







































English Language Teaching Educational Journal   ISSN 2621-6485 

Vol. 5, No. 3, December 2022, pp. 202-213  

       https://doi.org/10.12928/eltej.v5i3.8141          http://journal2.uad.ac.id/index.php/eltej/index          eltej@pbi.uad.ac.id  

Examining teachers' motivation in conducting teacher 

professional development: A self-determination theory 

perspective 

Eko Purwanti a,1,*, Salma Octavia b,2  

a, b Universitas Muhammadiyah Yogyakarta, Jl. Brawijaya, Geblagan, Tamantirto, Kasihan, Daerah Istimewa Yogyakarta 55183 
1 ekopurwanti@umy.ac.id*; 2 salma.octavia.fpb17@mail.umy.ac.id   

* corresponding author 

 

A R T I C L E  I N F O 

 

ABST RACT   

 

 

Article history 

Received 11 September 2022 

Revised 25 October 2022 

Accepted 25 November 2022 

 Teacher Professional Development (TPD) plays a vital role in fostering 
teacher professionalism by providing teachers with ongoing learning 
opportunities and support which eventually affect students’ learning. This 
study aims to find out various activities of English Secondary School 
teachers regarding their teacher professional development and to 
investigate their motivation in conducting TPD based on Self-
Determination Theory (SDT) as theoretical framework. A qualitative 
approach with a descriptive qualitative research design was employed in 
this study in which three English Secondary School teachers were 
involved as the participants using individual interviews as the data 
collection technique. Based on the interviews, the findings showed that 
TPD activities done by the participants were 1) attending workshop and 
seminar, 2) joining English Subject Teacher Forum, and 3) having 
informal peer discussions.  In addition, the next findings regarding the 
teachers’ motivation in conducting TPD proves that the three aspects of 
SDT emerged from the participants, comprising 1) self-awareness, 2) in 
line with profession, and 3) the need to be competent. These findings 
imply that various activities of TPD driven by internal motivation can be 
effective for English Secondary School teachers. Therefore, it is 
recommended that teachers have internal motivation in order to carry out 
successful TPD. 

 

This is an open access article under the CC–BY-SA license. 

    

 

 
Keywords 

Teacher Professional Development 

Professional Development Activities 

Teacher Motivations 

Self-determination Theory 

 

 

 

How to Cite: Purwanti, E. & Octavia, S. (2022). Examining teachers' motivation in conducting teacher 
professional development: A self-determination theory perspective. English Language Teaching Educational 
Journal, 5 (3), 202-213. 

1. Introduction 

Teachers play crucial roles in education because they facilitate students' learning, growth, and 
development. Teachers facilitate learning by cultivating inquisitiveness, critical thinking, and a 
passion for education (Mart, 2013). In addition, teachers motivate and mentor students as they advance 
through their education, equipping them with the knowledge, skills, and resources necessary for 
success in the classroom and beyond (Arianti, 2019). Teachers serve as mentors and role models by 
instilling values, nurturing character development, and promoting social and emotional well-being 
(Careemdeen, 2023), and through their commitment, knowledge, and passion, teachers shape the 
minds, lives, and futures of their students. Teachers also evaluate students' progress, provide 
constructive criticism, and provide individualized assistance to meet students' diverse needs 
(Jayasinghe, 2010). Finally, Teachers influence the conduct of their students (Szymkowiak et al., 
2021). Based on these roles, teachers become one of the factors that determine the success of 
education. 

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mailto:salma.octavia.fpb17@mail.umy.ac.id
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203 English Language Teaching Educational Journal   ISSN 2621-6485 
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 Purwanti, E. & Octavia, S. (Examining teachers' motivation in conducting teacher professional development.....) 

Having significant roles in education, teachers must be professionals by continuously enhancing 
their skills. Maintaining professionalism is essential for teachers because it safeguards the integrity 
and effectiveness of the educational system (Riadi et al., 2022). Professionalism enables teachers to 
cultivate an intellectually and socially stimulating environment conducive to students' growth 
(Richards & Farrell, 2005). Professional teachers demonstrate a strong work ethic, dependability, and 
dedication to their duties. They adhere to ethical standards, maintain confidentiality, and treat students, 
colleagues, and parents with respect. Professionalism also necessitates continuous self-improvement 
and keeping abreast of the latest educational research, methodologies, and practices. Professional 
teachers inspire students, parents, and the community who lead to improving education and fostering 
excellence. 

