Rural teachers’ sharing of digital educational resources: From motivation to behavior

• Published in: Computers and education 2021-02, Vol.161, p.104055, Article 104055
• Main Authors: Wang, Jingxian, Tigelaar, Dineke E.H., Admiraal, Wilfried
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Elementary education; Improving classroom teaching; Media in education; Secondary education; Teacher professional development
• ISSN: 0360-1315; 1873-782X
• DOI: 10.1016/j.compedu.2020.104055

Research indicates that knowledge sharing promotes teacher professional learning opportunities and development. However, it is yet to be known what motivates teachers in rural schools in sharing their knowledge as they may face more challenges than teachers in urban areas when sharing. This study examined factors explaining rural teachers' sharing behavior regarding digital educational resources, both within and outside school, as posited by combining motivation theory and the integrative model of behavior prediction. Self-reported questionnaires from 709 rural teachers were collected and analyzed employing the Structural Equation Modeling. Different motivational factors were found to be related to sharing behavior within school and outside school. More specifically, internal motivation was positively and external motivation was negatively related to sharing behavior in both contexts. Moreover, sharing intention and sharing climate significantly explained teachers' sharing behavior, but only outside school. A mediation analysis using a bias-corrected bootstrapping method revealed that the effect of internal motivation on sharing intention within school was mediated through self-efficacy and attitudes whereas the effect of external motivation on sharing intention outside school was only mediated by attitudes. These findings contribute to a better understanding of how to support teachers’ sharing behavior in different contexts. •Rural teachers' sharing of digital educational resources was investigated.•Self-report surveys based on motivation theory and the integrative model of behavior prediction were applied.•Different motivational factors were found to be related to sharing behavior within school and outside school.•Sharing intention and sharing climate only significantly explained sharing behavior outside school but not within school.