Assessing Icelandic university teachers' motivations, identitiy, and perceptions of connectedness as a way to inform faculty

Abstract

According to experts, teaching development initiatives should not only be based on needs assessments, but also on teachers’ motivations, identity, and connectedness with their colleagues. The aim of this study was to assess Icelandic university teachers’ perceptions of their intrinsic, identified regulated, and extrinsic motivation, their identity, and their sense of connectedness/community. Teachers at all seven universities in Iceland (n = 3639) received a survey link and 23.4% responded.
Scales that had been previously validated in Icelandic were used to assess concepts.
Identified regulated motivation (i.e., values/teaching commitment) and teaching
identity were rated highest, followed by intrinsic motivation (i.e., teaching enjoyment), and extrinsic motivation. The degree to which teachers felt connected to their colleagues was rated the lowest. Suggestions are made as to how to strengthen departmental community of practice and increase administrators’ awareness of teachers’ needs and perceptions of factors that are connected to identity and teacher motivation.