Publication:

An investigation of the influence of motivational factors on agriculture teachers’ performance; a study of Mbeere South District

The performance of agriculture teachers in Mbeere South District has been low compared to other districts. This has been characterized by a decline in the agriculture subject results. This might have been contributed by inadequate teacher motivation. The purpose of this study was to determine the influence of some motivational factors on the performance of secondary school agriculture teachers in the district. The study used a cross-sectional research design. Fifty nine head teachers and fifty nine agriculture teachers were randomly sampled from 65 schools in the District. A structured questionnaire was used by the researcher to collect data from the respondents. Data was analyzed with the help of Statistical Packages for Social Sciences (SPSS). Descriptive statistics specifically frequencies and percentages, and inferential statistics particularly Pearson’s Product Moment Correlation were applied in data analysis. The hypotheses were tested at a 0.01 confidence level. The results also indicate that there is a positive correlation (0.444) between working conditions and performance of agriculture teachers. Further, the study revealed a negative correlation (-0.416) between teaching load and performance of agriculture. A correlation analysis between interpersonal relations and performance of agriculture teachers revealed a positive correlation of 0.403 and a p- value of 0.01. The overall performance of agriculture teachers in the District has been fair for the last three years, however, this can be improved by reducing the teachers work load, improving the working conditions and interpersonal relations in the schools. The study recommends use of the surrounding community in the teaching of agriculture since some schools in the District lack demonstration farms, equipping the available workshops with appropriate tools and equipment, acquisition of school demonstration farms, improvement of interpersonal relationships in schools and increment of agriculture teachers to facilitate teachers’ motivation and effective teaching. Key words: Motivational factors, working conditions, teaching load, interpersonal relations, performance.