Neutrosophic Psychology of Teachers: Addressing Perceptions of Uncertainty and Motivation in the Implementation of Thinking Strategies

Abstract

This study addresses a key challenge in contemporary education: teachers' psychological resistance to implementing critical thinking strategies, a problem compounded by ambivalent perceptions, indeterminate motivations, and a lack of tools to measure these complexities. Although previous research has explored pedagogical barriers, little has examined the subjective and inconsistent dimension of teachers' attitudes, leaving a gap in our understanding of how uncertainty affects the adoption of educational innovations. To address this, the article proposes a framework based on Neutrosophic Psychology, which quantifies contradictions in teachers' beliefs (such as the coexistence of genuine motivation and external pressures) using neutrosophic numbers, applying adaptive surveys and indeterminacy analysis. The results reveal that teachers exhibit significant degrees of ambivalence—for example, they value active methodologies but doubt their self-efficacy—a finding that traditional binary methods would not capture. This research contributes theoretically by integrating neutrosophic logic into educational psychology, offering a more realistic model of teacher decision-making, while, in practice, suggesting differentiated training that addresses not only technical knowledge but also emotional gray areas. Thus, the study transcends diagnosis, proposing strategies to transform uncertainty into a driver of educational change.

DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.15641651