Factors Affecting Teachers‟Motivation In Conducting Action Research

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the factors that influenced teachers’ motivation to conduct action research in four high schools and one preparatory school of Adama woreda. Survey research method was employed. Mixed method research design was employed for the study. Since the number of teachers and directors of all schools was manageable, comprehensive (Census) sampling was used. The study also targeted on totally 166 (10 principals and 156 teachers) of the schools. Questionnaire and interview were used to collect data from both teachers and directors. From the target population, 139 of them had fully responded to the questionnaire. Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 20 was used to analyze the data. Then, both descriptive and inferential statistics were used. In order to describe and see the distribution of the data, mean, standard deviation, frequencies and percentages were used. In order to see factors that have an influence on teachers’ motivation in conducting action research, inferential statistics such as correlation and multiple regressions were employed. T-test and one-way ANOVA were used to see the statistically significant difference in the mean scores for the sex, academic and experience based groups. Content analysis was used to analyze qualitative data obtained from interview. The findings of the study indicate that promotion, recognition and work conditions were found to be the predictor variables that motivate high school teachers in conducting action research. The result of multiple regression shows that the three variables together contributed 19 % in showing the influence of the factors for motivation. Of these, promotion is the modest predictor of teachers’ motivation in conducting action research. Based on the finding of the study, recommendations were forwarded. In order to improve the motivation of high school teachers in conducting action research, there should be improvements on various aspects such as promotion, recognition and work conditions of the teachers such as salary, health insurance coverage and accommodation. In addition, teacher recognition needs to be strengthened through giving teachers equal and fair opportunities for competition and verbal appreciation to teachers from supervisors, parents, directors and woreda and zone leaders.