ABSTRACT Background: High quality tertiary teaching is important for maximising the impact of tertiary education for students, employers and society, as well as for institutional reputation and accountability. Varied interpretations exist regarding what counts as ‘innovative’ tertiary teaching. Purpose: This study sought to explore the deeper drivers of motivations of tertiary educators to initiate and implement teaching innovations. Method: Drawing from the data from semi-structured interviews from a wider study into innovative teaching in a tertiary education institution in Aotearoa New Zealand, we analysed the rationale of 13 expert tertiary educators for teaching in novel ways. The framework for analysis was based on Self-Determination Theory: data were analysed in relation to three basic psychological needs known to impact on motivation and wellbeing – competence, autonomy and relatedness. Findings: Our analysis suggests that tertiary educator motivation to innovate in their teaching is related to feelings of all three needs. Findings suggest that innovative pedagogical change was linked to educators’ need for feelings of competence in relation to subject area content, pedagogy and developing student competence. Enhancing autonomy for the educators themselves, or for their students, was also an important factor motivating innovative practice. Developing relatedness between students, between themselves and students, and between students and society were reported as motivations for innovative teaching. Some teaching innovations were motivated by the educator’s desire for greater personal or student wellbeing. Conclusions Educators’ motivations for being innovative in their tertiary pedagogical practice encompassed content, pedagogical, personal and social dimensions. None reported that their innovation was motivated by institutional policy or expectations. The reported challenges to innovative teaching practice, including institutional structures and processes, lack of access to specific technologies, and the time needed to develop and implement changed practice, indicate that educators must be strongly committed to making change in their practice to sustain the effort required.

中文翻译：

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是什么激发了高等教育教育者的创新？探索能力、自主性和相关性——以及与幸福的联系

摘要背景：高质量的高等教育对于最大限度地提高高等教育对学生、雇主和社会的影响以及机构声誉和问责制非常重要。关于什么是“创新”高等教育教学，存在不同的解释。目的：本研究旨在探索高等教育教育者发起和实施教学创新的更深层动机。方法：我们利用半结构化访谈的数据，对新西兰奥特阿罗阿高等教育机构的创新教学进行了更广泛的研究，分析了 13 位高等教育专家以新颖方式进行教学的基本原理。分析框架基于自决理论：分析了与已知会影响动机和幸福感的三种基本心理需求相关的数据——能力、自主性和相关性。发现：我们的分析表明，高等教育教育者在教学中创新的动机与所有三种需求的感受有关。研究结果表明，创新的教学变革与教育者对与学科领域内容、教学法和培养学生能力相关的能力感的需求有关。增强教育者自身或学生的自主权，也是激发创新实践的一个重要因素。发展学生之间、他们自己与学生之间以及学生与社会之间的关系被报告为创新教学的动机。一些教学创新的动机是教育者对更大的个人或学生福祉的渴望。结论 教育者在高等教育教学实践中创新的动机包括内容、教学、个人和社会层面。没有人报告说他们的创新是由制度政策或期望驱动的。所报告的创新教学实践面临的挑战，包括制度结构和流程、无法获得特定技术以及开发和实施改变的实践所需的时间，表明教育工作者必须坚定地致力于改变他们的实践，以维持所需的努力. 个人和社会层面。没有人报告说他们的创新是由制度政策或期望驱动的。所报告的创新教学实践面临的挑战，包括制度结构和流程、无法获得特定技术以及开发和实施改变的实践所需的时间，表明教育工作者必须坚定地致力于改变他们的实践，以维持所需的努力. 个人和社会层面。没有人报告说他们的创新是由制度政策或期望驱动的。所报告的创新教学实践面临的挑战，包括制度结构和流程、无法获得特定技术以及开发和实施改变的实践所需的时间，表明教育工作者必须坚定地致力于改变他们的实践，以维持所需的努力.