PRINCIPALS’ MOTIVATIONAL STRATEGIES AND TEACHER JOB SATISFACTION IN BENUE STATE
ABSTRACT
The purpose of this study is to investigate principals’ motivational strategies and job satisfaction of secondary school teachers in Benue State. Descriptive survey design was adopted in this study. A total of 235 out of 2282 teachers were selected using stratified random sampling technique. Six research questions and four null hypotheses guided the study. A structured questionnaire was used for data collection. Three experts in the department of Educational Foundations carried out the face validation. The reliability coefficient of the instrument was 0.78 after the reliability test. Mean and standard deviation were used to answer the research questions while t-test statistics was used to test the null hypothesis at 0.05 level of significance. It was found that teamwork and teacher involvement are motivational strategies that give teachers job satisfaction in secondary schools in Benue state and that there was no significant difference between the opinions of first graduate and postgraduate teachers on the motivating factors. It was recommended that teachers should be encouraged by payment of allowances for team activities and any other functions that promote teacher-involvement in school administration. Other recommendations included among others, that teachers should be adequately occupied each day with functions that would make them happy. This can be done by allowing teachers to make decisions about their work.
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CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION
Background of the Study
Secondary education is a very important level of education in Nigeria where solid foundation for higher education and useful living is laid. According to Federal Republic of Nigeria (FRN) (2004), secondary education is the form of education children receive after primary education and before tertiary stage. She also stated that the broad aim of secondary education within the national objectives is the preparation of children for useful living within the society and for higher education. Teachers are required at this level of education to help in the achievement of the objectives and there is a need to motivate them, if the aims of secondary education are to be achieved. On the other hand it appears that teachers are not reckoned with nor appreciated in Nigeria. Emenike (2003) affirmed that the Nigerian society still rate teaching as the lowest civil service job. Furthermore, while other teachers work in order to satisfy their needs in life, those in Benue State, Nigeria constantly agitate to a need for one thing or the other, which is a sign of lack of job satisfaction
Job satisfaction is one of the most frequently investigated variable in studies in organizational behaviour. This is probably due to its positive impact on organizational effectiveness and efficiency (Obi, 1992). Obi (1997), also stressed that teachers’ effectiveness lead to opportunities to produce and effect changes in
the school among teacher in secondary schools. Despite teachers’ efforts in school effectiveness and efficiency, they neither get a commensurate remuneration nor the prestige and social status, which they deserve. This implies that teachers who work tirelessly for the development of the school through grooming of the students are not accorded the necessary recognition and respect which these teachers deserve. This also influences their job satisfaction and in the long run goes a long way to affect teaching and learning. In search of job satisfaction, workers are usually inclined to leave the job at hand for better ones. Okonkwo (1997) stated that teachers who are not satisfied with their jobs, withdraw to other jobs which they believe might satisfy their needs. This is the situation in Benue State where teachers indulge in other activities during and after school teachers that are detrimental to their professional calling. Since job satisfaction from the basis for worker’ decisions about their work- whether they remain or quit, the parameter, for measuring teachers’ job satisfaction in the teaching profession could be in their length of service. Maintaining a high level of worker’s job satisfaction is vital in increasing organizational productivity.
Job satisfaction is an acceptable and happy work condition. Emenike (2003), defined it as a pleasurable, emotional state resulting from the appraisal of one’s job, an affective to ones job and an attitude towards one’s job. Operationally, job satisfaction is being happy and contented with ones (teachers) duties and showing same in being devoted to the duties. It is necessary to ensure teachers’ job
satisfaction as this will enhance productivity and teachers’ longer stay in the teaching profession. This implies that job satisfaction is imperative for the achievement of educational goals.
Much concern has been expressed by societies over the continuous reduction in the abilities of students. This is evident in the poor academic performances of public secondary school students. It appears that most secondary school teachers are not doing their duties effectively and this affects the level of students’ performance. Experts, educationists, economists, stakeholders and literature seem to agree that there is a close relationship between job performance and job satisfaction of workers. Okonkwo (1997) asserted that people will be motivated to perform their jobs effectively to the extent to which they are satisfied with their jobs. This shows that job satisfaction will lead to improvement of teachers’ performance, which in turn will result to improved students’ performance. Assigning responsibilities to teachers’ according to their competence, and the recognition of teachers’ efforts in the school system could be source of teachers’ motivation. This could also lead to teachers’ job satisfaction as well as better teachers’ performances in carrying out assigned responsibilities. From the researcher’s experience, teachers in Benue State generally complain of lack of job satisfaction. Consequently, some indulge in absenteeism, lateness to school, unwillingness to perform some functions in the school and other vices. These negative behaviours of teachers further worsen the educational disadvantaged situation of the state. Indicating the reason for teachers,
job dissatisfaction, Achimugu (2000), asserted that teachers are denied staff housing loan, free medical services, regular promotion etc. therefore, the onus of making teachers’ satisfied with their job rests on the Principals of schools. According to him, principals have to find ways to make teachers’ in Benue state happy so as to do their work well so that Benue state can join other states of the federation in enjoying educational advantages.
