Motivation, work experience, and teacher performance: A comparative study

Abstract

This research study investigates the effect of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation on employee performance, with a specific focus on the moderating role of employees' work experience. This investigation utilizes a proposed framework, focusing on higher educational institutions in West Bengal, India. It contributes to the human resource management field by comparing teacher performance in private and government academic institutions based on their motivation levels. The study employs a quantitative approach, collecting data from 250 teachers in West Bengal, India, using a structured questionnaire. The dataset underwent analysis employing Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) due to its inherent capacity to accommodate smaller sample sizes while delivering precise and insightful outcomes. The results indicate a strong positive relationship between intrinsic and extrinsic motivation and teacher performance in both types of institutions. Work experience moderates the connection between intrinsic motivation and performance in both sectors but has no significant impact on the relationship between extrinsic motivation and performance in private academic institutions. This study links a gap in the literature by empirically exploring the impact of teacher motivation on their performance and provides valuable insights into the complex interplay among motivation, work experience, and performance. Practically, it emphasizes the importance of employee motivation and accumulated work experience in enhancing performance. This study attempts to underscore the role of work experience as a moderating variable, thereby contributing to the novel discourse in the educational landscape of the post-pandemic era. The findings demand to identification of diverse organizational developmental drivers as work experience does not exhibit a strong mediation effect. However, limitations such as potential response bias should be considered in future research in this area.