Motivation is a critical dimension of education systems across the world. Extensive research and policy efforts have attempted to identify some of the key drivers, particularly given that motivation levels are low and can be costly, especially for financially constrained governments. Our new report, entitled ‘The role of intrinsic motivation in education system reform‘, presents findings from a literature review and from primary data, on the role that intrinsic motivation of teachers and officials plays in education system reform. The study, which was prepared by Dr. Monazza Aslam and Dr. Shenila Rawal from the Oxford Partnership for Education Research and Analysis on behalf of STiR Education, examines the following research questions:
- How have some of the most promising education reforms benefited from an intrinsically motivated base of local officials and teachers (by them engaging deeply in these reforms with real commitment leading to these reforms being successful and sustainable)?
- How can low levels of intrinsic motivation (of teachers and local officials) impede otherwise promising system reforms and system strengthening efforts (even when these reforms or efforts are well-designed, well-funded and have central government buy in)?
Headline Findings
This research found that actors within the education system are the ones who bring about organisational and institutional change resulting in ongoing and long-term improvements. The behaviours, motivations and actions of these individuals determine system change, and by providing them with autonomy, mastery and purpose and deeper engagement with reform effort, longer term impact and amplification effects can be achieved.
Improving system conditions can help support increased motivation at all levels of the system.
An education system is only as strong as the structure (at all levels) that supports it. In order to improve intrinsic motivation, structural change and improvements in the underlying conditions need to be made at all levels of the system. A critical element of this is harnessing change agents at different levels of the education system:
- Intrinsically motivated leaders may be able to encourage and support the motivation of others in the system provided that the surrounding environment is an enabling one.
- Political will at the mid- and local levels of the education system can also be a key driver of change.
Behavioural change – understanding what drives the incentives and resultant actions of key stakeholders.
The education system reflects the behaviours and intrinsic motivations of individuals within that system. This study finds evidence that:
- Motivated students are more likely to engage in learning – and there is evidence to suggest that student motivation can be improved if they are learning within an education system of motivated individuals.
- Motivated teachers are more likely to display higher levels of effort, teach more effectively and develop professionally – and indicative results suggest that this could be a potentially useful pathway to improving student outcomes.
- Motivated officials engage in behaviours that support, encourage and enhance others in the education system working with them – and evidence suggests that this has the potential for crucial impact.
Amplification effects – leveraging benefits across the system.
Individuals within the education workforce who are intrinsically motivated are more likely to engage deeply with existing technical interventions. Our research suggests that these ‘amplification effects’ might be the most promising avenue and could be an important line of inquiry for future research.
STiR is grateful to Monazza and Shenila for all of their work on this report, which you can find in full here.