Teacher Motivation and Teacher Commitment to Work: a Case Study of Government Aided Secondary Schools in Masaka Municipality, Uganda

Abstract

Motivation breeds commitment to work in any institution of learning. Consequently, this study investigated the role of motivation on teacher commitment to work in government Aided Secondary Schools in Masaka Municipality, Uganda. Specifically, the study sought to investigate how monetary allowances enhance teacher commitment to work, the influence of provision of staff accommodation on teacher commitment, and the influence of providing meals to teachers on teacher commitment to work. A case study research design with qualitative and quantitative approaches of research was adopted where a total of 144 respondents which included teachers, Directors of studies, Deputy Head teachers and Head Teachers. Data was collected using questionnaires and interviews and analysis was done using Chi-square- bi-variate analysis. The study found out that monetary allowance, provision of meals and accommodation to teachers improves teacher commitment to work. The study recommended that to maintain a committed staff, school administrators should ensure that teachers are promptly paid and in cases where teachers offer extra services that had been planned to attract an allowance, such compensation should be paid on time. Timely recognize exemplary performance by members of staff, provide secure accommodation near schools and empower staff welfare department to deal with teacher’s extrinsic needs that arise from time to time, and this can lead to high levels of teacher commitment to their work.