CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

Introduction

This chapter presents the background of motivation and specifically for teachers. This
is followed by the statement of the problem, purpose of the study, objectives of the study,
Hypotheses and research questions. This chapter also presents limitations or difficulties,
delimitations, significance of the study and operational definition of key terms.

BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY

Education plays a very important role in the economic development of a country as it

is aimed at supplying the economy with human capital that can convert effectively and
efficiently other resources into output of high value. It is perceived as the corner stone of
economic and social development and a principle means of providing for the welfare of
individuals (Orodho, 2004). Educational organizations are established to help society enhance
knowledge, attitudes and skills.

According to Okumbe (1999) schools as organizations, have two goals namely

performance or outcome goals and organizational maintenance goals. Schools pursue
performance goals by attempting to be top performers in national examinations. Organization
maintenance goals are activities which sustain it and ensure its survival. These include high
academic and discipline standards, good performance in co-curricular activities and public
image.

Motivation may mean different things to different people depending on the field of
application. Velez (2007) thinks of motivation as a push or inspiration given to a
person so that he or she can bring out his or her best. It is that type of behaviour
needed that enables one to achieve anything desired in life, without which a person would
give up so easily with the first sign of adversity. Motivation cannot be observed
directly but rather deduced from the observable behaviour such as gestures, task
presentation and goal-directed activities.
 According to Alarm & Farid (2011), motivation of teachers is very important as it
affects the students directly. This fact is supported by Marques (2010) in her conclusion that
motivation, satisfaction and performance are interdependent. Dornyei (2001) further states
that teacher efficacy affects students directly as there is strong correlation between teacher
efficacy and students’ performance hence a desired outcome by the students can occur with
the help of the teacher. This means that low motivation of teachers affect his performance
which affects the students’ performance.

On the other hand, countries that were under the British colony considered
missionary education as an integral part of their curriculum. The payable cost of
education was given a subsidy by the state which helped the British colony attain a higher
primary schooling rate than the French colony. In the British colony, teachers working in the
rural areas were given a different pay from those working in urban regions (Cogneau, 2003).
The key mandate of the teacher is to assist the learner to use and apply concepts by giving
instructions and presentations in the classroom. This role is always formal and continuous
that usually happens in a school setting or in any other place where formal education takes
place. There are more duties that are associated with being a teacher than just executing
lesson plans, other responsibilities that teachers attend to include being surrogate parents,
disciplinarians, mentors, counsellors, role models, planners and many more. As a result of
these responsibilities teachers play an important part in shaping the behaviour and future
educational successes of learners.

According to Akanbi (1982) schools in Nigeria are fast decaying and the “rot” in the
system ranges from shortage of teaching and learning resources to lack of effective leadership
and proper motivation of teachers. He pointed out that teachers in Nigeria were unhappy,
frustrated, uninspired and unmotivated. The school environment is dotted with dilapidated
buildings equipped with out-dated laboratory facilities and equipment. Teachers at times have
to work under the most unsafe and unhealthy conditions. This has no doubt, translated into
students’ poor performance in external examinations, their involvement in examination
malpractice, cultism and other negative dispositions

It is generally assumed that motivation influences people’s attitude and performance at work
place. Hence, it is right to say that the motivation level of the teacher directly
influences his/her desire to participate in the instructional processes and urge to share the
already acquired knowledge with their learners. It really determine whether or not the
teacher gets involved in the teaching – learning process. It is constructive to embrace the
fact that teacher’s motivation is affected by a diverse range of factors including
compensation, classroom performance, the training they receive, future prospect of
promotion, the perception of the community about them among others.

The teacher is mainly responsible for the learners’ attention and interest
towards class work and as a result he/she is key to the formation of the desired
academic behaviours in the learners; formation of such behaviour in the learners can be
attributed to the level of teacher motivation. The educational performance of any generation
is directly proportional to teacher’s performance. It is therefore mandatory for any country
that pays attention to its economic growth to have a keen interest on the factors that
affect teacher motivation as this has direct influence on the quality of the educational results
which in turn will influence the country’s human resource.

Bennell (2004) in his study of teacher motivation and incentives in sub-

Saharan Africa cities that teachers’ absenteeism from schools in Sub-Saharan Africa
can highly be attributed to poor teacher motivation as well as lack of accountability from the
teachers; thus leading to reduced syllabus coverage and academic performance in most of the
schools that were measured. He also got concerned with the teachers’ compensation in Sub-
Saharan Africa which he emphasized was very little forcing teachers into side hustles
like going into entrepreneurship in addition to the teaching job.

Organizations can motivate workers by means of incentives, like rewards, position of

quality leadership, the work they do and the environment in which they work. The aim of
motivation is to ensure that workers perform as expected by the management. When staff
are poorly motivated they demonstrate apathy, absenteeism, truancy, rationalization to
reduce their effectiveness, leading to poor and ineffective teaching and learning Eneastor
(1998). When an individual functions under an effective incentive system i.e. one that
generates high money level of work motivation), the individual will display consistency in his
performance. The more motivated the worker to perform effectively, the more effective his
performance.