In Indonesian context, teacher professionalism is regulated in Teacher and Lecturer Law No. 
14/2005, particularly Article 10 paragraph 1 (2005), mentioning four competencies of teachers, 
comprising pedagogical, personal, social, and professional competencies (Latiana, 2019). First, 
teacher pedagogical competence is the ability or skill of teachers who can manage a learning process 
and learning interactions with students. Second, personal competence is related to personal character. 
Third, teacher social competence is related to communication skills, attitudes and interactions in 
general with students, fellow teachers, education staff, parents of students, as well as the wider 
community. Finally, teacher professional competence is related to the subject knowledge. In order to 
fulfil these four competencies, teachers need to carry out Teacher Professional Development (TPD) 
activities.  

Given the significance of TPD and the effects TPD has on teachers, it is then intriguing to seek the 
experiences of English secondary school teachers regarding their TPD activities. Additionally, it is 
interesting to investigate what motivates these teachers to undertake TPD despite their busy and tight 
schedules at school, particularly through the Self-determination Theory lens.   

1.1. Teacher professional development 

Teacher Professional Development (TPD) is the process of enhancing the academic quality of 
teachers in order to increase their competence and effectiveness in carrying out their professional 
responsibilities both inside and outside the classroom (Komba & Nkumbi, 2008).  In addition, TPD 
can be interpreted as how teachers use their knowledge, experience, skills, and technology to improve 
outcomes, both for the teaching and learning process, as well as the professionalism of other 
educational personnel (Zainal & Elham, 2007). Thus, it can be concluded that what is meant by TPD 
is any activities of teachers in applying science, knowledge, technology, and skills to enhance both 
the quality of the teaching and learning process and the professionalism of other educational 
personnel. According to Djatmiko (2016), teacher professional development is based on their 
individual needs and responsibilities in maintaining and advancing their careers, which can be 
accomplished only by themselves. In education systems with well-established teacher education 
programs, TPD is described as a process encompassing all activities that promote professional career 
development and it is important that the activities in TPD gives the teachers the skills and attitudes 

they need to deal with the difficulties in the 21st century education (Sprott, 2019).   The position of 
teachers as professional seeks to implement the national education system in achieving the goals of 
national education, which are the development of students' potential to become individuals who are 
loyal and circumspect, knowledgeable, competent, and creative.  

The teaching profession in Indonesia requires teachers with high levels of competence and 
performance, who incorporate knowledge and demonstrate commitment or responsibility. Teachers 
are required to be continuously professional because they must possess certain competencies in order 
to effectively educate their students. In an attempt to give the best service to their students, teachers 
conduct various activities of professional development. 

1.2. Activities of TPD 

Teachers can participate in a vast array of professional development activities to enhance their 
teaching abilities and promote their professional growth (Eksi & Aydın, 2013). Teachers need 
institutional supports and personal motivation (Philipsen et al., 2019) in engaging in professional 
development activities such as attending seminars and workshops, joining professional associations, 
engaging in individual online learning, and engaging in informal peer discussions 



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Teachers’ activities such as seminars and workshops are potential to provide teachers with 
opportunities to learn about new teaching methodologies, language acquisition theories, assessment 
strategies, and the incorporation of technology into language instruction. Widodo (2016) said that 
workshop and seminar are commonly referred and used as teacher training programs. A study 
conducted by Nugroho, Triana et al. (2022) revealed that professional development activities such as 
joining workshop, seminar, and conference done by Indonesian ESP teachers enabled them to enhance 
their digital teaching competence. Likewise, seminar activities conducted by pre-service teachers at 
one of the Postgraduate Diploma in Education (PGDE) programmes in South Korea enabled them to 
build their inter-disciplinary teaching strategies and critical thinking skills (Dos Santos, 2019). Finally, 
(Lay, 2010) stated attending workshop can help teachers increase their teaching knowledge, 
familiarize themselves with techniques and approaches, and employ them effectively. 

