Effects of Teacher Rewards on Recognition and Job Enrichment

This study tested potential implications of Herzberg’s motivation-hygiene theory for teacher reward programs by comparing changes in teachers’ job-enrichment opportunities and recognition after choosing one of two rewards (travel to professional training conferences or cash). Thirty-eight high-performing elementary and junior high school teachers (10 male and 28 female) from Tucson, Arizona, participated in the study. The results were consistent with the motivation-hygiene theory. Teachers choosing professional travel for training as a reward, when compared with teachers choosing cash as a reward, reported experiencing significantly more opportunities for job enrichment on two out of four criteria measures (conducting training workshops and redesigning curricula) and more recognition on one out of four criteria measures (advice seeking from peers). The policy implications for school boards and state and national legislatures include the need to be aware of the power and influences of intrinsic motivators compared with hygiene factors, such as money, when negotiating with teacher groups.