing this task, but I no longer see the reason.	1.71		1.22
	15	I don’t know, sometimes I don’t see the point of it.	1.78		1.31

Dimension	Mean		Shapiro-Wilk (Prob>z)		Wilcoxon-Mann-Whitney (Prob>z)
Dimension	Female	Male	Female	Male
Intrinsic motivation	5.90	5.78	0.80	0.00	0.58
Identified regulation	6.18	5.99	0.03	0.00	0.80
Introjected regulation	3.23	2.94	0.42	0.00	0.27
External regulation	2.83	2.75	0.45	0.00	0.63
Demotivation	1.78	1.91	0.00	0.00	0.15
Dimension	Mean		Shapiro-Wilk (Prob>z)		Wilcoxon-Mann-Whitney (Prob>z)
Dimension	Private	Public	Private	Public
Intrinsic motivation	6.40	5.72	0.00	0.00	0.00
Identified regulation	6.36	5.99	0.46	0.00	0.28
Introjected regulation	3.02	3.01	0.75	0.00	0.35
External regulation	3.09	2.72	0.18	0.00	0.60
Demotivation	1.56	1.92	0.37	0.00	0.29

Age group	Intrinsic motivation	Identified regulation	Introjected regulation	External regulation	Demotivation
Up to 30	6.00	5.22	5.44	1.88	1.55
31-40	5.39	5.82	2.95	2.83	2.18
41-50	5.97	6.24	2.90	2.72	1.74
51-60	5.58	5.82	2.59	2.79	1.71
More than 60	6.31	6.23	3.67	3.08	2.15
Time teaching (years)
Up to 5	6.00	6.22	3.67	2.00	1.33
6-10	5.61	5.89	3.43	2.72	2.37
11-15	5.79	5.99	2.44	2.53	1.49
16-20	5.72	5.97	2.87	2.83	2.04
21-25	6.14	6.31	3.39	2.75	1.50
More than 25	5.91	6.12	3.20	3.14	1.97
Time in postgraduation (years)
Up to 5	5.75	6.02	2.79	2.51	1.67
6-10	5.98	6.20	3.11	3.09	2.17
11-15	5.85	5.97	3.85	3.03	1.85
16-20	5.67	5.89	2.63	3.19	2.15
21-25	6.33	6.33	5.33	4.33	3.33
More than 25	6.00	5.92	3.25	2.83	2.25

Item		Mean	Standard deviation	Coefficient of variation
16	I feel that performing this task gives me a certain status at the university where I lecture.	4.99	1.68	0.34
17	Working in stricto sensu postgraduation enables me to have privileges among the other researchers.	3.87	1.91	0.49
18	I perceive that I stand out at academic events because I work in stricto sensu postgraduation.	4.00	1.89	0.47
19	I am in postgraduation since it enables me to have easier access to financial resources through research projects funded by support agencies.	3.76	1.96	0.52

Universidade de São Paulo, Faculdade de Economia, Administração e Contabilidade, Departamento de Contabilidade e Atuária Av. Prof. Luciano Gualberto, 908 - prédio 3 - sala 118, 05508 - 010 São Paulo - SP - Brasil, Tel.: (55 11) 2648-6320, Tel.: (55 11) 2648-6321, Fax: (55 11) 3813-0120 - São Paulo - SP - Brazil
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