Additionally, joining professional associations provides teachers with resources, publications, 
online forums, and conferences designed specifically for them (Gnawali, 2018). In Indonesian context, 
teachers in secondary school are obliged to join a professional association called Musyawarah Guru 
Mata Pelajaran (MGMP) or Subject Teacher Forum. Stipulated  by Indonesian Government 
Regulation No. 38 (1994), MGMP is a professional forum for a district-level subject teachers which 
is regarded as an ideal venue for teacher professional development because it enables teachers to 
participate in various activities such as the training program, scientific writing, and the facilitation of 
discussions with other teachers of the same subject, and so forth (Atmoko & Kuswandono, 2021). 
Likewise, Rahman (2016) mentioned that one of the training programs launched by the government 
is English Subject Teacher Forum (MGMP). Thus, joining English Teacher Forum helped English 
secondar school teachers develop their competence related to teaching implementation (Irmawati, et 
al., 2017). In general, MGMP offers activities, scientific study, and teaching sharing, and teaching 
experiences that can help teachers improve their pedagogical, professional, personal, and social 
competences. Therefore, MGMP should not only offer training and other activities that can help 
teachers grow professionally, but it should also be connected to the government so that teachers can 
be supervised after the completion of professional development activities (Atmoko & Kuswandono, 
2021).  

Another alternative of teacher professional development  activity is joining online academic forum 
which allows teachers to enhance their knowledge and skills at their own pace and convenience (Borup 
& Evmenova, 2019). Having virtual platform of professional development, teachers are able to 
connect, collaborate, and engage in discussions related to academic and teaching topics with other 
teachers, not only from nationwide but also all over the world. This model of teacher professional 
development gained its popularity recently due to the COVID-19 pandemic when almost all of 
academic activities in the world were banned and restricted. Bragg, Walsh et al. (2021) mentioned 
that Online Professional Development (OPD) became a powerful vehicle for delivering high-quality, 
low-cost, and accessible training to teachers. In short, joining online academic forum as the platform 
of teacher professional development provides a space for teachers to share experiences and exchange 
resources with their peers in an online environment.  

Finally, informal discussion with colleagues allows teachers to receive valuable feedback and 
improvement suggestions. In Indonesian context, it is very common for teachers to share knowledge, 
experiences, problems, and even trivial stories about their students during break time or meal time. In 
fact, involving colleagues as one of the sources in providing meaningful feedback related to the 
classroom practices is also one of contributes elements to the teachers’ professional development (Vo 
& Nguyen, 2010). During their informal chat, teachers often obtain new insights or ideas about 
teaching and learning process. Thus, the fact that teachers meet their colleagues frequently during 
their work hours bring potential advantages, and the school can have intervention to teacher 
professionalism. A study conducted by Admiraal, Schenke et al. (2021) revealed the intervention done 
by Dutch secondary school in which the concept of professional learning opportunities for all staff 
and collaborative work and learning was introduced, and teachers in the school work and learn 
together. This program is successful in maintaining a more sustainable teacher professional 
development.  

In short, professional development activities done by teachers vary depending on teachers’ 
interests, time availability, obligations, and opportunities. Teachers should identify their specific 
growth areas and search out activities that address those needs. By engaging in continuous 
professional development, teachers can remain abreast of current best practices, improve their 



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teaching abilities, and ultimately provide their students with better learning opportunities (Eksi & 
Aydın, 2013). 

1.3. Teachers’ Motivation to Conduct Teacher Professional Development.  

Professional development activities enable teachers to have the opportunity to acquire and enhance 
broad academic and professional competences (Komba & Nkumbi, 2008). In conducting TPD, 
teachers are influenced by both internal and external motivation factors (McLean et al., 2019; Osman 
& Warner, 2020). Motivation is viewed as a collection of interconnected principles and emotions that 
drive and directly influence behaviour (Alam et al., 2020). Thus, motivation is what initiates, 
maintains, and concentrates teachers’ professional development activities. When teachers have a 
strong intrinsic motivation for professional development, they are driven by a genuine desire to learn, 
improve their teaching practice, and improve student outcomes. In other words, teachers who chose 
their profession voluntarily were more intrinsically motivated than those who were coerced into 
teaching (Alam et al., 2020). On the other hand, Alam, Fahim et al. (2020) added that teachers who 
were highly extrinsically motivated needed external awards and incentives to accomplish their 
professional development activities. This is frequently followed by the desire to have a more 
prestigious work place, higher incentives, and higher position in order to keep them motivated. Finally, 
extrinsic motivation lead teachers to seek opportunities for career advancement, such as assuming 
leadership positions, pursuing teacher certifications, and acquiring recognition from other teachers. It 
is crucial to note that the motivation of teachers for professional development can be influenced by a 
combination of these factors (Ryan & Deci, 2020), with the relative importance of each factor varying 
from individual to another.  It is also interesting to explore more comprehensively about teachers’ 
internal and external motivation in conducting their professional development activities from the 
perspective of Self-Determination Theory (SDT) of Richard M. Ryan and Edward L. Deci.  

