Abstract

This study examined, “The Effect of Motivation on students’ academic performance in secondary schools in Buea Municipality”. A number of research objectives, questions and hypothesis were used to guide the study. The specific research objectives were to find out the effect of intrinsic motivation, examine the effects of extrinsic motivation and to investigate the effects of achievement motivation on students’ academic performance. The population of the study consisted of students, drawn at random from three sampled schools. The sample size consisted of 70 students.

A closed ended questionnaire was used for data collection. The data were analysed descriptively using percentages and frequencies and inferentially using the Pearson’s product moment correlation. The findings revealed a strong positive relationship between intrinsic motivation and students’ academic performance, a moderate positive relationship between extrinsic motivation and students’ academic performance and a moderate positive relationship between achievement motivation and students’ academic performance.

Based on the findings, the following recommendations were made: Students should be sensitized on the importance of demonstrating intrinsic motivation as it has positive effects on their performance in school. Further, teachers should always strive hard to apply available forms of extrinsic motivation in the instructional process to spur students to higher performance.  Lastly, seminars and conferences should be organised sensitizing students to develop achievement motivation strategies.

CHAPTER ONE

GENERAL INTRODUCTION

Introduction

According to Deci (1998), motivation is the desire to act in service of a goal; it is the crucial element in setting and attaining one’s objectives.Wood (2002) sees motivation as a process that initiates, directs, and sustains behaviours to satisfy physiological or psychological needs. Maslow (1943) sees motivation from the perspective of productivity as he propounded that humans are inherently motivated to better themselves and move toward expressing their full potential (self-actualization) by progressively encountering and satisfying several levels of need from the most fundamental, such as for food and safety, to higher-order needs for love, belonging, and self-esteem. Motivation goes on to include the capacity to form concepts and to reason, which allows humans to be able to surpass the minimum state of inferiority, with a much greater possible range of desires and aversions.

Coming to the field of education and classroom, when students are motivated, it acts as a bedrock for effective learning to take place as suggested by Tambo (2012). Because of its importance, motivation has become a topical tool used by teachers to foster learning in our today’s classrooms, though teachers still face some challenges on the right motivation approach to use to satisfy the different learning styles. Effective learning connotes the teacher is able to satisfy the different learning styles, approaches and meet up with the individual differences that may exist among learners (Hinu, 2002).

This chapter is composed of the background of the study (Historical, contextual conceptual and theoretical), the statement of the problem, research objectives, research questions, justification of the study, significance of the study and operational definition of terms.

Background of the Study

Historically, the development of motivation can be traced as far back as the origin of humanity, when people began developing interests to achieve certain objectives or accomplish certain tasks as suggested by Pakdel(2013). As such, goals are more specific and used as explanations to the direction and quality of action sequences in particular situations.The concept motivation is derived from the Latin word “movere” which means to move (Huber, 2006, p. 481). It can also be said to have its roots from the word “motive”, which means, “the reason why we do what we do” (McLean, 2006). Waindim (2006) suggests that, the development of the concept of motivation had significant landmark in the thirties when researchers were out to understand why some people would engage themselves fully in a given line of action while others simply desisted. According to Weiner (1974), motivation could be conceptualized as being the reflection of the basic human instincts and drives, many of which are unconsciously expressed. Similarly, Domyei (2001) posited that motivation is the manifestation of an individual’s unconscious drives, desires and instincts which were repressed.

As time went on, motivational research was focused on how external factors or stimuli and responses interplay in formation of habits (Waindim, 2006). By the 1960s, Psychologists and educational researchers like Carl Rogers and Abraham Maslow postulated that the motivating force or reason why people work hard at given tasks without relenting is “the desire to achieve personal growth and develop the capacities and talents they have inherited” (Waindim, 2006). In fact, Graham and Weiner (1996) postulated that motivational research had almost become synonymous with achievement motivation.

