Professional development through motivational interviewing training: Lower secondary school teachers’ views and experiences

• Published in: Professional development in education 2024-12, p.1-15
• Main Author: Jordan, Martina S.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Educational Work; motivation; Motivational interviewing; Pedagogiskt arbete; school-based; teacher professional development
• ISSN: 1941-5257; 1941-5265; 1941-5265
• DOI: 10.1080/19415257.2024.2433044

Motivational interviewing (MI) is a collaborative communication style used to increase individuals' motivation. This study explored teachers' experiences of implementing school-based MI after participating in a compulsory teacher professional development (PD) programme. 23 teachers, teaching in grades 7-9, received school-based MI training. Four qualitative focus group interviews were conducted and reflexive thematic analysis was used to analyse the data. Four main themes were generated: MI as a useful professional tool, Facilitators for MI implementation, Challenges when applying MI in practice, and Top-down as a barrier to implementation. Findings show that MI provides professional tools that facilitate teachers' relational work, and teachers suggested that MI training should be an element of teacher education. This study highlights the importance of designing PD programmes that are consistent with teachers' needs in practice. When applying MI in schools, several challenges were identified: to balance the fostering teacher role, lack of time, and students' lack of maturity. Hence, this study emphasises the need for ongoing training, allocated time, and well-defined objectives when implementing MI in schools. This study provides novel insights into the perceived benefits and challenges of MI training for teachers, thus providing valuable information for teacher educators and school leaders.