An assessment of teacher motivation in determining academic performance of secondary school learners in Kenya

Abstract

Education plays a crucial role in transforming lives and building better futures for individuals and their communities worldwide. The purpose of the study was to assess the role of teacher motivation in determining academic performance of secondary school learners in Kenya. The paper is an extract of a study conducted in public secondary schools in Katulani Sub-County, Kenya. Robert House’s Path-goal Theory of Leadership guided the study and descriptive survey research design was utilized. The sample size comprised 18 principals selected purposively and 73 teachers chosen using stratified and simple random sampling techniques. Questionnaires were used to gather data from principals and teachers. The data was analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics done with the assistance of SPSS. The findings revealed a strong positive relationship between teacher motivation and learners' academic performance. The study concluded that motivating teachers is vital in projecting learner’s performance in all schools since motivated teachers increase their efforts in assisting students to improve their academic performance. It was recommended that the Ministry of Education should include a motivation fee in fees guidelines which principals could use to solicit money from parents for awarding monetary and material incentives to well-performing teachers. Further, the principals should request for more teachers from the Teachers’ Service Commission to ensure manageable workload for teachers. Moreover, the Ministry of Education should enact policies on teacher professional development to ensure that all teachers attend professional development courses to acquaint themselves with skills for adding value to the learners’ academic performance.