How Does Public Service Motivation Among Teachers Affect Student Performance in Schools?
Open accessAbstract
The literature expects public service motivation (PSM) to affect performance, but most of the existing studies of this relationship use subjective performance data and focus on output rather than outcome. This article investigates the association between PSM and the performance of Danish teachers using an objective outcome measure (the students' academic performance in their final examinations). Combining survey data and administrative register data in a multilevel data set, we are able to control very robustly for the specific characteristics of the students (n = 5,631), the schools (n = 85), and other teacher characteristics (n = 694) besides PSM. We find that PSM is positively associated with examination marks. The result indicates that PSM may be relevant for performance improvements.
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Public employees perform better if they are oriented towards doing good towards society and others.
“Public employees perform better if they are oriented towards doing good towards society and others (Andersen, Heinesen, and Pedersen 2014; Bellé 2013; Ritz 2009)”
From Leadership and motivation: a qualitative study of transformational leadership and public service motivation (2018) · cites this paper as Andersen, Heinesen, and Pedersen 2014
Cites
Podsakoff, P. M., MacKenzie, S. B., Lee, J.-Y., & Podsakoff, N. P. (2003) · Journal of Applied Psychology · doi:10.1037/0021-9010.88.5.879 · Cited by 82,194 · see citing works
Teachers, Schools, and Academic Achievement
Rivkin, S. G., Hanushek, E. A., & Kain, J. F. (2005) · Econometrica · doi:10.1111/j.1468-0262.2005.00584.x · Cited by 4,501 · see citing works
On the Specification and Estimation of the Production Function for Cognitive Achievement
Todd, P. E., & Wolpin, K. I. (2003) · The Economic Journal · doi:10.1111/1468-0297.00097 · Cited by 1,514 · see citing works
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Andersen, L. B., Bjørnholt, B., Bro, L. L., & Holm-Petersen, C. (2018) · International Review of Administrative Sciences · doi:10.1177/0020852316654747 · Cited by 89 · see citing works
“Public employees perform better if they are oriented towards doing good towards society and others (Andersen et al., 2014; Bellé, 2013; Ritz, 2009), and it is therefore highly relevant to ask how leaders can enhance their employees’ public service motivation (PSM).”
BackgroundSelf-citation
- Authors
- Andersen, L. B., Heinesen, E., & Pedersen, L. H.
- Affiliations
- Copenhagen Business School (DK)
- Venue
- Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory
- Publisher
- Oxford University Press (OUP)
- Published
- 2014-01-29
- Volume
- 24
- Issue
- 3
- Pages
- 651-671
- ISSN
- 1053-1858 (ISSN-L)
- 1477-9803
- OpenAlex
- W2315319881
- Cited by
- 179
- References
- 3
- Citations by year
- 2026: 8 · 2025: 6 · 2024: 16 · 2023: 8 · 2022: 33 · 2021: 18 · 2020: 20 · 2019: 14 · 2018: 11 · 2017: 12 · 2016: 20 · 2015: 10 · 2014: 3
- FWCI
- 51.96
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- research.cbs.dk
- Licence
- other-oa
- Locations
- Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory (publishedVersion)
- CBS Research Portal (Copenhagen Business School) (publishedVersion, other-oa)
- Research at the University of Copenhagen (University of Copenhagen) (submittedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Public Administration › Public Policy and Administration Research
- Social Sciences › Education › School Leadership and Teacher Performance
- Social Sciences › Education › School Choice and Performance
- Keywords
- public service motivation, teachers, academic performance, final examinations, teacher performance, public sector motivation, Danish teachers
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