Leadership in the transition to online instruction: implications for teachers’ need satisfaction and motivation

The transition to remote teaching during the COVID-19 pandemic introduced many threats to teachers’ psychological needs and intrinsic motivation. Given the possibility of similar disruptions in the future, we examined the potential influence of three resources provided by school leaders to smoothen teachers’ transition to online instruction: pedagogical support, availability of instructional technologies, and professional freedom. Survey data from 103 PreK-12 teachers in the United States and Canada were analyzed using Bayesian mediation models to explore how these administrative resources influenced teachers’ need satisfaction and intrinsic motivation. Results indicated that teachers who received more pedagogical support were more intrinsically motivated, and this relationship was partially mediated by their perceived competence and relatedness with students. Those with greater access to instructional technologies reported higher perceived competence and relatedness with students but were no more intrinsically motivated than their peers. Teachers who were granted professional freedom reported greater intrinsic motivation, and the relationship was partially mediated by all three psychological needs. Results highlight the importance of maintaining teacher-student relationships and suggest that, during unplanned transitions to online instruction, teachers are most self-determined when provided high quality instructional support and allowed freedom in how they navigate new challenges.