University of Nigeria Research Publications OSUJI, Celestina N. Author PG/M.ED/03/34229 Principals’ Initiating Structure and Consideration Structure as Factors of Title Teachers’ Motivation in Administration of Secondary Schools Education Faculty Educational Foundations Department December, 2005 Date Signature TITLE PAGE PRINCIPALS' INITIATING STRUCTURE AND CONSIDERATION STRUCTURE AS FACTORS OF TEACHERS' MOTIVATION IN ADMINISTRATION OF SECONDARY SCHOOLS A THESIS PRESENTED TO THE FACULTY OF EDUCATION UNIVERSITY OF NIGERIA, NSUKKA m\J PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENT FOR THE AWARD OF MASTERS DEGREE (M.Ed) IN EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATIONS (EDUCATIONAL ADMINISTRATION) OSUJI, CELESTINA .N. PG/M.ED/03/34229 DECEMBER, 2005 APPROVAL PAGE THIS THESIS HAS BEEN APPROVED FOR THE FACULTY OF EDUCATION, UNIVERSITY OF NIGERIA, NSUKKA 'C EXTERNAL EXAMINER DEAN, FACULTY OF EDUCATION CERTIFICATION Osuji, Ce1estina.N. A post graduate student in the Department of Educational Foundations University of Nigeria, Nsukka with registration number PGlM.Edl03134229 has satisfactorily completed the requirement for the course and research work for the award of masters' degree in Educational Administration and Planning. The work embodied in this project report is original and has not been submitted in part or in full for any other University. DEDICATION This thesis is dedicated to my parents Mr & Mrs C.U. Osuji, and my brothers and sisters Bob Osuji, Ifeanyi, Chizo, Chidi, Mrs Eke, Mrs Njoku. ACKNOWLEDGEMENT The researcher is particularly grateful to God who sustained her all through this programme. She wishes to express her gratitude and appreciation to her supervisor, Professor (Rev, Fr) A.U. Akubue, She wishes to thank Dr. imrnen~e1y~A.U.Okere, Dr. Omeje J.C, Dr. Nelson Ogbonnaya, for their in valuable contribution to this, study. Her profound appreciation would also go to Dr. Mgbodile T.O., whose immense contribution made the study much easier. The researcher will ever remain grateful to all the lecture5 in her department who gave her valuable suggestions towards the improvenient of this work. She would also like to express her profound gratitude to Professor A. Ali, Dr. P.N. Onwuasoanya. The researcher benefited immensely from their wealth of experiences My sincere appreciation goes to uncle Jerome Anyanwu, Bob Osuji, lfeanyi Osuji, Harrison Osuji, Mrs Nmeka, Chris Ugwuji, Kate, Nchedo, Mgbodile B. for their financial, moral and emotional support during the period the programme lasted. TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER TWO: REVIEW OF LITERA TURE------------------------- 11 Concept of School Adniil~istrationarid Leadership-------------------- 11 Concept of Initiating Structure and Consideration in Leadership-- 14 Concept of Motivation----------------------..--------------------------.-------- 23 Theories of Motivation ........................................................ 26 Review of Empirical Studies --..-----.------.-----.---------------------.-------- 31 Summary of Review -------..---.------------------------------------------------33 CHAPTER FIVE: DISCUSSION AND INTERPRETATIONS-------- 46 . Discussion of Findings. ........................................................ 46 Conclusions ----------------..----------------------------------------------------48 Educational implications --------.--------------------------------------------- 49 Recommendations--------------------------------------------------------,------ 50 Limitation of the Study ........................................................ 51 Suggestions for Further Studies ----.----.----------------------------------- 51 LIST OF TABLES PAGES . Table 1 : Principals' initiating structure in administration of secondary Schools ----------------------------.----.---.--------------------.------.- 39 Table 2: Principals' initiating structure influences teachers' Motivation -----------------------------------------------------------..40 Table 3: Principals' consideration structure in Secondary School Administration -------------------------------------.------.. 41 Table 4: Principals' consideration structure influence Teachers' motivation ----------------------------------------------. 42 Table 5: Mean rating of principals' and teachers' on the way principals' initiating structure influences teachers' motivation -.-------. 