1.4. Self-determination Theory (SDT) 

Ryan and Deci, who proposed Self-Determination Theory (SDT), have consistently discussed a 
theory that outlines two types of motivational sources, external and internal, along with an explanation 
of the specific roles of people associated with these motivations, various domains of development, 
and individual differences (Alam et al., 2020). SDT framework has been discussed and has gone 
through several revisions since 1975 (Vallerand, 2000), and it has been broadly used to analyse 
teachers’ motivation in conducting their professional development.    

SDT is a theory that emphasizes on the level of motivation individuals have when carrying out 
activities and the reasons they are motivated to carry out those activities. According to Ryan and Deci 
(2000), a person is considered motivated if he or she is ardent and engaged in an activity. Two decade 
later, (Ryan & Deci, 2020) redefined the SDT and used this theory in educational contexts. SDT 
assumes that individuals are naturally inclined toward psychological growth and integration, and thus 
toward learning, mastery, and connection with others. These proactive human tendencies require 
supportive conditions to be robust. Additionally, individual motivation and well-being which are 
driven by inherent psychological needs include autonomy, competence, and social connection. In 
other words, people should have these three basic needs in order for motivation and wellness to exist.  

Autonomy refers to one's initiative and sense of proprietorship over their actions. It is supported 
by experiences of interest and worth and undermined by experiences of being externally controlled, 
whether by rewards or punishments. Competence is characterized by a sense of mastery, a belief in 
one's ability to succeed and advance. Well-structured environments that provide optimal challenges, 
positive feedback, and opportunities for growth are optimal for satisfying the need for competence. 
The final aspect of relatedness is a sense of belonging and connection. It is facilitated by the 
transmission of respect and care (Ryan & Deci, 2020). Next, Van den Broeck, Vansteenkiste et al. 
(2008) stated that competence helps individuals develop their abilities and adapt to their complex and 
ever-changing environment. Finally, mastery and skills with certain skills and insights are part of 
competence that help people realize they have what they need to inspire themselves to reach their 
goals. (Niemiec & Ryan, 2009). 

These three fundamental factors determine self-fulfilment and satisfaction of psychological 
requirements. A person will not experience happiness if one or two of these conditions are not met. 
Thus, it can be inferred that the three fundamental aspects described above are self-satisfaction 
supporting factors. Referring to the aforementioned characteristics of SDT, it can be concluded that 
these characteristics motivate instructors to implement TPD. SDT enables teachers to be 



ISSN 2621-6485 English Language Teaching Educational Journal 206 
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psychologically motivated to develop, which is the objective of TPD, and includes the independence 
and connection, competence, and autonomy that are anticipated to be met by utilizing SDT as the 
central concept (Basikin, 2020). In addition, teacher professional development activities provide a 
teaching experience based on SDT-based learning. 

2. Review of Previous Studies 

Numerous articles discuss teacher professional development activities and the motivation of 
teachers to engage in TPD through the lens of Deci and Ryan's SDT. The first article is a study titled 
"English teachers' motivation for a professional development program: Perspectives of Self-
Determination Theory" by Basikin (2020). This study investigates the motivation of school English 
teachers in the province of Yogyakarta, Indonesia, recruited through their district teacher forum 
(MGMP) meetings to participate in a PD program. It attempts to determine whether externally driven 
or controlled motivation can become more autonomous. Following the framework of the Self-
Determination Theory, the Teacher Motivation for a Professional Development Scale (TMPDS) was 
used to assess teachers' motivation. Although participants reported high scores on both introjected 
regulation (M = 5.73; SD = 2.28) and external regulation (M = 6.51; SD = 1.54), they also reported 
high scores on both intrinsic motivation (M = 7.58; SD = 1.08) and identified regulation (M = 7.91; 
SD = 1.04). The results show that a person's initial motivation or control could become more internal 
or autonomous, based on how much they have internalized. The findings suggest that when motivation 
is external, PD programs should provide autonomy supports to facilitate internalization. 

The second article entitled "Teachers' motivation to participate in training and implement 
innovations" was written by Gorozidis and Papaioannou (2014). This study's objective is to investigate 
teachers' motivations and intentions regarding participation in training and instruction of innovative 
academic subjects. Based on the theory of self-determination, a mixed-method design was used to 
find out why and how 218 teachers wanted to learn about and teach an innovative academic topic and 
what they planned to do about it. Based on the structural equation modelling, the finding showed that 
teachers were more likely to participate in appropriate training and use innovation if they were self-
motivated, but not if they were self-controlled. The results suggest that policymakers should support 
strategies that make teachers more self-motivated so that educational innovations can be used 
effectively. 

