CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1Â Â Â BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
Every organization, whether public or private, has goals and objectives that it aspires to achieve. Every aim and target must have incentive mechanisms in place to increase productivity and achieve the desired outcome (Kane, 2005). The negative effect on teacher morale, in addition to a lack of job security, and multiple factors lowering teacher motivation, such as low salaries, lack of administration support, salary increases, awards, granting loans to staff, frequent staff training to educational workshops, and staff consultative forum, to name a few. Teachers have been shown to be the most important factor influencing students’ achievement ( Staiger, 2006). The No Child Left Behind Act of 2008 (NCLB) held states and local governments responsible for any acts that result in low academic achievement. Teacher involvement has a significant impact on both professional development and instructional quality, as well as student academic progress. Students generate and accomplish great achievements when teachers perform and carry out their unique professional tasks and obligations (Tucker, 2005). Low teacher morale and motivation have had a significant impact on senior secondary school pupils’ performance, particularly in Kaduna South Local Government. Our pupils’ academic performance is decreasing on a regular basis. The enormous failure of pupils in WAEC, NECO, and JAMB examinations demonstrates this. Exam malpractice is rampant at all levels, and secondary school graduates are incapable of speaking or writing simple accurate English. These issues may be linked back to low teacher motivation, which has resulted in poor student performance, as seen by frequent absences from class, truancy, and a lack of excitement for class activities and critical thinking (Rockoff, 2006). In the opinion of Dr. “When college students are not driven, a common effect is a loss of motivation to attend class, followed by frequent absences and dropping grades,” says Ernest W. Brewer, a professor. The importance of motivation in increasing staff productivity cannot be overstated. However, it is clear that concerns of motive are more prominent in Nigeria’s environment than they are in reality. As a result of the government’s inability to imbue the ethics of incentive in their pattern of operation, protests, rallies, and strikes have become the norm. Teachers in most states of the federation recently went on strike over low remuneration on the proposed minimum wage (Zidyeb, 2004). This research is necessary in order to propose ways of improving the academic performance of senior secondary school students in Kaduna south local government by improving teacher motivation through improved salary structures, prompt payment of teachers’ salaries, in-service programs for teachers, a conducive teaching environment, and the provision of all teaching materials required by teachers.
1.2Â Â Â STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
The urgent need to improve the performance of Senior Secondary School Students in Kaduna South Local Government by removing all impediments to effective teacher motivation in order to achieve the goals of the National Policy on Education, as teacher motivation is seriously affecting efficient teaching of senior secondary school students in Kaduna state Local Government (Godiya, 2008). As a result, the purpose of this research is to address the following questions:
i. What elements contribute to instructors being properly motivated?
ii. How may barriers to instructors’ adequate motivation be removed?
iii. What impact will effective teacher motivation have on students’ academic performance?
1.3Â Â OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY
This study focuses on the following topics:
i. Examining the variables that contribute to low teacher motivation in senior secondary schools in Kaduna South Local Government; and ii.
ii. Investigating the impact of low motivation on teacher output.
iii. Investigating the impact of teachers’ lack of enthusiasm on students’ academic achievement.
iv. To draw attention to the implications of failing to sustain a motivating policy in Kaduna South Local Government Area’s senior secondary schools.
v. Finally, provide methods for stabilizing the motivating poblic
