Running head: LITERATURE REVIEW OEGBUS TEACHER MOTIVATION "

A Review of Dr. F. I. Ofoegbus Teacher Motivation: A Factor for Classroom Effectiveness and School Improvement in Nigeria Jeremiah Paul Connell University of New England

LITERATURE REVIEW OFOEGBUS TEACHER MOTIVATION "

1. Is the purpose of the study clear? The purpose of the study is to address teacher motivation. [S]tudies on motivation and its adaptation to classroom effectiveness have not been conducted from the perspective of academic personnel (teachers). A great deal of literature concerning student motivation already exists, and I agree with the author that teacher motivation and its effect on student outcomes, school climate, and objectives set by administrators and government bodies needs to be examined. Ofoegbu postulates that low teacher morale-stemming from systemic problems that negatively affect teacher motivation --has an effect on classroom effectiveness. Teachers were asked questions about what educator motivation means to them using an agree/disagree questionnaire developed by the author. The questionnaire also included queries about things that might change due to levels of teacher motivation. Teachers responded agree/disagree as to whether or not they felt higher teacher motivation would improve these circumstances/issues. As a result, what we have is data that address teacher perception of educator motivation, rather than data showing different outcomes from a group of highly motivated teachers versus a group of demotivated teachers. Nevertheless, I think the study is worthwhile for the attention that it brings to the issue.
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LITERATURE REVIEW OFOEGBUS TEACHER MOTIVATION "

2. Does the background discussion seem focused and relevant to the purpose? The background is important here because the Nigerian pubic education system is in a state of decay (Nwadiani, 1998, as paraphrased in Ofoegbu), and educators who havent seen a public school in need of resources in subsaharan Africa might not understand the kind of conditions that Ofoegbu points to, and hints at, being demoralizing, de-incentivizing, and demotivational. The author does not explicitly state that a dearth in extrinsic motivational factors negatively affects intrinsic motivation, but I think this idea comes across when teachers working conditions are described in such a negative light. 3. Does the study have a theoretical basis? Ofoegbu notes the difference between intrinsic and extrinsic motivation at the outset. The result of the study confirmed that teacher motivation would enhance classroom effectiveness and improve schools. The authors hypotheses seems reasonable and worth looking into. Im not sure if there is any popular theory in current educational psychology literature that addresses extrinsic motivation for teachers and its effect on teacher and system efficacy.

LITERATURE REVIEW OFOEGBUS TEACHER MOTIVATION "

4. Are the hypotheses/research questions stated clearly? Two overarching questions are posed explicitly: 1. Would teacher motivation improve classroom effectiveness in Nigerian schools? and What specific teacher motivational factors would ascertain classroom effectiveness and improvement of Nigeria schools among male and female teachers? The author then parses these questions into components and more specific queries for her data collection instrument. 5. Is the sample population appropriate? Is the sample size large enough or representative? According to the author, All (emphasis added) the teachers in the secondary and primary schools located in the South Eastern [sic] part of the country formed the population of the study. The article also states 772 public school teachers were selected to participate and a stratified random sampling procedure was used...to ensure that all schools in various locations...were aptly represented. In the abstract, 10% is placed next to the number 772, in parenthesis: I take this to mean that there are 7,720 teachers in the region examined. 6. How reliable or valid are the results? Are they generalizable?

LITERATURE REVIEW OFOEGBUS TEACHER MOTIVATION "

I see no reason to think the results would be invalid. The author amalgamates her data and creates some more broad answers. I think this is a sort of generalization. I would think that the results are indicative of conditions in most of Nigeria, and (based on my experiences in a public junior high school in Ghana) probably the region. 7. Are the findings clearly explained? Do they seem to follow from the results? The author really found that teachers in the region believe that if some of the problems mentioned in the background portion of the study were addressed and ameliorated that teachers would be more motivated and thus improve system effectiveness. The author also proved that teachers perceive educator motivation to be a critical factor in effective education. However, I believe that what she is really trying to say is: teachers need to be paid regularly, have facilities to teach in, and need materials to teach with. This (one would hypothesize) would ameliorate de-motivational conditions plaguing educators in the area. Providing consistent extrinsic motivators will help improve teacher morale and thus effectiveness: This seems like a reasonable assumption, but proving it couldnt hurt. I think that the product, while valuable, doesnt quite address what (what I think) the author was aiming to address.

LITERATURE REVIEW OFOEGBUS TEACHER MOTIVATION "

8. Is there a discussion of the limitations of the study? No. 9. Do the conclusions of the study seem reasonable? Absolutely. 10. How does this study relate to what you have learned in this course? This study fits well with other readings assigned in this course. I agree with the author that while there is a sizable body of literature available on student motivation, teacher motivation needs more examination.

LITERATURE REVIEW OFOEGBUS TEACHER MOTIVATION "

References
Ofoegbu, F.I., Teacher motivation: A factor for classroom effectiveness and school improvement in Nigeria (2004). College Student Journal, 38(1), 81. Retrieved from elearn.une.edu/bbcswebdav/pid-202214-dt-content-rid-975704_1/ courses/20513-201202-EDU-615-B1/classroom_motivation_in_Nigeria.pdf