Abstract:
The purpose of this study was to establish the influence that teacher motivation has on pupil retention in Ugandan UPE schools. The study was guided by three objectives namely; To establish the level of retention of pupils, to determine the conditions that motivate teachers to do their work in UPE schools, To determine the influence of teacher motivation on the retention of pupils in UPE schools. A sample of 100 teachers and 20 head teachers participated in the study by answering questionnaires. School headteachers also availed class registers to help the researcher track the trend of enrolment and retention of UPE schools. Data collected by the researcher was presented and analyzed using frequencies and percentages on graphs and pie charts. The study findings showed that school dropout was high at the average of 21% compared to average retention level of 79%. It was found out that satisfaction of physiological needs for teachers was very vital in motivating them to carry out their duties effectively. The study also found out that the status of a teacher in the community motivates learners to keep in school. The researcher concluded that the school dropout rate among the UPE schools was high, and satisfaction of some of teachers’ needs according to Maslow’s hierarchy of needs was important in regard to keeping learners in school and that treating a teacher with high esteem in society motivates learners to stay in school. The study recommended that school managers and head teachers understand that school dropout was a common trend and therefore they need to deal with it decisively, there is need for the government of Uganda to consider that teachers needs differ at different levels and therefore satisfying such needs will positively impact on pupil retention in UPE schools, the government needs to elevate the standard of a teacher so that he/she becomes an outstanding member of the community to be admired by learners.
