IOSR Journal of Research & Method in Education (IOSR-JRME) e-ISSN: 2320–7388,p-ISSN: 2320–737X Volume 6, Issue 6 Ver. I (Nov. - Dec. 2016), PP 18-23 www.iosrjournals.org DOI: 10.9790/7388-0606011823 www.iosrjournals.org 18 | Page Work motivation of teachers: relationship with job involvement Louis George *1 , Tara Sabapathy 2 , Anitha Varghese 1 . 1.Department of chemistry, Christ University, Bangalore. 2.Department of education, Bangalore University, Bangalore. Abstract: In the modern world of competitive higher education the role of motivated teachers is undisputed. This study aims to find the importance of job involvement of teachers in their work motivation. Data was collected from 450 degree college teachers of Bangalore city. Analysis of data and the discussion is included. The results showed a positive relationship between work motivation and the job involvement of teachers. Teachers were more involved in their job were found to be more motivated. Implications of the findings and limitations of the study are given. Keywords: Higher education, Work motivation, job involvement I. Introduction The quality of an educational system largely depends upon the quality of its teachers. It is a teacher who helps to transform an individual into a person of imagination, wisdom, human love and enlightenment, and institutions into lampposts of posterity, and the country into a learning society. The National Policy on Education (1986) has rightly remarked “The status of the teacher reflects the socio-cultural ethos of a society; It is in this context that today a teacher occupies a unique and significant place in any society. It is observed that, with the expansion of higher education over the years in terms of number of universities and colleges and the student strength, its quality and standards have fallen. This issue has engaged the attention of educationists for several years and various committees and commissions have suggested measures for improving the quality of higher education. All the education commissions have recommended several steps for bringing about improvement in the quality of education at this stage. Among all the factors responsible, for the deteriorating standards in higher education, the “teacher” has been identified as the key factor. His characteristics, qualifications, his attitude towards the profession, his competency, his professional skills, his capacity for leadership and motivation to work affect the quality of education. The modern society very badly needs teachers who are not only knowledgeable but also highly motivated and committed to their profession and sincere in their efforts for doing good to the society. Concept of work motivation People can motivate themselves by seeking, finding and carrying out work, which satisfies their needs. There are two types of motivation namely intrinsic motivation and extrinsic motivation. Intrinsic motivation stems from a direct relationship between the doer and the task and it is usually self-applied. These are the self- generated factors, which influence people to behave in a particular way or to move in a particular direction. These include, responsibility, freedom to act, scope to use and develop skills and abilities, interesting and challenging work and opportunities for advancement. Feelings of achievement, accomplishment and competence-derived from performing one‟s job are examples of intrinsic motivators. Second, people can be motivated by the management through such methods as pay, promotion, praise etc, This can be termed as “Extrinsic motivation” and stems form the work environment external to the task and is usually applied by others or someone other than the person being motivated. Extrinsic motivators can have an immediate and powerful effect but this will not necessarily last for long. The intrinsic motivators, which are concerned with the quality of working life, are likely to have a deeper and long-term effect, because they are inherent in individuals and not imposed from outside. Work is of special concern to the study of motivation. From a psychological point of view, work is an important source of identity, self-esteem and self-actualization. It provides a sense of fulfillment for an employee by clarifying one‟s value to the society. However paradoxically it can also be a source of frustration, boredom and feelings of meaninglessness that determine the characteristics of the individual and the nature of work. Individuals evaluate themselves according to what they are able to accomplish. If they see their job as hindering their potential and achievement of the same, it often becomes difficult for them to remain motivated and maintain a sense of purpose at work. Steers R,Porter L. (1991) defined work motivation as that which drives and sustains human behavior in working life. Pinder (1998) described work motivation as a set of internal and external forces that initiates work