Abstract: This study evaluated how the professional competence of school board members affects teachers’ job performance in public secondary schools in Morogoro District, Tanzania. A convergent mixed-methods design, grounded in a pragmatist research philosophy, was employed. Quantitative data were collected through a structured questionnaire administered to 80 teachers selected through simple random sampling from ten public secondary schools, and qualitative data were obtained through semi-structured interviews with ten heads of school and ten school board members purposively selected from the same schools. Quantitative data were analysed descriptively using SPSS version 20, and qualitative data were analysed thematically. The questionnaire items on professional competence showed high reliability (Cronbach’s alpha = 0.848). Teachers rated board members’ knowledge of educational policies and practices lowest among the ten competence items (mean = 3.77), yet strongly agreed that board expertise improves their motivation (mean = 4.66) and the quality of decisions affecting teaching (mean = 4.54). Interview evidence suggested a domain-specific rather than general competence gap: boards were described as performing well in financial governance and community relations but as weaker in educational policy and curriculum governance, a gap that several board members acknowledged. Interpreted through Herzberg’s Two-Factor Theory, board competence appeared to function as both a hygiene factor and a motivator, while the policy-knowledge gap pointed to a hygiene-related weakness. The study concludes that board members’ professional competence supports teacher job performance, but that this contribution is constrained by a specific and correctable gap in knowledge of educational policy. Structured, institutionalised training for school board members in educational policy and governance is recommended.
Keywords: school board competence; teacher job performance; educational governance; Herzberg’s Two-Factor Theory.
Title: Professional Competence of School Board Members and Teacher Job Performance in Public Secondary Schools in Morogoro District, Tanzania
Author: Bakari Juma Zambi, Maua Mpiza, Nolasko Mwinami
International Journal of Social Science and Humanities Research
ISSN 2348-3156 (Print), ISSN 2348-3164 (online)
Vol. 14, Issue 4, October 2026 - December 2026
Page No: 166-177
Research Publish Journals
Website: www.researchpublish.com
Published Date: 20-October-2026
