Influence of work environment and work motivation on the professional self-esteem and competence of teachers in the Berekum municipality

Abstract

The study investigated the influence of work environment and work motivation on basic school teachers’ professional self-esteem and competence in the Berekum Municipality. Data for the study were gathered from all 990 teachers in the Municipality using adapted questionnaires that reflected work environment, work motivation, professional self-esteem and competence of teachers. Analyses of data were done using frequencies, percentages, means, standard deviations, multiple regression and multivariate analyses of variance. The results revealed that teachers’ levels of work motivation, professional self-esteem and competence were moderate. Also, the study revealed that work environment and work motivation significantly and positively related to teachers’ professional self-esteem and professional competence. However, no difference existed between male and female teachers in terms of work motivation, professional self-esteem and professional competence. It was concluded that work environment of teachers determined their competence and professional self-esteem. Therefore, it was recommended that conducive working environment be provided for schools since this could spark motivation in teachers towards teaching and learning in schools and also harness professional self-esteem and competence in the teaching profession