Teachers‟ Morale Competence, Students‟ Engagement and Academic Performance of Secondary Schools: The Case of Kersa Woreda, Jimma Zone

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