Impact Of Motivation Strategies On Teachers’ Retention In Secondary Schools In Rivers State

Project and Seminar Material for Education

Abstract

This study was carried out to examine the impact of motivation strategies on teachers’ retention in secondary schools in Rivers State. The study was specifically carried out to determine whether there is a significant relationship between motivation and teachers retention in secondary school, determine the factors influencing teachers turnover in secondary schools in Obio Akpor Local Government Area of Rivers State, determine the motivational factors which enhances teachers retention in secondary schools in Obio Akpor Local Government Area of Rivers State, and find out whether there is an adequate and active motivational scheme in secondary schools in Obio Akpor Local Government Area of Rivers State. The survey design was adopted and the simple random sampling techniques were employed in this study. The population size comprise of teachers in secondary schools in Obio Akpor LGA, Rivers State. In determining the sample size, the researcher conveniently selected 57 respondents and 50 were validated. Self-constructed and validated questionnaire was used for data collection. The collected and validated questionnaires were analyzed using frequency tables, and mean scores. While the hypotheses were tested using Pearson correlation statistical tool, SPSS v23. The result of the findings reveals that there is a significant relationship between motivation and teachers’ retention in secondary school. The study also revealed that the motivational factors which enhances teachers retention in secondary schools in Obio Akpor Local Government Area of Rivers State includes: timely payment of salaries, improved working condition, adequate training & development scheme, Job promotion, fringe benefits, and extrinsic motivation. Therefore, it is recommended that government should ensure that teacher’s salaries are regularly paid which will motivate the ability of the teacher and school. Authorities should motivate teachers with fringe benefit and incentives in other to make them increase their teaching performance. To mention but a few.

Table of Content

Title Page
Certification
Dedication
Acknowledgement
Table of Content
List of Tables
Abstract

Chapter One:

Introduction

1.1 Background of the Study
1.2 Statement of the Problem
1.3 Objective of the Study
1.4 Research Questions
1.5 Research Hypothesis
1.6 Significance of the Study
1.7 Scope of the Study
1.8 Limitation of the Study
1.9 Definition of Terms
1.10 Organisations of the Study

Chapter Two:

Review of Literature

2.1 Conceptual Framework
2.2 Theoretical Framework
2.3 Empirical Review

Chapter Three:

Research Methodology

3.1 Research Design
3.2 Population of the Study
3.3 Sample Size Determination
3.4 Sample Size Selection Technique and Procedure
3.5 Research Instrument and Administration
3.6 Method of Data Collection
3.7 Method of Data Analysis
3.8 Validity of the Study
3.9 Reliability of the Study
3.10 Ethical Consideration

Chapter Four:

Data Presentation and Analysis

4.1 Data Presentation
4.2 Analysis of Data
4.3 Answering Research Questions
4.4 Test of Hypotheses

Chapter Five:

Summary, Conclusion and Recommendation

5.1 Summary
5.2 Conclusion
5.3 Recommendation
References
APPENDIX
QUESTIONNAIRE

Chapter One

Introduction

1.1 Background of the Study

Teacher retention is one of the pillars that lead to quality education. School leaders use their effort to recruit teachers so that they may continually contribute towards the educational goals of producing productive people in their respective society as well as worldwide. What makes teachers decide to join and remain committed to their teaching profession within the same institution depends on a number of factors which are understood as indicators of motivation. The importance of motivating people at work is noticeable at all levels of organizations. Starting from managers who need to be aware of factors that motivate their subordinates to make them perform well, through human resource professionals who have to understand the motivation to effectively design and implement reward structure and systems, ending up with employees who need to think through what expectations they have of work. It is obvious that institutions need motivated staff and without any doubt, motivation is an important aspect of human resource management.