The big question is –how do the principals make teachers especially in Benue state to have job satisfaction? The answer is not hard to find because according to literature, this can be done through motivation. Therefore, there is a serious need to find out how teachers can be motivated in Benue State. This study is therefore attempted to find out how teachers can be motivated to have the needed job satisfaction to enable them perform their duties effectively. The researcher, therefore, deems it necessary to use Meta- analysis based motivational strategies which according to literature could give secondary school teachers in Benue State job satisfaction and find out which of them if applied by the principals will be very well welcomed by the teachers in the state. Such motivational strategies include teamwork; teacher involvement; work enhancement; incentive; conducive school environment.
Teamwork has been found to be a motivating factor to job satisfaction. When teachers work cooperatively in teams, they tend to be more motivated. Oftentimes
in the workplace the ability to be a team player is valued and is critical to job performance. Recent research has suggested that conscientiousness, extraversion, and agreeableness are all related to cooperative behavior but that they are not related to task performance. Although this fortifies the case that job performance is related to the five-factor model via increased cooperativeness among coworkers, it lays siege to the role of personality by implying that actual job performance (task performance) is related to cognitive ability and not to personality (LePine & Dyne, 2001).
Leadership abilities are often essential in the workplace, especially for individuals who aspire to move up into the ranks of management. Studies of Asian military units have found that neuroticism is negatively correlated with leadership abilities. Contrary to what the researchers hypothesized, agreeableness is negatively correlated with leadership abilities as well. Openness to experience is unrelated to leadership abilities, but extraversion is positively correlated with leadership abilities (Lim & Ployhart, 2004). This evidence is consistent with the long-standing idea that in teams there are leaders and there are followers; the leaders make decisions and the followers abide by them. Although agreeableness is positively correlated with working with a team, it is negatively correlated with being a leader. Those followers who do not always agree and are willing to voice their own
opinions end up moving up the ranks, whereas those who blindly agree are left as followers.
Moore (1991) saw teamwork as a strategy that wields teachers in to better work performance. Principals that are skillful form work groups when possible, since peer pressure induces high level of performance. This is said to be an effective way of motivating teachers because individual teachers usually adapt to peer pressure and expectations more than obeying their principals. Le (1995) affirmed that teamwork is one of the most effective ways of motivating teachers.
Another effective way of motivating teachers is teacher involvement in school functions which enables a teacher or groups of teachers to assist in decision making, set and announce their own goals. This often has a positive result (Le, 1995). Making goals known is an additional drive because it is seen as a promise. Promises are meant to be kept. Personal involvement tends to generate a strong desire and willingness to contribute meaningfully to the accomplishment of set goals. The more a teacher participates in setting meaningful work goals and making decisions, he or she develops the ability to be accountable Arinze (1997
.and consequently become more motivated.
When principals offer special privileges for good work performance to his teachers, they become motivated to work harder. Adelabu (2004) studied teacher motivation and concluded that it could lead to job satisfaction and increased
performance. For instance, a hardworking teacher may be allowed to go home earlier than others, if he completes his task for the day earlier than other. This gives the teacher time to rest and prepare for the following day’s work. Another good example is that a hard working teacher may be selected to go for paid workshop more often than his lazier counterparts. It motivates the teacher and other teachers to be more committed to their duties. The skillful use of reward in motivating teachers creates self-inspired interest in teachers (Le, 1995). Ladebo (2005) also found that many teachers leave the teaching profession if they are not properly motivated. Use of rewards as a strategy implies that interpersonal relationship is created. This fosters cooperation and motivation in the subordinates.
Cathy, Kassy and Suban (1990) identified four functions of rewards. To Obi (1997) it is an incentive motivation in the school system which assumes that the classroom teacher will do his work better and work harder to accomplish school goals. The best way to get better work performance from teachers is through inducements given to them in the form of rewards and incentives. If a teacher knows that he will be rewarded, he will do all he can to accomplish the set goals. Skillful principals use all forms of incentives to motivate their teachers. Incentives may be given in the form of money, gifts, letter of recommendation, praises and so on. Teachers are motivated to do tasks that will give them the greatest reward (Le, 1995). Principals who deny teachers of incentives will force
them to hide their initiative and creativity. It could lead to frustration, redundancy and alienation (Obi, 1997).
