EFFECTS OF TEACHERS' MOTIVATION ON STUDENTS'

PERFORMANCE: A CASE STUDY OF SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN

ENUGU EDUCATIONAL ZONE

By

Kalu, Thankgod Ugochukwu

A doctoral candidate in the department of Educational Management, College of
Education, Michael Okpara University of Agriculture Umudike, Abia State.
Email: official.ukalu@gmail.com

Abstract
The study was designed to investigate the effects of Teachers' motivation on
Students' performance in secondary schools in Enugu Educational zone.
Two research questions and two hypotheses guided the study. The study adopted
survey research design. The target population was 12,160 Students of public
secondary schools in Enugu Educational zone. A sample of 1,216 respondents was
used. The instrument for data collection was a structured questionnaire titled:
Effects of Teachers' Motivation on Students' Performance Questionnaire
(ETMSPQ). The instrument was face validated by three experts, one from
Measurement and Evaluation and two from the Department of Educational
Management, all of the College of Education, Faculty Of Education, Michael
Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike, Abia State. Cronbach Alpha was used
to determine the reliability of the instrument. Data analysis was done using mean
with standard deviation to answer all research questions and t-test analysis was
used to test the two formulated hypotheses at 0.05 level of significance. The study
revealed that Teachers' motivation affected Students' performance in secondary
schools in Enugu Educational zone of Enugu state to a great extent. The findings
of this study revealed that there is significant relationship between teachers’
motivation and Students’ performance such as that highly-motivated teachers
positively influences Students’ performance. Based on the findings, a conclusion
and recommendations were made.

Keywords: Motivation, Teachers' motivation, Students' performance, Secondary

schools.
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Introduction
Education is the bedrock of any nation’s development. It produces
qualified personnel that are expected to be functional members of the society and
work in every facet of a nation. However, these personnel as students are meant
meet certain performance level for educational system to be considered successful,
and for this to come about some variable come into play. Those variables could be
learning environment, student’s willingness to learn, Teachers’ activities etc. the
present study will focus on teachers’ activities are determinant factor for the
performance level of students.
Teachers’ activities are determined by intrinsic impulse, this is known
as motivation. When an individual is highly motivation they act in a certain
manner to justify their motivation, but when they are lowly motivated they lack the
drive to justify an obligation or desire as the case may be. Different experts have
defined the term ‘Motivation’ in diverse ways as it relates to their fields.
Nwachukwu (1988) observed that motivation is that energizing force that induces
or compels and maintains behavior.
In his contribution, Schein cited in Croft (1996) wrote that motivation
as “impulses that stem from within a person and lead him to act in ways that will
satisfy those impulses.’ This is to say that concept of motivation implies that there
is some driving force within individuals, which propel them to achieve a particular
goal. Therefore, to say that teachers are motivated is to say that they have received
those things they desire and need which hopefully will satisfy their needs and
induce them to optimally perform their duties.
The need for motivation as an approach for enhancing teachers’
activities which may lead to high students’ performance in our educational
institutions has become an effective base on which education management rests.
The essentiality of teachers in the entire educational system in every country can
 3

never be overemphasized; they are pillars on which education stands. According to

Ashimole (2011) teaching and learning is hinged largely on teachers, and that it is
on teachers’ strength, dedication and quality that reels the effectiveness of all
educational arrangements, development and growth. Akinsolu (2010) underscored
that teachers are fundamental prerequisites for students’ attainment of educational
goals and objectives. The teacher is ultimately accountable for translating
educational policies and curriculum into practice during interaction with the
students. Even the National Policy on Education of Federal Republic of Nigeria
(FRN, 2006) recognized the relevance of teachers by stating that no nation’s
education system can be greater than the standard of their teachers.
The motivation of teachers plays a vital role in promoting a healthy
teaching environment. Important insight into the understanding of teachers’
motivation can be drawn from SDT et al (2000) their Self-determination theory
explains why teachers do their jobs, succeed, continue to teach and even enjoy
what they do. From a motivation perspective, the impressions of these factors, their
general motivation, satisfaction or dissatisfaction, their inspiration to teach, and
their behavioral and psychological outcomes are all related and may be linked with
Students’ performance.
Student’s performance is simply the level of output a student produces
in the school. A student is expected to perform well in school. Students are
expected to excel in all academic subjects, in class as well as extracurricular
activities includes excellence in sporting, communication skills, assertiveness,
arts, culture, and the like and very importantly in attitude, Aristotle once said
‘educating the mind without education the heart is no education at all’, this will
suggest that education must not only develop a student in academics and
extracurricular activities but must also install discipline and lead to improved
behaviors like punctuality and good judgment; this is the expected outcome or goal
 4

of every education system.. The success of an Educational institution is primarily

measured by Student’s performance, or more appropriately educational output, as
benchmark for evaluation.

