The Motivational Challenges of Teachers in Junior Secondary Schools in Agbor, Ika South Local Government Area of Delta State

The Motivational Challenges of Teachers in Junior Secondary Schools in Agbor, Ika South Local Government Area of Delta State

Ngozi Chima-Uzosike

Methodist University Accra Ghana

DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.47772/IJRISS.2024.802036

Received: 16 January 2024; Accepted: 30 January 2024; Published: 02 March 2024

ABSTRACT

This paper investigated and identifies the key factors influencing teacher motivation in in Junior Secondary Schools in Agbor, Ika South Local Government Area of Delta State. The study aimed at identifying the motivational challenges of Junior Secondary School teacher in Agbor, Ika South Local Government Area of Delta State. The paper adopted the qualitative research approach a descriptive research design and sampled ten (10) teachers selected from five schools with two teachers selected from each school. Primary data was used in the study and data was collected using interviews and the data was analyzed using thematic analysis based on the objectives and research questions of the study. The paper concluded that the current motivational techniques used by the ministry of education and the Nigerian education service are ineffective. The paper concluded that, intrinsic motivations like teachers enjoy teaching as a profession that gives them great deal of satisfaction, teaching giving teachers recognition and respect, teaching giving teachers a sense of control over others and teaching making teachers more useful in the society increase the moral of teachers to a lower extent. The paper also concluded that, extrinsic motivation such as teachers receiving low salaries, lack of free accommodation, lack of prompt payment of salaries, lack of recognition and difficulty in getting financial assistance in difficult times does not increase teachers’ moral to a large extent. The paper also concluded that, the motivational techniques used by the Nigerian education service in Agbor, Ika South Local Government Area of Delta State include the fact that, teacher promotions are based on the number of years of teaching in the school and not on performance, teachers are not rewarded for putting in extra efforts in teaching, headmasters/mistresses punish teachers when they go wrong and teachers are not allowed to take part in key decision making. The paper concluded that, teachers are not motivated by the motivational techniques used by the Nigerian Education Service and in addition, teachers do not also feel the urge to remain teaching in their various schools because of the existing motivational used in their schools. The paper recommended that, the ministry of education of Nigeria should to immediate steps to implement actionable and immediate solutions including recognition of good work done, payment of competitive salaries and involvement of teachers in decision making. To improve on motivation and reduce teacher dissatisfaction and improve job morale, the study recommended that both the Agbor, Ika South Local Government Area of Delta State, Nigeria education service and the ministry of education should make efforts to find out what motivate each teacher since different teachers have different backgrounds, personal attitudes and expectations and efforts must be made to provide such motivational needs to all teachers in the Agbor, Ika South Local Government Area of Delta State. 

Keywords: teacher motivation; intrinsic motivation; extrinsic motivation

INTRODUCTION

Education can be described as being exposed to superior knowledge, quality knowledge and empowering people with the required knowledge in order for them to acquire critical thinking skills and faculties in order to make quality, better informed and better decisions, which will improve the quality of lives and the lives of others (Bu & Han, 2019). Education is process of improvement and development as it provides people with alternatives and opportunities, reduces the burden of poverty and disease and offer an objective and respected view in society.

However, for education to achieve its objectives, the contributions of teachers cannot be ignore, as they are the primary agent of education. Learners are influence by the commitment, love, character and affection of teachers. In most cases, students choose their goals and plans by consulting their teachers (Dou, Devos and M. Valcke, 2017). Therefore, a good and forward-looking teacher can contribute significantly in shaping the future of learners. The formation of a desirable behaviour of the teacher is associated with the level of motivation and the attitudes and behaviour of the teacher. Low levels of teacher motivation occupies a crucial role in the educational process has adverse effect on the achievement of Secondary standard in education (Gan, Nang, & Mu, 2018).  The level of motivation of an individual is dependent on the social and material benefits they get from their work places (Gan, Nang, & Mu, 2018). The level of motivation is not just about the physiological needs of the work but also it includes the social and psychological needs are also required. Teacher motivation has been a major contributor to the behaviour of teachers in recent times and it is imperative to examine the motivational challenges of teachers in order to find better ways of motivating the teacher.

