Characteristics Motivation of Work in the Context of Work Engagement Among Preschool Teachers

Abstract

Being a specific group of educators due to the specifics of the organization as well as the pedagogical and psychological content of their activities, preschool teachers show both similar and different characteristics in comparison with their peers from other educational institutions. At the same time, data on their work engagement, as well as on its connection with autonomous and controlled motivation, are scarce. The purpose of this study was to identify the connection between the professional motivation of the preschool teachers and their work engagement. The research involved 260 female participants ( M = 35.95, SD = 10.08), of whom 131 were preschool teachers and 129 made up a comparison group (the respondents were employed in different fields of activity). Data were collected using the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale (UWES) by W. Schaufeli and A. Bakker (adapted by D.A. Kutuzova) and the Professional Motivation Questionnaire by E.N. Osin et al. The results of the study confirmed the hypothesis of a positive relationship between autonomous professional motivation and work engagement, and a negative relationship between controlled motivation and work engagement. In addition, data were obtained on the significant predictive role of autonomous motivation for the level of work engagement. It was also found that the preschool teachers had higher rates of work engagement, as well as autonomous and controlled professional motivation, than the respondents of the comparison group. At the same time, in the group of the preschool teachers, with pronounced autonomous motivation, the effect of controlled motivation, which is negative for work engagement, disappears, which was not found in the comparison group. The age of the preschool teachers turned out to make a positive impact to their work engagement. As prospects for further research, it is proposed to involve teachers employed at different levels of the educational process (preschool, junior school, etc.), as well as to clarify the role of age and experience of the preschool teachers in their work engagement and professional motivation, since the available data are rather ambiguous.