In Cameroon, teachers motivation and job satisfaction is not any better. For pay and
allowances to the teachers is comparatively low than in the other professions. Teaching
profession is considered as ‘profession of the last resort’ where individuals find themselves
there after they fail to secure better professional courses. In some schools teachers are not
involved in decision making as staff meetings are merely used as directive forums. There are
poor working conditions and no housing but very little housing allowance is given to them.
Provision of teaching and learning materials and equipment to the teachers is sometimes not
prioritized as compared to the private sector. It was recommended that a clear scheme of
services and promotion procedures are put in place and measures to achieve greater
commitment to teaching through changes in the teaching environment. It is worth to note that
teachers in Cameroon had to fight for salary increments and the end results was that they
could only get the increment after every two years. They also face some challenges in the line
of their duties such as walking long distance to schools, inadequate schools facilities and
equipment and indiscipline of students.

STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

It is generally accepted that the competence and commitment of teachers should be the
most important determinant of learning outcomes. Motivation of teachers is one of the
root causes of administrative problems facing many schools in Cameroon. In Yaoundé I sub-
division, there has been deteriorating standards of professional conduct, poor preparation
of teaching materials especially lesson notes, lack of systematic assessment and general
poor professional performance. Teacher absenteeism is unacceptably high and rising,
time on task is low and falling, and teaching practices are characterized by limited
effort. In the same vein, there has been a notable persistent and gradual decline in
performance of pupils in most private schools especially in Yaounde I. There is a growing
fear that perhaps this decline in pupils’ performance is being influenced by teachers’
motivational level which may be affecting their performance. It is such a situation that
prompted the researcher to conduct a study to establish the various extrinsic and
intrinsic motivational factors that influences motivation of teachers on students’
performance in Yaoundé I sub-division .All or most Private teachers in Yaoundé I sub-
division are engaged in private classes due to the inadequate salaries they have in their
schools . If they were better paid like their colleagues in the government schools. They would
have been using that time to better prepare for the next day’s lessons, rest and work better.
Some involve themselves in petty trading while classes are going. Some in farming, so they
can sell their farm produce at the end of the farming season. They all do these in other to
make ends meet. When they leave the school system as a result of no or very low
remuneration or no motivation, they are the pupils who suffer because there will be no
teachers to bring them up to the level they should attain and consequently a drastic drop in
the performance. It was due to this poor performance of pupils in Yaoundé I sub-division that
the researcher decided to find out the Impact of Teachers’ Motivation on Pupils’ Academic
Performance.

PURPOSE OF THE STUDY

The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of teachers’ motivation on pupils’
academic performance in Yaounde I Sub-Division

OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY

This refers to what will be attained at the end of the study. We shall distinguish general and
specific objectives.

General Objective

-To find out the impact of teachers’ motivation on pupils’ academic performance in Yaoundé
I Sub-Division.

Specific Objectives

Specifically, this study was geared towards:

- To find out if teachers’ working conditions affect pupils’ academic performance.

- To determine how teachers’ professional development has an impact on pupils’ academic

performance.

- To examining whether teachers’ remuneration affects pupils’ academic performance.

RESEARCH HYPOTHESIS

The following hypotheses were formulated to guide the researcher in this research
investigation.

General Research Hypothesis

There is a significant relationship between teachers’ motivation and pupils’ academic

performance in Yaoundé I Sub Division.
Specific Research Hypotheses

1- Ha1: Teachers’ working conditions significantly affects pupils’ academic performance.

Ho1: Teachers’ working condition does not significantly affect pupils’ academic
performance.

2- Ha2: Teachers’ professional development significantly affects pupils’ academic

performance.

Ho2: Teachers’ professional development does not significantly affect pupils’

academic performance.

3- Ha3: Teachers’ remuneration significantly affects pupils’ academic performance.

Ho3: Teachers’ remuneration does not significantly affect pupils’ academic performance.

RESEARCH QUESTIONS

The following research questions were raised to guide researcher on this task.

Main Research Question

-Does teachers’ motivation influence the academic performance of pupils’ in Yaounde I sub-
division?

Specific Research Question

- To what extend does Teachers’ working conditions affect pupils’ academic performance?

- Does Teachers’ professional development has an impact on pupils’ academic performance?

- To what extend does Teachers’ remuneration affects pupils’ academic performance?

SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

To Policy makers

This research will permit the government to amend the policies and put in place good plans
for private schools in Cameroon. It is true that decision making may not be part of the
research, but this research will certainly facilitates the decisions taken by policymakers in
education. Given the fact that most primary schools in Cameroon are owned by the private
sector who comes in to assist the government.
To Parents

Our work will enable most of the parents to understand the work the teachers are doing for
their children and thus give them some credit and even highlight the administration to
motivate the teachers or even pay reasonable salaries as compared to their colleagues in the
government sector.