The purpose of this study is to review the research on Students’

performance while taking into consideration the effect of Teachers’ motivation has
on their behaviors with their students. As such, this review could inform the
Government and School Administrators by demonstrating why they should or
should not take care to ensure that their teachers are supported and giving a
psychologically sound experience.

Statement of the problem

With the introduction of formal education in Nigeria by the
Missionaries, teachers were given incentives and motivated. The standard of
education was high and there was discipline among the learners and teachers, but
nowadays, the reverse is the case. There is total indiscipline in our schools,
teachers no longer take their job seriously which leads to a drop in academic
performance of students and pupils and gradually our standard of education is
getting low. Students no longer have interest in education rather they prefer trading
to schooling. Parents no longer have interest in their wards; rather they prefer
chasing money.

In Nigeria, the status of teachers remains in perpetual jeopardy.

Usman (2015) posited that there is an alarming rate of teacher inequality or ill-
treatment in Nigeria to such an astronomical extent that teachers even are ashamed
to declare their profession in public. He further underscored that teachers are paid
inadequate wages and with the absence of welfare packages. These days teachers
are called by many names such as ‘creditor’ and 'natural economists', because their
hands are forced to resort to simple living as they could hardly afford luxury, most
 5

times market women refuse to sell to them on credit because they are not
considered credit worthy. Most teachers live in abject poverty and sometimes their
allowances, salaries, retirement pensions and gratuity are mostly delayed or ceased.
Every other day we see retirees dressed in blacks and carrying banners and doing
protects around government houses and offices, this does not encourage the morale
of active teachers in the system.

To further compound the problem, teachers are also compelled to

cope with dilapidated classroom blocks and other teaching-learning places that are
ill-equipped such as outdated office fittings, furniture, laboratories, libraries, basic
technology workshops, inadequate farmland and sporting arena. Usman (2015)
buttressed that teachers complain of lack of fringe benefits of the workers like
transport, merits awards, recognition, in-service training, bonus, lacks of housing,
and medical and payment of leave allowances lack of for many years,

All of these highlight the motivational problems of teachers, they

complain about them which make it harder for teachers to remain committed to
their official assignments in the various schools. It is within the premises that the
researchers seek to ascertain the effects of effects of Teachers' motivation on
Students' performance in secondary schools in Enugu Educational zone.

Purpose of the study

The study sought to identify the effect of:
1. Teachers' motivation on Students' academic performance in Enugu
Educational zone.
2. Teachers' motivation on Students' discipline in Enugu Educational zone.

Research questions
The following research questions guided the study:
 6

1. To what extent does Teachers' motivation affect Students' academic

performance in secondary schools in Enugu Educational zone?
2. To what extent does Teachers' motivation affect Students' discipline in
secondary schools in Enugu Educational zone?

Hypotheses
The following null hypotheses were formulated to guide the study and were tested
at 0.05 level of significance.
Ho1: There is no significant difference in the mean scores of male and
female students on the effect of Teachers' motivation on Students' academic
performance in secondary schools in Enugu Educational zone.
Ho2: There is no significant difference in the mean scores of male and
female students on the effect of Teachers' motivation on Students' discipline
in secondary schools in Enugu Educational zone.
Research method
The study adopted survey research design, According to Nworgu
(2005) survey research design is one in which a group of people or items is studied
by collecting and analyzing data from a few people or items that are deemed to be
representative of the entire group. This design is considered suitable for the present
study because the researchers worked with a sample size of students considered to
be a representative of the entire population of secondary school students in Enugu
Educational zone. The researchers made a four point rating scale of 10 items. The
target population for this study was 12,160 students of public secondary schools in
Enugu Educational zone. A sample of 1,216 respondents including 608 Male and
608 Female Students was drawn using Proportionate stratified random sampling
technique.
The instrument for data collection was a structured questionnaire
titled: Effects of Teachers' Motivation on Students' Performance Questionnaire
 7

(ETMSPQ). The instrument was face validated by three experts, one from
Measurement and Evaluation, Faculty of Education, Enugu State University of
Science and Technology, and two from the department of Educational
Management, College of Education, Michael Okpara University of Agriculture
Umudike. Cronbach Alpha was used to determine the reliability of the instrument
and data analysis was done using mean with standard deviation to answer the two
research questions and t-test analysis used to test the corresponding hypotheses at
0.05 level of significance.

