Influence of Personal Growth on Teachers' Job Performance in Public Senior Secondary Schools in Rivers State

This study investigated the influence of personal growth on teachers’ job performance in public senior secondary schools in Rivers State. The study aimed to examine how personal growth dimensions contribute to teachers’ effectiveness and professional output. Specifically, the study sought to determine the relationship between professional development and teachers’ job performance, examine the relationship between emotional resilience and self-management and teachers’ job performance, and investigate the relationship between reflective practice and career orientation and teachers’ job performance in public senior secondary schools in Rivers State. The study was anchored on the Self-Determination Theory (Deci & Ryan, 1985), which posits that intrinsic motivation and personal growth are driven by autonomy, competence, and relatedness factors that enhance performance and well-being. The theory provided a suitable lens for understanding how teachers’ self-motivation, emotional control, and reflective tendencies foster job effectiveness. The study adopted a correlational survey design to establish the degree of association between the variables. The population consisted of 5,912 teachers across 335 public senior secondary schools in Rivers State. A sample size of 543 teachers was selected using Taro Yamane’s formula and stratified sampling technique to ensure representation across local government areas, gender, and years of experience. Data were collected using two structured instruments: the Personal Growth Questionnaire (PGQ) and the Teachers’ Job Performance Questionnaire (TJPQ). Both instruments were validated by experts in Educational Measurement and Psychology, and their reliability was confirmed using Cronbach’s Alpha coefficient of 0.84. Data were analyzed using Pearson’s Product Moment Correlation (PPMC) at a 0.05 level of significance. Findings revealed very strong positive correlations between the dimensions of personal growth and teachers’ job performance: professional development (r = 0.983, p < 0.01), emotional resilience and self-management (r = 0.989, p < 0.01), and reflective practice and career orientation (r = 0.982, p < 0.01). The study concluded that teachers who engaged in professional development, exhibited emotional resilience, and practiced reflection achieved higher instructional effectiveness and overall job performance. It was recommended that the government and school authorities implement continuous professional development programs, promote emotional resilience and mentoring initiatives, and institutionalize reflective practices and career planning frameworks to enhance teachers’ effectiveness and professional growth in Rivers State.