Abstract:
The purpose of this study was to assess teachers’ morale competence, level of students’
engagement and academic performance in secondary school of Kersa woreda, Jimma zone,
Oromia, Ethiopia. In order to achieve this objective the researcher used correlational research
design. Quantitative data were collected by using questionnaire, classroom observation and
document analysis. The source of data was seven secondary schools of Kersa Woreda selected
by census sampling technique. The study was carried out 110 secondary school teachers who
were teaching grade nine, 36 classroom observation of grade nine and document analyses of
grade nine students result focused on; Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Mathematics and ICT
subjects. The analysis of the quantitative data was carried out by using descriptive statistics,
correlation analyses and regression analyses in this study. The study revealed that the current
status of teachers’ morale had low and poor feelings about their work satisfaction with teaching
due to various reasons such as lack of good rapport with principal, poor rapport among
teachers, low salary, teaching load, curriculum issues, lack of motivation of the community
support for education, lack of good school facilities and services and community pressure on
the teachers. The study also found that the level of students’ engagement had low in the
components of emotional engagement, behavioral engagement and cognitive engagement. The
study also found that secondary school grade nine students’ had low performance on; Science,
Mathematics and ICT. The correlation analyses signifies that there were strong relationship
between teachers’ morale and students’ engagement (r = .982 ** ), strong relation between
teachers’ morale and academic performance (r = .931 ** ) Also, the study find out students’
engagement and academic performance have positive correlated (r = .969 **) . The regression
analyses showed that when the teachers’ morale has high or low the level of students’
engagement and academic performance also fluctuate and depended on the status of teachers’
morale. The success of any school is based on high academic achievement of students. Based on
the findings, the study recommended that to improve teachers’ morale; Woreda education
office, secondary School principals, vice-principals and secondary school supervisors should
give special attention to encourage teachers’ morale by providing fair and equitable school
facilities and services system and creating awareness to community to support for education to
achieve school goals and objectives