While emphasizing on the role of teacher motivation, Desiree and Linda (2017) claim that teachers who are well-prepared and well-mentored are the ones who seemingly are satisfied with their teaching profession and remain in the career for long. Surprisingly, Herzberg’s studies argue that the opposite of satisfaction is not dissatisfaction (Rice University, 2018). In fact, he believes that proper management of hygiene elements like financial remunerations and job security may not always bring about satisfaction and motivation even though they prevent dissatisfaction. As such, it is paramount to really know the factors, which alleviate the rate of teacher turnover, and those that enhance motivation, in order to promote the retention of effective teachers (Amiry, 2018). This is because all cases of teacher turnover are not negative to their respective institutions; nor is all retention positive.
“People have needs and therefore may work for the organisation to meet these needs. A need is a lack of something wanted. This lack gives birth to a drive in the teacher to satisfy that need. If these needs were satisfied, organisation staff remained stable in their organisation. When these needs were not met, there was a high tendency in the staff to want to leave that organisation”. Maicibi (2003). This implies that the needs of a new teacher in a particular secondary school are not the same as those of a teacher who has served for a long time in the same school. As teachers continue to work in a particular secondary school for a longer time, their hierarchical needs profile grows stronger. Thus, in order for a secondary school to retain their staff, they must provide mechanisms that should ensure that the different demands of the new and old teachers are met by the school. For instance prompt remuneration makes teachers to meet their basic economic needs in time, delegating duties to teachers as responsibilities broadens the scope of a teachers’ work by introducing other tasks. Thus a teacher who is given the responsibility for example of being a head of department, is supposed to supervise and coordinate the teaching of that subject that the teacher is a head of department as well as handle the role of being a teacher of that subject, which made some of the teachers to develop a sense of belonging to the school, and offering teachers in-service training such as seminars, workshops and refresher courses, equipped them with better and modern skills for handling their duties as teachers in secondary schools.

1.2 Statement of the Problem

There is apparently a growing dissatisfaction among teachers in Nigeria. Simon and Johnson(2011) are of the view that this dissatisfaction which has led to a high turnover among teachers is a result of lack of human resource development, poor remuneration, poor human relations in various schools and poor working conditions. The evidence of low and sometimes delayed salaries tends to affect teacher morale and commitment(Fayol, 2008). Some teachers have to struggle to secure accommodation on in the school or close to the schools where they teach and therefore have to travel over long distances to work. There is also a shortage of basic teaching and learning resources (TLR) available to enable the teachers to work. In addition, there have been industrial strike actions by teacher unions in recent times and these have been necessitated by poor remuneration, delays in payment of salary arrears and other motivational issues such as annual salary incremental jumps and car maintenance allowance(Anderson, 2018). In view of the aforementioned, this study seek to examine the impact of motivation strategies on teachers’ retention in secondary schools in Rivers State.

1.3 Objectives of the Study

The main objective of this study is to examine the impact of motivation strategies on teachers’ retention in secondary schools in Rivers State. Other objectives of this study are:

Determine whether there is a significant relationship between motivation and teachers retention in secondary school.
Determine the factors influencing teachers turnover in secondary schools in Obio Akpor Local Government Area of Rivers State.
Determine the motivational factors which enhances teachers retention in secondary schools in Obio Akpor Local Government Area of Rivers State.
Find out whether there is an adequate and active motivational scheme in secondary schools in Obio Akpor Local Government Area of Rivers State.

1.4 Research Questions

The following are tentative research questions formulated to have a clear focus of the study.

Is there a significant relationship between motivation and teachers’ retention in secondary school?
What are the factors influencing teachers turnover in secondary schools in Obio Akpor Local Government Area of Rivers State?
What are tthe motivational factors which enhances teachers retention in secondary schools in Obio Akpor Local Government Area of Rivers State?
Is there an adequate and active motivational scheme in secondary schools in Obio Akpor Local Government Area of Rivers State?

1.5 Research Hypotheses

Ho: There is no significant relationship between motivation and teachers’ retention in secondary school.
Ho: There is a significant relationship between motivation and teachers’ retention in secondary school.

1.6 Significance of the Study

This study hoped to be of significance to various stakeholders. These include school administrators, teachers, policy makers and practitioners. Further the study is also hoped to contribute to the knowledge base.

The school administrators are hoped to gain from this study in that based on the findings made, they will have information on motivational issues that influence retention of teachers in their schools. Further, the recommendations given may boost awareness among the school administrators on how they may effectively apply various motivational strategies so as to enhance teacher retention in the schools.

Teachers will benefit from this study because it concentrates more on their motivational strategies that if put in place may improve their retention in schools. As such, if the recommendations given will be effectively applied by the school administration and all the other concerned stakeholders, then the working conditions of the teachers is hoped to improve as well as their retention in schools.

Based on the findings and recommendations that will be provided, it is hoped that the policy makers will be able to acquire tips that will guide them in formulating policies which address on teacher motivation strategies in schools.

The educational practitioners will obtain some information on regarding various teacher motivation strategies such as training needs, performance appraisal and provision of incentives does influence their retention in schools. They may also be able to apply the strategies in their respective fields of expertise so as to enhance retention among the concerned stakeholders.

This study is also hoped to contribute to the knowledge base in the areas of teacher motivation and their retention in schools. Moreover, the study is also hoped to stir up scholars and other students of research to carry out further researches on various aspects of teacher retention in schools besides the application of motivation strategies.

