Motivation and Change-Efficacy of Teachers in the Adoption of Literacy Interventions

This paper examines factors influencing teacher readiness to adopt a literacy intervention, Inkhulumo (adapted Quality Talk), in a rural South African high school. Guided by the Active Implementation Framework and Weiner’s Theory of Organisational Readiness for Change, the research focuses on the exploration and installation stages of implementation, emphasising the interplay between teacher motivation and change-efficacy. An integrative mixed-method design combined structured classroom observations, participatory sessions, interviews, and document analysis. Findings reveal that teacher motivation was driven by recognised student literacy needs, shared stakeholder acknowledgment, perceived intervention appropriateness, perceived academic and life benefits. Change-efficacy was initially strengthened by professional qualifications, teaching experience, prior collaborative projects, leadership support, and collegial planning, but fluctuated when practical challenges arose during installation. The results highlight that while strong motivation is necessary for adoption, sustaining implementation in challenged contexts requires reinforcing teacher efficacy through targeted professional development, peer collaboration, and ongoing leadership engagement. These findings contribute to informing intervention design and developing contextually relevant intervention strategies for improving literacy outcomes in LMICs.