Linking passion for teaching and self-regulatory modes to teachers’ goal progress, perseverance, and subjective well-being

Abstract

An alarming increase in teacher turnover and associated consequences in recent decades are well recorded. Extant research has predominately focused on the various motives that lead teachers to leave their schools or the teaching profession. Little attention has been given to possible contributors to teachers’ perseverance. I sought to address this gap in teacher retention literature by investigating how passion for teaching and self-regulatory modes influence teachers’ goal-directed outcomes (achievement goal progress and perseverance) as well as their subjective well-being. I conducted two cross-sectional studies on K-12 in-service teachers recruited through a public listserv. In each study, participants were provided with a link to an online Qualtrics questionnaire. In Study 1 (N = 448), harmonious passion for teaching was positively associated with achievement goal progress, which was an antecedent of teachers’ perseverance. Also, harmonious passion for teaching had a direct positive association with subjective well-being. In Study 2 (N = 223), assessment had a significant moderating effect on the relationship between locomotion and achievement goal progress such that the effects of locomotion on achievement goal progress were stronger when assessment was low. Implications from the findings of this research and considerations for future research are discussed.