PRINCIPALS’ MOTIVATIONAL PRACTICES AS CORRELATE OF SECONDARY SCHOOL TEACHERS’ JOB EFFECTIVENESS AMONG FEDERAL UNITY COLLEGES IN NORTH-EAST, NIGERIA

Abstract

The study examined principals’ motivational practices as correlate of secondary school teachers’ job effectiveness among Federal Unity Colleges in North-East, Nigeria. Two research purposes, two research questions and two null hypotheses guided the study. The study adopted correlational research design. The population of the study consisted of all the one thousand and sixteen (1016) teachers, in all the 15 Federal Unity Colleges in North-East, Nigeria (except Federal Science and Technical College, Lassa, Borno State, which could not be accessed due to insurgent activities. Thus, 14 schools were used). Five hundred and nine (509) teachers, from 7 secondary schools, in 4 states served as sample for the study. The sample was selected through multi-stage sampling procedure. The instrument for data collection was two researcher-designed questionnaires titled ‘Principals’ Motivational Practices Questionnaire (PMPQ) and ‘Teachers’ Job Effectiveness Questionnaire (TJEQ). The questionnaires were validated by three experts, two from Educational Administration and Planning and one from Measurement and Evaluation, all from Department of Educational Foundations, Faculty of Education, Taraba State University, Jalingo. The reliability of the instrument was ascertained using test-retest method. The data generated from the test was analyzed using Pearson Product Moment Correlation Coefficient, which yielded reliability coefficients of 0.92 for PMPQ and 0.78 for TJEQ respectively and were esteemed to be reliable. Data generated from the study was analyzed using mean and standard deviation and Pearson Product Moment Correlation Coefficient (PPMC) to answer the research questions, while Linear Regression statistics was used to test all the null hypotheses at 0.05 level of significance. The results of the study revealed that principals’ job enrichment practice and job security practice all had significant relationship with secondary school teachers’ job effectiveness. The study thus concluded that principals’ motivational practices significantly relate to secondary school teachers’ job effectiveness among Federal Unity Colleges in North-East, Nigeria. Based on the findings, it was recommended among others that the Federal Ministry of Education, as a supervisory body should enlighten school principals on the need to make teachers’ job more interesting, meaningful, and challenging through job enrichment. This can increase the opportunities for teachers in the Unity Colleges to experience feelings of responsibility, achievement, growth, and recognition, and also reduce the routinization of tasks, which lead to boredom.