Factors Affecting Teacher Autonomy Support

Teachers’ autonomy support is defined as the extent to which teachers support the autonomy of their students. The reform of the curriculum advocates the autonomous learning. It contributes to stimulate students’ potential. It calls for teachers’ support. Teachers’ autonomy support is affected by many factors, but there was lack of study on it in our country. Therefore, the researcher decided to examine factors that contribute to Jiangsu Province science teachers’ perceptions of autonomy support based on others’ studies.The study used a mixed methods design including quantitative data collected through a survey and qualitative data collected through open-ended interview questions to investigate171middle school science teachers in Jiangsu Province. The survey consisted of four assessments related to perceptions of constraints at work, perceptions of students’ motivation, teachers’ self-determination and level of autonomy support for students. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) of responses for the teacher sample was carried out for each of the survey assessments in order to get the main factors.Multiple regression was used to predict how perceptions of constraints at work, perceptions of students’motivation and teachers’self-determination affected teachers’ autonomy support for students. Then the researcher gave some advises.The results were as followings:(1) The main factors influenced teachers’ perceptions of constraints at work were support, school requirements, curriculum requirements. The factors related to teachers’ perceptions of students’ motivation were accomplishment, job success, amotivation and enjoyment. The factors related to teachers’ self-determination were satisfaction, income, habit and identity.(2) The level of teachers’ autonomy support were different with different groups. The levels of the masters of education were more. But they both had highest average score on the high autonomy support factor.It showed that the teacher had high level of perceptions of teachers’ autonomy support for students.(3) Teachers’ perceptions of constraints at work, teachers’ perceptions of students’ motivation, teachers’self-determination were found to directly or indirectly predict teachers’ autonomy support.These two groups were different. For the masters of education, teachers’ perceptions of constraints at work, teachers’perceptions of students’ motivation, teachers’self-determination directly affected teachers’ autonomy support for students. For the key teachers, teachers’ perceptions of constraints at work, teachers’ perceptions of students’ motivation through teachers’ self-determination affected teachers’ autonomy support for students except the direct part.The researcher made some recommendations to improve the teachers’autonomy support based on the findings. We should make efforts to reduce the constraints at work, improve teachers’ perceptions of student motivation and especially raise the level of teachers’ work motivation.