CHAPTER ONE

1.0 INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background to the Study

It is not a gainsaying that motivated workforce is a backbone of success

in any organization as highly motivated employees strive to produce at the

highest possible level and exert greater effort than employees who are not

motivated (Ikenyiri & Ihua-Maduenyi, 2011). There is a great connection

between employee's motivation and organizational performance and that

cannot be separated (Daft & Marcic, 2017). Motivating employees does not

end with just rewards such as money, gifts, etc – it was discovered that such

employees also derive satisfaction from their work which in turn help them

to be more innovative and productive.

Teacher motivation plays an important role in the promotion of teaching

and learning excellence. Generally, motivated teachers are more likely to

motivate students to learn in the classroom, to ensure the implementation of

educational reforms and feelings of satisfaction and fulfillment. While teacher

motivation is fundamental to the teaching and learning process, several teachers

are not highly motivated, hence, they are less productive (Osunlana, 2019). This

observation should be taken seriously and an investigation into the factors

influencing teacher motivation is therefore necessary to achieve the educational

goals in every learning institution.

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 Compared with other professions, teachers across various countries,

school contexts, and subject fields exhibit higher levels of emotional symptoms.

According to Dai & Sternberg (2014), high levels of job dissatisfaction, stress,

and burnout can negatively influence motivation and job performance which

leads to less productivity. According to Gorham & Millete (2017), teachers

who report low levels of motivation tend to perceive their student’s moti-

vation levels as low.

Teachers are arguably the most important group of professionals for our

nation’s future. Michaelowa (2012) in her study on analysis of the key deter-

minants of teacher motivation in the developing country context, found that

large class size, double-shifting, rural location, high educational attainment and

active parental involvement negatively correlated with teacher productivity in

these countries. She further found that the level of communication between

teachers and school managers had no statistically significant impact on teacher

productivity.

Ikenyiri & Ihua-Maduenyi (2011) believe that organizations should

implement remuneration systems that encompass both financial and non-

financial aspects as this would ensure the satisfaction of different employees’

needs, thus, increasing levels of employee commitment and productivity. Non-

financial remuneration systems include factors such as recognition, promotion,

increased responsibilities, and personal growth. These endeavours are aimed at

motivating employees through satisfaction of their esteemed needs and accomp-

lishing organizational goals as the success of the organization is linked to

human capital. This is also applicable in the educational system.

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 However, teachers develop performance style characteristics to their

ways of relating to the world, perceptually as well as cognitively. A person is,

therefore, likely to act in a way that maximizes the use of his aptitudes. Simi-

larly, teacher’s positive attitude towards teaching and higher aspiration level

determines his positive perception of the environments. An effective teacher

development design should have an exhaustive measure of these factors so as to

foster necessary skills and attitudes amongst prospective teachers. (United

Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization “UNESCO”, 2012).

There are many factors that influence the teachers’ productivity such as

aptitude, attitude, subject mastery, teaching methodology, personal character-

istics, the classroom environment, general mental ability, personality, relations

with students, preparation and planning, effectiveness in presenting subject

matters, relations with other staff, self-improvement, relations with parents and

community, poise, intellect, teaching techniques, interactions with students,

teaching competence demonstrated, motivational skills, fairness in grading and

teachers’ attitude toward the students, etc. The development of motivation

strategies has an important role in motivating workforce to deliver high levels

of productivity, discretionary effort and contribution. It is against this back-

ground that this study is aimed at investigating the influence of motivational

factors on teachers’ productivity in selected public secondary schools in Kwali

Area Council, FCT Abuja.

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1.2 Statement of the Problem

The role of teachers in creating knowledgeable and skillful students who

have religious and social values cannot be overemphasized. Teacher is the one

who determines the implementation of the teaching and learning process in

the classroom. Teacher’s seriousness in teaching depends on teacher’s work

motivation and professional competencies. Teachers will give their very best

when they have a feeling or trust that their efforts will be rewarded by the

employer. Knowing fully well that the objective of teacher at his work place

is to earn income and fulfill his/her needs, when these needs cannot be met,

he/she definitely becomes less productive.

There are some motivational factors that influence teacher’s productivity

at the workplace. According to Ayodele & Kehi (2010), work motivation indeed

influenced teacher’s productivity. It was also supported by Tella (2010) on the

aspects influencing teacher’s productivity. Problems that teachers face include

handling student needs, lack of parental support, and even criticism from a

public that can be largely unaware of their everyday lives. Not surprisingly,

the greatest barrier to quality professional development in teaching profession

is the difficult conditions in which teachers work. The lack of (irregular,

delayed or low) remuneration, overcrowded classrooms, the potential for (or

probability of) sexual harassment or abuse, a lack of respect from school leaders

and community members, violence in, to, and from school, too many needy

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 students, and a lack of teaching and learning materials, all contribute to such

difficult working conditions. As they would be for anyone, these conditions -

both discretely and cumulatively - are often highly demotivating for teachers

and negatively affect their productiveness.

