Influence of motivation on teachers' job performance

The study addresses how different forms of motivation influence private school teachers' job performance in Mirpurkhas, Sindh, Pakistan. Grounded in Self-Determination Theory (SDT), it distinguishes self-determined (intrinsic, identified, integrated) from non-self-determined (external, introjected, amotivation) motivation. The context highlights challenges in Pakistan’s education system, including low intrinsic motivation among teachers and poor educational outcomes in Sindh. The research aims to identify motivational factors and quantify their impact on teachers’ performance to inform policies and practices. Research questions: (1) How does self-determined motivation contribute to teachers’ job performance? (2) How does non-self-determined motivation affect teachers’ job performance? (3) To what extent do factors influencing teachers’ motivation impact teachers’ job performance?

Prior studies link teacher motivation to student outcomes and teacher performance, noting both intrinsic (self-determined) and extrinsic (non-self-determined) drivers. Pakistan’s education sector faces disparities between public/private and urban/rural schools, shortages of qualified teachers, weak accountability, and limited professional development, all undermining motivation. Evidence suggests intrinsic motivation positively relates to teacher performance, while extrinsic factors (rewards, compensation, working conditions) also significantly affect employees’ performance. Gaps identified include limited focus on combined constructs of self-determined and non-self-determined motivation alongside broader motivational factors (promotion, leadership, rewards, training, work conditions). The study proposes and tests three hypotheses: H1: Self-determined motivation relates to teachers’ job performance. H2: Non-self-determined motivation impacts teachers’ job performance. H3: Factors influencing teachers’ motivation impact teachers’ job performance.

Design: Quantitative, descriptive-correlational study employing survey data and PLS-SEM. Setting and sample: Private schools in Mirpurkhas City, Sindh, Pakistan. Known population: 606 teachers across 52 schools. Using random sampling, 37 registered private schools were selected. Distributed 433 questionnaires; received 405 usable responses (>= minimum PLS-SEM rule-of-thumb sample of 153 at 0.8 power). Instrument: Two sections: (1) demographics (age, gender, marital status, qualification); (2) constructs measured with 35 items across four latent variables: self-determined motivation (SDM), non-self-determined motivation (NSDM), factors influencing teachers’ motivation (FITM), and job performance (JP). Seven-point Likert scale (1 = strongly disagree to 7 = strongly agree). Measures: SDM and NSDM (14 items) adapted from the Blais Inventory of Work Motivation (Tremblay et al., 2009) and the Omnibus Survey of Canadian Forces; FITM (12 items) from prior studies (Nyakundi, 2012) covering job satisfaction, reward system, training and development, and work situational factors; JP (9 items) adapted from psychometric scales (Gerbing & Anderson, 1988) including task, adaptive, and contextual performance. Data analysis: SPSS used for descriptive statistics and correlations. SmartPLS used for confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), measurement model assessment, and structural model estimation via PLS algorithm and bootstrapping; unobserved heterogeneity assessed using FIMIX-PLS. Reliability and validity: Cronbach’s alpha for constructs ranged 0.834–0.910; rho_A 0.868–0.915; composite reliability 0.875–0.924; AVE 0.503–0.553 (>0.50 threshold). HTMT ratios below 0.85 established discriminant validity. Factor loadings mostly >0.50 with one item removed. Model fit and variance explained: R^2 for Job Performance = 0.463, indicating SDM, NSDM, and FITM together explain 46.3% of JP variance. FIMIX-PLS: Segmentation suggested two segments (normed entropy en = 0.515): Segment 1 (relative size 0.785) and Segment 2 (0.215). Path coefficients differ across segments, indicating unobserved heterogeneity.

• Descriptive and correlations: Job performance (JP) positively correlated with self-determined motivation (SDM) r = 0.374 (p < 0.01), non-self-determined motivation (NSDM) r = 0.622 (p < 0.01), and factors influencing teachers’ motivation (FITM) r = 0.424 (p < 0.01). Means: SDM 5.87, NSDM 5.91, FITM 5.86, JP 6.05; SDs 0.77–0.81; no multicollinearity (all r < 0.80).
• Measurement model: High internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha 0.834–0.910), composite reliability 0.875–0.924, AVE 0.503–0.553; discriminant validity confirmed (HTMT < 0.85).
• Structural model (PLS-SEM): R^2(JP) = 0.463. All hypothesized paths significant: • SDM → JP: B = 0.136, T = 3.225, p < 0.05 (H1 supported). • NSDM → JP: B = 0.437, T = 8.745, p < 0.001 (H2 supported). • FITM → JP: B = 0.218, T = 4.348, p < 0.001 (H3 supported).
• Relative effects: NSDM shows the largest direct effect on JP; FITM and SDM have smaller but significant positive effects.
• FIMIX-PLS segmentation: Evidence of unobserved heterogeneity with two segments. • Segment 1 (78.5%): NSDM → JP = 0.752; FITM → JP = 0.138; SDM → JP = 0.108. • Segment 2 (21.5%): NSDM → JP = 0.302; FITM → JP = 0.180; SDM → JP = 0.183. This indicates stronger dependence on extrinsic (non-self-determined) motivation for the larger segment, while the smaller segment shows comparatively higher influence of self-determined and contextual motivational factors.
• Practical implications highlighted: Policies and resources (bonuses, rewards, communication, emotional/moral support, salary increments) are associated with higher teacher performance.

Findings confirm that teacher motivation meaningfully predicts job performance in private schools in Mirpurkhas. Consistent with SDT, self-determined motivation contributes positively to performance, reflecting benefits of autonomy, recognition, and intrinsic satisfaction. Non-self-determined motivation exhibits the strongest average path to performance, suggesting that extrinsic drivers such as compensation, job security, and rewards are particularly salient in this context. Broader motivational factors (promotion systems, leadership practices, training, work environment) also significantly relate to performance, emphasizing the importance of systemic supports. Segmented analysis reveals heterogeneity: a majority segment is highly responsive to extrinsic motivators, whereas a smaller segment shows stronger responsiveness to self-determined and contextual factors. These insights support differentiated motivation strategies: combine robust extrinsic incentives with initiatives that enhance autonomy, purpose, and professional growth. Overall, integrating financial, organizational, and psychological supports appears most effective for enhancing teacher performance and, by extension, educational quality.

The study demonstrates that self-determined motivation, non-self-determined motivation, and institutional factors influencing teacher motivation each significantly and positively affect teachers’ job performance, with non-self-determined motivation showing the largest direct effect overall. Contributions include empirically validating SDT-based constructs in a Pakistani private-school context, quantifying their effects via PLS-SEM, and revealing unobserved heterogeneity through FIMIX-PLS. Recommendations for administrators include instituting fair promotion and reward systems, improving working conditions, ensuring adequate resources, offering training and development, strengthening supportive leadership and communication, and recognizing teachers’ achievements to cultivate both intrinsic and extrinsic motivation. Future research should examine public schools and other regions, incorporate moderators (e.g., gender), and expand motivational and contextual variables to refine policy and practice.

• Geographic and sectoral scope: Restricted to private schools in Mirpurkhas City, limiting generalizability to other regions or public schools.
• Cross-sectional survey design: Limits causal inference.
• Measurement constraints: Self-reported data may introduce common method bias; one item removed due to low loading.
• Sampling: Random sampling of schools but within a single city; future work could use multi-stage or stratified sampling across broader contexts.
• Unmodeled moderators/mediators: Potential roles of demographics (e.g., gender), school type, and organizational climate merit further exploration.