Teachers’ Motivational Strategies and Students’ Classroom Engagement in Public Secondary Schools in Rivers State

Matthews  Gloria

doi:10.5281/

Authors

Matthews Gloria Department of Educational Psychology, Guidance and Counselling Ignatius Ajuru University of Education, Port Harcourt, Rivers State Nigeria Author

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5281/

Keywords:

Teacher’s motivational strategies, classroom engagement, positive reinforcement, interactive teaching methods, teacher–student relationship

Abstract

The study investigated teachers’ motivational strategies and students’ classroom engagement in public secondary schools in Rivers State. The study adopted a correlational research design. Four research questions and four ull hypotheses guided the study. The population of the study consisted of all the 7,179 senior secondary school teachers in public secondary schools in Rivers State. The sample for the study comprised 350 teachers. The Taro Yamane formula was used to get the sample size. A stratified random sampling technique was used for the study. The instrument for the study was a researcher-developed instrument titled Teachers’ Motivational Strategies and Students’ Classroom Engagement Scale (TMSSCES). The instrument comprised two sections: A and B. The first section was used to generate teachers’ responses on their use of motivational strategies, which consisted of 20 item statements. The second section was used to evaluate students’ enjoyment which consisted of 15 item statements. The instrument was validated by experts in Measurement and Evaluation. The test-retest technique was used to determine the reliability of the instrument. A reliability coefficient r = 0.91 was established for teachers’ motivational strategies, while a reliability coefficient r = 0.82 was established for the students’ engagement scale. Pearson Product-Moment Correlation was used to answer the research questions and test the null hypotheses. The findings of the study revealed that positive reinforcement, interactive teaching methods, teacher–student relationship strategies and use of instructional materials were significantly and positively related to students’ classroom engagement in public secondary schools in Rivers State. Consequently, the researcher recommended, among other things, that teachers should adopt consistent and meaningful positive reinforcement strategies, such as praise, constructive feedback, and recognition of effort to encourage desirable learning behaviours, while ensuring that such reinforcement is balanced and focused on promoting students’ intrinsic motivation and sustained engagement.

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