Exploring Selected Teachers’ Extrinsic Motivation Factors on Learner’s Competency Achievement in Public Comprehensive Schools in Suna West Sub-County, Migori County, Kenya

Abstract

The competency achievement of learners is a critical measure of educational success, impacting both individual competency achievement and broader educational outcomes. Public Comprehensive schools in Migori County, including Suna West Sub County have challenges in terms of learner‟s competency achievement. Some of the major contributors to these challenges are teachers‟ motivation and performance which is said to be a major contributor to learner‟s competency achievement. Studies show that teachers intrinsic motivation has been extensively studied while the role of extrinsic motivation factors remains underexplored. Extrinsic motivation factors such as teachers‟ professional development, working conditions and reward systems may significantly contribute to teachers‟ effectiveness and consequently, learner‟s competency achievement. With this in mind, the researcher found it necessary to explore selected teachers‟ extrinsic factors on learner‟s competency achievement the public comprehensive schools in Suna West Sub County, Migori County. The two-Factor theory of Herzberg guided this study. Study‟s objectives were to: determine the impact of professional development of teachers on learner‟s competency achievement in public comprehensive schools; establish the influence of teachers‟ working conditions on the learner‟s competency achievement in public comprehensive schools and assess the influence of teachers‟ reward system on learner‟s competency achievement in public comprehensive schools. A descriptive survey design was adopted in this work for data collection using questionnaires and interview schedules. This study targeted 54 head of institutions, 4 Curriculum Support Officers (CSO), 432 teachers plus 1 Sub County Director of Education (SCDE). The Krejcie and Morgan table was used to sample head of institutions and teachers for inclusion in the study whereas purposive sampling technique was developed to find the SCDE and the 4 CSOs. The sample size included of 24 head of institutions and 190 teachers in the SCDE and 4 CSOs. Validity of the instruments was checked with the aid of the supervisors as specialists. Pilot testing carried out using 10% of respondents from 2 neighbouring schools in Suna East Sub County. Validity was determined in regard to face and content validity. Reliability was determined using Split Half method. In data analysis, Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS ver. 25) was employed to scrutinize quantitative data whereas frequencies and percentages were used to describe the data. Pearson correlation was included in hypothesis testing at 0.05 level of importance. Thematic analysis was used to analyse data from interview schedules and documents and the results were triangulated with quantitative data. The study revealed that teachers professional development (r= 0.555, p=0.015), teachers working conditions (r= 0.667, p=0.00) and teachers reward systems (r= 0.521, p=0,032) had a positive relationship with learner‟s competency accomplishment. It therefore meant that the three variables had a significant influence on learner‟s competency realization. Eventually the study suggested that teachers‟ professional development programmes should be heightened in public comprehensive schools, the school leadership should improve and enhance the working situations plus reward systems for instructors in public comprehensive schools. Hopefully, the study findings will be used by the government authorities and other education stakeholders in understanding teachers‟ expectations so that they can come up with procedures of improving teachers‟ terms and work situations in order to enable the teachers work more effectively to improve learner‟s competency achievement, In addition, the findings of this study will be significant to head of institutions including the Board of Management (BOM) in public comprehensive schools to gain perceptions aimed at improving commitment of teachers and formulate motivational policies that enhance teachers effectiveness in their duties.