43 Table 6: Mean ratings of principals' and teachers' on the way principals' consideration structure influences teachers' motivation- 44 ABSTRACT The study was carried out to ascertain the principals' initiating structure and consideration as factor of teachers' motivation in the administration of secondary schools in Imo-State. Four research questions and two hypotheses guided the study. Two hundred and fifty teachers and fifty principals of secondary schools drawn through proportionate stratified sampling technique were used for the study. A descriptive survey design was adopted. The instrument for data collection was a questionnaire statistical analysis of data was done using mean, standaid deviation and t-test statistics. Results show that such factors of initiating structure as adhering strictly to standard of performance without excuses (X= 3.00) and consideration structure as consulting teachers before taking decisions that affect them (X=3.52), in addition to attending to teachers welfare as a matter of necessity (F=3.32) effectively influence motivation of teachers. This study found no significant difference in the ratings of principals and teachers on the ways principals' initiating and consideration structure influence motivation of teachers. The irnplications of the study were highlighted and recommendations were made for implementation and for further studies. CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION Background of the Study The decline in the standard of education in the past two decades has been a source of concern to parents, teachers, educational administrators and even pupils themselves who end up performing below expectation. This has been attributed to a number of factors, such as lack of c!ffectivo arid motivational leadership, lackof mastery of the subjects by the teachers and non-availability of teaching aids (Nwachukwu, 1982). All these result to poor perfortrances and lack of interest in school work by teachers and students. Administration according to Ocho (1997) refers to decision-making, planning, organization, communicating, coordinating and evaluating specific objectives to achieve educational goals. In line with the above, Nwankwo (1982) defines Educational administration as the arrangement of the human and material resources and programmes available for education and carefully using them systematically for the achievement of articulatecl objectives. Educational administration involves: The activities of planning and organizing reso~~ces for the attainment of the objectives of a scti001; educational administratior7 also involves providing the personnel (teaching and non-teaching staff) who will assist or contribute to the achievement of the objectives of education; and educational administration is concerned with procuring and managing the human and material resources necessary for the support and maintenance of the organization and its programmes (Ogbonnaya, 2003: 2). The success of any organization, be it formal or informal, production or profit-oriented or service oriented, to a large extent is believed to depend on the way and the manner in which the leader of that organization operates within it. In order to succeed in his organization, therefore a leader has to adopt a particular rnethod or style of leadership or a blend of various styles, which will help him to achieve the objectives of the organization. In the secondary school context, it is believed that the leadership style of the school head or principals has a great effect on the entire organizational climate or structure of the institution. It finds expressions in the way the teachers behave both in their teaching functions and in other activities of the school. The principals' initiating structure and consideration style also finds expression in the manner the students behave in the school with special reference to their attitude to academic work and other school activities. Different authors have different definitions of leadership in their writings. Schein (1980) defines leadership as a function of the relationship between the leader, the followers and the task situation characteristics. Ukeje (1988) states that leadership occurs whenever one attempts to influence the behaviour of an individual or a group, regardless of the reason; that leadership also implies followership, and that the siluation under which different individuals and groups will follow differ considerably; hence, situation is a very important variable in leadership. From the above definition, a leader implies an individual who has powerful influence on the other members of his group. Thus, one can infer from the above that the leadership has something to do with teachers' effectiveness and teachers' effectiveness is a factor in students' academic performance. The two-factor theory of leadership behaviour, namely initiating structure and consideration are of special interest in this study. These leadership behaviour characteristics were identified after a research conducted by a team of scholars at the Ohia State University (Halpin, 1957 and Ohikhena and Anam, 1974). The team used a special questionnaire design to elicit information from workers on the various leadership behaviours of their rnanayers and round out that two-leadership