3. Method 

The present study aimed to investigate TPD activities conducted by English secondary school 
teachers in Yogyakarta and explore the motivation behind their participation in conducting TPD using 
Deci and Ryan's SDT. This study employs a qualitative methodology because it permits the 
researchers to collect specific information from the participants regarding the TPD activities 
conducted by English teachers and their motivation in conducting TPD based on SDT. Similarly, 
Lester, Cho et al. (2020) mentioned that qualitative approach is commonly used to support the 
researcher in ‘generating a deep and nuanced understanding of a given phenomenon’ (p.95). 
According to Creswell (2012), a qualitative approach is a method for constructing a knowledge 
statement based on constructive perspectives. Therefore, qualitative research is suitable for this study 
as the participants' responses are based on their beliefs and experiences. In addition, this investigation 
employed a qualitative descriptive design. According to Lambert and Lambert (2012), qualitative 
descriptive research is the process of describing, analysing, and summarizing a hypothesis in relation 
to specific events experienced by an individual. Descriptive qualitative research is therefore 
appropriate for this study to reveal teachers' motivation for conducting TPD. This research was 
conducted at two secondary schools in Yogyakarta with the participation of three English teachers. 
In-depth interviews were used to collect the data. According to Morris (2015), interviews are a flexible 
data collection method. He added that the interviewer's response may include their knowledge, 
preferences, and beliefs. In addition, interviews enable the participant to express their perspective on 
the situations from their own perspective. This study employs open-ended questions to elicit responses 
from participants during interviews. According to Creswell (2012), an open-ended question permits 
the participant to freely express their experiences. In addition, the participants' native language, 
Indonesian, was utilized in order to make them more at ease and collect more detailed information. 
While Au (2019) suggested the use of mother tongue in interview can be less comfortable for 



207 English Language Teaching Educational Journal   ISSN 2621-6485 
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interviewees, the researchers believed that the use of mother tongue in data collection methods 
allowed them to capture more information. After conducting the interview, the researchers transcribed 
the data without adding or removing any of the words written by the participants. The researcher 
utilized transcription to facilitate data analysis and summarization. To maintain its credibility, member 
checking was performed in which all participants affirmed the accuracy of the data. To protect the 
anonymity of the participants, pseudonyms of Bian, Anne, and Lara were used. 

4. Findings and Discussions 

This study focusses on twofold: 1) English secondary teachers’ activities in their TPD, and 2) 
English secondary teachers’ motivation in conducting their TPD based on SDT. Upon the completion 
of collecting the data from the three participants, the findings show that there are several activities that 
had been carried out by the participants in conducting their TPD, comprising 1) attending workshop / 
seminars, 2) joining English Teacher Forum, and 3) having informal peer discussions among 
colleagues. In addition, the findings related to the second research question revealed that the three 
aspects of SDT emerged from the participants, comprising 1) self-awareness, 2) in line with 
profession, and 3) the need to be competent. Detail explanations of these findings are presented below: 

4.1. English secondary teachers’ activities in their TPD 

1) Attending Workshop / Seminar  

The first activities mentioned by the participants are attending workshop and seminar. Based in the 
interview, all the participants have done activities such as attending workshop. The first participant, 
Bian mentioned that “… as a teacher, we attend workshop from the provincial education department 
of (P1.2). Similarly, other participants, Anna and Lara shared similar activities regarding their TPD 
activities, joining workshops and seminars offered by the provincial education department, or Dinas 
Pendidikan Kota Yogyakarta. As one of the government departments in which one of the missions is 
to improve the quality of education in Yogyakarta, Dinas Pendidikan Kota Yogyakarta in 
collaboration with secondary schools frequently conduct training, workshops, and seminars for 
teachers.  The school principals usually select their teachers alternatively so that all teachers can get 
similar opportunity to attend those academic events. Indeed,  joining workshop can help teachers 
increase their knowledge in their teaching careers and become familiar with techniques and 
approaches and properly use them fruitfully (Lay, 2010). In addition, Widodo (2016) said that 
workshop and seminar are commonly referred as teacher training programs. Now that teachers 
experience a vast development of technology, the teaching and learning process should be 
contextualized into a more sophisticated platform. Attending workshop or training aimed at equipping 
teachers with educational technological skill helped Indonesian ESP teachers enhance their digital 
teaching competence (Nugroho et al., 2022).  

