Motivation to Learn: Achievement Goals, Self-Efficacy and Classroom Social Climate in Secondary School

Several studies on school motivation emphasize that motivation to learn is not a unitary process, but it can be considered like a set of strategies that involve metacognitive processes at different levels. In Educational Psychology, the Achievement Goal Theory is an approach used to discuss research into motivation to learn and for this reason achievement goals are thought to be a key factor influencing the level of a student's intrinsic motivation. This study analyzes, in secondary school students, the relationship between achievement goals, self-efficacy and social climate in classroom. We assume that task goals and task goal structure predict the academic self-efficacy and the classroom social climate with particular reference to perceived teacher-student relationships and sense of school belonging. This research highlights the importance of the achievement goals in the development of motivational processes and self-efficacy in school

Teaching interactive practices and burnout: a study on Italian teachers

The purpose of the present study was to analyse the role played by teaching interactive practices (measured through a self-report Likert scale) in predicting teacher burnout, after controlling for school grade (primary vs. secondary school) and teaching experience. Participants were 282 Italian teachers equally distributed between primary and secondary schools. Teaching interactive practices were investigated through a purpose-built questionnaire concerning teacher- versus student-centred practices. Burnout was studied using the Maslach Burnout Inventory in its three-dimensionalâEmotional Exhaustion, Low Personal Accomplishment and DepersonalizationâItalian version. An explorative factor analysis on the questionnaire displayed three dimensions of teaching practices, namely student-centred practices focused on flexibility, student-centred practices focused on participation and teacher-centred practices. The main results showed that, irrespective of school grade and teaching experience, the adoption of interactive practices favouring studentsâ participation negatively predicted burnout; on the contrary, teacher-centred practices and flexibility positively predicted it. The result implications for educational processes and teacher training are discussed in the conclusion