Influence Of Motivation On Job Performance Among Secondary School Teachers In Kirinyaga Central Sub-County, Kenya

ABSTRACT

There has been a wide outcry of teachers as far as their salaries and other work conditions are concerned not only in Kenya but also in other parts of the world. The purpose of this study was to investigate teacher motivation in Kenyan secondary schools. The study investigated the role of promotions, salary, job security, work conditions and proximity to job station in relation to teacher motivation. The study specifically was guided by the following objectives to:- establish the extent to which satisfaction of basic needs influence job performance of secondary school teachers; find out whether teacher qualification influences secondary school teacher job performance and suggest mitigation measures that may enhance teachers‟ motivation to improve their job performance in Kirinyaga Central Sub County. The study was based on the expectancy theory of motivation and it is of significant importance especially to the education sector because teachers play a very vital role in ensuring self-sufficiency with respect to a country‟s labor force, not to mention the large sums of money spent by the government to pay teachers and ensure smooth running of the education sector. The study used descriptive survey design to establish the influence of motivation on job performance among secondary school teachers. Highly motivated teachers tend to give the best in return. Teacher questionnaires were used to collect data for 80 teachers from public and private secondary schools in Kirinyaga central District from which 65 of the respondents were public school teachers while 15 were from private schools. These were randomly selected from public secondary schools and 41 teachers in private secondary schools. The schools from which the sample population came from were also randomly selected. Opinion from my supervisors was used to check on the content validity of the instruments and to test reliability of the instrument test- retest technique were used. This test-retest method involved administering the same instrument twice to the same group of subjects. The instruments of the study were tested in two schools which did not participate in the actual study. The piloting was to ensure clarity of the final instruments for the actual data collection. Questionnaires were first pretested to determine their validity and reliability before using them in the actual study. Data was analyzed using both qualitative and quantitative techniques where both charts and graphs were used .Out of the total number of respondents contacted ,majority were of the opinion that teachers were supposed to be rewarded and their efforts appreciated. Motivation emerged key as far as teacher job performance is concerned. Some of the motivating factors suggested included rewards after exam results, recognition, promotion, housing, good pay as well as reasonable class size and provision of adequate teaching learning resources. The study established that can only be motivated by the provision of their basic needs in terms of emoluments. Teacher‟s qualification was a key factor in influencing performance as poor teacher professional qualification leads to poor performance in schools. The study recommends that strategic measures to be taken to enhance job motivation and performance, teachers call for improvement of working condition, good opportunities for carrier advancement, salary increment and provision of allowances.