Teacher Self-Motivation & Student Achievement in Connection to Professional Growth

In an effort to enhance professional development, a study of the relationship between student achievement and teacher self-motivation was carried out in some Sri Lankan schools. It requires a workforce that is active and composed of well-trained, developed individuals to survive. Consequently, a teacher's internal motivation to enhance his methods is what propels him to become a qualified educator who can meet the demands of others. Teachers have to acknowledge and prioritize their professional development needs if they are to do their professions effectively. In order to comprehend the current critical problems in the education sector, it is necessary to recognize the relationship to student achievement. The research literature indicates that examining the nature of teacher self-motivation for professional growth is a challenging issue. The study has revealed that a range of occupational criteria and non-occupational determinants contribute to the determination of teacher self-motivation. In this study, 200 teachers, 105 students in 1AB, 1C, and Type 2 schools in Gampaha District, Minuwangoda Education Zone, Sri Lanka, were selected according to multistage random sampling method and 5 principals were selected using stratified random sampling method. Pilot tests were conducted to validate the use of a structured questionnaire approach with 5-Likert and interview technique as the primary sources of data gathering. Thematic analysis was used to examine the qualitative data, while descriptive statistical methods and Pearson's correlation coefficient were used to study the quantitative data. The majority of respondents were female teachers (84.9%) who had either obtained professional experience (88%) prior to or following their entry into the teaching profession. Furthermore, a teacher's self-motivation for professional development could be evaluated via descriptive statistical techniques, that would indicate 57.8% of the sample was either minimally or not motivated at all. However, it became clear from the principals' and teachers' interviews that there are a variety of non-work-related and work-related causes for this. As a result, it becomes necessary to set up efficient programs to increase teachers' motivation for professional growth.