AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE EFFECT OF TEACHERS MOTIVATION ON THE ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT OF STUDENTS
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AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE EFFECT OF TEACHERS MOTIVATION ON THE ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT OF STUDENTS
Chapter one
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background of the Study
The issue of poor academic achievement among Nigerian pupils has caused widespread concern. The situation is so severe that it has resulted in Nigeria’s well recognised falling educational standards.
The quality of education is determined by how teachers do their duties. Over time, students’ achievement in both internal and external assessments was utilised to assess quality in teachers and instruction (Ajao, 2001).
The teacher quality dilemma is one of the most complex issues in educational production today. While there is substantial evidence that teacher quality is an important determinant of student learning, little is known about the precise observable features of teachers that can account for this impact.
Effective teachers are seen to be well qualified, both naturally and professionally, to guide their students to success in competitive standardised examinations, as well as instilling values in them that will cause them to display generally desirable and accepted behaviours.
On the other side, incompetent teachers are unconcerned about their pupils’ exam results, and in some situations, students who pass through such professors, particularly in terms of mimicking their lifestyles, exhibit behaviours that society despises. Such students do not do well in competitive examinations.
It is widely understood that boosting teacher quality is a critical component of improving primary and secondary education. Teachers play the most significant role in influencing the quality of education that students get.
As such, the government is responsible for ensuring that teachers perform to the best of their abilities. To accomplish this, the government must pay attention to a variety of elements that influence teacher effectiveness.
Teachers’ salary is important, but it is not the only issue, as is social appreciation for their work. Educators may be compensated with salaries or other forms of cash, food, training, or specific help such as shelter, transportation, or agricultural support.
If employees are not paid, they will not teach regularly or leave the profession; if remuneration is irregular or frequently withheld, teacher motivation may suffer.
As a result, a well-established teacher remuneration system contributes to educational stability by lowering teacher absenteeism and turnover rates.
Aside from income, instructors are motivated by a variety of other considerations, including
– Commitment to the profession and teaching youngsters.
– Success in the classroom-professional benefits of watching students succeed
– Status in their community by practicing a valued vocation.
– Training and mentoring, especially recognised and certificated in-service training.
– Appropriate working conditions, such as the amount of hours taught each week and the number of students in the classroom.
– Support from the head teacher
– Availability of teaching and learning resources
– Parental involvement and support, clear school policies and standards, and the physical condition of the learning environment/classroom
– The opportunity for promotion and professional advancement
Teachers have an important role in the transfer of knowledge in schools. In Africa, a major political issue in this setting is how to address poor teacher motivation and its negative impact on student accomplishment.
The literature is full of seemingly obvious policy proposals, salaries, and class size reductions (UNICEF, 1999). This is consistent with what instructors think is responsible for their demotivation, not only in poor nations, but globally.
Job satisfaction and motivation are critical for the continued development of our educational system. They are likely to rank alongside professional knowledge and skills, competency centres, educational resources, and tactics as predictors of educational success and performance.
Taking on and accomplishing tough activities aimed at educational accomplishment and performance demonstrates professional knowledge, abilities, and competencies (Filak and Sheldon 2003).
Satisfaction and drive to work are critical in the lives of instructors since they establish the foundation for working in life. While practically every teacher attempts to meet his or her own requirements in life, he or she is continuously striving for job satisfaction.
In this context, job satisfaction refers to the teaching job’s ability to meet the demands of instructors while also improving their job/teaching performance.
The federal and state governments have maintained that the current economic realities in the country cannot support the demand for salary increases, perks, and better working conditions. They believe that teachers’ demands exceed the government’s resources.
The government accuses teachers of neglect, laziness, and willful lethargy, claiming that their level of efficiency and effectiveness does not require frequent requests for salary increases, incentives, and better working conditions.
Teachers believe that the current compensation structure, perks, and working conditions do not meet their basic demands, whereas other sectors of the economy have higher salaries, more motivation, and better working circumstances. They believe that the Nigerian economy is not adequately balanced, hence their demands.
The teachers’ reasoning is consistent with Adams’ (1966) equitable theory of motivation. Adams equity theory advocated for a fair balance between employee input (such as hard labour, skill levels, tolerance, and passion) and employee output (such as wage perks and intangibles like recognition).
According to the findings, a fair balance promotes a strong and productive relationship, resulting in satisfied and motivated personnel. The hypothesis is based on the belief that employees get demotivated, both in terms of their job and their company, when they believe their inputs exceed their results.
Employees may respond to this in a variety of ways, including demotivation, decreased effort, dissatisfaction, or, in extreme circumstances, disruption.(www.mindtools.com/pages/article/new LDR_96.html).
Teachers are required to perform exceptionally well, and the Ministry of Education is constantly monitoring their work. They also demand a high level of loyalty, patriotism, dedication, hard effort, and commitment from their teachers (Ubom and Joshua, 2004).
Similarly, the functions and contexts of education, as well as motivating approaches and instruments, must be emphasised because high motivation boosts productivity, which is naturally beneficial to all educational systems (Olulube 2004, 2005).
The current system of rewards
Most current wage scales reward instructors based on the number of years they have taught and the number of tertiary degrees they hold, rather than their performance (Odden 2000a). As a result, many researchers feel the salary scale system bases teachers’ compensation on insufficient criteria.
Hoerr (1998) contends that any non-merit-based approach is unjust to great teachers since they are judged using inefficient criteria. It is believed that this will lead to outstanding teachers leaving the education system since brilliance is not appropriately recognised (Odden 2001).
Only when performance is rewarded and teachers command salaries comparable to the private sector without having to advance up an arbitrary salary scale will the best talent be attracted and retained (Solomon and Podgursky 2001).
Proponents point out that research has found no consistent links between education credits or degrees and student performance, and only modest links between experience and student performance (Heneman et al 2000).
The current wage scales are thus very weakly tied to the experience and skills required in the classroom (Mohrman and Odden 1996). If the compensation structure is based on this formula, it will undoubtedly provide disappointing results because it is not properly aligned with educational output (Odden 2000a).
Thus, a considerable body of scholarship contends that performance-based compensation systems improve the efficiency of salary scales.
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