A Study To Assess The Relationships Among Student Achievement, Teacher Motivation, And Incentive Pay

Abstract

The purpose of this descriptive study was to investigate the relationships among the awarding of career pay, teacher motivation, and student achievement. This study sought to answer the following questions: (1) Is there a difference in intrinsic and extrinsic motivation of those teachers who receive career pay as opposed to those teachers who do not receive career pay? and (2) Is reading and mathematics achievement higher in teachers' classes where teachers receive career pay than in classes where teachers do not receive career pay? According to the U.S. Department of Education projections, by the year 2009 school systems will face a 2-2.5 million teacher shortage. Some 200,000 new teachers are needed annually to enter the profession. Career pay may prove to be a method to reward, to attract, and to retain excellent teachers. Student achievement was assessed using the California Achievement Test. Pretest and Posttest gain scores were used to assess higher achievement in reading or mathematics for teachers who receive career pay as opposed to those who did not receive career pay. A Teacher Motivation Questionnaire was used to assess intrinsic and extrinsic motivation of teachers. Specifically, the instrument was used to determine if teachers who received career pay were more intrinsically or extrinsically motivated than teachers who did not receive career pay. Data collected were analyzed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences using regression analysis, frequencies, reliability, and t-tests. Conclusions of this study are that teachers who receive career pay are not more intrinsically or extrinsically motivated than teachers who do not receive career pay and that student achievement is not increased by the awarding of career pay.