Influence of Psychological Motivational Mechanism on Teacher Professional Performance in Public Senior Schools in Kajiado County, Kenya

Abstract

This study examined how psychological motivational mechanisms influence teacher professional performance in public senior schools in Kajiado County, Kenya. The study was guided by the following research question: To what extent do psychological motivational mechanisms influence teacher professional performance in public senior schools in Kajiado County, Kenya? The study was guided by Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs theory. The study used a concurrent mixed-methods design: a cross-sectional design for the quantitative component and a phenomenological design for the qualitative component. The target population were one county director, Ministry of Education, Kajiado County; one TSC county director, Kajiado County; 71 principals, 1104 teachers; and 71 PA chairpersons, with 59 principals sampled using purposive sampling, 285 teachers using the Krejcie and Morgan table (1970), 59 PA chairpersons sampled using purposive critical sampling, and 1 TSC and 1 MOE county director sampled using purposive critical sampling. The study used a t-test to analyse the hypothesis. The findings established that psychological motivational mechanisms significantly influenced teachers' professional performance in public senior schools. The null hypothesis was tested using a t-test; the results indicated p=0.001 < α=0.05. The null hypothesis was rejected. The study concluded that psychological motivational mechanisms are fundamental determinants of teachers' professional performance in public senior schools in Kajiado County, Kenya. The study recommended that the Teachers Service Commission (TSC), the Ministry of Education (MOE), and school principals should develop and implement comprehensive psychological motivational policies that are likely to enhance teachers' professional performance, increase job satisfaction and commitment, and improve the overall quality of education in public senior schools.