Teachers’ Work Motivation And Their Job Satisfaction

Work motivation is the energetic force to content and gratify the primary school teachers in the workplace that can enrich job advancement,personal growth,and professional development of teachers.In order to probe the approaches facilitating primary school teachers’ job advancement,personal growth,and professional development,this study has investigated the work motivation and job satisfaction of primary school teachers in Myanmar.It examined the primary school teachers’ teaching practices and how extrinsic,and intrinsic motivation factors have affected their job satisfaction.The study adopted Herzberg’s Theory of Motivation,which explains the motivation factors that affect people’s job satisfaction from intrinsic motivation factors and extrinsic motivation factors.A sample of 16 primary school teachers from the Yangon region was recruited purposively.Semi-structured interviews have been used to narrate their life experiences concerning how the motivation factors affect their job satisfaction.The study found that achievement,recognition,advancement,and the work itself were the motivators contributing significantly to the job satisfaction of primary school teachers in Myanmar.In this study,the intrinsic motivation factors were psychological incentives that allowed the teachers to feel satisfied in their job.Conversely,extrinsic motivation factors such as salary,policy,interrelationship,and working conditions gave them dissatisfaction about their job.However,other extrinsic motivation factors,such as good interrelationship with colleagues and safe,secure,and well-equipped working conditions,boosted the job satisfaction of primary school teachers in Myanmar.These findings will contribute to researchers’ and school teachers’ understanding of the motivation factors that affect the job satisfaction of primary school teachers in Myanmar.Meanwhile,these findings will benefit school principals and policymakers of the Ministry of Education in Myanmar to find ways to assist teachers’ welfare and job advancement.