Motivational Styles and Integrated Science Teaching/Learning in Junior Secondary Schools

Motivational Styles and Integrated Science Teaching/Learning in Junior Secondary Schools

Abstract

The study was conducted to determineMotivational Styles and integrated science teaching and learning in junior secondary Schools in Ibiono Ibom Local Government Area Survey research design was used in carrying out the study. The population for the study was made up of all the integrated science teachers in all the secondary schools in the study area. Three research questions and three research hypotheses were formulated to guide the study. The study employed census sampling technique to select 22 teachers as sample size for the study. The instrument used in gathering the needed data for the study was the researcher’s made questionnaire called” Motivational Styles and Teaching and Learning Questionnaire (MSTLQ).

Data obtained was analyzed using Pearson’s product moment correlation coefficient statistical method. The findings revealed that the use of motivation styles significantly relate to the teaching and learning of integrated science in junior secondary schools in Ibiono Ibom Local Government Area. Based on the results of the findings, it was recommended among others that government should be provided with need satisfiers: such as regular payment of salaries, improved rent, transport and medical allowances to teachers as this will help to arouse interest towards the teaching of integrated science in schools.

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1     Background to the Study

Motivation is the internal feeling or satisfaction that arises from the desires and needs of an individual. It is the continuous process of needs and satisfaction that stimulate individual to perform more. Motivational styles could arouses interest, enthusiasm and regulate the individual behavior in order to perform different tasks with interest for the attainment of particular goals. Motivation is an internal arousal, which directs and maintains achieving set goal.

Motivation can be classified into intrinsic motivation and extrinsic motivation, intrinsic motivation is the pleasure and interest in activities that exist within an individual rather than outside pressure. It is the foundation of having enjoyment in performing activity without any external incentives. Whereas individuals who are extrinsically motivated need, rewards and punishments to engaged him in any activity. For students rewards can be in the form of grades and marks in examination. Achievement motivation is concerned with achieving the successful outcomes at the end of the process.

Obviously in teaching learning process with the help of motivation teachers can maintaining, controlling and arousing interest of the learners. Learner is motivated by support his concerns with the ongoing activities and interest. In education motivation is implemented in terms of what and how student learn about the subject matter. Students’ learning process becomes more successful by using different motivation techniques. In the teaching-learning process, to encourage and boost up the students ambition so that they can put more effort in their learning process. Motivation in the education is the degree of self-esteem to processes and the sense of value to determine how well the student can improve and develop their learning can exploit his potentials.

Teachers can utilize successful styles and tactics to make the teaching-learning effective because motivation plays a significant role to arouse the teacher interest towards the teaching process. Teacher who focuses student interest toward studies should actively involve learner in the teaching learning process. Activities to direct towards the learning of important processes or skills involve acquisition of useful knowledge. There is nothing more discouraging to a teacher more to spend hours preparing a lesson than to show concern about how students are going in the acquisition of knowledge. For this teachers may use positive reinforcement because it plays a significant role in achieving the student academic achievements.

Teacher motivation plays an important role in the promotion of teaching and learning excellence. Generally, motivated teachers are more likely to motivate students to learn in the classroom, to ensure the implementation of educational reforms and feelings of satisfaction and fulfillment. While teacher motivation is fundamental to the teaching and learning process, several teachers are not highly motivated. This observation should be taken seriously and an investigation into the factors influencing teacher motivation is therefore necessary to achieve the educational goals in every learning institution.

The motivating styles that may be employed towards the teachers may be directed at individual levels or directed at the teachers in a given set up as a whole. Moreover, from a group point of view, the motivational efforts may be in the form of their design of the environment, direct intervention, or explicit instructional and/or interpersonal styles (Hardré & Sullivan, 2012). An ideal result of teachers’ motivating efforts is the individual’s intrinsic and self-regulated motivation.

Effort is intrinsic when teaching is driven from within, and it is self-regulated when the teacher plans, monitors and adapts reasons, choices and actions systematically in order to optimize learning (Schunk & Ertmer, 2010). The effectiveness of a particular motivational strategy is reflected in the self-regulated behavior of teachers and results from their experiences, coupled with their proximal, which is their point of attraction immediately and futuristic goals (Miller & Brickman, 2004).

1.2     Statement of the Problem

Motivation is very important because it explains why the employees do their work. The essential stimulus of work motivation is meeting the needs of the employees. Needs are the driving factors in developing work motivation while working in an organization. Thus, the objective of a teacher who is a paid employment is to earn income and fulfill his/her needs, with hopes, desires and wishes that can be realized in his workplace.

