The Relationship Between Rewards and Preschool Teacher Commitment in Sabah, Malaysia

Norbert Bin Micheal Ligin; Connie Shin; Lee Bih Ni

doi:10.33152/jmphss-10.1.9

Authors

Norbert Bin Micheal Ligin Sabah State Education Department (JPN Sabah), Ministry of Education Malaysia, Sabah, Malaysia
Connie Shin Faculty of Education & Sport Studies, Universiti Malaysia Sabah, Sabah, Malaysia
Lee Bih Ni Faculty of Education & Sport Studies, Universiti Malaysia Sabah, Sabah, Malaysia

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.33152/jmphss-10.1.9

Keywords:

Rewards, Intrinsic rewards, Extrinsic rewards, Preschool teacher, Commitment

Abstract

This research explores the influence of rewards on preschool teachers’ commitment within the educational environment. A total of 516 respondents from various districts of Sabah, Malaysia, participated in this study. Intrinsic reward refers to the motivating forces that are attributed to the work itself, whereas extrinsic rewards are provided to employees for completing specific tasks or duties. Validated scales were used to measure these constructs, and SPSS was utilized for data analysis. The findings indicate that the mean of extrinsic rewards is lower than intrinsic rewards. The results also revealed that the Pearson correlation coefficient between rewards and preschool teachers’ commitment is r = 0.412, with a significance value of p < 0.001. Overall, the study underscores the impact of rewards on preschool teachers’ commitment within preschool settings. Accordingly, the implications highlight the importance of educational institutions prioritizing reward-based interventions to enhance preschool teacher commitment.