2) Joining English Teacher Forum (MGMP) 

The second TPD activities done by the participants is joining English Teacher Forum. Based on 
the interview, all the participants mentioned that their involvement in joining English Teacher Forum 
can be regarded as parts of their TPD activities. Anna and Lara said that “we participate in activities 
at English Subject Teacher Forum” (P2.3, P3.1). Likewise, Bian stated that sometimes she was 
appointed by Dinas Pendidikan Kota Yogyakarta to attend an academic event in English Subject 
Teacher Forum. Indeed, English Subject Teacher Forum is a collaborative platform or forum that 
brings together teachers who teach the same subject in a specific region or district in Indonesia. The 
purpose of MGMP is to promote professional development, knowledge sharing, and collaboration 
among subject teachers. In particular, the purpose of MGMP is to improve the quality of subject 
teaching and learning in schools. Therefore, the involvement of these participants in MGMP has 
provided them with a platform for exchanging ideas, sharing experiences, and enhancing their 
teaching competencies. This is in line with Rahman (2016) who mentioned that one of the training 
programs launched by the government is English Subject Teacher Forum (MGMP).   In addition, as 
MGMP is under  the control of Dinas Pendidikan Kota Yogyakarta, and as Bian said that the 
participation of MGMP is sometimes determined by this institution, it should be connected to the 
government so that teachers can be supervised after the completion of their professional development 
activities in MGMP (Atmoko & Kuswandono, 2021). Thus, besides having sharing teaching 
competencies, this MGMP serves as a platform for ongoing professional development of English 
subject teachers. As mentioned by all of the participants, joining English Teacher Forum helped these 



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English secondary school teachers develop their competence related to teaching implementation 
(Irmawati et al., 2017). 

3) Having informal peer discussions among colleagues 

Based on the interview, two participants are in agreement and mention that having peer discussion 
with colleagues at the same school is a self-activity of TPD. Anna said that “Usually I talk to my 
colleagues who also teaches English in my school”. She felt comfortable discussing about a topic 
related to English teaching and learning process, or sometimes she just asked certain questions related 
English subject materials. In addition to Anna, another participant, Lara stated “I often have 
discussions among English teachers [at my school], and I feel comfortable to share my problems in 
teaching with them…finally, we solve the problems together, and [I feel like] adding my new 
knowledge” (P3.6). 

The statement from these two participants showed that having discussions with English colleagues, 
share, and discuss the problems as well as solve the problem are frequently done, and these activities 
may add new knowledge. Indeed, involving colleagues as one of the sources in providing meaningful 
feedback related to the classroom practices is also one of contributes elements to the teachers’ 
professional development (Vo & Nguyen, 2010). Similarly, a study conducted by Admiraal, Schenke 
et al. (2021) revealed the intervention implemented by a Dutch secondary school in which the concept 
of professional learning opportunities for all staff and collaborative work and learning was introduced, 
and teachers in the school collaborate and learn together. This program is effective at sustaining a 
more sustainable professional development.  

4.2. Teachers’ Motivation in Conducting TPD based on Self-Determination Theory 

 Regarding the second research question, upon the completion of the interview with the three 
participants, the result shows that these English secondary teachers conducted their TPD because of 
mostly their intrinsic motivation such as 1) self-awareness, 2) in line with profession, and 3) the need 
to be competent. In relation to the Self-Determination Theory, their intrinsic motivation in conducting 
TPD are mainly caused by aspects such as Autonomy, Relatedness and Competence. The following 
paragraph explain the findings in a more detail.  

