Demotivation among university lecturers and its relationship with sociodemographic, work-related and personality factors

Abstract

This study analyzes the relationship between demotivation among teachers and sociodemographic (sex, age and marital status), work-related (area of expertise, teaching status and years spent teaching) and personality variables (trait anxiety and coping strategies). Participants were 66 lecturers at the University of the Basque Country and the Public University of Navarra (mean age = 40.48, SD = 9.02; 73% women, 27% men). The “Demotivation” subscale of the Teacher Stress Scale ED-6 was used, along with the Trait Anxiety Questionnaire, an adaptation of the Responses to Stress Questionnaire and some measures created ad hoc. The analyses revealed significant differences in sex, age and marital status; differences were also found in the work-related and personality variables. The profile of a demotivated teacher is a young, single woman from the social field, with no stable position and a tendency to suffer from anxiety, who uses adequate coping strategies such as emotional regulation, although scores highly also in denial. These and other questions which affect teacher demotivation should be taken into consideration during the training of university teaching staff.