Every action a person takes is influenced by their level of motivation. Motivation enables individuals to keep going towards their objectives in the face of challenges. In the past, present and future, motivation is a complicated and all-encompassing idea that depends on either a person or a group of people [1]. Not everyone will find a monotonous motivating strategy appealing. Black and Deci [2] assert that the existence of uplifting social elements may cause a recognized group to react positively and yields good results.

Lack of motivation constantly results in poorer output, which may finally signify instructor fatigue. A demotivated teacher will display indications such as emotional exhaustion, lack of personal accomplishment and depersonalization [3]. Teachers can be motivated individually or in groups using various strategies. Additionally, motivational efforts in a group setting can take the form of environment design, individual tactics or direct intervention. As shown by thorough planning, monitoring and orderly dispensing activities of a used motivation method, a motivated teacher is one who exhibits internal or intrinsic motivation that is properly calculated and handled. The success of a strategy can be assessed by looking at how well it affects teacher retention in a certain school.

According to UNESCO [4], teachers play a key role in shaping the caliber of education that pupils receive. The teacher incentive strategy and academic success are connected because the relationship naturally seeks for high-quality learning [5]. The Kenyan government and its decentralized agencies put a lot of effort into making sure those teachers' work lives up to public expectations. Low advancement opportunities and discontent with pay and financial rewards have been highlighted as significant deterrents   in   previous  studies  examining  why  teachers leave the area of education for other professions [6]. According to recent study, other factors can demotivate instructors, such as rural areas, other than an unfavorable socioeconomic condition, include a lack of service [7].

In Ghana, an African nation, Bennel [8] discussed how teacher salaries and material bonuses remained low-slung, making it difficult for an individual to provide for a family's basic nutrition. Aspects of teacher motivation on the African continent that originate from the colonial eras of the British and French dominance in their separate educational agendas are identified by Cogneau [9]. Because it was seen as being the most significant, the British thought that the educational curriculum in Africa should be based on missionary education. The British were able to achieve higher rates of primary enrollment because the state supported their education. Unlike the British, who did not pay their rural and urban workers equally, the French used their national language and pay to promote education. In contrast, the British paid their employees differently depending on whether they worked in urban or rural areas [9]. In Zimbabwe, motivated instructors are typically the basis of effectiveness for any school facing numerous challenges, according to Chireshe and Shumba [10]. Therefore, it is important to evaluate the variables affecting teachers' desire to boost student accomplishment. In accordance with the government's authorization,  the  Teachers  Service  Commission  (T.S.C.) is in charge of supervising teacher management responsibilities like employee advancement, recruiting, training and remuneration.

In Kenya, the T.S.C. has the power to create rules that enable it to operate efficiently through the provision of leadership roles, strategic direction and oversight for the administration, making sure teachers follow the rules as written and advocating for staff development. The primary objective of a teacher is to teach, whereas that of the B.O.M. and the Principal is to manage and administer the school. As a result, they play a crucial role in ensuring that teachers are driven to attain and maintain the highest possible level of academic performance. Performance and teacher motivation have been shown to be proportionate to one another, as proved by other counties. However, teacher motivation has been overlooked in Trans-Nzoia County over the years and rarely acknowledged at the local level. The majority of the schools in Trans-Nzoia County fared poorly, according to the results of the national test taken the year before.

Statement of the Problem 

Teachers world-wide are credited with helping countries their human resources but despite this it is disheartening to see a majority of them express discontent with their jobs. In Kenya we have seen threats from teachers’ unions to call for teachers’ strikes due to a number of issues which include but not limited to: low or bad remuneration, sluggish job progression and a lack of or slow status of professional development chances. These significant variables have demotivated teachers over a period of time. It should also be noted that for a country like Kenya to raise the socioeconomic standards of its citizens and lay the groundwork for a thriving economy;
Table 1: KCSE mean scores for Trans-Nzoia County for the last five years

the quality and advancement of secondary school education should be a priority. Trans-Nzoia County has posted a below average performance in Kenya Certificate of Secondary Examinations (KCSE) for the last five years, which to some extend points to teachers’ performance (Table 1).