The development of motivation is firmly rooted in the concepts of Scientific management (Zandin, 2001). In the 1900’s during the Industrial Era, Frederick Winslow Taylor became interested and famous for his work as he thrived to understand what moved human beings to perform certain activities and what caused workers to be effective at work (Weiner, 1990). Taylor’s ideas according to Mbua (2003) required human beings to work as machines, under strict supervision in order to achieve organizational goals effectively. This idea is in line with the X theory of Douglas McGregor in the 1960s. McGregor (1960) explained the main idea behind theory X which stipulates that managers believe individuals are inherently lazy and unhappy with their jobs, and that as a consequence, an autocratic method of leadership and control managerial style is adopted to ensure fulfilment of objectives. As such, rewards are given to workers based on their performances as alluded by Mbua (2003).  This explains that human beings are not intrinsically motivated to do anything, except if they are forced, controlled or coerced to do so. This is about the idea or concept of extrinsic motivation.

Between the 1950s and 1960s, the humanistic psychologist, Maslow (1954, 1971) developed the Human Needs theory where he arranged human needs in a heirachical pyramid of 5 human needs, ranging from the lowest (Physiological Needs) to the highest (Self-actualization). His need theory explained five levels of human motivation as established by Mbua (2003) and Shey and Tani (2018) where an individual becomes more motivated to achieve as his/her needs are being satisfied. In this dimension, Obi (2006) captured that Charles Darwin observed that organisms struggle for survival and certain needs must be satisfied as this struggle goes on. As such, ineffective learning and poor performance may become dominant and discouraging for the learner when those needs are not satisfied. Drawing from the above statements, learners may be more effective in their learning when their motivation increases because their needs have been satisfied. Hence, the absence of motivation in students breeds inadequate performance and a bitter pill to swallow (Obi, 2006). Hence, we could suggest here that, the degree of an individual’s motivation determines the degree at which he or she learns effectively.

Conceptually, motivation according to Bhoje (2005) is quintessential in the teaching/learning process as learners would not retain information, participate actively and at some point, become disruptive when they are not motivated. According to Mbua (2003), the concept of motivation is at the heart of the study of, and the practice of management or educational administration. Pintrich and Schunck (2002) opined that motivation can help explain why students decide to engage or disengage in learning. In this light, motivation directs behavior (Mbua, 2003) and determines the quality of the outcome, be it learning, teaching or any form of human effort (Fru, 2016). The concepts derived from motivation which are used in the study include Intrinsic motivation, extrinsic motivation and achievement motivation. We shall also talk of effective learning.

According to Georgellis et al (2011) expiations, employees who are intrinsically motivated tend to exhibit high levels of organizational commitment, increasing productivity and improving organizational performance. Tambo (2012) views intrinsic motivation as an internal process which comes as a result of forces within the learner-forces that impel him or her to want to achieve a desired goal. Hayikaleng et al (2016) state that intrinsic motivation refers to motivation to involve in an activity because it is enjoyable and interesting to take part. A person might be motivated (intrinsically) because he or she enjoys the learning activity or desires to make him/herself feel better (Neng et al, 2019).  The view that intrinsic motivation serves a more useful purpose is supported by a majority educators as posited by Tambo (2012).A child who is intrinsically motivated would learn the use of numbers in order to increase her skill in computing or just to be more knowledgeable in numbers (Tambo, 2012).

Tambo (2012) emphasized that extrinsic motivation is external and that it comes as a result of pressures or forces outside of the learner. In the same perspective, Hayikaleng et al (2016) define extrinsic motivation as performance of an individual in order to gain reward such as good grades or to increase salary, or alternatively to avoid punishment. A child who is extrinsically motivated will learn because he or she is afraid of punishment by the teacher or parents, or because he or she wants rewards such as marks, praise,a trip by plane and Christmas clothes (Tambo, 2012). Here, the pupils in learning are encouraged by their external eagerness, such as looking for a job (Neng et al, 2019).