1) Self-Awareness 

Teachers often conduct their professional development because they realize that their profession 
require them to always update themselves with the latest information and sophisticated skills. In 
Indonesian context, teachers are aware of the four competencies they should perform in the teaching 
and learning process, and failing to do can result in their being unprofessional. Therefore, they have 
awareness to perform the best. One of the participants, Bian stated “if we don’t conduct the TPD, we 
won’t be able to follow the curriculum developments to bring our student along development of 
times”. Indeed, with the current curriculum change, from competency-based curriculum into Freedom 
to Learn curriculum (Merdeka Belajar), teachers obtain huge rooms to interpret it and implement it 
into the classroom. Teachers have more autonomy in designing their lessons. This situation is not easy 
as teachers used to be controlled by their supervisors. Therefore, teachers nowadays are inevitably 
required to be more independent in implementing the curriculum. In addition, Bian said “So it’s more 
like I have to take part in training and workshop, so I can keep up with the developments. As much as 
possible follow the development of the government” 

This is how she keep in touch with the curriculum change. In addition to Bian, another participant, 
Lara mentioned “For me, I do various teacher professional development because I’m aware as a 
teacher, at least we don't go out of developing of times. Especially, IPTEK, as a teacher we should be 
aware that is a necessity”. Finally, Anna stated: 

“When participating in TPD activities, our goal is for students in the learning process. There are 
two factors in my opinion when the school or government agencies give instructions, indeed we 
must follow the activities that they organized but sometimes we want to improve ourselves without 
having to wait for instruction from schools or government agencies” 

She added more opinions and said, “For me, it's because of our awareness. because we are aware 
as teachers, at least we don't go out of developing of times. Especially, IPTEK, as a teacher we should 
be aware that is a necessity” 



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From this statement, teachers have a self-awareness connected to their teacher profession to 
conduct TPD so that they can educate their student professionally. These statements of the participants  
are indeed in line with Ryan and Deci (2020) who stated that people have self-awareness to improve 
themselves, and this is called as autonomy. This situation is not affected by external factors, pressure 
or an order to act. This aspect focuses on internalization, which refers to one’s willingness to reflect 
on oneself, making the autonomy aspect ignore external aspects. 

2) In line with Profession 

The second motivation is from the relatedness aspect. As stated in the Teacher and Lecturer law 
No.14/2005, the main tasks of professional teachers are educating, teaching, guiding, directing, 
training, assessing, and evaluating students in early childhood education through formal education, 
basic education, and secondary education. In order to accomplish these tasks, teachers have to conduct 
TPD activities because these activities are regarded parts of their professionalism.  The phenomena in 
which teachers conduct their TPD activities because of their profession demand are also found in this 
study. During the interview, Bian said “Of course [doing TPD activities] because of the demands from 
my profession… because it [TPD activities] support my professional tasks. She added more 
information related to her motivation in conducting TPD, “I’m doing my TPD especially in order to 
fulfil and improve my professional competence. It becomes an obligation for me to maintain my 
professional educator certificate (Sertifikat Pendidik)”. Similarly, Lara added “it’s true that there are 
demands [from the profession], but we must balance them with that we really need it as a teacher. I 
think I’m doing TPD because I am both aware of profession as a teacher and the demand of my 
responsibility. What Lara said was interesting because she admitted she conducted her TPD activities 
because of two internal motivations; 1) the awareness of her status as a teacher which require her to 
upgrade her capacity continuously, and 2) the awareness of demands to be professional from the 
school and the government. Interestingly, in completing their TPD, these participants also obtain 
support from various parties such as the school principal, colleagues, and peer teachers. Anna 
mentioned “[I got] support from other friend, and it’s very helpful”. She added “the support from my 
colleagues can be my encouragement [to conduct TPD]”. Likewise, Bian stated “we give support each 
other”. Finally, Anne added “support from other friend is very helpful”. 

The excerpts from the participants show that teachers conduct TPD because of the demands of the 
profession of a teacher to be able to teach their student. In implementing TPD teachers also still need 
another support from their friends. The statements about relatedness above are in line with a study 
from Ryan and Deci (2020) who stated that people are motivated to conduct TPD because of their 
demand as teacher profession.  As teachers, they have beliefs that they have to always improve their 
capacity. 

3) The need to be competent  

The last motivation of the teachers in conducing TPD is the need to improve their competencies. 
During the interview session, Lara stated “[as a teacher] social competence is needed as well as 
professional competence. Also, pedagogical competences are needed to be always increased”. She 
added more opinions, and said:  

“The social competences will relate to communication skills, attitudes, interacting in general to our 
students, student parents, fellow teacher and general public. Also, professional [competence] will 
relate to teachers’ tasks and completing them properly. Moreover, pedagogy is related to students 
learning process. It’s all important. Also, one more is personality [competence], [it is] related to 
personal character” 