Teachers' salaries have an impact on their career pride and as teachers put it, an increase in their compensation enhances their esteem and, as a result, their academic production. The apparent disparity in training levels among teachers tends to dissatisfy and demotivate some of them. Teachers' salaries in most states are just above the level of scarcity. Teachers in a Republic are not prepared to earn just enough to live above the poverty line. The low salary encourages teachers in engaging in other activities that can create cash for them. As a result, teachers are absent from class, affecting student performance. The compensation scale is part of the implementation of the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) negotiated between teachers' unions (KNUT and KUPPET) and the SRC/TSC/Ministry of Education.

There have been a lot of studies done on the correlation between compensation and job satisfaction and motivation. Assumptions such as employees perform best through pay rise have been raised after considering a big number of industries and organizations that included institution of learning saw their employee's motivation to improve with the money incentive. What follows is a summary of research into the correlation between instructors' pay and student achievement.

In a study on the effects of teachers' remuneration strategies on academic accomplishment of high school students in the United States, Tomlinson [11] found evidence of a consistent association between teacher remuneration credits and student performance. The study concluded that compensation should be determined by the proficiency and skills shown in the classroom. The research recommends offering bonuses for career advancement and in some situations, exceptional performance may qualify for an annual prize. The United States Teaching Commission acknowledges that there is no one approach to measure classroom excellence, according to the report. The Commission does, however, advocate for a fair merit pay system that links salary increment to some or all of the following factors: student achievement, favorable principal or peer evaluations. Additional salary for additional duties, National Board Certification incentives and specialty awards should also be accorded to teachers. Given that the study was carried out in a developed nation, it was necessary to investigate the effects of teachers’ remuneration on academic performance of students in a developing nation, which is what this study sought to find out.

In order to investigate the effects of teachers’ remuneration strategies on secondary school students' academic  performance, Tylor [12] carried  out  a  study  in Canada. Data was acquired using a combination of primary approaches, documentary study review analysis of concepts employed in the literature and a correlational predictive research methodology. Then, questionnaires were given to teachers and school administrators. The acquired information was then put through a descriptive statistical analysis and the study's findings centered on how teachers’ remuneration procedures affected students' academic performance. Bonuses, rewards, tokens of appreciation and paychecks are a few examples of salary remuneration methods. Due to the fact that the study was carried out in a developed nation, it was necessary to assess the Kenya scenario, which is what the current study set out to do.

In a study on the impacts of teachers' compensation strategies on students' academic progress in Sub-Saharan African nations, Rajeswaran [13] found that wage concealment can have an impact on work satisfaction and performance. Through questionnaires and surveys, the study, which used a mixed-methods research methodology, found that secondary school teachers who are unsure of their worth may not demand a higher compensation. Employees deserve equitable returns for their contributions to the achievement of corporate goals, according to the equity theory. The study also discovered that student performance was enhanced by increasing the amount of compensation given to teachers for successful achievement. Due to the increased morale and motivation to work hard, secondary school teachers may become more productive with higher pay. Since the previous study was longitudinal, it was necessary to concentrate on a specific area. This study sought to ascertain this by examining the impact of teachers’ remuneration strategies on students' academic performance in public secondary schools in Kenya's Trans-Nzoia county.

Birungi [14] investigated how teachers’ compensation affected pupils' academic performance in Egypt from 2002 to 2015. The study adopted a descriptive research methodology and questions were developed in accordance with earlier studies. Principals of schools and instructors from the classroom made up the 152 respondents overall. The results of the study suggest that paying teachers effectively would raise students' academic achievement. The report suggested that research be done in another African nation to compare the effects of salary remuneration on students' academic achievement, which is what this current study aimed to discover.

