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Teachers’ Motivation as a Mediation Mechanism in Self-Directed Learning-Conducive Primary School Environments

Charlene du Toit-Brits,  Elizabeth-Ann Armstrong, Henry Blignaut

Research unit Self-directed Learning, Faculty of Education, North-West University, Potchefstroom, South Africa

Abstract

Although self-directed learning (SDL) is widely recognised as the foundation for learner autonomy and lifelong learning, limited empirical research has examined how teachers’ motivation mediates the cultivation of SDL-conducive learning environments in primary schools. Guided by Self-Determination Theory and Long’s dimensions of SDL (motivation, metacognition, and self-regulation), this qualitative interpretive study explored how teachers´ motivation shapes supportive learning environments. Eleven (11) purposively selected primary school teachers from the North-West Province participated in semi-structured face-to-face individual interviews. Data were analysed inductively using thematic analysis. The findings suggest that teachers’ autonomous motivation operates through two interconnected pathways: (1) climate-building teaching practices that foster psychological safety, competence, autonomy and belonging; and (2) lead-by-example modelling that makes goal setting, reflection, and self-monitoring visible to learners. In contrast, lower motivation and limited support were associated with a reversion to more teacher-centred practices that restrict the autonomy of the learner. This study contributes to SDL scholarship by conceptualising teachers’ motivation not as a static trait, but as an enacted professional resource that mediates between instructional design and the development of learner SDL in primary education settings.  

Keywords: Autonomous, empowered, intrinsic motivation, learning environment, motivation, self-directed learning, self-efficacy

How to cite this article: Du Toit-Brits, C., Armstrong, E.-A., & Blignaut, H. (2026). Teachers’ motivation as a mediation mechanism in self-directed learning-conducive primary school environments. African Perspectives of Research in Teaching and Learning, 10(1), 198–211.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.70875/v10i1article15      

Date published: 07 April 2026