To school proprietors

The study will also be of great importance to the school systems where the study was
performed because it will serve as a means of feedback to the teachers on the effect of their
input to students’ performance. This is particularly important as research has shown that
proper feedback can serve as a means of personal motivation. It is true that decision making
may not be part of the research, but research certainly facilitates the decisions taken by the
school management

To Teachers

It shall motivate the teachers more to do their job better and more seriously. This research
would help to identify the importance of motivation that has strong impact on the
productivity of teachers and pupils’ academic performance. It shall also permit them to be
aware that they are the base of the society, due to the children they are training. All those who
are great men and women today are thanks to a teacher. It will equally help to improve the
teacher’s performance by motivational factors in order to enhance the educational
system. Also the study to encourage other researchers to conduct a research related to the role
of motivation on teachers.

To pupils

This will research will improve on their skills in learning and bring to lamp light the fact that
teachers are the ones leading the pupils and thus the future of tomorrow. Likewise, the pupils
will understand the teacher is just a guide and the greatest part of the job should be done by
them.
SCOPE AND DELIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY

Geographical scope

Geographically, this study was limited generally in the centre Region of Cameroon and
Mfoundi Division in particular. The sample population included private primary school
teachers in Yaoundé I sub-division. This choice of sample was as a result of the fact that the
problem is peculiar amongst this area and the researcher is very verse with the situation.
Specifically, the choice of Yaoundé I sub-division is simply because the area is found within
the urban zone and information can be easily collected.

Conceptual scope

Conceptually, our study looked deeply into motivation and the different types. This
constitutes of intrinsic motivation which innate. Here, all that comes from within a teacher
that drive that makes him likes and wants to do something. We equally look at the external
factors which can push a teacher to want to give more and better. Every human been is never
satisfied, thus the more we work, the more we want something and all these go a long way to
contribute to students performance. In the same light, we equally examined teachers’ salaries
and incentives given to them as forms of encouragement or motivation.

Theoretical and Methodological scope

Theoretically, in our research work we used two main theories. The first is that of
Abraham Maslow’s hierarchy of needs (1970). He gave a systematic theory of needs
classification. Maslow viewed human being as a wanting animal who is motivated by a desire
to satisfy certain specific types of need. According to him, motives differ primarily on the
basis of relative strength. He then listed the hierarchy of needs in ascending order of
importance as follows: Physiological needs, Safety needs, Social needs, Esteem needs, Self-
actualization needs. We equally used the theory of McGregor's Theory "X" and Theory "Y"
(1960). His work suggested two distinct views of human nature. The first one, basically
negative, labelled Theory X, and the other, positive, labelled Theory Y.

Methodologically, it is a quantitative study, the survey research design was used and
the research instrument was constructed using the likert scale to acquire data that will be
calculated using regression analysis.
OPERATIONAL DEFINITION OF KEY TERMS

Impact

A powerful effect that something, especially something new, has on a situation or a person.
Here, the effect is brought by the teacher upon the pupils who come to school to acquire
knowledge.

Teacher

A teacher is someone whose job is to teach in a school or college. A teacher is the second
parent of a pupil and has a great role in the future of a child. The child spends most of his or
her life in school.

Motivation

Motivation as a push or inspiration given to a person so that he or she can bring out
his or her best. It is that type of behaviour needed that enables one to achieve anything
desired in life, without which a person would give up so easily with the first sign of
adversity

Performance

Performance is completion of a task with application to knowledge, skills and abilities. The
accomplishment of a given task measured against pre-set known standards of accuracy,
completeness, cost, and speed

Academic Performance

Academic performance means the knowledge and skills that a students have mastered in a
subject or a course. It’s basically a measure of how well students have performed in the
various assessment items set for them, based on some educational criteria determined by
professional educators.

Pupils

These are children in the primary or elementary schools. According to the Orientation Law in
Education of 1998, children in the primary school age from 6years to 14years. These children
are in the hands of the teacher ones their parents drop them in school. They are learners in the
primary schools of Cameroon.
Extrinsic Motivation

This includes externally administered rewards like salary, free accommodation, free
meals, weekly duty and extra teaching allowances, advance payments in case of financial
problems, leave of absence and free medical care among others.

Intrinsic Motivation

In this study, intrinsic motivation of teachers include job satisfaction which comes from
within the teachers and may be derived from teaching, enjoyment of teaching, the
challenging and competitive nature of teaching, recognition, career development, control
over others and, teaching as one's goal in life.

Teachers’ Performance

Teacher’s performance in the study means the teachers’ role of teaching students in class
and outside the classroom measured by regular and early reporting at school,
participation in extra-curricular activities, supervision of school activities, adequate
teaching preparation(schemes of works, lesson plans), marking and punctuality among others.