Students’ Motivation and Teaching Practices in Secondary Education: Implications for Teacher Training

Abstract Book of the 11th International Conference on Research in Education, Teaching and Learning

Year: 2026

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Students’ Motivation and Teaching Practices in Secondary Education: Implications for Teacher Training

Dr. Ludovico Vespasiani, Sara Germani, Maria Grazia Rionero

ABSTRACT:

Students’ motivation represents a fundamental dimension of the school experience and can be fostered through the quality of teaching interactions and educational relationships. Within this perspective, the Self-Determination Theory (Ryan & Deci, 2017) has contributed to clarifying the role of educational practices in supporting students’ engagement, helping to identify a set of teacher behaviors that may either promote or hinder learning motivation. These practices are considered valuable both for the analysis of teaching practices and for teacher training and professional development.
The present study investigates how teachers interpret the motivational impact of such practices. A sample of 152 secondary school teachers evaluated 46 different teaching actions, rating their potential impact on students’ motivation on a scale ranging from –3 (strongly demotivating) to +3 (strongly motivating). Participants also responded to an open-ended question aimed at identifying the practices they considered most consistent with their own teaching style. Findings show that teachers attributed a strongly demotivating impact to actions that undermine students’ dignity and participation. Conversely, a strongly motivating impact emerged for actions focused on the educational relationship and active student involvement. The open-ended responses confirmed the centrality of the educational relationship and identified listening, empathy, and formative feedback as key motivational factors, highlighting professional development needs.
Findings suggest that teaching actions affecting students’ motivation may be considered “malleable” professional practices, open to development and transformation. The evaluation of motivational teaching actions may thus represent a useful reflective tool for guiding teachers’ professional development and promoting more inclusive and participatory learning environments.

Keywords: Students’ Motivation, Teaching Practices, Teachers’ Motivational Behaviors, Secondary Education, Self-Determination Theory