Motivation and Teachers Job Performance in Public Primary Schools

Motivation and Teachers Job Performance in Public Primary Schools

CHAPTER ONE

Objectives of the study

To find out the effects of motivation on the performance of primary school teachers in Alimosho Local Government Area of Lagos.

the Specific objectives

1. To find out whether motivation of teachers has any effect on their morale to perform.
2. To find out the effect of intrinsic motivation on the performance of teachers.
3. To find out the effect of extrinsic motivation on the performance of teachers.

CHAPTER TWO

LITERATURE REVIEW

Introduction

The literature is reviewed according to study objectives that included motivation of teachers and performance, the effects of intrinsic motivation and performance and extrinsic motivation and performance.

Motivation of Teachers and Performance

There is a wide range of views about teacher motivation in Africa and South Asia, most of which are country specific. However, there appear to be mounting concerns that unacceptably high proportions of teachers working in public school systems in many developing countries are poorly motivated due to a combination of low morale and job satisfaction, poor incentives, and inadequate controls and other behavioural sanctions. For example, Bennell (2004) reports the 2000 EFA Country Assessment for Pakistan which noted that poor teacher motivation is a ‗colossal problem‘, which is seriously compounded by political interference‘.

In Uganda, information about the teachers‘ job performance is not well documented, yet job performance of teachers is important in areas like classroom management, participation in sports, guidance and counseling, conducting fieldwork among other activities.  Cheptoek (2000) carried out a study to establish whether job satisfaction influences job performance among non- academic staff at Islamic University in Uganda. However, the study was not directly related to the teachers‘ role of teaching (job performance). The current research established the influence of motivation on teacher‘s morale to perform. In the same vein, Nambassa (2003) investigated the impact of classroom supervision on the quality of teaching and learning in primary schools of Wakiso District Uganda. However, the study did not specifically look at the variables of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation at work hence the relevance of this study in regard to the influence of motivation on teachers‘ performance in Alimosho Local Government Area.

Analoui (2000) asserts that low teacher motivation is reflected in deteriorating standards of professional conduct, including serious misbehavior (in and outside of work), and poor professional performance. Teacher absenteeism is unacceptably high and rising, time on task is low and falling, and teaching practices are characterized by limited effort with heavy reliance on traditional teacher -centred practices. Teachers are devoting less and less time to extra-curricular activities, teaching preparation, and marking. The 2004 World Development Report neatly summarizes these concerns about teachers.

Cases of malfeasance among teachers are distressingly present in many settings: teachers show up drunk, are physically abusive, or simply do nothing. This is not low-quality teaching – this is not teaching at all‘ (World Bank, 2004:43).

The fact remains that very little robust evidence is presented to support these views and assertions concerning teacher motivation in developing countries. In the absence of adequate information, the incidence of poor teacher motivation and misbehaviour could well be seriously over-exaggerated mainly because of the pervasive negative stereotyping of teachers (especially by the media) in many countries. On the few occasions when teachers and school managers have been directly asked about teacher motivation, reported levels of morale have generally been quite high. As part of a study of the impact of the AIDS epidemic on education in Botswana, Malawi and Uganda, representative groups of primary and secondary school teachers were asked if they agreed with the statement that ‗teacher morale at this school is high‘. Morale in Botswana and Uganda was reasonably good whereas there appears to be more cause for concern in Malawi, especially at primary schools (see Bennell, Hyde and Swainson, 2002). Despite the reported morale, this study investigated whether motivation of teachers increase their morale to perform.

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CHAPTER THREE

METHODOLOGY

Introduction

This chapter presents the methodology that was used in the study. This includes research design, area of study and target population, selection of respondents, data collection methods, data quality control, ethical issues and data analysis.

Research Design

The study used a descriptive research design because of the nature of the variables that were at hand, to produce data, required for quantitative and qualitative analysis and to allow simultaneous description of views, perceptions and beliefs at any single point in time (White, 2000).

