Research Into The Motivation Of Teachers In Higher Vocational Institutes

Vocational education will enjoy a beautiful Spring with a bright future and good opportunities for all during the period of our national the eleventh five-year plan for the development of the economy and society. In the meantime, higher vocational institutes will continue to meet at least three challenges: the lack of input into education, a fierce level of competitiveness in the education sector and teacher-team building with high attributes. In order to accomplish their main aim of educating large number of students in practical competency for our nation, higher vocational institutes must solve these problems and meet these challenges. The continued development of high vocational institutes depends on motivating teachers which will not only enhance the competitiveness of the vocational institute but is also an effective means of increasing working efficiency and performance, as well as strengthening teacher-team building. I, myself worked for many years as a teacher in a vocational institute and support the view that the research into teacher motivation is meaningful in a realistic society when combined with theories of incentive and teachers' administrative practice.This dissertation will look at several important theories of incentive. The necessity of motivation in teachers in higher vocational institutes and the inadequacy of motivation and its causes will be analyzed. Problems of research in this area and their resolution will also be covered. There are many reasons for motivational inadequacy but the major reasons are the blocking of managerial idea, the unreasonable structure of theLeadership in the specialty, unreasonable polices and measures and "officer-oriented thought" (that is the fact that teachers dream of becoming officers rather than ordinary staff members in the institutes).Although the managerial mode has been revised in recent years and some improvements have been made, the overall benefits have been limited. Serious problems remain in motivating and retaining good teachers. For example, the turnover of middle-aged teachers at the higher professional remains high. The system of teacher evaluation is less than perfect. The understanding of teachers' main needs is lacking. The incentive measures are not in good standardization and institution. The decision-making governed by men is serious and popular in the process of teacher administering. All of the above have a negative effect on incentives, low enthusiasm in the workplace.The effect of the incentive measures in the Hunan Railway Vocational-technology Institute in the recent years will be analyzed in the dissertation through literatures, questionnaires and individual interviewing. Both the need differentials of different type teachers and the needs hierarchy structure of teachers will also be analyzed. The impact on different type of teachers of the material incentives, policy incentives, environmental incentives and spiritual incentives will also be analyzed. Through these analyses, the using of incentive theories, existing research findings and results and a variety of practical settings, the dissertation will discuss incentive measures that will motivate teachers and how these measures can be established successfully. Theprinciples and measures of motivating teachers are brought forward at the end of the discourse. The main incentive methods are material, spiritual, objective, participative and emotive. The final part of the dissertation will stress the principles that the design and implementation of the incentive measures must present thoughts based on people. The establishment of harmonious institutes is the highest bourn of teacher motivating. It is vital that the managers pay close attention to changes in teachers' dominant needs, so that incentive measures can be timely adjusted accordingly over time. One of the most important evaluation indicators of motivation effectiveness is the comparison of costs and profits that incentive measures bring about. The unification of "motivation by others" and "self-motivation" is a good method of gaining high incentive effectiveness. The author is confident that the research results will be helpful in the reform of teachers' administration in higher vocational institutes and will also provide the managerial staff with some definite points of reference and instructional functionsKeywords: incentive theories;teachers;hierarchy of needs;incentive factors;incentive measures...