These challenges may often reflect policymakers’ and donors’ misunder-

standings about who teachers are and what they do and how they should be

treated. It may occur only on a short-term basis and be disconnected from

policies around teacher recruitment, assessment, retention, support, and comp-

ensation. These may not explicitly align with broader Ministry of Education

goals and strategies or what we know to be best practices in teaching profession.

Not all of the above barriers can always be addressed or addressed well. But

some can. It is on this note that this study intends to find out the influence of

motivational factors on teachers’ productivity in the local education system of

public schools in Kwali Area Council, FCT Abuja.

1.3 Purpose of the Study

The purpose of this study is to investigate the influence of motivational

factors on teachers’ productivity in public secondary schools in Kwali Area

Council, FCT Abuja. The specific objectives of the study are to:

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 i. Investigate the level of teachers’ motivation and productivity in public

secondary schools in Kwali Area Council, FCT Abuja.

ii. Examine the motivational incentives used in improving teachers’ product-

ivity in public secondary schools in Kwali Area Council, FCT Abuja.

iii. Find out the factors that affect teachers’ productivity in public secondary

schools in Kwali Area Council, FCT Abuja.

iv. Identify the various problems facing teachers’ motivation in public secon-

dary schools in Kwali Area Council, FCT Abuja.

v. Provide possible measures for improving teachers’ motivation and produ-

ctivity in public secondary schools in Kwali Area Council, FCT Abuja.

1.4 Research Questions

To successfully realize the objective of this study, the following research

questions would be answered by the findings of this study:

1. How motivated and productive are teachers in public secondary schools

in Kwali Area Council, FCT Abuja?

2. What are the motivational incentives used in improving teachers’ produc-

tivity in public secondary schools in Kwali Area Council, FCT Abuja?

3. What are the factors that affect teachers’ productivity in public secondary

schools in Kwali Area Council, FCT Abuja?

4. What are the various problems facing teachers’ motivation in public seco-

ndary schools in Kwali Area Council, FCT Abuja?

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 5. What are the possible measures for improving teachers’ motivation and

productivity in public secondary schools in Kwali Area Council, FCT

Abuja?

1.5 Scope of the Study

The study is focused on the influence of motivational factors on teachers’

productivity in public secondary schools in Kwali Area Council, FCT Abuja.

The study will be limited to the influence of various motivational factors of

other non-motivational factors that can influence teachers’ productivity were

out of the scope. Also, the research work will be limited to the analysis based on

the questionnaire administered, and the relevant text (literature). This research

work covers all public secondary schools in Kwali Area Council, FCT Abuja –

however, a fraction of the schools will be sampled from which inference will

be drawn for others.

1.6 Significance of the Study

The findings from this study can be of immense benefits to the following:

government; education administrators; teachers; counselors; parents; resear-

chers; and the society at large.

This study may help the government especially the Teachers Service

Commission (TSC) in acquiring vital information critical for improving terms

and working conditions of teachers in order to increase their level of

productivity.

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 The findings of the study may be useful to the education administrators

such as principals and headmasters as it gives them insights into measures

geared towards enhancing performance of teachers and formulate motivational

policies that enhance employee performance since productivity of the teachers

cannot be generated without proper motivation.

This study may also benefit teachers in public secondary schools in Kwali

Area Council, FCT Abuja and other places for they would gain information on

how to improve their productivity in various engagements. Besides, teachers

at different levels of education, basic, tertiary, as well as higher education

would equally benefit significantly from the study results by obtaining best

human capital management practices to enhance job performance, for the

benefit of both individual worker and the organization.

The study may also help counselors to gain more information about

motivational factors and how much it can influence productivity in an organi-

zation. This knowledge will serve as a milestone to the causes and solutions to

performance and productivity related psychological issues in an organization

which can be applied at any time in the profession.

The results of the findings of this study may benefit parents as it will

provide answers to questions posed by many parents as to why their students

don’t perform as expected, and also expose them to how to assist other stake-

holders (teachers and school management) in becoming more productive since

their motivation and productiveness has direct influence on a child’s academic

performance in school.

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 The findings may add to the body of knowledge in the area of teachers’

motivation and productivity in Kwali Area Council secondary schools which

serves as significant empirical data and information on the subject matter

that may be utilized by other researchers who will want to carry out a similar

research topic, and also useful during symposiums, seminars and public

lectures.

1.7 Operational Definition of Terms

As used in this study:

Influence - a marked impact or effect.

Motivational factors - are strategies, incentives, recognitions and any other

element that increase an employee's overall motivation to perform at workplace.

Teachers’ productivity - is a measure of the efficiency with which the overall

process of teaching and learning is conducted.

1.8 Abbreviations

Meanings of acronyms used in the study are stated below:

UNESCO - United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization

TSC - Teachers Service Commission

NPEC - National Postsecondary Education Cooperative

LDCs - Least Developed Countries

FCT - Federal Capital Territory

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