Teacher motivation and teacher commitment to work; case study: government-aided secondary schools in Masaka municipality

Abstract

Motivation breeds commitment to work in any institution of learning. Consequently, this study investigated the role of motivation on teacher commitment to work in government Aided Secondary Schools in Masaka Municipality, Uganda. Specifically, the study sought to investigate how monetary allowances enhance teacher commitment to work, the influence of provision of staff accommodation on teacher commitment and the influence of providing meals to teachers on teacher commitment to work. A case study research design with qualitative and quantitative approaches of research was adopted where a total of 144 respondents including teachers, Directors of studies, Deputy Head teachers and Head Teachers were sampled. Primary data was collected using questionnaires for teachers and guided interviews while literature review availed secondary data. The researcher also conducted a bi-variate analysis using the chi-square in order to examine the relationship between study variables. The study revealed that monetary allowance, provision of meals and accommodation to teachers improve teacher commitment to work. The study recommended that to maintain a committed staff, school administrators should ensure; teachers are promptly paid and in cases where teachers offer extra services that had been planned to attract an allowance, such compensation should be paid in time. Timely recognize exemplary performance by members of staff, provide secure accommodation near school and empower staff welfare department to deal with teacher’s extrinsic needs that rise from time to time.