Abstract

The aim of this research was to determine the level of motivation for teaching work among Physics teachers in primary schools. The study examined the relationship between years of service and intrinsic and extrinsic motivation for teaching, gender and motivation for teaching, as well as whether more motivated physics teachers are those who apply student-centered didactic methods and who more frequently attend professional development seminars. The participants were primary school physics teachers (N = 82). A questionnaire was constructed based on Borić (2017). The questionnaire was adapted to include three subscales: one related to didactic practice and teaching methods, another for intrinsic motivation for teaching, and the third for extrinsic motivation and professional development. A positive correlation was found between all three subscales. Intrinsic motivation showed a moderate positive correlation with student-centered teaching methods (r = 0.354; p < 0.01), while extrinsic motivation, including professional development, showed an even stronger association (r = 0.469; p < 0.01). The study showed that teachers are moderately motivated. A statistically significant positive correlation was found between years of service and both intrinsic motivation (r = 0.375; p < 0.01) and extrinsic motivation for teaching (r = 0.355; p < 0.01), as well as between attendance at professional seminars and both intrinsic motivation (r = 0.405; p < 0.01) and extrinsic motivation for teaching (r = 0.760; p < 0.01).