Teacher Motivation for Staying in the Profession: Insights from Lao PDR

Investigating the motivations of teachers in staying in the profession may support the Ministry of Education and Sports in retaining their existing workforce and contribute to addressing teacher shortage in Lao PDR. Through quantitative methodologies, this study explored the factors that influence teachers’ motivation to remain in their teaching careers. The descriptive statistics revealed that the majority of Laotian teacher respondents have high motivation levels to continue serving as teachers. The respondents also view positively the eight motivational factors, namely, ‘sense of purpose and fulfillment’, ‘teaching as interest and passion’, ‘sense of growth and development’, ‘sense of being respected and valued’, ‘teacher well-being’, ‘school environment’, ‘salary, incentives and benefits’, and ‘government laws and policies’. Inferential statistics showed that the use of personal money for professional development is positively associated, although to a very weak extent, with motivation to stay in the profession. The predictive model, on the other hand, identified a combination of motivational factors and socio-demographic variables that predict teacher motivation. These include the factors ‘government laws and policies’, ‘sense of purpose and fulfillment’, age, marital status, and engagement in workshop seminars and self-learning for professional development. The study also suggested a few policy implications that address system-wide challenges and intrinsic drivers.