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Influence of Economic Volatility on Teachers’ Performance in Secondary Schools in Plateau State: The Moderating Role of Teacher Qualifications

Bitrus James Pam, Prof. Eggon Henry, Augustine Sambo Azi PhD

Abstract

This study examined the influence of economic volatility on teachers’ performance in secondary schools in Plateau State, with teacher qualifications serving as a mediating variable. The study was motivated by concerns that inflation, exchange rate instability, unemployment pressure, and variations in government spending may affect teachers’ welfare, job satisfaction, professional development, and classroom effectiveness. A survey research design was adopted, and data were collected from secondary school teachers across the three senatorial zones of Plateau State using a structured four-point Likert scale questionnaire. The data were analysed using descriptive statistics and Structural Equation Modelling. The findings revealed that exchange rate had a negative but insignificant effect on teacher job satisfaction, with a coefficient of -0.165, t-statistic of 1.469, and p-value of 0.142. Government spending had a positive but insignificant effect with a coefficient of 0.089 and p-value of 0.158, while inflation and unemployment also showed insignificant effects with p-values of 0.264 and 0.306 respectively. However, school infrastructure/resources had a strong positive and significant effect on teacher job satisfaction, with a coefficient of 0.604 and p-value of 0.000. Teacher qualifications also had a positive significant effect, with a coefficient of 0.257 and p-value of 0.002. The study concludes that teacher qualifications and school resources are stronger predictors of teachers’ performance than macroeconomic volatility indicators. Key Words: Inflation, exchange rate, unemployment, government spending, teachers’ job satisfaction, Plateau State

Keywords

Inflationexchange rateunemploymentgovernment spendingteachers’ job satisfactionPlateau State

References

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