CHAPTER FOUR

DATA PRESENTATION, ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION

Introduction

In this chapter, data regarding the effects of motivation on the performance of primary school teachers in Kimaanya-Kyabakuza division has been presented, analyzed and discussed. The presentation is arranged in line with the specific objectives that guided the study, including;

1. The effect of motivation on teachers‘ morale to perform.
2. The effect of intrinsic motivation on the performance of teachers.
3. The effect of extrinsic motivation on the performance of teachers.

However, the background characteristics of respondents are presented first to provide a clear picture of the nature of people that participated in the study.

CHAPTER FIVE

 

SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Introduction

This chapter presents summary, conclusions and recommendations of the study. The recommendations are proposed as a means of motivation of teachers as well as increasing their performance at work. Summary and conclusions on the other hand, involve salient issues found out in the study.

Summary and Conclusions

This study examined the effects of motivation on the performance of primary school teachers in Alimosho Local Government Area in Lagos. A total of 113 teachers from 12 primary schools participated in the study. With varying education levels, the majority of the respondents had been working for over 2 years in the schools studied. This implies that teachers were already conversant with the motivators in their respective schools and were therefore expected to assess how such motivators had affected their performance at work. Consequently, some of the study findings agree with the conceptual framework that was developed to guide the study while others do not. In all, however, the study found that motivation was necessary for high performance of teachers although in most cases teachers were poorly motivated.

Below, summary and conclusions of the study are presented in line with the specific objectives of the study, thus;

1. a) The effect of motivation on teachers‘ morale to perform.
2. b) The effect of intrinsic motivation on the performance of teachers.
3. c) The effect of extrinsic motivation on the performance of teachers.

The effect of motivation on teachers’ morale to perform

Research findings revealed that teachers benefited from both monetary and nonmonetary motivators. The majority of the respondents joined the teaching profession because of the personal interest they had in teaching. However, 58.4% of the respondents indicated that salary was inadequate to meet their needs with  increase of the cost of living. The inadequacy of the salary earned by primary school teachers was emphasized by one head teacher that ―..most teachers are not satisfied with the amount of money the government pays them. It‘s indeed inadequate. The cost of living has gone up and most teachers find it difficult meet daily expenses like transport, house rent, food, medical care and school fees for their family members from the mere 200,000= they earn as their salary‖. In addition, late payment of salaries was very common in Lagos. As a form of motivation, therefore, salary was insufficient to motivate teachers and increase their morale to perform efficiently. Besides, non monetary motivators were available in some schools although not all teachers had access to them in the respective schools they taught. Despite the relatively low motivation, however, the majority of the respondents indicated that their performance was good and encouraging (indicated by 50.4% of the respondents), implying that the majority of the teachers performed their activities with high morale.

Basing on the findings, it is fair to conclude that the performance of teachers was good despite the fact that their motivation was inadequate. Consequently, many respondents advocated for increase in salary and other non monetary benefits of teachers to match the increasing cost of living in Alimosho Local Government Area in particular and Uganda in general. Despite this, however, the majority of the teachers performed their activities with high morale as evidenced from reporting early at school, regular testing and examination of pupils, high turn up of teachers in staff meetings and school occasions, efficiency at maintenance of students discipline and supervision of school activities among others.

The Effect of Intrinsic Motivation on the Performance of Teachers  

Research findings indicated that the majority of the respondents were intrinsically motivated by the responsibilities they performed in the school that gave them a sense of control over others, interaction and development of relationship with people from many areas, recognition and respect accorded to teachers by the community and the challenging nature of the teaching profession. Other forms of intrinsic motivation were a great deal of job satisfaction and career development in the teaching profession. This implies that such teachers derived their expectations from teaching and therefore had high morale to perform better. Surprisingly, however, the majority of them (55.8%) indicated that intrinsic motivation had to a small extent increased their morale to perform. However, a significant positive relationship existed between intrinsic motivation and performance of teachers implying that increase in intrinsic motivation increased the performance of teachers.

