Understanding Self-Efficacy and Motivation in Elementary Teachers: The Influence and Support of School Administrators

Teachers’ attrition is commonly seen within the first five years in the profession. Various reasons exist as the cause for this decision including: low pay rates, lack of support and stress. With the important role educators hold, a clear understanding of their specific needs can help strengthen their abilities while remaining in the field. The purpose of this mixed methods study was to understand teachers’ perspectives of what influences their self-efficacy and motivation in order to promote strong work performance, effectiveness, increase teacher satisfaction and retention rates while highlighting the impact of support provided by school administrators. The research questions guiding this study were: What conditions allow for elementary school teachers to experience self-efficacy? What conditions promote motivation for elementary school teachers? What supports, if any, can be implemented to positively increase self-efficacy? Utilizing a collection of surveys and a set of eight interviews, data was analyzed. Results showed that elementary teachers typically exhibit moderate levels of self-efficacy while their primary source of motivation originates from their prior experiences, their students’ achievements and positive interactions with administrators and colleagues. Findings helped create a series of recommendations for teachers, school site administrators, district administrations along with areas for possible further research. Keywords: Self-efficacy, motivation, elementary teacher, administrative support, student achievement, teacher retention