Teacher motivation in the Agbor, Ika South Local Government Area of Delta State has been a major challenge for some time now as many teachers in the local area have complained about poor condition of service for teachers’ despites all the efforts made by the government to motivate teachers. It is therefore imperative to uncover what really motivate teachers because it appears that, not all that government has done to motivate teachers have still achieved its intended objective of motivating teachers. This paper therefore attempts to the factors that that really motivate teachers in the Agbor, Ika South Local Government Area of Delta State. To do this, the paper examined the extent of teacher motivation in the area, explore the existing motivational techniques used and how teachers respond to them and identify the factors that really motivate teachers in the Agbor, Ika South Local Government Area of Delta State.

LITERATURE REVIEW

Definition of Motivation            

According to (Jansen in de Wal, van den Beemt, Martens & den Brok. 2020), motivation is an internal process that gives that energy and direction to a particular action. These goals include your goals, beliefs, perceptions, and expectations. He further argued that individual beliefs about the causes of failure and success in the current job influence his / her motivation and behavior in future jobs.

McMillan, McConnell and O’Sullivan (2016) also defined motivation as a drive that leads to a physiological or psychological need or need, or goal or incentive to activate behavior. According to Liu, Yuan and (2018), motivation is a psychological process that creates the excitement, direction, and sustainability of spontaneous goal-oriented behavior. Motivation is the reason for doing something. Motivation deals with the factors that influence people’s behavior in a particular way. According to Ping, Schellings, Beijaard and Ye (2020), motivation brings desirable behavior to subordinates. It is to induce the desired behavior in the subordinates. Nhung (2014) states that “the underlying concept of motivation is the driving force of an individual to achieve a particular goal in order to meet a particular need.”

Whether or not you do something to meet, a particular need is an emotion or urge. Knowing and understanding what motivates people is important to management as it affects job performance, attitudes, and retention. Employees also need to consider what their expectations are for their work and whether they are happy with their work. Motivation forces and enables choices when considering how best an individual spends his or her energy and time. Activities and relationships that provide the greatest perceptual reward motivate individuals.

Sources of Motivation

Intrinsic Motivation

Intrinsic motivation is a stimulus that comes from within a person or from the activity itself, which has a positive impact on behavior, performance, and well-being (Vulley, 2021). In contrast to extrinsic motivation, intrinsic is when the action is performed for itself and not for material or social reinforcement. In this paper, the essential motivations of teachers are job satisfaction by teaching, enjoyment of teaching, challenging and competitive nature of teaching, awareness, career advancement, dominance over others, and it includes teaching as the purpose of life.

Extrinsic Motivation

According to Vulley (2021), external motivation arises from earning externally controlled rewards such as rewards like prestige, pay, positive evaluations from others and material possessions. In this study, teachers’ external motives include salaries, free housing, free meals, weekly services and additional tuition, prepaid financial problems, vacations, and external management fees such as free medical care.

Characteristics of Motivation

According to Zhang and Wong (2018), four main features can categorize motivation, which underlines the definition of motivation. These features include:

• Motivation is usually intentional: It is assumed to be under the control of the worker, and behaviors that are influenced by motivation such as effort expended, are seen as choices of action.
• The main purpose of motivation is to analyze the factors that cause an individual to make changes in their normal pattern of behavior and the internal and external forces of motivation that contribute to an individual’s choices in a particular period.
• Motivation is multifaceted and the two factors of greatest importance include what get people activated and the force of an individual to engage in desired behavior.
• Motivation is typified as an individual phenomenon: Every person is unique and all the major theories of motivation allow for this uniqueness to be demonstrated in one way or the other

Teacher Motivation

There are broad views on teacher motivation in Africa and South Asia, most of which vary from country to country. However, an unacceptably high percentage of teachers working in public school systems in several developing countries receive little motivation because of a combination of low morale and job satisfaction, lack of incentives and poor management, and other behavioural sanctions. There seems to be growing concern that it is declining.  For instance, Bennell (2007) reports on Pakistan’s EFA Country 2000 rating that, the decline in teacher motivation is a huge problem that is seriously exacerbated by political intervention. Zhang and Wong (2018) argues that teachers’ low motivation is reflected in worsening standards of professional behaviour, such as serious misconduct (inside and outside of work) and poor professional performance.

Teacher absenteeism is unacceptably Secondary and rising, and the time spent on assignments is low and declining. Educational practices are associated with limited effort that relies heavily on traditional teacher-centered practices.

