Exploration of head teachers’ perceptions on the use of non-monetary incentives to motivate teachers: a case of selected public secondary schools in karonga district

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to explore the perceptions that head teachers have on the use of non-monetary incentives to motivate teachers. It mostly focused on establishing the value that head teachers attach to the use of non-monetary incentives, the non-monetary incentives they provide, the contributions of non-monetary incentives, challenges they face when providing non-monetary incentives to teachers, and the possible solutions to the challenges they face. The study was guided by the Herzberg (1968) Two-Factor Theory of motivation. This study involved eight (8) head teachers from eight public secondary schools in Karonga district in the Northern Education Division of Malawi, and employed the qualitative case study approach within the interpretivism paradigm. Purposive and simple random sampling techniques were used to select the schools from which participants were drawn. The data used for the study were collected through face-to-face in-depth interviews and document analysis. The findings reveal that all the eight head teachers have great value for the use of non-monetary incentives. These incentives include teacher participation in decision making, delegation, recognition, and praise. Non-monetary incentives have positive contributions such as creating sense of belonging and ownership, and unity in the schools, which lead to good performance and success. It is also revealed that head teachers face challenges such as individual differences, monotony and eligibility in the process of providing non-monetary incentives. It is recommended that head teachers have to be objective and consistent when providing incentives. They should also use a variety of non-monetary incentives to avoid monotony and meet individual differences. Monetary incentives are also needed to sustain motivation. The Ministry of Education should also consider offering special attention to the use of non-monetary incentives in its policies.