English Teachers' Motivation-related Outcomes in Kuwaiti Public Schools: A Mixed Methods Study
Open Access
- Author:
- Almutawa, Hala
- Graduate Program:
- Curriculum and Instruction
- Degree:
- Doctor of Philosophy
- Document Type:
- Dissertation
- Date of Defense:
- February 16, 2022
- Committee Members:
- Rachel Wolkenhauer, Major Field Member
Anne Whitney, Major Field Member
Ravinder Koul, Chair & Dissertation Advisor
Sinfree Makoni, Outside Unit & Field Member
Carla Zembal-Saul, Program Head/Chair - Keywords:
- English language teachers
non-native teachers
teacher education
professional development
pre-service teachers
self-efficacy
classroom goal structures
English language proficiency
teacher motivation
job satisfaction - Abstract:
- Given the “linguistically diverse population” of Kuwait (Tryzna & Al-Sharoufi, 2017, p. 79), English has become a “lingua franca” (Crystal, 2003) which facilitates communication among other non-native speakers in everyday life. Kuwait’s Minister of Education (MOE) reports experiencing an English teacher shortage (Kuwait Times, 2019). Globally, teacher shortage has been an ongoing problem associated with low job satisfaction levels that lead teachers to quit (Green-Reese et al., 1991). Therefore, it is imperative to study the factors that impact English teachers’ motivation-related outcomes (job satisfaction and their motivation to quit). An explanatory, sequential, mixed methods design was used to investigate the influence of competence beliefs (English language proficiency and teaching self-efficacy) and classroom goal structures (mastery and performance classroom approaches) on teacher motivation-related outcomes of 579 English teachers in Kuwait, a population largely overlooked in the literature. Phase I survey results revealed that classroom goal structures were the strongest predictor of teachers’ job satisfaction, and efficacy in student engagement was found to be significantly related to teachers’ job satisfaction. In Phase II, interviews were conducted with three highly-satisfied teachers about their experiences. Teachers in Kuwait revealed a list of mastery- and performance- related strategies, goals, and engagement methods they used which contributes to their high job satisfaction. This study presents a significant theoretical contribution to the literature and provides practical implications for professional development and teacher education programs.