Teachers spend less and less time on extracurricular activities, class preparation, and grade evaluation. The 2004 World Development Report nicely summarizes these concerns about teachers. Cases of teacher misconduct are surprisingly present in many situations. Teachers only appear drunk, physically abused, or do nothing. This is not a poor teaching – this is not teaching at all” (Yan, 2015).

The reported morale was secondary on several occasions when teachers and principals were asked directly about their motives. As part of a study of the impact of the AIDS epidemic in Botswana, Malawi and Uganda on education, the researchers asked a representative group of elementary and junior Secondary school teachers if they agreed that the school’s teachers were secondarily moral. Botswana and Uganda’s morale was good, but Malawi seems to be more concerned, especially in primary school (see Scherer, Nilsen & Jansen, 2016).

Despite the reported morale, this study examined whether teacher motivation boosted their achievement morale. Another study in Ghana also concluded that teacher morale was secondary (Akafo & Boateng, 2015). Only 13% of the teachers surveyed said they did not enjoy teaching, but nearly one-third said they did not intend to stay in the teaching profession. Conversely, more than 80% of primary school teachers surveyed in Sierra Leone said they did not want to be teachers. Nevertheless, another study of primary schools in Sierra Leone showed that primary school principals, if possible, replace less than 20% of teachers due to lack of motivation (Bennell et al, 2007). Similarly, in this study, which investigated the effect of motivation on the performance of elementary school teachers in the Kimagna Cabakza Division by Bennell, Bulwani, and Musikanga (2007) found that teacher morale also differed significantly between schools in the same region. 

Intrinsic Motivation and Employee Morale

Intrinsic rewards such as cognition create role models and convey standards. These make up great performance. According to Scherer, Nilsen and Jansen (2016), the emergence of a large private education sector has further diversified teachers and raised their awareness. Tutors work hard and usually have low salaries, so parents and the public often take a more positive view, but they achieve better learning outcomes. With strong public approval (as in the Masaka district) and rapid growth in private sector supply, this is a strong intrinsic motive for downward pressure on teacher status. Therefore, in this paper, we examined the effect of intrinsic motivation on the performance of teachers in the in Agbor, Ika South Local Government Area of Delta State.

A study by (Liu, Yuan & 2018) to find motivators for senior management revealed dissatisfaction with top management’s leadership style and traditional attitudes that took things for granted. Good work and quality performance were often not recognized.

The old style and culture of passive interaction persists, especially in ministries and other governmental organizations, and some top managers actually called “old guards” who have not changed. Lack of awareness is not always a direct result of the existence of old values ​​and traditional leadership styles. Herman, Prewett, Savala and Reinke (2020), as part of their work, pointed out that poor human resource management seriously demotivates employees. The management of teachers at the national and sub-national levels is chaotic in many countries. In most parts of Africa, almost all government agencies involved in teacher management lack clear rules and tend to cause conflicts, power vacuums and duplications. Leadership styles are usually authoritarian, with limited involvement, delegation, and communication regarding the leadership role of major schools. Teachers exposed to this kind of management feel treated like children. How well you deal with teacher complaints is also an important issue. Secondary turnover rates for principals are particularly troublesome in many countries and are often demoralizing teachers. Many managers act for a very long time. Effective management training programs for school leaders needs to lead to concrete improvements in teacher behavior and performance. Gan, Nang and Mu (2018) states that workers are interested in improving economic conditions, but there are many others, such as the opinions of colleagues, the comfort and enjoyment of work, and the long-term safety that hinders direct automatic positive reaction to the incentive plan. This means that employees must be motivated by showing gratitude in order to achieve better results.  According to Jansen in de Wal, van den Beemt, Martens and den Brok, (2020), most teachers want to transfer to a city school for both professional and personal reasons. The large disparity between urban and rural areas in most countries creates a major barrier to transferring to rural schools. The author pointed out that teachers want to stay in urban areas for a variety of reasons. In particular, the availability of excellent education for their children and employment. The social contracts between teachers and school authorities is not at a realistic level in many countries given the material rewards, workload, working and living conditions. Due to the large number of students in the class and the amount of work compared to wages (labor prices for work), teachers are resisting the introduction of new teaching methods and other innovations. The student-teacher ratio is secondary in many countries, but it does not appear to have increased significantly in most developing countries over the last 10-15 years. However, introducing free primary education for everyone in SSA generally tends to create more classes, burden teachers, and discourage teachers, especially in the lower grades. Dou, Devos and M. Valcke (2017), found that relatively low levels of client trust and respect, and inadequate levels of teacher accountability, were key factors that led to a decline in teachers’ professional status in many developing countries.

