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

Abstract

This study examined how financial motivational mechanisms influence teacher professional performance in public senior schools in Kajiado County, Kenya. The study was guided by one research question: To what extent do financial 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 research design; a cross-sectional research design was used in the quantitative component, while phenomenology was used in 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 critical sampling, 285 teachers sampled using the Krejcie and Morgan (1970) sampling table, 59 PA chairpersons sampled using purposive sampling, 1 TSC and 1 MOE county directors sampled using purposive critical sampling for the study in public senior schools in Kajiado county, Kenya. ANOVA was used to analyze the hypotheses. The findings established that financial motivational mechanisms significantly influenced teachers' professional performance in public senior schools. The results indicated a statistically significant relationship (p < .001). Since p < .001 was less than the established significance level of α = .05, the null hypothesis was rejected. The study concluded that financial motivational mechanisms are fundamental determinants of teachers' professional performance in public senior schools. The study recommended that the Teachers Service Commission (TSC), the Ministry of Education (MOE), and school principals should develop and implement comprehensive motivational policies that integrate financial motivational mechanisms and other financial interventions that are likely to enhance teachers' professional performance, increase job satisfaction and commitment, and improve the overall quality of education in public senior schools.