Job Satisfaction and Teaching Effectiveness among Business Studies Teachers in Secondary Schools
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background to the Study
Teaching is a highly noble profession and teachers are always a boon to society. The ultimate process of education could be simplified as a meaningful interaction between the teacher and the teacher. The teacher thus plays a direct and crucial role in molding a pupil towards education. Since a teacher is a role model for the pupils, job satisfaction and eventually performance of teachers become very vital in the fields of education.
Job satisfaction is either a global feeling about the job or a related constellation of attitudes about various aspects of the job. The facet approach is used to find out which parts of the job produce satisfaction or dissatisfaction. Employees’ job satisfaction is one of the most important subjects in corporate life. Therefore, it is important for corporates to determine the factors influential on employees’ job satisfaction and to make effort to improve their satisfaction (Bozkurt and Bozkurt, 2008). Job satisfaction, a two-end concept defining employees’ satisfaction or dissatisfaction with their job, still draws researchers’ attention just as it did even before the 1900s (Günbayı and Toprak, 2010).
The relevance of job satisfaction is very crucial to the long-term growth of any educational system around the world. It probably ranks alongside professional knowledge and skills, center competencies, educational resources, and strategies as the veritable determinants of educational success and performance. Professional knowledge, skills, and center competencies occur when one feels effective in one’s behaviour. Teachers‟ opportunities for promotion are also likely to exert an influence on job satisfaction. By supporting this Robbins (1998) maintains that promotion opportunities provide for personal growth, increased responsibility, and increased social status. Limited or lack of opportunities for teachers for promotion affects educational outputs negatively. According to Luthans (1998), salaries not only assist people to attain their basic needs but are also instrumental in satisfying the higher-level needs of people. Monetary and other kinds of equitable incentives encourage teachers’‟ job satisfaction.
According to Boone and Kuntz (1992), offering employees fair and reasonable compensation, which relates to the input the employee offers the organization, should be the main objective of any compensation system. Included in the category of compensation are such items as medical aid schemes, pension schemes, bonuses, paid leave, and travel allowances. Generally, schools will not be operating smoothly and cannot achieve their objectives and goals if the teachers are not satisfied in their job. While almost every teacher works in order to satisfy his or her needs in life, he or she constantly agitates for need satisfaction.
There are many factors that play an important part in the success of educational institutions like teachers, money, and other resources that aid the teaching and learning process. But among them, “teachers” are the most important factors for the success rate of educational institutions. So, it is essential for every management to effectively utilize their teachers. In an educational institution, every teacher is assigned a certain set of tasks to perform where he or she is working and this set of tasks is known as his or her job in an educational institution.
As teachers are very important in any educational institution, it is vital to track on their performance, attitude, and feelings. Every management believes that “satisfied teachers can bring about their institution’s success” so it is very important for every management to identify whether their employees are really satisfied or not. And Job satisfaction survey is a tool to check whether a teacher is happy with his job or not. It is important for every institution to know the job satisfaction level of their employees because the success of their institutions is dependent to a great extent upon the satisfied employees of the institution. Satisfaction refers to individual elements of one’s job, like salary, promotion, growth prospects, physical environment, and working hours, to mention just a few.
Job Satisfaction and Teaching Effectiveness among Business Studies Teachers in Secondary Schools
Teacher Job Satisfaction is a measure of organizational or school effectiveness. When teachers are not satisfied with their jobs to the extent that the attrition rate is high, it means that the schools are not effective. Igwe (2010) sees an effective school as one that could provide admission opportunities and turn out reputable students which in turn would project the image of the catchments to the outside world. Griffin (2014) is of the opinion that an effective school is one that meets the following criteria:
(1) ability to acquire the resources needed
(2) ability to operate smoothly and efficiently without strain
(3) ability to satisfy the demands and expectations of the groups that have a strong interest in the organization.