In fact, the author points out those parents’ views of teachers are often contradictory and even paradoxical. This has probably increased public awareness of the role of teachers in the past, as parents generally know little about education and school education. However, lack of understanding and unrealistic expectations lead to frustration and negative stereotypes among teachers. In many cases, the views of local schools heard directly by parents are far more positive than the perceptions of the school and teachers as a whole.

Extrinsic Motivation and Employee Morale

According to Gan, Nang and Mu (2018), housing in some countries in sub-Saharan Africa is very problematic. The author pointed out that many primary school teachers were given small housing allowances to support their settlements and made them live in poorhouses. Scherer, Nilsen & Jansen (2016), on the other hand, also observes that teachers who could not find accommodation in educational institutions had to find accommodation elsewhere. A situation that demotivates teachers to be effective at work. According to Herman, Prewett, Savala and Reinke (2020), compensation in the form of salary has a strong impact on employee performance. Zhang & Wong (2018) agrees with Wayne when he states that wages are one of the most powerful motivational tools. Similarly, Yan (2015) emphasizes the value of external motivation when it states that money provides a means to achieve various goals. Most notably, he claims that money in the form of payments is the most obvious external reward. Gan, Nang and Mu, (2018) in their study of worker job satisfaction, workers’ salaries should be paid in a timely manner, and worker promotion should be accompanied by a corresponding increase in wages they earn. The author states that, salary was a powerful force to keep teachers at work. Researchers believe that this acknowledges that salary is important to employee satisfaction and can therefore affect performance. Gaertner and Brunner (2018) reviewed a study of differences between employee levels related to compensation and found that compensation for illness salaries, contribution pension schemes, free life insurance, subsidized cafeterias, etc. was significant for employees at all levels. Similarly, Bu and Han (2019). found that salaries for junior staff at universities in Uganda are a factor in job satisfaction, but salaries for senior non-faculty and academic staff are not a factor in strong satisfaction. Therefore, every teacher in the school needs a desire to be satisfied with the work, and when all teachers are motivated, their performance will definitely improve and they will find meaning in what they are doing. Complaints about the heavy educational burden of teachers have been reported by (Vulley ,2021).

On the other hand, McMillan, McConnell and O’Sullivan (2016) confirmed this by applying Maslow’s motivational theory of desire hierarchy to school situations. Zhang and Wong (2018) found that teachers need to ensure the sustainability of the above fundamentals in order to continue to pursue the goals of the organization.

According to Gaertner and Brunner (2018), the teaching profession has suffered significantly from the negative effects of the economic crisis and coordination policies, which have seriously affected the standard of living of teachers. This phenomenon has a profound effect on their morale, involvement and motivation. Liu, Yuan and (2018) observed that, if teachers’ incomes do not keep pace with the cost of living, their real incomes reduces, their moral reduces and the most qualifies ones seek for better paid jobs thus reducing the quality of instruction.

However, other factors such as actual educational conditions, the environment in which the school is set up, the teacher’s involvement in the issues that affect the teacher, job security, and the level of commitment to the school’s goals are all crucial factors influencing teacher motivation.

Similarly, Scherer, Nilsen and Jansen (2016), emphasizes the value of monetary rewards when it states that money provides a means to achieve various goals. de Wal, van den Beemt, Martens and den Brok, (2020) in their study recommended that workers’ salaries should be paid in a timely manner, and worker promotions should include a corresponding increase in the salaries they earn. Therefore, the above expressions show that monetary rewards have a greater impact on primary school teachers’ performance than non-monetary rewards. Herman, Prewett, Savala and Reinke (2020) found that teachers have low morale in many countries because they don’t have a good position, they don’t have the opportunity to get promoted, they have low salaries and they have to teach under inadequate conditions.