Environment affects individual behaviours and development and so can be effectively used as a motivational strategy. School environment is the physical condition of a place a teacher works (Frisky, 2002). Good work environment fosters play and creative thinking (Hearthfield, 2010) and can constitute best workplace for teachers, so wise and skillful principals can make good use of conducive school environment to motivate the teachers. Equally important is work enhancement programme for teachers which motivate them to perform optimally at work. Hearthfield (2010) recommended the following work attitudes that can facilitate motivation in the school set up: pride, passion and belief. These work attitudes can be skillfully employed to teach students of any level of education in any country who has sound mind and is mentally alert, (National Union of Teacher,{NUT}1994 and Okebukola 1996). This is probably why the Federal Republic of Nigeria (FRN 2004) indicated that no education system can rise above the quality of its teachers.
Experience is another factor that has relationship with motivation and learning. It was observed that experienced teachers see interrelationship of various factors which affect teaching and learning more than inexperienced teachers (Selke, Mines & Kennedy 2010). What may motivate inexperienced teachers may not motivate the experienced ones and vice versa. Selke, Mines & Kennedy (2010)
argued that new and inexperienced teachers need comprehensive induction programmes to match up with experienced teacher. The more the beginning teacher perceives support, the more likely they are to remain in the teaching service stressed Ingersol & Kralik, (2004). This implies that principals can employ the use of training and other capacity building programmes the make teachers more experienced, as a motivating factor
School location may also affect a teacher’s motivation and job satisfaction. Teachers who work within urban areas where there are social amenities may likely be more motivated than those in rural areas especially the female ones. Female teachers are more likely to be motivated and love their job if they are in the urban area where they have access to social amenities (SOURCE?). In the urban areas, teachers can combine their teaching job with petty trading especially in the evening hours, to augment their salaries with income from other means. This can be a source of motivation or reason to remain on the job, (Sinclair & Eraskin-Gullen, 2009).
Graduate and post graduates teach in secondary schools, particularly in Benue State. Postgraduate teachers may be more qualified and knowledgeable in teaching specific subjects and may be more motivated to teach than their graduate counterparts. Hence government encourages graduate teachers to go for in-service training to improve on their existing knowledge (Hare & Heap, 2001). Such
encouragement may serve as motivation that could lead to job satisfaction. This study will verify this assumption by testing a hypothesis to that effect
Female teachers seem to show fewer propensities to be influenced by motivating factors more than their male counterparts. Male teachers, on the other hand have greater tendency to go in search of more challenging jobs than the females who do better in complaining (Hollerabert, et al, 1987; Achimugu, (2000). This assertion will also be tested in this study.
Statement of the Problem
Teachers generally seem to be discontented with their teaching jobs and this invariably affects the entire educational system especially secondary schools that provide inputs to higher institutions. The poor standard of education in the country is therefore not unconnected with this
problem especially in Benue state that is already characterized by educational backwardness. Teachers in Benue often complain of denial of a lot of benefits including, free medical services for themselves their wives and children; staff housing loans; vehicle and vehicle refurbishing loans; regular promotion; leave grants; disturbance allowance; ad hoc committee allowances; bush allowance and overtime allowance. These among others seem to make them dissatisfied with their jobs.
Inadequate motivation of teachers in the state and subsequent lack of job satisfaction make them less committed to their work. Consequently they are not well motivated and do not dedicate their time to proper teaching of students nor prepare their lessons well enough to inculcate all necessary skills using adequate methods. Thus their contributions to the accomplishment of school goals are not very positive. They fail to participate in the projects that promote the tone of the name of the school. Equally, students do not do well in their examinations since they do not acquire correct skills. This results in poor output and consequently job dissatisfaction which is apparent in several forms of misconduct on the part of the teachers. From the researcher’s experience, they conduct classes for their students, for fees; and take bribe to make their students pass examinations. If a student does not cooperate by giving the bribe he/she will be subjected to one ill treatment or the other. Where the principal denies the teachers the opportunity to take bribe, mass failure will be witnessed because the students will not be well taught. This is probably the reason for the general poor performance of students in public examinations like West African Examination Council (WAEC) and National Examination Council (NECO).
Motivation literature, Moore (1991); Le (1995); Cathy, Kassy and Suban (1990); Hearthfield (2010); Selke, Mines & Kennedy (2010); Bass (1998); Shin & Zhou (2003); Babuto (2005); have provided certain motivational strategies that can make workers have job satisfaction and perform better in their jobs. The researcher
therefore deemed it necessary to use these Meta–analytic based strategies for this study. In other words, the problem of this study is designed to find out the extent to which the identified or Meta–analytic strategies of teamwork; teachers involvement in school administration; work enhancement; incentives; adequate school environment; can give secondary school teachers in Benue state job satisfaction and improve performances on their jobs. The use of the Meta-analytic strategies is In other words, the problem of this study is designed to find out the extent to which the identified or Meta–analytic strategies of teamwork; teachers involvement in school administration; work enhancement can motivate and give secondary school teachers in Benue state job satisfaction so as to improve their performances on their jobs. The use of Meta-analytic strategies in this study is informed due to the assumption that Benue state Principals did not know which strategies to use for motivating their teachers; hence they failed to do so.
