Secondary School Teacher Motivation, Occupational Attitudes and Job Performance in Uganda in the Context of HIV/AIDS

Abstract

Secondary school teachers are a key resource for national development in Uganda. The current study explores how teachers’ perceptions of HIV/AIDS impact on their motivation and occupational attitudes and how these in turn affect their job performance. Preliminary data, collected using focus group discussions, were used in the construction of the self-administered questionnaire that was completed by a geographical quota sample of 480 secondary school teachers. Multiple regression and a modified path analysis produced a model that could significantly explain multivariate relationships. It was found out that teacher perceptions of HIV/AIDS affect their work performance both directly and indirectly through their motivation and occupational attitudes. Of the four HIV/AIDS perception dimensions, infrastructural support does not have any direct or indirect effect on any of the four job performance dimensions; occupational benefit has only an indirect effect on all the four job performance dimensions and is the only one out of the four that influences moderating variables of motivation and occupational attitudes; occupational burden only affects (directly) one job performance dimension of curriculum delivery; whereas pastoral care has only a direct effect on three job performance dimensions of open-active, co-curricular, and facilitating learning. As teachers’ perceptions of HIV/AIDS in Uganda influence their work motivation, attitudes and performance, occupational health interventions that promote more positive attitudes to the challenge of HIV/AIDS may have the potential to improve motivation, occupational attitudes and work performance among this crucial cadre.