A study on the effects of teacher’s remuneration strategies on secondary school students' performance was undertaken by Makamure and Chikemibe [15] in Rwanda. Their research indicates that teachers are crucial to curriculum evaluation because they translate the curriculum into lesson plans, syllabus and schemes of work for students. As a result, encouraging teachers with higher salaries will increase their commitment and productivity, which will ultimately benefit students' academic performance. To establish the situation in Kenya, a study was needed which this current study filled this gap.

In Wareng Sub-county, Nandi County, Kenya, Kiplang'at [16] did a study on the impact of teachers' salary remuneration appraisal on pupils' academic achievement. With 540 respondents, the study used a descriptive causal survey research design. While 159 principals were chosen using purposeful selection methods, 276 instructors were chosen at random. The appropriate samples used in the study were chosen using stratified, purposive and random selection procedures. The information was gathered via a formal questionnaire. According to survey results, all 276 of the study's instructors (100%) believed that salary remuneration policies had a significant impact on students' academic progress in the Wareng sub-county. From the ANOVA results, a one-unit increase in instructors' bonuses and rewards will have a 0.345-unit impact on students' performance. Academic performance of students was statistically significantly correlated with the income remuneration  of  teachers  (VIF (1.77)  Std. error = 0.08, p = 0.00, Coeff. value = 0.241), which indicates that rewarding teachers with bonuses and higher pay had an impact on students' performance up to 24.1%. It is necessary to look into how teacher’s salary remuneration strategies in Trans-Nzoia county have impacted secondary school students' academic performance because, despite the findings, they were based on secondary schools in Nandi county, so their results cannot be assumed to be similar to secondary schools in Trans-Nzoia county.

In their study on the effects of teacher compensation practices on students' academic performance in Kakamega County's Shinyalu sub-county, Simiyu, Amimo and Akuom 2015 found a significant and favorable impact of teachers' salary compensation on students' academic performance over the course of the study (2005-2015). The data was evaluated using multiple regression rates and the response rate was 84%. The study came to the conclusion that salary recompense practices, such as incentives, prizes and appreciation tokens, motivated teachers and improved secondary school students' academic performance in the schools that continued the salary recompense practices. In Trans Nzoia County, very little study has been done on the impact of teacher’s remuneration strategies on students' academic achievement in public primary schools. Other researchers and academic policy makers in Trans-Nzoia County will be informed by the study's findings on the subject.

Kagema and Irungu conducted research on the effect of performance evaluations on educators' work in Kenya's secondary schools (2018). Teacher wages, government policies, school administration, the school environment and the school curriculum were examined in relation to one another and in terms of explanations for and interactions with the features of teacher desire to perform well. By employing simple and stratified random sampling methods, it selected 46 secondary schools and 460 instructors across two counties in Kenya. When the research questionnaires were analyzed, it was shown that 63.6% of the instructors believed that teacher evaluations were unfavorable to teachers, despite the fact that they had a significant impact on teacher performance. Teachers often believed that government policies were unfavorable to them in terms of advancing their careers and the implementation of the laws already in existence. The paper concludes with suggestions for using the evaluation system to motivate instructors and thereby raise student achievement. Although their study focused on teacher compensation, government policies and school administration, our current study focused on salary remunerations on academic performance of secondary schools in Trans-Nzoia County, which should be noted even though their study is nearly identical in general to what our study intended to carry out.

Bennel [17] asserts that a reward in form of pay has a strong impact on the employees’ performance. This is in agreement with Wayne when they state that pay is one of the most powerful motivating tools. Similarly, study emphasizes the value of extrinsic motivation when he says that money provides the means to achieve a number of different ends. Above all he asserts that money in form of pay is the most obvious extrinsic reward. In a study about job satisfaction of workers recommends that salaries of workers should be paid promptly and that promotion of workers should be accompanied by a corresponding increase in the salary they earn. She observes that salary was a strong force that kept teachers at their jobs. A study on difference among levels of employees in terms of rewards was researched by Nambasa who observed that rewards such as sickness payment, contributory pension schemes, free life insurance and medical and house allowances are equally important for the motivation of teachers.

