Structural Relationships among Teachers’ Goal Orientations for Teaching, Self-efficacy, Burnout, and Attitudes towards Teaching

Teachers' goal orientations for teaching are one of the most important motivational beliefs affecting instructional processes. This study investigated the structural relationship between teachers' goal orientations for teaching and their attitudes towards their job through measures of self-efficacy and burnout. 495 teachers (primary, secondary, or high schools) participated in the study. Hypothetical models were created and tested using the variables mentioned above. The results suggest: 1) mastery goal orientation, through self-efficacy and burnout measures, is a positive predictor of attitudes towards teaching, 2) work-avoidance orientation, through self-efficacy and burnout measures, is a negative predictor of attitudes towards teaching and 3) ability-approach orientation has no effect on attitudes towards teaching. In addition, it has been found that the above goal orientations do not have a direct effect on teachers' attitudes towards teaching. The results are further discussed through comparisons to related literature.