Abstract:

Today’s the head of the institution must be a leader who is characterized by strategic thinking, is able to foresee, present, manage and implement changes, conduct research, provide insights, assess and self-assess, analyse, systematize, communicate and collaborate, develop himself/herself and encourage the development of others, and inspire and motivate employees. Employees’ motivation for work is one of the essential indicators determining the successful operation of the institution, therefore, the priority of the head of the educational institution as a leader is to observe and analyse the factors that motivate or demotivate an employee to act. The head of the institution must create a positive work environment, where friendly and partnership working relations prevail, every teacher is evaluated and recognized, and involved in the creation of the organization’s value. In such a work environment, employees are creative, motivated, engaged and satisfied with their work. Thus, taking care of the well-being of employees in the institution is a leader’s duty, while the ability to meet the expectations of the institution’s employees is a guarantee of the success of leadership. In this context, the problem question of the research arises – how does knowing the factors of teachers’ motivation and demotivation become a guarantee of the success of the leader’s activities of the head of the educational institution?

Research aim:
To carry out an analysis of primary education teachers’ motivation and demotivation for work.

Research and data analysis methods:
- Analysis of documents and scientific and methodological literature.
- Qualitative research (group (focus) interview).
- Content analysis.

Research methodology:
In order to find out the factors that motivate and demotivate primary education teachers to work, a qualitative study was conducted, which made it possible to find out the meanings that the informants give to professional activities. The created grid of categories made it possible to identify the essential factors of motivation and demotivation characteristic of professional activity. 36 teachers working in primary schools participated in the study. The research was conducted in June-October 2023.

Key research results:
The study revealed that work for teachers in primary education institutions is related to pedagogical vocation and job satisfaction. Teachers’ motivation for work is strengthened by good mutual relations, financial and verbal encouragement, evaluation by others and the opportunity to improve. In the teachers’ opinion, the motivation for work is mostly reduced by inappropriate management of school heads, negative microclimate prevailing in the institution, low salary of teachers and bad working conditions. The teachers emphasized that in the institution they are mostly motivated by applying various verbal (verbal encouragement, support, acknowledgement, work evaluation) and psychological (the given opportunity to improve, communicate and cooperate, etc.) means of motivation. The research revealed that financial motivation (bonuses, extras) is rarely used in the institutions. The leadership of the head of the educational institution is closely related to the ability to create and apply an appropriate employee motivation system for a specific institution, to encourage employees to experience a sense of meaning, to inspire them for change, communication, cooperation, improvement, quality and efficient work.

Keywords:

Leadership Skills, Job Satisfaction, Primary Education Organization, Factors of motivation and demotivation, Successful leadership.