A Preliminary Study on the Basic Education Filipino Teachers’ Psyche: What Makes them Tick?

Abstract

This study determined what makes basic education Filipino teachers motivated. Specifically, it sought answers to the following questions: 1. What is the ranking pattern of motivation indicators among Filipino teachers?; 2. Is there a consensus among the respondents in ranking the motivation indicators?; 3. Is their level of motivation affected by gender, age, educational attainment and length of service? Fifty basic education teachers from Quezon City and Pasay City were randomly selected for the survey. Twenty-five came from the public schools and the other half were from private schools. The samples were distributed across the demographic variables such as age, gender, years of service, and educational level. A set of questions targeting variables on demographics, motivating factors such as job requirements, intrinsic and extrinsic motivation which might affect job satisfaction were rated by respondents. Respondents were also asked to rank the following in terms of importance as motivator with 10 as the most important and 1 as the least important: salary, benefits, relationship with superiors and colleagues, job security, promotion, the work itself, mission/vision of the school, challenging tasks, work environment and recognition. Analysis of relationships among the variables was done using one-way ANOVA. Determining any consensus in the ranking of the factors was done using the Kendall Coefficient of Concordance. The respondents ranked the following indicators in decreasing order of importance: the relationship between superiors and colleagues, mission/vision of the school, job security, work environment, the work itself, benefits, challenging tasks, recognition, and promotion. Thus, it can be said that Filipino teachers can be motivated not simply by offering them monetary incentives but also by addressing their social needs like good relationships with superiors and colleagues and a work environment that would help in their job performance. Gender, age, educational attainment and length of service did not show any significant effect on the motivational level of the teachers. Their willingness to serve does not decline with age and so with their length of service. Bachelor’s degree holders showed to be as motivated as the graduate degree holders. Male and female teachers showed the same degree of motivation, hence, both have the potential to become excellent teachers. Based on the findings, several recommendations were forwarded to the authorities.