RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN MENTORSHIP PRACTICES AND TEACHERS’ MORALE IN PUBLIC SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN ANAMBRA STATE

Abstract

The study examined the relationship between mentorship practices and teachers' morale in public secondary schools in Anambra State. Two research questions guided the study and null hypotheses were tested at 0.05 level of significance. The study adopted a correlational research design. The study was conducted in Anambra State. The population of the study comprised 6,598 teachers drawn from 267 public secondary schools from the six education zones in Anambra State. The sample for the study comprised 660 teachers drawn from a total population of 6,598 teachers in 267 public secondary schools across the six education zones in Anambra State. This sample, representing about ten per cent of the population, was considered adequate for obtaining reliable and generalisable results given the relatively homogeneous nature of the population. A multistage sampling procedure was adopted. Data were collected using two structured questionnaires developed by the researcher. The questionnaires were validated by three experts in the Department of Educational Management and Policy, Faculty of Education, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka. The instruments were pilot tested on 20 principals in Delta State. The test of reliability using Cronbach Alpha yielded reliability co-efficient of 0.88 and 0.86 for clusters 1 and 2 respectively with an overall reliability co-efficient of 0.87 for MPQ and 0.89 for TMQ. Data were analysed using Pearson Product Moment Correlation with the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 25. Pearson correlation was used to answer research questions and test hypotheses on the relationships among variables at a 0.05 level of significance. The finding of the study revealed that there is a high positive relationship between coaching, modelling and teachers’ morale in public secondary schools in Anambra State. Finding also showed that there is a significant positive relationship between coaching, modelling and teachers’ morale in public secondary schools in Anambra State. The study concluded that there is a significant relationship between mentorship practices and teachers’ morale in public secondary schools. Based on the findings of the study, it was recommended that The Post Primary Schools Services Commission (PPSSC) should implement structured mentorship programmes in public secondary schools that is focused on coaching so as to provide teachers with continuous guidance, professional support and opportunities for reflective practice. It was also recommended that principals should ensure that experienced teachers and mentors are encouraged to demonstrate effective teaching practices and professional behaviours through modelling, allowing less-experienced teachers to observe, learn and adopt best practices in classroom management and instructional delivery.