The Relationship Between Iranian EFL Teachers’ Personality Traits and Motivational Trends in the First Five Years of Career

Teacher's motivation originates from both teacher-internal and teacher-external conditions. This correlation-based study aimed to investigate Iranian EFL teachers’ motivational trend during their first five years of teaching in relationship to their personality type. Drawing on trait theory of personality and the big five personality framework, the research explores how novice EFL teachers' motivation during the first five years of career is influenced by personality traits. Participants in this study were ۱۴۴ English teachers in Iranian high schools. The International Personality Item Pool-Neuroticism, Extraversion, Openness Personality Inventory (IPIP-NEO) and the Factors Influencing Teaching Choice Scale (FIT-CS) were used to assess teachers' personality and motivation. Teachers' motivation showed a steady rising trend in the first five years of their career. Results revealed that conscientiousness and openness are significant positive predictors of teacher motivation, while neuroticism negatively impacts motivation. However, teaching experience did not significantly moderate the relationship between personality traits and motivation, indicating that other professional conditions may influence this dynamic over time. This study contributes to the literature by examining teacher motivation in a non-Western context, offering valuable insights into the dynamicity between the internal and external factors contributing to Iranian EFL teachers’ motivation within a complex dynamic systems perspective. The findings have practical implications for teacher recruitment, professional development, and retention strategies, emphasizing the need to consider individual personality traits in fostering long-term motivation and job satisfaction with ramifications at both individual teacher level and organization level.

کلیدواژه ها:

EFL ، Personality ، Teaching Experience ، Teacher motivation ، Trait theory