When schools meet the above criteria, they can now be regarded as effective. Schools in Nigeria cannot be said to be effective with the present situation of things related to teachers’ job satisfaction. Classes are overcrowded, basic facilities are lacking, teachers’ salaries are irregular and teacher job satisfaction is lacking. A lot still needs to be done to ensure that our schools meet up with the goals for which they are established. In the light of the foregoing, therefore, this study seeks to explore job satisfaction among secondary school teachers in Eket local government area.
1.2 Statement of the Problem
Over the years, secondary school teachers in Nigeria have complained about the government’s inability to satisfy their needs. Among workers in the civil service, the teachers are the least motivated. Their salaries are not paid as when due (when the month ends), their promotions are delayed and when it is implemented, the financial involvement is not paid from the time the promotion took place. The classroom where they carry out their job is overcrowded and in some cases, the children sit on the floor to learn. This makes it difficult for the teacher to manage his class effectively. Besides, government officials from the ministry of education, parents, and members of the community where they teach do not have respect for them. To enhance their economy and improve their living standards most of them engage in other business ventures during the school period. The time and energy devoted to the business affect commitment to duty as a teacher and consequently hinder the performance of the students.
Moreover, whenever teachers are not adequately taken care of, especially with regards to regular and prompt payment of their salaries and other entitlements, their attitude to work automatically changes. They refuse to obey laid down rules for their work. They could come to work, meaningful work will be done, no effective teaching and learning. Instead of teaching, many of them resort to discussing their personal woes in their staff rooms and offices. This study is therefore directed to examine the needs that teachers value as motivators to their teaching effectiveness. It is for this reason that the study seeks to establish the level of job satisfaction and determine the degree of teacher effectiveness among secondary schools in the Eket Local Government Area.
Job Satisfaction and Teaching Effectiveness among Business Studies Teachers in Secondary Schools
1.3 Purpose of the Study
The main purpose of this study is to investigate the influence of job satisfaction and teaching effectiveness among Business studies teachers in secondary schools in the Eket Local Government Area. Specifically, the study intends to:
- Determine the influence of prompt payment of teachers’ salaries and teaching effectiveness among Business studies teachers in secondary schools in Eket Local Government Area
- examine the influence of teachers’ promotion and teaching effectiveness among Business studies teachers in secondary schools in Eket Local Government Area
- Determine the influence of teachers’ condition of service and teaching effectiveness among Business studies teachers in secondary schools in Eket Local Government Area
1.4 Significance of the Study
It is anticipated that the study will:
- Provide school teachers and headteachers with information about job satisfaction and what factors are affecting it. This will be used to improve their influences and management approaches.
- Provide public secondary schools with insights on correct management styles that will improve their performance.
- Provide useful information to the Ministry of Education on how to develop best education management practices and policies to enhance the job satisfaction of teachers in public secondary schools.
- Stimulate further research on appropriate practices that will enhance job satisfaction and effectiveness among employees thus improving productivity and developing the commitment of public servants.
1.5 Research Questions
The following research question guided the study;
- What is the influence of prompt payment of teachers’ salaries and teaching effectiveness among Business studies teachers in secondary schools Eket Local Government Area?
- What is the influence of teachers’ promotion and the teaching effectiveness among Business studies teachers in secondary schools in Eket Local Government Area?
- What is the influence of teachers’ condition of service and teaching effectiveness among Business studies teachers in secondary schools teachers in Eket Local Government Area?
1.6 Research Hypotheses
The following research hypotheses guided the study;
- There is no significant influence of prompt payment of teachers’ salaries and teaching effectiveness among Business studies teachers in secondary school teachers in Eket Local Government Area
- There is no significant influence on teachers’ promotion and teaching effectiveness among Business studies teachers in secondary school teachers in Eket Local Government Area
- There is no significant influence on teachers’ condition of service and teaching effectiveness among Business studies teachers in secondary schools in Eket Local Government Area.
Job Satisfaction and Teaching Effectiveness among Business Studies Teachers in Secondary Schools