Factors that Contribute to Motivation and Job Satisfaction of Lecturers in Selected Technical Universities in Ghana

Abstract

In higher institutional dynamics lecturers’ motivation and job satisfaction are key factors. Generally, it is considered as primary variables which are used to evaluate the effectiveness of an institution’s human resource. The purpose of the study was to examine the factors that contribute to motivation and job satisfaction of lecturers in selected Technical Universities in Ghana. The descriptive survey designed was used for the study. The population of fulltime lecturers in Accra, Kumasi, Koforidua and Sunyani Technical Universities was 965. The stratified random sampling procedure which made use of the lottery method of simple random sampling was used to sample 400 fulltime lecturers. However, 356 respondents were captured for the study which resulted in 89.0 percent response rate. Questionnaire was the instrument used in eliciting data from the respondents. The Cronbach’s Alpha reliability coefficient of the instrument was 0.74 which was deemed reliable. Descriptive statistical tools were used to analyse the data. The study revealed that there are several motivational packages available to lecturers in Technical Universities. However, these lecturers were not satisfied with them, especially extrinsic motivators such as salary, accommodation and other fringe benefits. The findings further showed that most lecturers were motivated periodically and in some cases annually. The study recommended that management of the four selected Technical Universities should take a serious look at the motivation packages such as working conditions, job recognition, salary, and accommodation facilities since these packages makes them more satisfied.

Keywords: job satisfaction, lecturers, motivation, Technical Universities, employees.