THE ATTITUDE OF TEACHERS TOWARDS TEACHING IN THE RURAL AREAS

THE ATTITUDE OF TEACHERS TOWARDS TEACHING IN THE RURAL AREAS

ABSTRACT

This study investigates the attitude of teachers towards teaching in rural areas in Nigeria using Brass Local Government Area of Bayelsa State, Nigeria as a case study. The descriptive design was used for the study. Specifically, the study used questionnaire for collecting both quantitative and qualitative data. Data collected included a self-administered survey of Likert-type items measuring 20 factors for job satisfaction (96% response rate), individual semi-structured interviews, and focus groups.  Analysis of the data confirmed prior research suggesting that multiple factors influence job satisfaction.  Intrinsic satisfaction factors were the best predictors of overall job satisfaction: security, activity, social service, variety, and ability utilization. Extrinsic factors were most likely to predict overall dissatisfaction: recognition, company policies, opportunities for advancement, co-workers, and compensation.  Interviews and focus groups further confirmed how participants projected personal significance onto these factors and how they interacted. The complexity of these interactions stemmed from personal perceptions and values participants placed on individual extrinsic factors and linked those values to other extrinsic factors. However, interview data suggested that power was distributed properly but pervasive informal decision making processes led to the widespread perception of favoritism.  In addition, teachers often exercised influence because no one opposed them. This study suggests that research to gain a better understanding of the sociology of rural communities needs to be conducted in rural education generally and specifically in rural teacher job satisfaction.  Rural teachers’ job satisfaction is complexly intertwined with a wide range of factors.

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1     Background to the Study

Education helps us to develop each area of lives in the society and to utilized and maximize our potentials, abilities in order to one contribute meaningfully and to the development of environments. Education is regarded as the key to civilization and development. The introduction of colonization and Christianity were followed by western education and it was a common strategy that to attract people. After people have been attracted, education of these people became necessary and this brought about the establishment of schools in Nigeria and the first of its kinds in Nigeria was The Christian Missionary School (CMS) founded in Bariga area of Lagos State in the year 1859.

Education in rural areas in Nigeria comes with poor infrastructure like lack of electricity, poor road network, lack of potable water, lack of health care facilities, lack of security, insufficient teaching staff and sometimes non-payment of academic staff. Nigeria is predominantly a rural society as the vast majority of her population live in rural area. Generally, rural areas in Nigeria are usually neglected and overlooked by the government when it comes to development from social amenities to educational development. Despite the fact that rural dwellers in Nigeria are usually not recognized on government development activities, the nation’s wealth is derived from rural areas across the country. Crude oil, limestone, coal among other resources possessed by the country is