Examination of the relationship between teachers' professional alienation and vocational motivation levels

In this study, it was aimed to examine the professional alienation and motivation levels of teachers in terms of some variables and to determine the relationship between these two concepts. Sample of the research consists of 412 participants selected by simple random sampling method from teachers working in public schools in Sakarya in the 2021-2022 academic year. In this study, in which the relational screening model was used, the level of professional alienation of the participants was measured with the "Work Alienation Scale" and the level of professional motivation was measured using the "Teacher Vocational Motivation Scale". In the analysis of the data, the t-test was used to determine the differentiation of the occupational alienation and motivation levels of the participants according to the variables of gender, marital status, educational status and having been a school administrator; One-Way ANOVA was used to determine the differentiation according to the level of employment, seniority and staff status; Pearson correlation was used to determine the relationship between professional alienation and motivation. The effect of occupational motivation on occupational alienation was examined by regression analysis. It was determined that the level of professional alienation of the participants was low and the level of professional motivation was high. It was determined that male participants had higher perceptions of occupational alienation and the sub-dimensions of meaninglessness, isolation, alienation from school compared to females. It was observed that the perception of isolation was higher in single participants, those with postgraduate education, those with 0-5 years of seniority, contracted and paid employees, and participants who had not been a school administrator before. It was determined that meaninglessness was the highest among those working at the high school level, and alienation from the school was the highest among those working at the pre-school and secondary school level. It was determined that female participants' perceptions of general and all sub-dimensions of occupational motivation were higher than males. Perceptions of married participants regarding vocational motivation, physical opportunities and in-school factors sub-dimension are higher than those of singles. It has been observed that the perceptions of those who perform their profession at the pre-school level regarding the general vocational motivation, physical opportunities, and out-of-school factors sub-dimension are higher. It was determined that the perceptions of the participants with postgraduate education regarding the physical facilities sub-dimension were higher than the others. It has been determined that those who have a seniority of 21 years or more and those who have been school administrators have higher perceptions of physical facilities, in-school and out-of-school factors sub-dimensions. It was determined that the variable of staff status did not show a statistically significant difference in terms of vocational motivation and its sub-dimensions. In addition, it was concluded that there is a moderate negative and statistically significant relationship between professional alienation and professional motivation. It has been determined that teachers' perception of professional motivation is a significant predictor of professional alienation levels. Keywords: Teacher, School Administrator, Professional Motivation, Professional Alienation.