The study  adopted  descriptive  survey  research design in identifying  the  sample  size  of  779  respondents. The reason for choosing the research design as opposed to other designs was because descriptive survey research designs are not only restricted to fact finding but also the emphasis is on estimation rather than testing. As an appropriate research strategy, the descriptive survey methodology favors approximation over testing and does not limit one to the discovery of facts. Therefore, descriptive survey research designs determine and reports the way things are. Questionnaire and interview schedules were employed in data collection. Both descriptive and inferential statistics were used  to  analyze  data  and  presented  in 
form of frequency distribution tables. The results of the study would be of benefit to the government, educational policy makers’ and school management who would adapt more strategies that are geared towards motivating teachers and in doing so elevating students’ academic performance.

The respondents were therefore requested to provide their responses to a number of variables as provided in the questionnaire (Table 2).

The results show that 98.68% of the teachers and 85.29% of the Deputy Principals agreed with the statement that their basic salary is not enough to cater for all their basic needs hence affecting their input in school. Only a few teachers (13.18%) and Deputy Principals (14.71%) observed contrary with the statement that their basic salary is enough to cater for all their basic needs hence affecting their input in school. This implies that without good pay that can cater for the teachers’ basic needs the students will continue to suffer due to teachers not giving their best. This finding is in line with the findings of Leithwood and Jantzis (2000) who observed that good remuneration to instructors improves students’ academic performance.

The findings also show that majority of the teachers (55.05%) and Deputy Principals (67.65%) felt that their salary differences as teachers have a negative effect on the performance. Despite this a sizeable number of the teachers (44.95%) and Deputy Principals (32,35%) felt that their salary differences as teachers do not have a negative effect on the performance. This implies that there are teachers who feel that they need to earn more just like their experienced counterparts. Lack of good pay has been a demotivator to them hence affecting their performance while at school. This was supported by one of the interviewed Principals who had the following to say:

• “……………. Fundamental to teacher and student success is the teacher’s ability to accept what he/she is being paid by the employer. If he/she is discounted, then the student is bound to suffer as he/she will be very demotivated to work let alone put in extra hours for the success of the student. …”

Table 2: Whether Teachers Remuneration Affects Students’ Academic Performance

The findings also show that majority of the teachers (91.94%) and Deputy Principals (91.18%) felt that an increment in teacher’s salaries can motivate and improve their performance. Only a few of the teachers (8.05%) and Deputy Principals (8.82%) disagreed with the statement. This implied that the respondents have a feeling that what they earn as a salary is not commensurate with the work they do as teachers.

The findings show that majority of the teachers (74.52%)  felt  that  the  transport  allowance  that they get  from   their   employers   is   satisfactory   but   this was not the same with majority of the Deputy Principals (67.65%) who felt that the transport allowance that they   get   from  their  employers  is  satisfactory. Only a small fraction of the teachers (25.48%) agreed with the  Deputy  Principals  that  the  house  allowance  they get is not satisfactory. The finding on teachers was supported by one of the Principals who had the following to say:

• “……………. the TSC currently pays teachers a better transport allowance than it used to do a few years ago. This has helped to cushion teachers on the harsh economic times that made fare in public transport vehicles go higher. With the current allowance the teachers can at least afford to use public transport that walk on foot as they used to do………”

Similarly, majority of the teachers (62.37%) and Deputy Principals (76.47%) felt that introduction of the health insurance scheme for teachers has motivated teachers towards improved performance. Despite this a sizeable number of teachers (37.63%) and Deputy Principals (23.53%) felt that introduction of the health insurance scheme for teachers has not motivated teachers towards improved performance. This might be due to the challenges they face with the medical scheme that makes them feel demotivated about it. These finding though was supported by one of the head teachers who said:

