Secondary school teachers’ perceptions on selected factors that influence their morale and commitment to work: A case of Nakuru District

Abstract

The importance of human resource in any organisation is critical especially in the teaching profession where teachers are only second in importance to students. The quality of any education system depends on quality of teachers whose morale and commitment must be kept high. Teachers just like other workers in any organisation perceive certain factors as important in influencing their morale and commitment to work. Teachers’ commitment to work will determine the output or outcome which is the quality of the learners produced by the educational system. The degree of commitment of the teacher, to his/her work is influenced by the level of teacher’s morale. This study therefore investigated teachers’ perceptions on selected factors that influenced their morale and commitment to work in public secondary schools. The target population consisted of 1711 teachers in public secondary schools in Nakuru District. A sample of 172 teachers was randomly selected for the study. The research design adopted in this study was descriptive survey. Teachers’ Questionnaire s and headteachers’ interview schedule were used to collect information on the respondents’ perceptions on selected factors that influenced their morale and commitment to work. The instruments were based on a 5 point Likert scale. The reliability coefficient was computed using Cronbach alpha and stood at 0.86. This was deemed adequate for the study. The data was analyzed both qualitatively and quantitatively using means, standard deviations, percentiles and Pearson Moments Correlation. Pearson Moments Correlation was used to establish whether there was a significant relationship between teachers’ characteristics and their perceptions on selected factors that influenced their morale and commitment to work. The study established that teachers perceived remuneration, opportunity for further training, responsibility, social status, a sense of belonging and job security among others as impacting on their morale and commitment to work. The study established that there was no significant relationship between teachers’ characteristics and perceptions on the selected factors that influenced their morale and commitment to work. The study also found out that there was no significant relationship between teachers’ gender, age, experience and commitment to work. However, there was a statistically significant relationship between teachers’ professional qualifications and their commitment to work. In all cases alpha coefficient was equal to 0.05. The results of this study will provide a basis for informed decisions to stakeholders in education such as Ministry of Education, Teachers’ Service Commission, curriculum developers, trade unions and teachers in general, on issues pertaining to teachers’ perceptions on certain morale factors and commitment to their work.