Motivation, Teaching Satisfaction, Loneliness and Affect in Spanish University Teachers: An Analysis of Motivational Profiles and of Differences by Age, Gender, Place of Residence and Field of Knowledge

Abstract

Background: Teacher motivation is a protective factor for psychological well-being and a recognised predictor of teaching quality, and its deterioration has been linked to anxious-depressive symptoms, emotional exhaustion and occupational loneliness. This study analysed the relationships among motivation, life satisfaction, loneliness and positive and negative affect in Spanish university teachers, identified latent motivational profiles through cluster analysis, and examined differences by age, gender, place of residence and field of knowledge.

Methods: A cross-sectional online survey was conducted between February and June 2024 with 503 Spanish university teachers (mean age = 43.70 years; standard deviation (SD) = 9.80; 58.8% women), a sample size confirmed as sufficient by an a priori power analysis (G*Power 3.1). Participants completed a sociodemographic questionnaire, the Multidimensional Work Motivation Scale (R-MAWS), the Satisfaction With Life Scale (SWLS), the three-item University of California, Los Angeles Loneliness Scale and the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule. Analyses included descriptive statistics, Pearson correlations, t-tests, one-way analysis of variance with Bonferroni post hoc tests, k-means cluster analysis, hierarchical regression and a mediation model with 5000 bootstrap resamples (two-sided tests; α = 0.05). Common-method bias was assessed with Harman’s single-factor test, and the cluster solution was validated through silhouette analysis and split-half replication. 

Results: Autonomous motivation and life satisfaction were robust positive predictors of positive affect (β = 0.48 and β = 0.29; both p < 0.001) and were associated with lower loneliness. Three profiles emerged: autonomous-flourishing (31.8%), ambivalent-intermediate (30.6%) and demotivated-vulnerable (37.6%). Significant differences appeared by gender in negative affect (t[501] = 5.65; p < 0.001; d = 0.51), by place of residence in loneliness (t[501] = –6.99; p < 0.001; d = –0.62) and by field of knowledge in life satisfaction (F[2, 500] = 8.75; p < 0.001; η²p = 0.03).

Conclusions: Autonomous motivation acts as a protective factor for the occupational mental health of university teachers. Interventions should be sensitive to sociodemographic and territorial differences, and these cross-sectional associations require longitudinal confirmation.