Basing on the research findings, therefore, the study concluded that the majority of the respondents had intrinsic motivation evidenced by increased recognition, job satisfaction, career development, commanding control over other people in the community, the challenging and competitive nature of the teaching profession and having realized their goal in life which was training the nation. A significant positive relationship between intrinsic motivation and performance of teachers was also found to exist (r = 0.437; Sig. = 0.000) at 0.05 level of significance. This implies that increase in intrinsic motivation of teachers increased their performance at work.

The Effect of Extrinsic Motivation on the Performance of Teachers

Study findings revealed that the extrinsic motivators available to teachers in various primary schools in Alimosho Local Government Area were free meals,  prompt salary payments, advance payment from the schools in case teachers had financial problems, leave of absence in case a teacher had a reason to justify it and, extra teaching allowances to teachers. On the other hand, respondents revealed absence of the following extrinsic motivators: adequate salary, medical care, weekly duty allowances to teachers as well as accommodation. This implies that not all extrinsic motivators were available to teachers in the primary schools studied in Alimosho Local Government Area. Salary was notably the most pressing motivator that was reported to be lacking. Consequently, the majority of the respondents (74.3%) indicated that extrinsic motivators had a small effect on teacher‘s morale to perform; implying that inadequacy of extrinsic motivators did not significantly affect the morale of teachers to perform.

Basing on the study findings presented in this objective, therefore, it can be concluded that not all extrinsic motivators were available to teachers in the primary schools studied in Alimosho Local Government Area. However, the majority of them were concerned about the inadequacy of the salary to meet their basic needs. Consequently, the study found that extrinsic motivators had to a small extent increased teachers‘ morale to perform. Despite this, a positive relationship existed between extrinsic motivation and performance of teachers (r = 0.144). The relationship was statistically significant (Sig. = 0.042) at 0.05 level of significance, implying that increasing extrinsic motivation would increase the performance of teachers in Alimosho Local Government Area 

Recommendations  

Basing on the findings and conclusions of the study, the following recommendations are made:

1. The Ministry of Public Service should work out incentive packages to increase teachers‘ motivation to teach in primary schools. Special attention should be put at increasing teacher‘s salaries because the majority of them (teachers) complained about the inadequacy of their salary to meet their needs. Increasing teacher‘s salaries will increase their morale to teach. This is because the teachers must be interested in what they teach and in the children when they are teaching. If they are not interested in the work themselves, they can never motivate the class to learn.
2. Accommodation needs to be provided to the teachers to enable them live near schools since many of them reported to be living far away from their schools. Communities should be assisted by the government to put up decent teachers‘ houses so that teachers live within the schools and thus reduce lateness and absenteeism. This will increase their motivation and eventually performance.
3. The local community‘s contribution in this case may be in form of provision of free labour or financial contributions towards the construction process
4. Supervision by the Ministry of Education and Sports especially through Education Standards Agency should be strengthened and circuit supervisors be more regular to stop teachers from participating in secondary employment.
5. The District Inspectorate should also be strengthened and adequately funded it to carry out routine inspections in schools. Regular visits to the schools would motivate the teachers to be more regular and early in school and avoid divided attention of searching for secondary employment.
6. Awards could be instituted for better performance. Areas such as school and pupil discipline, teacher performance, pupil attendance and achievement and community and parent participation in school activities should be rewarded to serve as a motivation.
7. Teachers need to motivate the children. Motivation is the ‗force that determines how much effort an individual puts into his learning‘ (Farrant, 1980). As put by Farrant (1980, p.  113),  The engines of human motivation are interest and desire. When these are working at full power in an individual, remarkable feats of learning can be achieved. It is therefore in the teacher‘s interest to take the trouble to see that the child‘s interest and appropriate desires are aroused before trying to teach him.

It is therefore important that teachers attempt to arouse the interest and the joy in each lesson they teach. They could do this through the use of humor in the classroom, paying individual attention to the pupils using different approaches to teaching and positive reinforcements. Motivated classes tend to increase teacher morale and performance.

REFERENCES

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