Exploring the relationship between goal orientations for teaching of tertiary teachers and their teaching approaches in China

This study addresses a paucity of research into teacher motivation in higher education by exploring the relationship between tertiary teachers’ goal orientations for teaching and their approaches to teaching in China. A questionnaire gathered responses from 262 Chinese tertiary teachers, and the results showed these teachers reporting higher levels of relational and mastery goals for teaching and greater student-focused approach to teaching. Male teachers reported lower levels of ability-approach and mastery goals than female teachers, and teachers with no more than 5 years of teaching experience scored higher on both ability-approach and ability-avoidance goals than those with more than 15 years of teaching experience. The study also revealed that teachers’ ability goals significantly predicted a teacher-focused approach to teaching, and mastery goals predicted a student-focused approach to teaching.