Empowering Rural Teachers as Researchers: The Impact of a Self-Determination-Based Professional Development Model in Southwest China

There is still limited empirical evidence about how well teacher professional development programs improve research skills, especially in rural areas where there aren’t educational resources. This study aims to examine the effects of a research-based professional development program grounded in Self-Determination Theory on the motivation and research performance of secondary school teachers in Guizhou Province, China. A mixed-method design incorporating surveys and interviews to analyze the impact of Self-Determination Theory (SDT) on teacher research motivation and performance. A total of 412 teachers from 30 rural secondary schools participated in baseline and three-month post-intervention follow-up surveys, and complemented by semi-structured interviews with 10 teachers to assess changes in motivation, professional collaboration, and research culture subsequent to the training. Quantitative data were examined through Structural Equation Modeling employing Partial Least Squares. The measurement model demonstrated strong reliability and validity (GFI = 0.875; CFI = 0.934; TLI = 0.927; RMSEA = 0.062). All hypotheses were empirically confirmed: autonomy support, competence support, and relatedness support, each exerted a positive influence on teacher motivation, which in turn had a significant impact on research performance. Teacher motivation mediated the relationship between the three dimensions of SDT and research performance. The mediator analysis indicated a more significant effect for teachers with low-socioeconomic-status. Interview findings demonstrat that collaboration in Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) enhanced trust, professional in research practices. The results confirm that interventions focused on autonomy, competence, and relatedness foster a collaborative research culture, strengthen work morale, and increase teachers’ self-confidence as educational researchers.