Teaching With Purpose: Student Engagement and Institutional Support as Key Drivers

This study explores how university teachers develop and sustain a positive attitude toward teaching in higher education, emphasizing the role of emotional engagement, professional development, and student interaction. Building on the Positive Attitude Towards Teaching in Higher Education (PATTHE) framework, we employed creative qualitative methods—including keyword elicitation, photo-based prompts, and vignettes—with 39 Croatian university teachers from diverse disciplines and career stages. Findings reveal that teachers’ enthusiasm and motivation are closely linked to meaningful relationships with students, personal growth, and institutional recognition of teaching. However, tensions between teaching and research responsibilities, lack of structured support, and administrative burdens often undermine these attitudes. Participants offered critical yet affirming reflections on the PATTHE framework, highlighting areas for its refinement. This study underscores the importance of institutional investment in mentoring, pedagogical training, and recognition systems that center the affective and relational dimensions of teaching in higher education. Although grounded in the Croatian context, the findings reflect challenges and insights relevant to higher education institutions globally.