Thesis:

Effect of Incentives on Teachers’ Performance As Perceived By Primary School Teachers in Eldoret Municipality , Uasin-Gishu County, Kenya

Incentive systems are an important part of organizational motivation and are central to helping understand the forces that drive the organization. Incentive systems can encourage or discourage employee and work group behaviour. Therefore, this study set out to assess the effects of incentives on primary school teachers’ performance. The objectives of the study were; to investigate the performance evaluation practices used in public primary schools and its effect on teachers’ performance, to assess the teachers’ perception on the effectiveness of incentives on teachers’ performance, to establish the reward practices used in primary schools, and to investigate the challenges facing school managers in improving teachers’ performance. This study adopted the reinforcement theory, based on Thorndike’s law of effect, which simply looks at the relationship between behavior and its consequences. This theory focuses on modifying an employee's on-the-job behavior through the appropriate use of positive reinforcement rewards desirable behavior. The study adopted a descriptive survey research design. The target population comprised of 42 public primary schools with head teachers, teachers, and parents being the target population. The study sampled 30% of the schools hence 12 schools. Random sampling was used to select 157 teachers from the 12 selected schools while 36 respondents from School Management Committee was selected purposively, three from each school. All the 12 head teachers from the selected schools were sampled purposively. The primary data was collected by use of questionnaires and interviews. Data collected was analyzed both quantitatively and qualitatively. Descriptive analysis was presented in form of frequency distribution tables and graphs. Qualitative data was analyzed thematically by creating categories, themes and patterns. Summary of the findings were: Schools use the academic performances as an evaluation practice, while the teachers employer considers continued development and expansion of skills as a pay decision guidelines/promotion. The teachers are highly motivated by the use of incentives and recognition in boosting their working morale and increasing work competition. Teacher’s involvement in rewards decision making practices had an influence in performance. It made the teachers to have a sense of belonging and helps in improving their commitment to work, Parents play a key role in devising their own way of recognizing their teachers’ efforts. The study recommends the following: Teachers’ employer in co-ordination with the school management should devise a concrete formula in relation to teachers’ evaluation, performance and payment to reflect their workload; The ministry should consider the teachers and pupil ratio by balancing the teachers in schools, to ease the burden the teachers face due to high enrolment in schools; Parents should be involved in all activities that are carried out by the school and participate in rewarding the teachers in order to increase performance of the school and that comprehensive policy should be developed that defines the various components of stakeholders, as well as what roles the parents, the communities, the Ministry of Education and the local authorities should play in enhancing the teachers’ performance. The study findings are of great benefit as it will guide and assist the school managers and the ministry in motivating teachers.