The role of teaching environment in enhancing teachers’ job performance in primary schools in butiama district, Tanzania

The study sought to examine the role of teaching environment in enhancing teachers’ job performance in Tanzanian primary schools, involving four primary schools in Butiama district. Objectives of the study focused on assessing the availability of the teaching and learning facilities in primary schools. They include assessing the condition and quality of the available teaching and learning facilities, assess the relationship between teachers’ job performance and the teaching and learning environment. Others are examine how teachers’ performance is affected by the available teaching and learning facilities and examine how enhanced teachers’ job satisfaction affects pupils’ performance in primary schools. The study utilized the qualitative approach where purposive; quota and simple random sampling procedures were used to select a sample of 62 respondents. The respondents involving the District Primary Education Officer, District Chief Inspector of Primary Schools, head teachers, teachers, and pupils. Data were collected through interviews, observation, focus group discussion and documentary review and the study employed thematic analysis technique in which similar responses on the same objective question from different respondents were identified, analysed, and presented in the same theme. The major findings showed that the selected rural primary schools were characterized by poor teaching and learning environment with a limited number of classrooms, overcrowded classes, lack of teaching and learning materials, lack of staff houses and toilets, and poor social services. Available teaching and learning facilities were in bad condition with poor quality and the teacher’s job performance in rural areas was not high. If teachers’ job satisfaction would be enhanced it would increase teacher’s job performance hence help to raise pupils’ academic performance because teachers working in a conducive environment develop a positive attitude to the job. The researcher recommends that, the government authorities responsible for education management should ensure that schools are equipped with necessary facilities, improved classrooms, reduce the teacher-pupils’ ratios and book-pupils’ ratio. Also authorities should ensure that teacher rate of transfer from rural areas is limited so as to reduce the teacher-pupils ratio that characterized the rural primary schools. The local communities should be encouraged to participate in school development projects and help their children in achieving their academic goals.