Question 1: To what extent does Teachers' motivation affect Students' academic

performance in secondary schools in Enugu Educational zone?

Table I: Mean scores of male and female students on the effect of Teachers'
motivation on Students' academic performance in secondary schools in Enugu
Educational zone
ITEMS Male Students (601) Female Students (601)
S/N Motivated teacher helps to improve x SD Dec X SD Dec
Students' academic performance by:
1. identifying and harnessing the 2.63 0.95 A 2.65 0.96 A
potentials of gifted students
2. exploring and developing the 2.51 0.84 A 2.59 0.88 A
creativity of every student
3. arousing Students’ interest to learn 2.40 0.71 A 2.51 0.84 A
4. giving take home assignments and 2.58 0.89 A 2.64 0.96 A
marking them
5. engaging students to participate in 2.50 0.87 A 2.53 0.87 A
group discussion
6. revising lessons to drive retention 2.57 0.84 A 2.71 0.91 A
7. entertaining questions after lessons 3.72 1.45 A 2.96 1.00 A
8. not asking questions after lessons 1.16 0.88 D 0.57 0.59 D
9. not engaging Students’ Problem 1.34 0.20 D 1.50 0.12 D
 8

solving skills
10. not inspecting note books 1.12 0.22 D 1.08 0.30 D
Cluster Mean 2.59 0.91 A 2.61 0.93 A

Table I demonstrated that teachers' motivation has a great deal of

impact on the academic performance of students. This is noted from the results of
items (1-7) portraying Mean Statistic (>2.5). Respondents strong agreed that
motivated teachers help to improve Students' academic performance. In items (8-
10) the respondents were in agreement that motivated teachers did not negatively
influence Students' academic performance.

The overall mean score for both respondents show a cluster means of
2.59 and 2.61 for males and female students respectively, an indication of decision
level of consensus. Therefore, the table shows the effect of Teachers’ motivated on
Students' academic performance.

Question 2: To what extent does Teachers' motivation affect Students' discipline

in secondary schools in Enugu Educational zone?

Table II: There is no significant difference in the mean scores of male and female
students on the effect of Teachers' motivation on Students' discipline in secondary
schools in Enugu Educational zone
ITEMS Male Students (601) Female Students (601)
S/N Motivated teachers help to instill X SD Dec X SD Dec
discipline on Students by:
1. teaching good moral behaviors 2.63 0.99 A 2.65 0.89 A
2. encouraging respect for elders 2.51 0.91 A 2.59 0.88 A
3. encouraging good behavior 2.56 0.94 A 2.51 0.95 A
4. reprimanding bad behaviors such as 2.58 0.89 A 2.64 0.91 A
stealing and truancy
5. positively shaping the values of 2.50 0.90 A 2.53 0.88 A
 9

students
6. encouraging obedience 2.57 0.84 A 2.71 0.91 A
7. taking bribes from parents 0.72 0.15 D 0.76 0.18 D
8. extorting or begging students for 1.16 0.88 D 0.57 0.59 D
money
9. taking sides in students’ quarrel 1.34 0.20 D 1.50 0.12 D
and getting involved in fights
10. nagging about the nonpayment of 1.12 0.22 D 1.08 0.30 D
salaries and the school administration
Cluster Mean 2.56 0.91 A 2.58 0.93 A

Table II demonstrated that teachers' motivation has a great deal of

impact on the academic performance of students. This is noted from the results of
items (1-5) portraying Mean Statistic (>2.5). Respondents strong agreed that
motivated teachers help to instill discipline on Students. In items (6-10) the
respondents were in agreement that motivated teachers did not negatively influence
Students' discipline or behavior.

The overall mean score for both respondents show a cluster means of
2.56 and 2.58 for males and female students respectively, an indication of decision
level of consensus. Therefore, the table establishes a significant relationship
between teachers’ motivated and Students' discipline.

