Stress Free and High Self-esteem: Approaches of Motivation Towards Teachers and School Students

摘要

The present study focuses on the paramount importance of teachers’ and students’ motivation in secondary school level. This is a descriptive and analytical study on issues in motivation from teachers’ perspectives, based on a qualitative study. The study investigates the relationship between teachers’ stress free and high self-esteem as approaches to motivate themselves and their students. Stress and low self-esteem are assumed to have a significant link to maximize teachers’ difficulties in dealing with students in school. Therefore, to have stress free and high self-esteem is important for teachers to motivate themselves to optimize their teaching performance. The current study also investigates the effects of these approaches on students ‘motivation to increase their school's achievement. A semi-structured interview method was conducted to two teachers in one International School in Malaysia. The study found that stress free teachers are able (1) to understand and to deal with their own problems, (2) to involve in school's activities with students, (3) to perceive their tasks as important and to handle tasks easily, (4) to perceive their job as significant for themselves and others, (5) to understand and deal with students’ problems, (6) to perceive students as capable in resolving their study problems, and to (7) control their emotion. The study also found that high self-esteem teachers are able (1) to manage their classes, (2) to deliver their lessons, (3) to organize their work, (4) to evaluate students’ performance, (5) to perceive students’ differences and to work with their differences. The study also revealed that teachers perceived difficult students as challenges to produce strategies to cope with their problems. The study indicated motivation among teachers whose stress is perceived as a challenge in teaching and learning process. The study also indicated motivation among teachers with high self-esteem to perform their duty and responsibility at their optimal level in school for the purpose of students’ motivation.