Over the years, secondary school teachers in Nigeria have complained of government inability to satisfy their needs. Among workers in the civil service, the teachers are the least motivated. Their salaries are not paid when month ends, their promotion is delayed and when 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 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 hinders their effectiveness in the classroom. 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, but no 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 sought to examine the relationship of motivational styles and teaching effectiveness among integrated science teachers in secondary schools in Ibiono Ibom Local Government Area.

1.3     Purpose of the Study

The main purpose of this study is was to investigate the motivational styles and integrated science teaching/learning in junior secondary schools in Ibiono Ibom Local Government Area. Specifically, the study sought to:

1. Examine the relationship that between prompt payments of teachers salaries and teaching/learning of integrated science in junior secondary schools in Ibiono Ibom Local Government Area
2. Examine the relationship between teachers’ promotion and teaching/learning of integrated science in junior secondary schools in Ibiono Ibom Local Government Area
3. Examine the relationship between teachers’ conditions of service and teaching/learning of Integrated science in junior secondary schools in Ibiono Ibom Local Government Area.

1.4     Significance of the Study

It is hopeful that this study will be of great importance in this era of Education For All (EFA) as needs motivated staff in the education sector so that performance is enhanced at this level. The study, therefore, sought to explore possible styles for improving teachers job performance and hence students‘ academic performance in the secondary schools in Ibiono Ibom Local Government Area and indeed all the secondary schools within the state and country at large. This will go a long way in contributing towards vision 2030 and the devolved governments.

The study will be of importance to the policy makers and secondary school administrators as it identifies major styles that motivate the behaviour of teaching staff towards their job performance. It will identify styles that will help to improve teacher morale and working conditions, at the same time counter the factors that lower teachers ‘motivation. On the other level, this study will provide a good comparison for various motivation styles in different schools in the study area especially in the rural area.

1.5     Research Questions

The following research questions guided the study:

1. What is the relationship between prompt payments of teachers’ salaries and teaching/learning of integrated science in junior secondary schools in Ibiono Ibom Local Government Area?
2. What is the relationship between teachers’ promotion and teaching/learning of integrated science in junior secondary schools in Ibiono Ibom Local Government Area?
3. What is the relationship between teachers’ condition of service and teaching/learning of integrated science in junior secondary schools in Ibiono Ibom Local Government Area?

1.6     Research Hypotheses

The following research questions guided the study:

1. There is no significant relationship between prompt payment of teachers’ salaries and teaching/learning of integrated science in junior secondary schools in Ibiono Ibom Local Government Area?
2. There is no significant relationship between teachers’ promotion and teaching/learning of integrated science in junior secondary schools in Ibiono Ibom Local Government Area?
3. There is no significant relationship between teachers’ condition of services and teaching/learning of integrated science in junior secondary schools in Ibiono Ibom Local Government Area?

1.7     Delimitation of the Study

The research was delimited to concentrate on motivational styles and teaching/learning of integrated science in junior secondary schools in Ibiono Ibom Local Government Area.

1.8     Limitation of the Study

This study is limited to how motivation can encourage and impart into the teaching/learning of integrated science in secondary schools in Ibiono Ibom Local Government Area. The researcher in the course of carrying out the study encountered several challenges that posed a threat to the success of the study. Such among the challenges encountered was financial problem and time constraint as these could not allow the researcher to cover all the secondary schools in the study area due to the area large land mass. The study was also carried out along with other academic activities.

1.9     Operational Definition of Term

Motivation:This is the attribute that arouse one to do or not to do something.

Condition of service:this is the feeling by the employee towards the job they do with regard to condition of work and the reward.

Prompt payment of Salary:This is money that a professional teacher receive for doing their job when due with the use of appropriate technique in facilitating learning to improve the quality of learning to a level that justify effective teaching.

Fringe Benefits:these are motivational factors that provoke teachers to do more such as incentive and reward.

In- Service Training:this is a training a teacher undergoes while still in the teaching profession to uphold his/her knowledge.

Promotion: This refers to the advancement of an employee’s rank or position in a hierarchical structure.

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CHAPTER TWO

LITERATURE REVIEW

This chapter concerned with the review of works done by other authors that are related to this study. The review will be carried out under the following sub-headings:

1. The Concept of Motivation
2. Prompt Payment of Teachers’ Salaries and the Teaching of Integrated science in Secondary Schools
3. Teachers’ Promotion and the Teaching of Integrated science in Secondary Schools
4. Teachers’ Condition of Service Teaching of Integrated science in Secondary Schools
5. Summary of Literature Review