ABSTRACT

The motivation of teachers in Nigeria is declining at an alarming rate. The fall in the performance and productivity of secondary school teachers is a serious concern to stakeholders. It has been linked to poor management, undue political interference, poor remuneration, lack of prompt promotion, non-payment of staff entitlements and fringe benefits, and delays in the payment of salaries. This study was therefore carried out to understand the impact of motivation on the productivity of workers, with particular reference to teachers in secondary schools in Mainland Local Government Area, Lagos State. Its objectives were to identify the factors responsible for poor staff performance and productivity, to understand the factors that sustain performance and productivity, and to examine the reasons for labour turnover, absenteeism and nonchalant attitudes among staff. Data were obtained from primary and secondary sources and analysed both quantitatively and qualitatively, with greater emphasis on quantitative techniques. The chi-square test was used to test the hypotheses. The findings show that the management of the schools had failed to meet staff welfare needs. Workers' performance and productivity depend on the motivational incentives provided to them, and absenteeism and turnover result from a lack of job satisfaction among the majority of staff. The study concludes that the local government and the state government should keep abreast of teachers' dominant needs and changing expectations, and should regularly review the motivational incentives offered in relation to staff performance and productivity.

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background to the Study

Secondary schools are established to educate young people so that they can contribute to the economic, political, social and cultural well-being of their country. Teachers are central to this purpose, because they are the main input in the teaching and learning process, and the attainment of the objectives of secondary education depends to a large extent on how well they perform. A major obstacle to the realisation of these objectives is the inadequate motivation of teachers.

Recent Nigerian studies show that motivation and job satisfaction are closely linked to teachers' performance. Orimolade and Ekiran (2025), studying public and private secondary schools in south-west Nigeria, found that teachers' job performance was moderate and examined how motivational incentives contribute to it, and they concluded that advantageous terms of service would boost teachers' job performance. In Lagos State, Onikoyi (2022), in a survey of 246 teachers in eight public secondary schools in Ifako-Ijaiye Local Government Area, found that the academic performance of schools was significantly related to teachers' satisfaction with pay, promotion, working conditions and human relations (r = 0.41), but not to their satisfaction with the supervision of the principal. Teachers in that study gave the lowest ranking to benefits and incentives among the aspects of their jobs. Oni and Soji-Oni (2022), who surveyed 200 teachers in public secondary schools in Agege Local Government Area, concluded that classroom teaching effectiveness requires regular payment of salaries and allowances and adequate technology and facilities, and they recommended motivational incentives such as housing, car loans, subsidised health care and skill-development seminars for teachers.

The evidence on incentives is not uniform, however. Adebajo (2018), in a randomised field experiment in public secondary schools in Lagos, found that monetary and near-monetary incentives had no significant effect on teacher effort as measured by student evaluations, while non-monetary incentives, such as award ceremonies, had a significant negative effect, which suggests that the problems of teacher productivity in Lagos run deeper than remuneration or accountability. This shows that it is important to identify which motivational factors actually influence teachers' performance in a given setting.

Teachers need to be motivated by government, school proprietors and the community so that they can perform well and be productive. Their salaries should be paid promptly, their working conditions should be good, and they should be given fringe benefits and opportunities for training and promotion. Where these conditions are absent, the consequences go beyond the teacher. Late or unpaid salaries make it difficult for teachers to meet their family obligations and can damage the status of the profession. Teachers who are poorly motivated may take on other jobs during school hours, be absent, or leave the profession, and the academic performance of students suffers when schemes of work are not completed because of strikes or other disruptions. In this study, productivity refers to the output of teachers' work, that is, how effectively and efficiently they teach and complete their schemes of work. This study therefore examines the impact of motivation on the productivity of teachers in secondary schools in Mainland Local Government Area, Lagos State.

1.2 Statement of the Problem

An effective secondary education system depends on the performance of its main input, the teachers. Government, private proprietors and school administrators, however, do not always take the steps needed to motivate teachers. Delays in the payment of salaries, poor working conditions, lack of job security, and the absence of allowances and benefits such as entertainment allowances, meal subsidies and car loans are commonly cited as causes of low motivation among teachers (Onikoyi, 2022; Oni & Soji-Oni, 2022). The teaching profession has also lost much of its status and social respect, and the poor treatment of teachers is a source of concern to parents, the ministry of education and society at large.

