| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Description | The Unconscious Motivations for Teaching Scale, developed by Stern et al. (1960), was created to assess the gratification (motive) and attitudes (rationalizations) associated with various teaching roles. The scale was constructed using 18 teacher role descriptions prepared with input from supervisory staff in a public school system. A panel of teachers discussed each role, identifying individuals who best represented the 18 patterns. These individuals were interviewed, and unconscious motives for teaching were inferred from statements about the primary sources of gratification. Ideological justifications for teaching practices were also identified to form attitude statements. Two scales were developed, one measuring gratification and the other measuring attitudes, across ten different teaching roles (e.g., Practical, Nurturant, Dominant). Each scale consists of 100 items, with ten items per teaching role. The self-administering scales require responses on six-point scales and take 25-40 minutes to complete. The scales showed satisfactory test-retest reliabilities, and item analyses revealed significant discriminations for all scales. |
| Author | Stern, G. G., Masling, J., Denton, B., Henderson, J., Levin, R. |
| Purpose | The purpose of the Unconscious Motivations for Teaching Scale is to measure the gratification (motive) and attitudes (rationalizations) associated with various teaching roles. |
| Construct | Teaching Motivation |
| Instrument Type | Rating Scale |
| Reliability | Test-Retest Reliability: Coefficients ranged from 0.654 to 0.865 when the scales were re-administered to the same sample three to four weeks after the initial testing. |
| Validity | No validity indicated. |
| Test Year | 1960 |
| Test Format | Paper-based test, with six-point scale responses |
| Number of Items | 100 items per scale |
| Test Methodology | The test includes assessments of test reliability and test-retest reliability. |
| Population Group | Adult males and females, specifically undergraduate and graduate students in teaching or education. |
| Age Group | Adulthood (18 years & older) |
| Location | United States |
| Keywords | Test Development, Test-Retest Reliability, Unconscious Motivations for Teaching, Gratification Scale, Attitudes Scale |
| Classification | 5900 Education, Teaching, and Student Characteristics |
| Source Reference | Stern, G. G., Masling, J., Denton, B., Henderson, J., & Levin, R. (1960). Two scales for the assessment of unconscious motivations for teaching. Educational and Psychological Measurement, 20, 9–29. https://doi.org/10.1177/001316446002000102 |
Cite this article
Mohammed looti (2026). Unconscious Motivations for Teaching Scale. PSYCHOLOGICAL SCALES. Retrieved from https://scales.arabpsychology.com/s/unconscious-motivations-for-teaching-scale/
Mohammed looti. "Unconscious Motivations for Teaching Scale." PSYCHOLOGICAL SCALES, 4 Apr. 2026, https://scales.arabpsychology.com/s/unconscious-motivations-for-teaching-scale/.
Mohammed looti. "Unconscious Motivations for Teaching Scale." PSYCHOLOGICAL SCALES, 2026. https://scales.arabpsychology.com/s/unconscious-motivations-for-teaching-scale/.
Mohammed looti (2026) 'Unconscious Motivations for Teaching Scale', PSYCHOLOGICAL SCALES. Available at: https://scales.arabpsychology.com/s/unconscious-motivations-for-teaching-scale/.
[1] Mohammed looti, "Unconscious Motivations for Teaching Scale," PSYCHOLOGICAL SCALES, vol. X, no. Y, ص Z-Z, April, 2026.
Mohammed looti. Unconscious Motivations for Teaching Scale. PSYCHOLOGICAL SCALES. 2026;vol(issue):pages.