Motivation and Job Performance; Perceptions of Teachers in Kpone Katamansu District in Ghana

Abstract

Public service pay structure has received growing attention from scholars and governments because of its potential to motivate and enhance the performance of public servants. In Ghana, public service pay structure has experienced several reforms in an attempt to tackle the distortion, inequity and low salaries that have characterized it in the past. In 2010, the government of Ghana implemented a new pay reform Single Spine Pay Policy for public servants. This new pay reform seeks to address the distortion, inequity, and to improve the salaries of public servants in order to enhance the performance of public servants. This thesis employed qualitative research methods over a fieldwork period of three months to explore the effect of the introduction of SSPP on the job performance of teachers in the Kpone Katamansu District Assembly (KKDA). Further, the study explored what teachers in KKDA consider as motivation for their job. The study employed two theories of motivation; the economic incentive theory and the public service motivation theory. These theories provided a framework for analysis and discussion in this study on the link between different kinds of motivation and job performance. According to the economic incentive theory, monetary factors will induce higher job performance, nonetheless, this study found that even though the introduction of SSPP did result in increasing the salaries of teachers, it did not improve their job performance. The prediction of the public service motivation theory was found to be consistent with the study's findings. The study found that teachers' are motivated to perform more on the grounds that their profession has a positive impact on their students, community and country. Also, the norms of the profession and recognition of their efforts are seen as motivation to teachers in KKDA.