The study therefore examines the impact of motivation on the productivity of teachers in secondary schools in Mainland Local Government Area, Lagos State.

1.3 Research Questions

The following questions are investigated:

1. Are secondary school teachers in Mainland Local Government Area motivated to perform their jobs according to the standard set by the government?
2. To what extent do the government and private proprietors motivate teachers to perform their jobs?
3. To what extent does school management motivate staff to perform their jobs?
4. Is there any difference between male and female teachers in the factors that motivate their job performance?

1.4 Purpose and Objectives of the Study

The purpose of the study is to find out the impact of motivation on the productivity of teachers in secondary schools in Mainland Local Government Area, Lagos State. The specific objectives are to:

1. identify the factors responsible for poor staff performance and productivity;
2. understand the factors that sustain staff performance and productivity;
3. examine the reasons for labour turnover, absenteeism and nonchalant attitudes among staff;
4. establish whether teachers are motivated to perform their jobs according to the standard set by the government and the extent to which government and private proprietors motivate them;
5. determine the extent to which school management motivates staff to perform their jobs; and
6. find out whether there is a significant difference between male and female teachers in the motivation of their job performance.

1.5 Significance of the Study

The findings of the study will benefit secondary school teachers, principals, heads of departments, supervisors, curriculum planners, policymakers, tertiary institutions and the government. They will also help state and federal governments and school proprietors to improve the ways in which they motivate teachers to give their best.

1.6 Assumptions of the Study

The study makes the following assumptions:

1. All the sampled schools are of the same setting and standard.
2. The teachers and students in the sampled schools are competent enough to give reliable information on the impact of motivation on teachers' performance.

1.7 Research Hypotheses

The following hypotheses guide the study:

H₀₁: There is no significant relationship between the level of motivation and the level of job performance among teachers in secondary schools in Mainland Local Government Area.

H₁₁: There is a significant relationship between the level of motivation and the level of job performance among teachers in secondary schools in Mainland Local Government Area.

H₀₂: Motivational incentives provided by school management have no significant relationship with workers' high performance.

H₁₂: Motivational incentives provided by school management have a significant relationship with workers' high performance.

H₀₃: Job satisfaction does not reduce staff absenteeism and labour turnover in secondary schools in Mainland Local Government Area.

H₁₃: Job satisfaction reduces staff absenteeism and labour turnover in secondary schools in Mainland Local Government Area.

1.8 Scope of the Study

The study covers twenty secondary schools in Mainland Local Government Area, Lagos State. The schools were selected by random sampling so that the impact of motivation on the job performance of secondary school teachers in the area could be examined.

1.9 Definition of Terms

Impact: The effect or influence that one factor has on another.

Motivation: The process of encouraging people to act in a particular way by providing incentives or rewards. In this study, it refers to giving teachers rewards such as prompt payment of salaries, promotion, allowances and fringe benefits, and allowing them to participate in the administration of the school.

Performance (job performance): The way in which a person carries out their duties, including their outstanding actions or achievements.

Productivity: The output of a worker or an organisation in relation to the resources and effort used. In this study, it refers to how effectively and efficiently teachers teach and complete their schemes of work.

Secondary schools: Institutions that provide post-primary education for young people.

Teachers: People whose job is to teach, especially in a school.

References

Adebajo, S. (2018). Incentives and teacher effort: Evidence from Lagos, Nigeria [Master's thesis, University of San Francisco]. https://repository.usfca.edu/thes/1058

Oni, A. A., & Soji-Oni, T. (2022). Motivational factors and achievement of classroom teaching effectiveness in Nigerian public secondary schools. International Journal for Research in Education, 46(1), 365–397.

Onikoyi, O. A. (2022). Job satisfaction of teachers and students' performance in academics in public secondary schools in Lagos State. Indonesian Journal of Educational Research and Technology, 2(2), 109–116.

Orimolade, A. O., & Ekiran, J. O. (2025). Motivational incentives and teachers' job performance in secondary schools in Southwest, Nigeria. International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science, 9(3), 3108–3118. https://doi.org/10.47772/IJRISS.2025.903SEDU0233