1.7 Scope of the Study

The study focuses on the impact of motivation strategies on teachers’ retention in secondary schools in Rivers state. However the respondent for this study will be obtained from teachers in secondary schools in Obio Akpor LGA, Rivers State.

1.8 Limitation of the Study

Like in every human endeavour, the researcher encountered slight constraints while carrying out the study. Insufficient funds tend to impede the efficiency of the researcher in sourcing for the relevant materials, literature, or information and in the process of data collection, which is why the researcher resorted to a limited choice of sample size. More so, the researcher simultaneously engaged in this study with other academic work. As a result, the amount of time spent on research will be reduced.

Moreover, the case study method utilized in the study posed some challenges to the investigator including the possibility of biases and poor judgment of issues. However, the investigator relied on respect for the general principles of procedures, justice, fairness, objectivity in observation and recording, and weighing of evidence to overcome the challenges.

1.9 Definitions of Terms

Motivation:

This is the means of activity the behavior of an individual towards the achievement of certain goals

Retention

Retention is the constant struggle by public secondary schools to keep their staff working within a particular school.

Teacher Retention

Teacher retention Is the ability of the school system to keep its staff in their jobs and make them want to stay.

1.10 Organization of the Studies

The study is categorized into five chapters. The first chapter presents the background of the study, statement of the problem, objective of the study, research questions and hypothesis, the significance of the study, scope/limitations of the study, and definition of terms. The chapter two covers the review of literature with emphasis on conceptual framework, theoretical framework, and empirical review. Likewise, the chapter three which is the research methodology, specifically covers the research design, population of the study, sample size determination, sample size, and selection technique and procedure, research instrument and administration, method of data collection, method of data analysis, validity and reliability of the study, and ethical consideration. The second to last chapter being the chapter four presents the data presentation and analysis, while the last chapter(chapter five) contains the summary, conclusion and recommendation.

Chapter Five

Summary, Conclusions and Recommendations:

5.1 Introduction

This chapter summarizes the findings on the impact of motivation strategies on teachers’ retention in secondary schools in Rivers State. The chapter consists of summary of the study, conclusions, and recommendations.

5.2 Summary of the Study

In this study, our focus was to examine the impact of motivation strategies on teachers’ retention in secondary schools in Rivers State. The study was specifically carried out to determine whether there is a significant relationship between motivation and teachers retention in secondary school, determine the factors influencing teachers turnover in secondary schools in Obio Akpor Local Government Area of Rivers State, determine the motivational factors which enhances teachers retention in secondary schools in Obio Akpor Local Government Area of Rivers State, and find out whether there is an adequate and active motivational scheme in secondary schools in Obio Akpor Local Government Area of Rivers State.

The study adopted the survey research design and randomly enrolled participants in the study. A total of 50 responses were validated from the enrolled participants where all respondent were teachers in secondary schools in Obio Akpor LGA, Rivers State.

5.3 Conclusions

Based on the findings of this study, the researcher concluded that;

There is a significant relationship between motivation and teachers’ retention in secondary school.
The factors influencing teachers turnover in secondary schools in Obio Akpor Local Government Area of Rivers State includes: lack of human resource development, poor remuneration, poor human relations, poor working conditions, Late payment of salaries, shortage of basic teaching and learning resources.
The motivational factors which enhances teachers retention in secondary schools in Obio Akpor Local Government Area of Rivers State includes: timely payment of salaries, improved working condition, adequate training & development scheme, Job promotion, fringe benefits, and extrinsic motivation.
There is no adequate and active motivational scheme in secondary schools in Obio Akpor Local Government Area of Rivers State.

5.4 Recommendations

Based on the findings of the study, the following recommendations are proffered.

Government should ensure that teacher’s salaries are regularly paid which will motivate the ability of the teacher and school. Authorities should motivate teachers with fringe benefit and incentives in other to make them increase their teaching performance.
Private secondary schools should provide incentive packages to increase teachers’ motivation. Special attention should be put at increasing teacher‘s salaries because the majority of them (teachers) complained about the inadequacy of their salaries 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.
Regional Administration Local Government, Education Standards Agency should be strengthened to make sure that teachers receive salary on time. The District Inspectorate should also be strengthened and adequately funded to carry out routine inspections in both public and private secondary 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 as part time teachers.
The teachers who perform well in teaching and learning process should receive extra payment that can help them to increase effort in teaching.
The Ministry of Education and the owner of private secondary schools should provide incentive packages to increase teachers’ motivation. Special attention should be put at increasing teacher‘s salaries because the majority of them (teachers) complained about the inadequacy of their salaries 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.

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