Spurring Improved Performance: Initial Operations Research on Teacher Motivation and Incentives in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

• In Event: Teacher Motivation and Incentives: A Case Study and Open Space Discussion on the Importance, Constructs, and Strategies to Help Improve Teacher Performance and Student Learning in Low-Resource Contexts

Proposal

This paper presents a case study of on-going operations research on teacher motivation and incentives in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). The research is being conducted in the context of the comprehensive 5-year USAID/UKAID ACCELERE! project whose aim is to improve equitable access to quality primary education and learning outcomes for boys and girls in target areas of the DRC.

As the primary focus of improving education quality, Activity 1 of ACCELERE! is supporting the teaching and learning of reading in Grades 1-4. This includes assistance with training of teachers, school directors, and inspectors; teacher learning circles; regular coaching; and the provision of teacher’s guides and reading materials for children. The success of this support will depend, in part, on teacher motivation: if teachers are engaged and willing to apply new knowledge, skills, and resources, the quality of teaching and learning of reading can improve markedly. But if teachers are not motivated – if they continue not to show up regularly for class, focus on reading instruction, change their practices, or use new tools – the investments in training and materials is not likely to result in substantial differences in student reading outcomes.

Given that resources for supporting teachers nationwide in the DRC are limited, it is critical for the Ministry of Education (Ministère de l'Enseignement Primaire, Secondaire et Initiation à La Nouvelle Citoyenneté) and other stakeholders to know how to motivate teachers in feasible, low-cost ways – i.e., through the use of non-monetary incentives. Moreover, knowing which types of incentives are more directly linked to improving teacher performance, especially the teaching of reading, could result in improved reading outcomes over time.

To that end, ACCELERE! Activity 1 is conducting operations research to inform the development of a feasible, scalable system of non-monetary performance-based incentives to have positive effects on teaching and learning, especially in reading. The hypothesis being tested is that if the right non-monetary incentives are provided to teachers, their motivation will increase which, in turn, will improve results.

This paper presents the findings of the first two phases of this research: 1) an initial survey of teachers and administrators about their experiences and perspectives on non-monetary incentives, resulting in general trends and ideas; and 2) initial data from a “deeper dive” into teachers’ and administrators’ experiences and perspectives informing incentive strategies that will be piloted in a third phase of the study.

The first phase revealed a number of interesting findings to further problematize the issue of teacher motivation and incentives for better student outcomes. These include the high importance teachers and administrators placed on continuous professional development as a motivator; differences found between male and female respondents, and between teachers and administrators; and the prevailing weight of “the elephant in the room”: at the end of the day, low and irregular salaries are by far the biggest concern for teachers and administrators; given this, what non-monetary incentives will be able to move the needle on teacher performance – and by how much?

Author

• Hetal Thukral, School-to-School International