Motivation and attitude of teachers in New Juaben municipality

Abstract

The objective of this study was to examine the extent to which motivation affects the attitude of teachers using content and process theories of motivation. Stratified and systematic sampling procedures were used to select a sample size of 64 teachers comprising of 43 males and 21 females and purposive method was also employed to select 16 key informants consisting of 11 Heads of Institutions in both public and private schools and 5 senior personnel at the New Juaben Municipal Education office. Instruments for data collection were questionnaire and interview guide. Some of the most important motivation packages available to teachers were; study leave with pay, welfare fund, good interpersonal relation, shared responsibility, and maintenance of discipline, in the case of public schools. However, in the case of private schools factors such as fringe benefits, favourable work environment, and possibility of getting salary advance were indicated. Respondents were satisfied with both intrinsic and extrinsic motivation factors. Age, sex and school taught produced significant differences in the level of job satisfaction. The perception of inequity is the most important factor for job dissatisfaction. Although content theories helped in determining the level of job satisfaction or dissatisfaction, the process theories; equity and expectancy theories explain adequately the reasons for job dissatisfaction and attitude of teachers in the New Juaben Municipality. In other words, teachers evaluated their job based on certain expectations which were informed by their socio-economic, institution and personal environments. Hence, any solution to the teachers’ problem should address inequity issues that lead to job dissatisfaction taking into consideration the conditions prevailing in the labour market in general.