Why do I teach? A mixed-methods study of in-service teachers’ motivations, autonomy-supportive instruction, and emotions

The overreliance on quantitative methods in teacher motivation studies has limited our understanding of the content and function of teachers’ motivations. Through teacher interviews (n = 16; 100% White; 63% female; 2–21 years of experience) and surveys (n = 124; 96% White; 57% female; 0.5–40 years of experience), this study used mixed-methods approaches to explore what motivates teachers to teach and how those motivations relate to teachers’ autonomy-supportive instruction and teaching emotions. Findings revealed that teachers who intrinsically valued their content area fostered more understanding, linked social utility value to positive emotions, and associated their teaching ability with favorable instructional and emotional outcomes.