Purpose of the Study
This study investigated Principals’ motivational strategies and teacher job satisfaction in Benue state secondary schools. Specifically, the study sought to:
1. Determine the extent to which teamwork give teachers job satisfaction
2. Find out the extent to which teacher involvement in school administration give teachers job satisfaction
3. Determine the extent to which work enhancement give teachers job satisfaction
4. Determine the extent to which incentives give teachers job satisfaction.
5. Investigate the extent to which school environment give teacher’s job satisfaction.
Significance of the Study
The findings of the study will have theoretical and practical significance. Theoretically, in the area of educational administration, the findings of this study will provide data, useful for clearer understanding of existing theories of motivation and job satisfaction, such as Herzeberg two factor theories and Maslow hierarchy of human need theory. The study will provide cultural data which will be authenticate the theories.
Practically, this study will be useful to Principals of secondary schools in Benue state and other administrators that may not have the requisite knowledge of motivational strategies for job satisfaction of their subordinates, such as heads of schools, higher institutions and other similar organizations Teachers will benefit in that the study will x-ray strategies that they can market to their principals for adoption in their school administration. They will find out ways and means by which they can change their attitude to work. They will learn from the strategies how gain interest in their work and improve their service delivery.
The student will also benefit immensely from the findings of the study.
Teachers who hitherto, were not interested in students can now show love to them by relating to them more closely than before which shows that the school environment has improved their motivation. They can now settle down to receive their lessons, aggression will no longer be transferred to them by their teachers by not teaching well.
By using appropriate methods of imparting knowledge and skills, such as practical lessons, demonstration, excursion and visit to interest areas like factories and markets students’ performance in their examination will improve. They can pass well in their various examinations. They can acquire skills that are appropriate to their levels. They will not transfer to “Miracle” centres where students pass without working for it. They can also trust and rely on their teachers in virtually every academic work.
Parents constitute another group of beneficiaries. The money they expend on their children will not be a waste as they now acquire relevant skills and knowledge necessary for them to serve them and their society after graduation.
Their children can now pass their examinations well to enable them progress to higher level of education instead of dropping out from school as a result of their inability to pass their examinations well. Their children become their assets rather than liabilities because incentive motivation has enhanced their job satisfaction.
The principals will also benefit from this study. Having provided conducive working environment for their teachers, they can enjoy teachers’ cooperation.
Teachers can undertake any task for the school without persuasion. They can also enjoy harmonious co-existence with their teachers and students as there will be no protest from the teachers. Students, too, will not protest due to the failure of teachers to teach well.
Teachers will be willing to have joint decision-making with the principal as well as making personal decision that affect the school and their personal development. They shall also be willing to share views and responsibilities with other people including the principal. Having meetings. With principals and other teachers will create an opportunity for joint decision making. With conducive working environment teachers can decide to improve on their qualification.
The Scope of the Study
The geographical scope was limited to three Education zones in Beuue state; namely Zone A, Zone B and Zone C in the twenty three local government areas and to both junior and senior state secondary schools including technical and commercial schools. The study content scope include the motivational strategies of teamwork, teacher involvement in school functions, work enhancement, incentives, mutual exchange of gifts and services, and school environment.
Research Questions:
The following research questions were formulated to guide the study.
1. To what extent can teamwork give teachers job satisfaction?
2. To what extent can teacher involvement in school administration give teacher job satisfaction?
3. To what extent can work enhancement give teachers job satisfaction?
4. To what extent can incentive give teachers job satisfaction?
5. To what extent can school environment give teachers job satisfaction?
Hypotheses
The following null hypotheses tested at probability level of 0.05 of significance guided the study.
HO1 There is no significant deference between the perceptions of male and female teachers with regards to the extent to which work enhancement give teachers job satisfaction.
HO2 There is no significant difference between the opinions of male and female teachers with regards to the extent to which school environment give teachers job
satisfaction.
HO3 There is no significant difference between the mean ratings of graduate and post graduate teachers with regards to the extent to which incentive give teachers job satisfaction.
HO4 .There is no significant difference between the mean ratings of urban and rural teachers with regards to the extent to which teacher involvement in school administration satisfy teachers
.