On January 25, Iwate JALT Margarita Foster, a teacher at Hachinohe Gakuin University whose studies include psychology and criminology gave a talk. She is currently researching juvenile delinquency and resilience, but what brought her to us this past Sunday was a discussion about teachers and what motivates them.
Foster had recently completed some research on the topic of teacher motivation, and she spoke of her results. She explained that there were many external and internal factors that motivate or demotivate a teacher, and that these factors can also cause stress and even burnout if they aren’t dealt with properly. She went over the results of her teacher survey and outlined that in Japan, working conditions within schools can lead to burnout in teachers. She offered some ways in which teachers might be able to reignite their passion for teaching, and find new ways to keep their motivation up. We want to thank Margarita for joining us and sharing her research with us.
Reported by Jason Hill
