Teaching and Student Evaluation Tasks: Cross-Cultural Adaptation, Psychometric Properties and Measurement Invariance of Work Tasks Motivation Scale for Teachers

Abstract

<p style="text-align: justify;">The present research aimed to test an Amharic version of the multi-dimensional Work Task Motivation Scale for Teachers (WTMST), which measures the five pillars of university instructors’ motivation toward teaching and student evaluation tasks based on self-determination theory (SDT). Therefore, the WTMST offers the first instrument to measure all five motivational elements, and today it is one of the most applicable instruments to assess teachers’ motivation. An Amharic version of the WTMST for teaching and student evaluation tasks was adopted and assessed in large-scale data (N=1,117). Our findings demonstrate excellent reliability and construct validity (convergent, discriminant, divergent and factorial). Besides, the results of the model comparisons provided that out of the four theoretically competing models (single-order factor, correlated factor, higher-order factor and bi-factor models), the bi-factor model was the most-fitted one used for measurement invariance across various groups. Results also suggest that the factor structure of the WTMST for both teaching and student evaluation tasks demonstrate consistency across gender (men, women), university types (research, applied, and general university), age and experience in teaching. Therefore, the WTMST for teaching and student evaluation tasks may be valid in Ethiopian higher education settings.</p>

COVID-19 Stress and Teachers Well-Being: The Mediating Role of Sense of Coherence and Resilience

“…Similarly, a negative association has been found between psychological distress and SOC whereas a positive relation has been observed between SOC and resilience [45,[56][57][58]. Furthermore, SOC mediates the relationship between adverse experiences and positive well-being and plays a protective and mediating role between stressors and positive well-being [53,59,60]. The above evidence leads us to believe that SOC and resilience function as buffers and play a significant role in lowering frustration and stress and boosting TWB during the COVID-19 pandemic.…”

“…SOC is a construct made up of three dimensions: comprehensibility, meaningfulness, and manageability [53,55]. Individuals with a higher SOC are better able to understand themselves and their social surroundings, reduce negative feelings, improve their overall physical health, reduce stress, and promote general well-being [46,59]. Furthermore, researchers discovered a substantiated, positive, and significant relationship between SOC and well-being, as well as a negative association with its negative outcomes [53,[61][62][63][64].…”

“…Resilience is a potentially protective psychological resource that leads to long-term gains, allows recovery from life stressors, increases work and life satisfaction, builds social capital, aids in the acquisition of new knowledge and experiences, fosters better relationships with others, and promotes the search for a life purpose [47]. It also serves as a positive psychological mechanism that helps prevent harm, overcomes or compensates for risks [24], enables individuals to recover quickly and effectively from stressful experiences [45], and allows them to adjust to adversity in a favorable and positive manner [59]. Indeed, [24] created the resilience theory, which is applicable and necessary to everyday skills, all age groups, and all psychological situations.…”

“…Meanwhile, [23,58] proposed the broaden-andbuild theory of positive emotions, arguing that resilient individuals use positive emotions as core resources to rebound and find a purpose in life during stressful situations [60]. According to this model, resilience, as an intervention strategy that cultivates positive emotions, is more than just a method for healing and protecting oneself from pathology and distress [58,59].…”

“…Ethiopia is home to 50. Thus, the Ministry of Education grouped universities considered centers of excellence based on the establishment age, contribution to research and community service, the extent of international competition and collaboration, efficiency, infrastructure, and research publication [35,46,59]. Institutions in the study area were classified as research (Bahirdar and Gondar), applied (Wollo, Debre Berhan, and Debre Markos), and general (Debre Tabor, Mekidela amba Woldia, and Injibara) universities.…”