Educational Leaders and Teachers’ Motivation for Engagement in Innovative Programmes. The Case of Greece

AbstractThe Greek educational policy, prescribes the co-operation of educators with managers and leaders in education, who may influence the level of school improvement and the level of the teachers’ professional development. Innovative programmes in education form part of teachers’ professional development. Greek schools have shown a steady commitment in integrating innovative programmes into their educational practice and usually have avant-garde leaders, who seek for the appropriate motivation to inspire their teaching personnel. The main purpose of the study is to identify weather Greek leaders in secondary education influence the notion of teachers in incorporating innovative programmes in education. The study draws theoretically from the motivation theories, as motivations are the factors that affect them in covering extensive ground in the field of work. Understanding them may offer much in behaviour understanding, job efficiency, and through it, self-satisfaction. Data was gathered through questionnaires and interviews conducted with teachers and leaders. The main research finding is that leaders in education, especially principals, influence most of the participant educators in the research. The national policy may assist the development of innovative activities by supporting leaders and equipping them with the necessary knowledge of how to exploit motivations for the best outcome in the school community