Lara listed the competencies that should be possessed by all teachers. These competencies include 
social, professional, pedagogical, and personal. It is interesting to find out the fact that she connected 
the teachers’ competencies into the Teacher and Lecturer Law No 14/2005, and the fact that the desire 
to possess all of those competencies resulted in her eagerness to conduct TPD. Similar opinions about 
the intention to be a competent teacher are stated by Lara when she said: “if we don’t have professional 
competence, we will find difficulties later in managing classes when following the development of 
students in the class”. Finally, Anne concluded the participants’ opinion related to their motivation in 
conducting TPD by saying “social competence, professional competence, and pedagogical 
competence are needed to increase [teachers’ quality]”. She further explained “The social 
competences will relate to communication skills, attitudes, interacting in general to our students, 
student parents, fellow teacher and general public, while professional competence will relate to 



ISSN 2621-6485 English Language Teaching Educational Journal 210 
 Vol. 5, No. 3, December 2022, pp. 202-213 

 Purwanti, E. & Octavia, S. (Examining teachers' motivation in conducting teacher professional development.....) 

teachers’ knowledge of the subject. Moreover, pedagogical competence is related to students learning 
process, and one more competence is personality which is related to personal character. It’s all 
important.” 

Based on all statements above, teachers want to improve their competencies to have skills in 
teaching their students. In other words, these teachers want to be competent. This is in line with a 
study from Van den Broeck, Vansteenkiste et al. (2008) who said that competence helps the 
individuals develop their skills and adapt to their complex environment and changing environment. 
Mastery and skills to certain skills and insights are part of the competence that brings individuals to 
understand that they have the provisions to motivate themselves to achieve goals (Niemiec & Ryan, 
2009; Ryan & Deci, 2020). 

5. Conclusion and Recommendations 

Teacher Professional Development (TPD) refers to any activities that can enhance teachers’ skills 
and competencies which result in students’ learning. In condign their TPD, motivation plays a crucial 
role. This study seeks to identify the professional development activities conducted by English 
secondary school teachers, and their motivations for engaging in these activities viewed from the lens 
of SDT. Using qualitative approach and descriptive research design, three participants of English 
secondary school were interviewed to collect the data. In order to maintain the trustworthiness, 
member checking was administered, and the transcription was regarded correct by the participants. 
Additionally, in order to maintain the participants’ identity, pseudonyms were used.  

The study showed that 1) attending workshops and seminars, 2) joining the English Teacher 
Forum/ MGMP, and 3) engaging in informal peer discussions became the main activities for the 
teachers to conduct their professional development. Furthermore, the participants acknowledged their 
motivation in conducting TPD was driven by 1) self-awareness, 2) alignment with profession and 
support, and 3) the need to be competent. These three factors of motivation, indeed, corroborates the 
SDT proposed by Richard M. Ryan and Edward L. Deci.  

The study imply that teachers enhance their teaching skills by engaging in various TPD activities 
so that they can instruct their students in a more professional manner. In addition, since the motivation 
for conducting TPD is frequently generated by teachers' internal motivation, it is recommended that 
teachers conduct TPD based on a bottom-up approach as opposed to a top-down approach so that their 
TPD activities can be sustainable and result in lifelong learning. 

 

Acknowledgment 

This research would not have been possible without many people’s support and help, including 
our colleagues and English teachers at representative secondary schools. We would like to take this 
opportunity to express our gratitude to all of them. Our deepest thanks and gratitude go to our 
colleagues at Universitas Muhammadiyah Yogyakarta, who have supported research by providing 
suggestions and ideas regarding the data collection. Additionally, this endeavor would not have been 
possible without the generous support from secondary English secondary school teachers who were 
involved in the research process for their cooperation during data collection. 

 

Declarations 

Author contribution : Eko Purwanti was responsible for the entire research project. She also 
led the writing of the manuscript and the collaboration with the second 
author, Salma Octavia, who participated in the data collection. All of 
the authors approved the final manuscript.  

Funding statement : No funding is available for this research. 

Conflict of interest : All of the authors declare that they have no competing interests. 

Ethics Declaration : We as authors acknowledge that this work has been written based on 
ethical research that conforms to the regulations of our university and 
that we have obtained permission from the relevant institutes when 



211 English Language Teaching Educational Journal   ISSN 2621-6485 
Vol. 5, No. 3, December 2022, pp. 202-213 

 Purwanti, E. & Octavia, S. (Examining teachers' motivation in conducting teacher professional development.....) 

collecting data. We support ELTEJ in maintaining high standards of 
personal conduct and practicing honesty in all our professional 
practices and endeavors. 

Additional information : No additional information is available for this paper. 

 

 

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