Theoretical Framework

The two theories that explain the motivational challenges faced by elementary school teachers are Expectancy Theory and Herzberg’s Two-Factor Theory. These two theories show that, teachers get motivated only when their needs are fulfilled and satisfied. Both theories points to the fact that, when teachers are motivated, it will help in retaining them and at the same time offer them the opportunity of building quality social, psychological and physical learning environment.

Expectancy Theory

The Valency Instrumental Expectancy Theory of Vroom (1964) underpins this paper. Vroom’s (1964) Valence Instrumental Expectancy Theory explains why people like teachers work and act as they do in terms of effort and direction. It also describes what organizations do to encourage people / teachers to achieve their desired goals and use their efforts and skills to meet their individual needs. The Valency Instrumental Expectancy Theory believes that people are always predicting potential and leading to expectations for future events.

Therefore, according to Vroom, motivation is valence (the value of the perceived result), instrumentation (the belief that the result will be achieved if a particular action is completed), and expectation (the belief that am able to complete the actions).

The theory argues that the strength of acting in a particular way depends on the strength of the expectation that the action will be followed by a particular result, the attractiveness of the result to the individual.  The theory talks of a monetary belief that, a particular action can have a particular outcome (Vroom, 1964). Therefore, the belief that diligence leads to rapid promotion is the expectation that individuals can pursue to meet their needs. The Theory assumes that teachers are motivated to produce only when they expect productivity to lead to the goals they evaluate. More effort leads to more performance. That is, satisfaction from the first effort must be efficiently large or fair for the effort to be valuable, and there must be feedback. Therefore, this theory was adopted to guide the assessment of teachers’ tasks related to motivation in Agbor, Ika South Local Government Area of Delta State

Herzberg’s two Factor Theory

Herzberg (1959) in his proposal observed that, the fulfilment of needs is largely dependent on individual satisfaction and categorizes the satisfaction into two main groups;

1. Factors related to hygiene which does not satisfy the individual needs but result in dissatisfaction

 (Examples: job benefits, working environment, job security, and salary etc.)

2. Factors related to motivation which offer individuals positive satisfaction. (Examples: recognition, work challenges, and responsibility etc.)

Herzberg’s theory factors accurately represent the importance of personal, social, and professional factors, as shown in literature reviews. These factors lead to dissatisfaction and teacher turnover: low wages, poor working conditions, gender restrictions, low status, heavy education workload and associated stress, lack of organizational support, fears of beginning teachers and lack of professional knowledge of senior teachers.

However, if all of these factors are met, it can have a positive impact on the teacher’s decision to stay in the profession. In addition, Secondaryer-order needs are usually met by intrinsic factors. The motivating factors including autonomy, recognition, rewards, professional development and accomplishment activities motivate teachers as they can cope with difficult tasks and work efficiently and effectively. As a result, both theories show that teachers’ needs are and should be met, which ultimately motivates teachers. Not only does it help maintain teachers, it also provides them with the opportunity to build a quality physical, social and psychological learning environment.

METHOD

Procedure and Participants

The study purposely sampled ten (10) teachers from five (5) schools in the in Agbor, Ika South Local Government Area of Delta State. The paper adopted a qualitative research approach and collected qualitative data using in-depth interviews. The author personally visited the five (5) selected schools to conduct the interviews and each interviewee was given approximately thirty (30) minutes to respond to the interview questions. The author sort the approval of the selected schools and the interviewees before carrying out the interviews. The author also made sure that, participation in the study was purely voluntary.

Measures

The interview guide focused on the existing motivational techniques used, how teachers respond to motivational packages and the factors that really motivate teachers in the Agbor, Ika South Local Government Area of Delta State. The interview session was done in an enclosed location where no third party could have access to the proceedings of the interview.

DATA ANALYSIS

The qualitative data collected were analyzed using thematic data analysis based on the objectives and research questions of the study. Consent from the interviewees were sort before including them in the sample in order to address the ethical issues that comes with in-depth interviews. Getting teachers to interview was quiet difficult because of their tight and busy schedules.

RESULTS

The extent of teacher motivation in Junior Secondary Schools in Agbor, Ika South Local Government Area of Delta State

On the intrinsic motivation among teachers in Agbor, Ika South Local Government Area of Delta State, respondents indicated that, teachers enjoy teaching as a profession as it gives them great deal of satisfaction, recognition and respect and a sense of control over others as well as being more useful in the society. The responses also pointed out that, teacher get satisfied with good and democratic school administrators who allow teachers to take part in decision making. The following were the responses from respondents.

