Motivational factors of engineering teachers at two-year colleges

Two-year technological colleges constitute learning opportunities for students with a relatively low level of achievement. The training at the college is focused on the practical aspect of the profession and less on its theoretical one. In light of the important role played by teachers in the learning process, the study quantitatively
examined the factors motivating instructors to teach electronics at a leading two-year college in Israel. Sixteen electronics teachers took part in the study. The findings indicate that the instructors are primarily driven by interest in teaching electronics (intrinsic motivation). In addition, the teachers are motivated by identifying a value inherent to teaching (identified regulation). A comparison to the motivational factors toward learning electronics among engineering students from the same college reveals a significant difference between the two groups in relation to intrinsic motivation. This gap, in favor of the first, is characterized by a very large effect size.