This master’s thesis examines the motivation and professional challenges faced by teachers who teach English and/or German as foreign languages in Slovenia. The theoretical part first introduces the concept of motivation in general and then links it to the field of education, where motivation plays a key role in teachers’ pedagogical work, their personal growth and development, and their ability to cope with the numerous challenges they encounter throughout their professional careers.
The empirical part, based on 117 electronic questionnaires completed by primary and secondary school teachers of English and/or German, analyses the motivational and professional challenges these teachers experience on a daily basis – both in classroom practice and in their professional lives more broadly. The analysis aims to determine whether teachers were primarily intrinsically or extrinsically motivated when choosing their career, how they generally perceived the beginning of their professional path, and which motives influenced their decision to enter the teaching profession. Another goal of the research is to identify the motivational factors that most strongly support English and/or German teachers in their pedagogical work, as well as those they feel are lacking within their profession. Providing a deeper insight into this relatively underexplored field of teachers’ motivation is intended to support both experienced and novice teachers in gaining a better understanding of this crucial aspect of their profession and in preparing for future challenges they may face.
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