“Well, for me, the teaching profession have given me recognition and respect and the community and I can boldly say that, I am very useful in the community”

“In my opinion, good human relations and democratic leadership styles of school administers motivate me a lot and make me satisfied in the teaching profession”.

On the extent of how intrinsic motivation increase their moral, the responses show that, all the teachers indicated that, intrinsic motivation increase their moral to a small extent as evidenced in the following quotes.

“In my opinion, intrinsic motivation increases my moral to a small extent”

“Hmm, intrinsic motivation does not increase my moral to a greater extent even though it does influence my moral in way or the other”

On the extrinsic motivation among teachers in Agbor, Ika South Local Government Area of Delta State, respondents indicated that, they are not paid salaries that is enough to cater for my basic needs, their schools do not provide them with free accommodation, they do not receive their salaries promptly, teachers who perform well are not given prices and teachers are not able to get financial assistance when they have financial difficulties. The following quotes are the responses from the respondents.

“In my school, we are not given free accommodation, our salaries are not paid promptly and the worst part is that, our salaries are not enough to cater for our basic needs”

“For me, I will say teachers who perform well are not appreciated by the school and it is very difficult for teachers to receive financial assistance in case of financial difficulties”

On the extent of how extrinsic motivation increase their moral, the respondents indicated that, the extrinsic motivation does not increase their moral to a large extent because of the low extrinsic motivation in their schools. This is how the respondents answered the question.

“Extrinsic motivation does not increase my moral to teach because it is very low in my school where I teach”

“Well, in my opinion, extrinsic motivation increases my moral to teach to a small extent because it is almost non-existent in my school”

The motivational techniques used by the Nigerian education service at in Agbor, Ika South Local Government Area of Delta State

On the motivational techniques used by the Nigerian education service at in Agbor, Ika South Local Government Area of Delta State, respondents indicated that, teacher promotions are based on the number of years of teaching in the school and not on performance, teachers are not rewarded for put in extra efforts in teaching, headmasters/mistresses punish teachers when they go wrong and teachers are not allowed to take part in key decision making. The response as provided by respondents are quoted as follows.

“Hmm, in my school, teachers are not promoted based on performance but on the number of years of teaching and teachers are not rewarded for putting in extra efforts”

“I would say that, teachers are left out when it comes to the taking of key decisions in the school and the little mistake a teacher makes, he/she is severely punished”    

How teachers’ responds to motivational techniques used by the Nigerian Education Service

On how teachers respond to the motivational techniques used by the Nigerian Education Service, the result show that, teachers are not motivated by the motivational techniques used by the Nigerian Education Service and in addition, teachers do not also feel the urge to remain teaching in their various schools because of the existing motivational used in their schools.

The following are the responses offered by respondents.

“In my opinion, teachers are not motivated by the techniques used by my school and personally I am not motivated by the existing motivational techniques used by my school”

“For me, I would say that, I do not feel the urge to remain with the school because of the motivational techniques used in the school”

DISCUSSION

The Extent of Teacher Motivation in Junior Secondary Schools in Agbor, Ika South Local Government Area of Delta State

When it comes to the extent of teacher motivation in the study area, the study found that, teachers in Agbor, Ika South Local Government Area of Delta State, enjoy a significant amount intrinsic motivation. This is because, teachers enjoy teaching as a profession as it gives them great deal of satisfaction, recognition and respect and a sense of control over others as well as being more useful in the society. The study demonstrated that, teachers study area are satisfied with democratic school administrators for the reason that, they are allowed to participate in decision-making. This finding is consistent with previous literature as intrinsic motivation was found to have a positive effect on teacher motivation. For instance, Herman, Prewett, Savala & Reinke (2020) who found that, poor human resource management seriously demotivates employees, supports the finding. This finding is also consistent with the Valency Instrumental Expectancy Theory of Vroom (1964) which states that, people work and act as they do in terms of effort and direction. As the findings suggests, teachers put in a lot of efforts in their work in order to be recognized and respected by society as espoused by the Valency Instrumental Expectancy Theory of Vroom (1964).

