Motivation and Effective Performance of Academic Staff in ...

1 International Journal of Innovation and Research in Educational sciences Volume 1, Issue 2, ISSN (Online): 2349 5219. Motivation and Effective Performance of Academic Staff in Higher Education (Case Study of Adekunle Ajasin University, Ondo State, Nigeria). Akinfolarin Akinwale Victor Ehinola Gabriel Babatunde ( ). Department of Educational Management, faculty of Education Department of Educational Management, faculty of Education Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba, Ondo State, Nigeria Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba, Ondo State, Nigeria. Email: Email: Mb.: +2348072559328, +2348137120446 Mb.: +2348059225814. Abstract This study investigated Motivation and Effective lecturers or teachers' teaching effectiveness on the Performance of Academic Staff in higher education. The learning outcome of students as measured by student's research design was descriptive survey. The population Academic Performance has been the subject of several comprises of all lecturers and heads of various departments studies, Adediwura and Tayo (2007) and Adu and in Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba Akoko, Ondo State.

2 Olatundun (2007). Fifty (50) lecturers and ten (10) heads of department which was randomly selected for the study. Data was carefully Vegas as Petrow (2008) pointed out that Latin American collected through questionnaire measuring it item on a four countries, educational Performance is not only weak, it is (4) point likert-type-rating scale and properly analyzed using also declining relative to other countries with similar frequency count and simple percentage. The study revealed income levels. that encouragement for creativity and innovation, However, Cochran Smith (2001) maintained that the appreciation on genuine effort, award with impressive titles key question of the current era in lecturers education and acknowledge on achievement enhances the Performance is the outcomes question and that the current emphasis of university lecturers, also, 60% of the respondents agreed on measuring Performance threatens the work done by the that there was lack of provision of regular payment of salary organization devoted to improving lecturers and other remuneration by the head to promote the Performance .

3 This study also revealed that provision of professionalism. adequate chances for professional growth, instructional facilities arguments lecturer's Performance . The following III. RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN Academic . recommendations were made; Universities managers and Performance AND Motivation . other tertiary institution should continue to provide adequate chances for professional growth and research development, availability of Institutional facilities, good relationship with According to Michaelowa (2002) Motivation is the Academic Staff and prompt payment of lecturers' salaries to willingness, drive or desire to engage in good teaching . further advance their Performance among others. Nelson and Guick (2003) said, Motivation factors lead to positive mental health and challenge people to grow, Keywords Academic Staff , Effective Performance , Higher contribute to the work environment and invest themselves Education, Motivation , Motivational Strategies.

4 In the organization. Academic Performance on the other hand is the outcome of education; the extent to which a I. INTRODUCTION student, lecturer or institution has achieved their educational goals. A plethora of writers in the literature subscribed to the Abejirinde (2009) investigated the relationship between fact that Motivation is goal directed behavior which Motivation and Performance within private and public involves individual forces (internal and external) that enterprises in Nigeria and found that promotion (as a account for the direction, level, and persistence of a motivator) has significant relationship with employees person's effort expended at work, Nelson and Quick Performance including Academic Performance in the (2003). education enterprise. A review of empirical studies on According to Reeve (2001), Motivation can come from teacher or lecturer Motivation in developing countries, two sources, the extrinsic and intrinsic.

5 Working for including Nigeria indicates widespread low or decreasing externally determined rewards is extrinsically motivated levels of Motivation , resulting in lower quality of behavior while people's desire to learn for satisfying their education and Academic Performance . For example, curiosity and feel competent is intrinsic Motivation . Bennell and Akyeampong (2007) find that sizeable Intrinsic Motivation is often necessary for persistence of percentages of school lecturers are poorly motivated in motivated behavior, Arif (2003). sub-saharan Africa and South Asia. Lack of prestige from low remuneration and low autonomy in planning and II. CONCEPT OF Academic Performance teaching has been associated with private tutoring, Popa and Acedo (2006) and in Egypt, Hartmann (2008). Academic Performance is the outcome of education, the However, it is also imperative to know that school extent to which a student and lecturer or institution has physical facilities and research development are key achieved their educational goals.