Murray (1938) views achievement motivation as the need to accomplish something difficult, that is, to overcome obstacles and attain a high standard to rival and surpass others. This goes in line with Maslow’s self-actualization needs as human beings become satisfied when they achieve their life’s highest goal, of which another goal surfaces after one is met.  According to existence internalism, a necessary connection exists between having a certain normative status and motivation while holding that the capacity for motivation in fact depends on a preexisting desire (Mackie,1977).One way to help instil a desire to achieve is to encourage children to set reasonable goals and to provide ample reinforcement for their success as goals are likely to be achieved, thus, allowing children to experience success (Fru, 2016).

Academic performance is the extent to which a student, teacher or institution has attained their short or long-term educational goals. Completion of educational benchmarks such as secondary school diplomas and bachelor’s degrees represent academic achievement (Howard, 1996). According to Buyse (2011), schools are receiving money based on its students’ academic performance, this is justified by the fact that parents send their kids to schools where academic performance is favourable. A school with a greater academic performance would receive more money than a school with less performance. Academic performance is commonly measured through examinations or continuous assessments but there is no general agreement on how it is best evaluated or which aspects are most important procedural knowledge such as skills or declarative knowledge such as facts (Gagne, 2000).

Contextually, in Cameroon, efforts by the state, educational institutions and individuals to raise the standards of learning, educational effectiveness and motivation is visible in the Cameroon Growth and Employment strategy paper (GESP) which indicates that for the country to achieve its Vision 2035, both teachers and learners must be actively involved and willing (motivated) to teach and learn respectively. In the Yaounde27th May 1995 Education forum in Cameroon, emphasis was laid on the use of technologies, material, different methods and resources in the teaching- learning process so as to increase motivation of both learners and teachers as well as their effectiveness.

This propagates what the first objective of higher education according to Law Number 2001/005 of April 16, 2001 is which aims at the pursuit of excellence in all areas of knowledge. This is also propagated in the objectives of the Cameroon Basic and Secondary Education Law:  Number 98/004 which states that education is aimed at cultivating the love of effort and work well done, the quest for excellence and team spirit. It is also aimed at developing creativity, and a sense of initiative among learners. This entails that the learning environment is supposed to be in such a way that will motivate learners and increase their excellence (performance), effort and work (effectiveness).

Statement of the Problem

Students’ performance is the uttermost priority of the state, reason why schools and related facilities are provided to make sure it becomes a reality. Looking at the social demand approach to educational planning, the government has a fundamental responsibility to ensure all its citizens have access to equality education. Further it is clearly stated in article 1, section 2(a) of the law no.98/004 of 14th April 1998 to lay down the laws governing education in Cameroon that, the provision of education shall be the responsibility of the state to its citizens.

In addition looking at the Cameroon Poverty reduction strategy paper, the state is to provide education to its citizens in a bid to eradicate poverty, and it is hoped education will spur citizens from the class of peasants to that of nobility. In spite of all these measures to ensure quality education in the territory, academic performance of students continue to deteriorate, as many students fail in exams and are unable to move from one class to another. In such a scenario, educational wastage is common, which is a disadvantage to the providers of this educational services.

From the researcher’s teaching practice experience, it was noticed that students’ academic performance was dropping, some factors that contributed to the depleting performance. This was substantiated by the fact that, the students were not participating during classroom lessons, some skipped classes and others are dropping out of school nowadays. This problem has left stakeholders of education wondering what the issue might be. It was for this reason therefore the researcher sought to examine the influence of motivation on students’ academic performance in secondary schools in Buea.

Objectives of the study

General Objective

To investigate the influence of motivation on student’s academic performance in secondary schools in Buea Municipality

Specific objectives

The specific objectives of this study are to find out the influence of:

1. Intrinsic motivation on student’s academic performance in secondary schools in Buea Municipality.
2. Extrinsic motivation on student’s academic performance in secondary schools in Buea Municipality.
3. Achievement motivation on student’s academic performance in secondary schools in Buea Municipality

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