• “……………. the TSC introduced a medical scheme for teachers and it has really assisted the teachers when it comes to their sickness and that of their families. The medical scheme has been of great help in keeping teachers healthy and focused on their work at schools even when some of their family members are not feeling well……”

The results also show that 56.81% of the teachers and 70.59% of the Deputy Principals agreed with the statement   that    their    housing    allowance    was    not 
satisfactory among all teachers and hence affected their performance in school. A sizeable number of the teachers (43.19%) and Deputy Principals (29.41%) felt that their housing allowance was satisfactory among all teachers and hence did not affect their performance in school. This implies that due to the rising cost of rent some the teachers and Deputy Principals stay deplorable houses that do not fit their status in the society hence affecting their input in school. Similarly, majority of the teachers (62.66%) and Deputy Principals (55.88%) felt that proper remuneration of teachers leads to improved academic performance. This was not agreed upon by a sizeable number of teachers (37.33%) and Deputy Principals (44.12%) felt that proper remuneration of teachers leads to improved academic performance. This implies that majority of teachers and Deputy Principals believe that teachers can perform better at their work place if they are well remunerated. 

These descriptive statistics of the study were followed by a Chi-square test of association. The Chi-square test at p≤0.05 significance level was meant to illustrate whether there was any statistical significant association between level of teachers’ remuneration and its effect on students’ academic performance in public secondary schools in Trans-Nzoia County, Kenya. To achieve this, the following hypothesis was tested:

• H₀₁: There is no statistical significant relationship between level of teachers’ remuneration and students’ academic performance in public secondary schools in Trans-Nzoia County, Kenya (Table 3)

The results show that the p value (p = 0.000) for level of teachers’ remuneration was less than 0.05. Therefore, the hypothesis, “there is no statistically significant relationship between level of teachers’ remuneration and students’ academic performance in public secondary schools in Trans-Nzoia County, Kenya” was rejected. This implies that there is a statistically significant relationship between level of teachers’ remuneration and students’ academic performance in public secondary schools in Trans-Nzoia County, Kenya. These findings are supported by Dadey and Harber [20] who argued that teachers are more focused on the economy and growth opportunities. The established that as people get older, they engage in more pursuits that strengthen their sense of self. Assuming that all necessities have been addressed, elder workers can expect higher domestic pay (e.g., a nice working day) than their younger counterparts.

Table 3: Chi-Square Test of Association Between Level of Teachers’ Remuneration and Students’ Academic Performance in Public Secondary

^a152 cells (97.4%) have expected count less than 5, The minimum expected count is 0.01

Based on the findings of objective one, the study established that teachers’ remuneration has a significant effect on students’ academic performance in public secondary schools in Trans-Nzoia County, Kenya. This therefore calls on the TSC and the Salary Review Commission to look into teachers’ remuneration and see on how they can compensate them to a level where the teachers can feel valued by the government. Because as it stands at the moment the teachers are so dissatisfied by their remuneration and this is hurting the students’ academic performance

Recommendations

The government in conjunction with the parents should look for ways on how teachers’ remuneration should scaled in such a way that it is commensurate with the work they do. The study findings indicated that incentives have a significant effect on school performance therefore; thus Principals should take incentive-based system than penalizing measures to improve teachers’ motivation in school thus enhance performance in schools. All school administrators should find a way to recognize and promote hard working teachers, as it has been reported that teachers who receive such recognition are encouraged to do more. Promotions on merit rarely bring hatred among teachers but acts as a great motivator to many of them. Schools’ Board of management should create good performance appraisal criteria to help them identify areas of weakness among teachers’ and offer them in-service training on regular basis. Good evaluation methods which involve teachers will help school Principals address gaps and increase teachers’ motivation in discharging their duties.

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