Teachers' Perceptions of the Role of Motivation in Learning and Academic Achievement Across School Levels

Abstract

: Background: Student motivation is closely connected with classroom engagement, persistence, participation and academic functioning. Teachers play a central role in creating motivational conditions through emotional support, feedback, structure, autonomy support and instructional practices. Objective : This study examined teachers’ perceptions of the role of motivation in learning and academic achievement across school levels, the motivational strategies teachers use, perceived challenges, and differences in motivational needs. Methods: A quantitative, descriptive-comparative, cross-sectional design was used. Fifty-five teachers completed a structured 35-item questionnaire administered through Google Forms. Likert-scale responses were summarised using means and standard deviations, while categorical responses were described using frequencies and percentages. Results: Teachers strongly agreed that motivation influences academic achievement (M = 4.53, SD = 0.96) and that classroom environment is important for student motivation (M = 4.53, SD = 0.63). Teacher encouragement (M = 4.38) and parental support (M = 4.35) were also highly endorsed. Activity-based learning was the most highly reported strategy (M = 4.33), followed by goal setting and constructive feedback (M = 4.25 each). Forty-eight of 55 teachers (87.27%) perceived at least some differences in motivational needs across school levels. Major challenges included student disinterest, digital distractions, academic pressure, inadequate parental support, low confidence, fear of failure and classroom or institutional constraints. Conclusion: Teachers perceive motivation as an important, multidimensional and context-dependent component of learning. Student-centred, developmentally appropriate and flexible strategies, supported by parents and school management, may strengthen motivational conditions. As this study measured perceptions rather than actual student achievement or motivation, the findings should not be interpreted causally.