Teacher Trust in Colleagues and Basic Psychological Needs: A Two-Wave Cross-Lagged Study

Considering the importance of social climate for teacher motivation, this study, grounded in self-determination theory, examines the longitudinal links between teacher trust in colleagues and the satisfaction and frustration of their basic psychological needs: relatedness, competence, and autonomy. The study was conducted among 666 Canadian vocational teachers. Results of the structural equation modelling analyses reveal that: trust in colleagues at T1 positively predicts the satisfaction of the three basic psychological needs (relatedness, competence, and autonomy) at T2; and trust in colleagues at T1 negatively predicts the frustration of the three needs (relatedness, competence, and autonomy) at T2. The results of this study contribute to a better understanding of the key role of trust in colleagues in teacher motivation, from a longitudinal perspective. In fact, when vocational teachers perceive the presence of relational trust in their colleagues, their motivational resources are more enhanced, which ultimately contributes to quality work motivation. In light of these findings, principals would do well to look at ways of cultivating teacher trust in colleagues when they want to motivate their teaching staff.