6 The influence of motivating factors in achieving Academic Performance . Copyright 2014 IJIRES, All right reserved 157. International Journal of Innovation and Research in Educational sciences Volume 1, Issue 2, ISSN (Online): 2349 5219. Schools are established for the purpose of teaching and percent of their time on administration, but only 29. learning. It is more important that the teachers or lecturers percent on teaching. Another factor is the erosion of and learners are properly accommodated to facilitate the salaries and purchasing power that prompts many faculty teaching and learning that go on there. This is the essence members to give minimal time to university work and seek of the school plant and facilities, Alimi (2004). Bandele one or more income-generating activities to supplement (2003) noted that the relevant of physical facilities cannot their Academic salaries. be relegated. Facilities like modern laboratories, libraries Although money is influential factor at every stage but and classrooms are to be put in place in all our schools at the same time, it is not necessary that money alone can especially in higher institutions of learning.

7 A study increase Motivation of every worker, there are intangible carried out by Adesola (2005) found that the level of (for instance, empowerment, recognition and feedback). available resources is indeed a plus to the lecturers and that are primary motivators for the workers inspiration to goes to show the level of ingenuity and commitment of the perform effectively Fuhrmann (2006). According to Filak lecturers toward Effective delivery of lesson. and Sheldon, (2003) Motivation is crucial to the long term Corroborating the earlier findings, Geofrey (2010) success and Performance of any educational system. conducted a study which investigated public universities However, Photanan (2004) is of the opinion that training Academic Staff Performance with reference to the context is one of the most important activities that can be used as a of Motivation using Makerere University in Uganda as a motivational program for employees' development.

8 Case study. It examined effect of motivational factors on Finally, organization must provide feedback to its lecturers, teaching, research activities, and community employees in order to create open communication service. The findings revealed that, motivational factors, environment in the organization. Memmott (2002). significantly affected lecturers teaching and research The major task of educational manager and human activities at Makerere University. Different studies resource management in universities or higher education conducted by Ayodele (2000) and Vandiver (2011), institutions is always centered to enhance the job showed that a positive relationship exists between satisfaction level, particularly of lecturers as they are availability of facilities (as a motivator) and Academic building blocks of institution as well as society at large. Performance . Akinfolarin (2013) posits that education The fact that most of the works and studies reviewed industry in Nigeria have been neglected through lack of above were conducted in different universities and adequate funding at all levels, low lecturers wages and environments were their peculiarities are different from salaries, lack of proper supervision of human and material Adekunle Ajasin University, there is every tendency that resources, low research facilities across various levels of similar works in Adekunle Ajasin University may not education.

9 Basic amenities such as water and electricity necessarily yield the same outcomes. are also very important for lecturers' job satisfaction and Motivation for example, sanitary facilities are especially V. STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM. important to motivate female lecturers or teachers to work at a given school. Ramachandran and Pal (2005). Most teaching Staff in Nigeria universities are unhappy, uninspired and unmotivated. Lope (2004) conducted IV. ROLE OF Motivation IN HIGHER research titled improving the teaching profession through EDUCATION understanding educators self Motivation . The major findings of the study indicate reasons for not favouring the According to Akinfolarin (2014), Education is the teaching profession which include low salary, lack of overall development of an individual in all ramifications promotion opportunities, unsatisfactory leader behavior, and not limited to classroom jurisdiction.

10 It must transfer and variety of work load, student discipline problems, from generation the core of our culture's accumulated uncooperative colleagues and unconducive working body of knowledge. According to the National Policy on environment. According to the World Bank Report (2004), Education NPE (2004), 7th edition, tertiary education is the 23,000 qualified Academic staffs are emigrating from education given after secondary education in universities, Africa each year in search of better working conditions, colleges of education, polytechnics, monotechnics and it is estimated by the report that 10,000 Nigerians are including those institutions offering corresponding now employed in the United State Universities alone. Lack courses. of good working condition and Motivation mechanism has Lecturers play the mentoring role for their students in no doubt, translated into lecturer's low morale which in higher institutions of learning; their primary Motivation is turn translated into student's poor Academic Performance .