The study also demonstrated that, teachers are motivated by extrinsic motivation like prompt payment of salaries and allowances, pay increase and appreciations of teachers for their work. This suggests largely, when salaries are increased and their employers and administrators appreciate teachers, they become motivated and vice versa. Yan (2015) found that, the value of extrinsic such as money provides a means to achieve various goals support this finding. Most notably, he claims that money in the form of payments is the most obvious external reward. Gan, Nang and Mu (2018) study recommended that, workers’ salaries should be paid in a timely manner, and worker promotion should be accompanied by a corresponding increase in wages they earn also support the finding. The author states that, salary was a powerful force to keep teachers at work. Researchers believe that this acknowledges that salary is important to employee satisfaction and can therefore affect performance.

The motivational techniques used by the Nigerian education service at in Agbor, Ika South Local Government Area of Delta State

The findings from the study suggests that, the technique use by the Nigerian education service at in Agbor, Ika South Local Government Area of Delta State is teacher promotions based on years of service and not on teacher performance. In addition, the responses suggest that, when teachers go wrong they are severely punished and they are given little room to participate in decision making in the school. All of this demotivate teachers and as a result, teachers react negatively to these techniques. This finding is consistent with Herzberg (1959) two factor theory which proposes that, the fulfilment of needs is largely dependent on individual satisfaction and categorizes. The theory specifically states that, factors related to motivation offer individuals positive satisfaction. (Examples: recognition, work challenges, and responsibility etc.). This finding is further supported by Gaertner and Brunner (2018) who found that compensation for illness salaries, contribution pension schemes, free life insurance, subsidized cafeterias, etc. was significant for employees at all levels.

How teachers’ responds to motivational techniques used by the Nigerian Education Service

The findings of the study demonstrated that, teachers at the Agbor, Ika South Local Government Area of Delta State do no respond positively to the motivation techniques applied by the Nigerian, Education Service. In other words, the motivational packages by the Nigerian Ministry of Education does not motivate teachers at the Agbor, Ika South Local Government Area of Delta State.

This finding is in line with the expectancy theory of Vroom (1964) which describes what organizations do to encourage people / teachers to achieve their desired goals and use their efforts and skills to meet their individual needs. The finding is also consistent with Herzberg (1959) two factor theory which states that some individual factors including low wages, poor working conditions, gender restrictions, low status, heavy education workload and associated stress, lack of organizational support, fears of beginning teachers and lack of professional knowledge of senior teachers cause dissatisfaction among teachers.

Limitations of the Study

Getting teachers to interview was quiet difficult because of their tight and busy schedules. In addition, some teachers feared granting the interview for fear of victimization by school administrators

CONCLUSION

The paper concludes that the current motivational techniques used by the ministry of education and the Nigerian education service are ineffective. The paper concludes that, intrinsic motivations like teachers enjoy teaching as a profession that gives them great deal of satisfaction, teaching giving teachers recognition and respect, teaching giving teachers a sense of control over others and teaching making teachers more useful in the society increase the moral of teachers to a lower extent. The paper also concludes that, extrinsic motivation such as teachers receiving low salaries, lack of free accommodation, lack of prompt payment of salaries, lack of recognition and difficulty in getting financial assistance in difficult times does not increase teachers’ moral to a large extent. The paper further concludes that, the motivational techniques used by the Nigerian education service in Agbor, Ika South Local Government Area of Delta State include the fact that, teacher promotions are based on the number of years of teaching in the school and not on performance, teachers are not rewarded for putting in extra efforts in teaching, headmasters/mistresses punish teachers when they go wrong and teachers are not allowed to take part in key decision making. Again, the paper concludes that, teachers are not motivated by the motivational techniques used by the Nigerian Education Service and in addition, teachers do not also feel the urge to remain teaching in their various schools because of the existing motivational used in their schools. The paper recommends that, the ministry of education of Nigeria should to immediate steps to implement actionable and immediate solutions including recognition of good work done, payment of competitive salaries and involvement of teachers in decision making. To improve on motivation and reduce teacher dissatisfaction and improve job morale, the study recommended that both the Agbor, Ika South Local Government Area of Delta State, Nigeria education service and the ministry of education should make efforts to find out what motivate each teacher since different teachers have different backgrounds, personal attitudes and expectations and efforts must be made to provide such motivational needs to all teachers in the Agbor, Ika South Local Government Area of Delta State.

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