Hypotheses
 10

Table III: t-test of significant difference between the mean ratings of male and
female students on the effect of Teachers' motivation on Students' academic
performance.
Group N Mean SD Df t-cal t-crit Decision
Male 601 2.59 0.91
Students Ho1 not
84 0.10 1.98 significant
Female 601 2.61 0.93
Students

The t-test table above shows that t-calculated value of 0.10 is less than
the table value of 1.98 at 0.05 alpha level of significance with 84 degree of
freedom. This signifies that there is no significant difference between the mean
ratings of male and female students on the effect of Teachers' motivation on
Students' academic performance in secondary school in Enugu Education zone.
Therefore, the null hypothesis was retained.

Table IV: t-test of significant difference between the mean ratings of male and
female students on the effect of Teachers' motivation on Students' discipline.
Group N Mean SD Df t-cal t-crit Decision
Male 601 2.56 0.95
Students Ho2 not
84 0.50 1.96 Significant
Female 601 2.58 0.93
Students

The t-test table above shows that t-calculated value of 0.50 is less than
the table value of 1.96 at 0.05 alpha level of significance with 84 degree of
freedom. This signifies that there is no significant difference between the mean
ratings of male and female students on the effect of Teachers' motivation on
 11

Students' discipline in secondary school in Enugu Education Zone. Therefore, the

null hypothesis was retained.

Summary of findings
Research question one revealed that motivated teachers impact
positively on students' academic performance by teaching good moral behaviors,
encouraging respect for elders, encouraging good behaviors, reprimanding bad
behaviors such as stealing and truancy, positively shaping the values of students,
encouraging obedience. Bateman (2006) in accordance with the foregoing result,
reported that a teacher who is motivated will add efforts in her activities in the
classroom to order to effect permanent changes in the learners, thereby satisfy the
impulse that motivated her. He further buttressed that motivation of a teacher
remains the force that direct, sustain and energize teacher-learner efforts.
Research question two revealed that motivated teachers perform
optimally on their jobs by positively influencing Students’ discipline based on the
following reasons: teaching good moral behaviors, encouraging respect for elders,
encouraging good behavior, reprimanding bad behavior such as stealing and
truancy, positively shaping the values of students, encouraging obedience. This is
in tandem with Maurice (2010) who decried that the status of teachers has
declined, often drastically, in recent years; the decline is due both to material and
non-material factors. Adeyemo, Oladipupo and Omisore (2013) investigated the
effect of teachers' motivation on students' performance in mathematics. The results
reported three quarter of teachers under study were not satisfied with the fringe
benefits attached to their remuneration while majority of the respondents (66.0%)
were not satisfied with the condition of service of teachers. This is undoubtedly
why Nigeria's standard of education has been reduced to poor students’
performance and dysfunctional school system.
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Conclusions
This paper places premium on the effect of teachers’ motivation with
special interest on how it affected performance of students. The study has revealed
a strong relationship between the teachers’ motivation and students’ performance
in secondary schools in Enugu Education zone. It should be reminded that the core
essence of establishing schools is to produce sound personnel who will become
fully functional members of the society. Thus, teachers remain invaluable
resources in pursuit of this goal, their motivation or non-motivation determines the
performance of the students and to a large extent the success or failure of the
school system and educational goal.
Every human being in an organization such as a school, is there
because he wants to satisfy some needs, and those needs can be satisfied with
money and other benefits but when that individuals does not receive the
satisfaction to his needs, motivation is lost, this will lead to laissez-faire attitude to
the teaching job which will definitely culminate in poor student’s performance.
The Government, SEMB and other School Administrators should
understand that until the needs of teachers in their schools are satisfied, such
teachers cannot perform efficiently on the job and this will to a great extent
negatively affect the overall performances of students, and if students’
performance is poor then technically the education system will produce poor
personnel, so ultimately the goal of education is defeated. Therefore, all
motivational factors should be geared towards this noble goal.

Recommendations

Based on the findings, the following recommendations were made:

1. Enugu state government must provide an adequate working environment,
including the technology and resources necessary for 21st century education
 13

such as functional school plant, availability of security system, development

of adequate housing scheme for teachers' residence and provision teaching
aids and materials.
2. Enugu state government must also prioritize the welfare scheme of Teachers.
They should ensure that salaries are not the only source of motivation for
teachers, other factors such as the following should be considered and
implemented:
 Implement benefits such as annual leave with allowances, maternity leave
and study leave with pay and other welfare packages.
 Make commendation of teachers who excel in their field by the appropriate
authority.
 Make Seminars and workshops accessible and free for Teachers.
 Pay Teacher's pensions and gratuity.
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