This article was published in Teaching and Teacher Education, Vol 27 number 2,
Author(s): Susan A. Hildebrandt, Minhee Eom, " Teacher Professionalization: Motivational Factors and the Influence of Age", Pages 416-423, Copyright Elsevier (February 2011).
The current study examines motivational factors of teachers who have achieved a national standard of professionalization.
The participants were 453 National Board certified teachers in the United States.
Data were collected through a two-part, web-based survey.
Exploratory factor analysis found five motivators: improved teaching, financial gain, collaboration, self and external validation.
Analyses of Variance (ANOVAs) highlighted differences in the financial gain and external validation motivations, depending on the teacher’s age at the time of certification.
It was found that teachers in 30s more motivated by financial gain than those in 40s; Teachers in 30s more motivated by external validation than those in 40s and 50s.
These findings reveal multiple motivators for teacher professionalization, with teachers of different ages motivated by diverse incentives.