Motivation and motivating in the educational process in the light of transactional analysis theory

Abstract

In this article selected aspects of motivating others (or lack of it) as well as generating or reducing motivation in oneself by an individual in the educational process are presented in the light of transactional analysis theory constructs, namely the structural model of ego-states, a symbiosis of the first and the second order and the model of structural pathology based on the example of contamination. In reference to this last construct, selected results of own original research are reported. The research was conducted on a sample of 50 teachers working either in kindergartener primary school. In a diagnostic survey a questionnaire was used as a data collection tool. The analysis of the results indicated that 78% of the total number of responses pointed to being expressed from a contaminated Parent ego-state, while only 22% were expressed from an uncontaminated Adult ego-state. No response coming from a contaminated Child ego-state was registered. Moreover, the kindergarten teachers showed significantly more of their uncontaminated Adult ego-state than the primary school teachers. However, no statistically significant relationship was observed between the age and the length of teaching experience versus the number of displayed contaminations or non-contaminations of the teachers.