TEACHER’S QUALITY AS DETERMINANT OF STUDENTS’ ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE IN PUBLIC SECONDARY SCHOOL OF KAIAMA LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA, KWARA STATE
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CHAPTER ONE
1.0 Introduction
In Nigeria, education is seen as an instrument par excellence for effecting national development. As such, education is expected to be of high quality in order to produce sound and quality products that can contribute to the growth of the national economy. Therefore, this chapter is organized under the following sub- headings: Background of the Study, Statement of the problem, Purpose of the study, Research questions, Research hypothesis, Significance of the study, Delimitation of the study, and Limitations of the study and Definition of terms.
1.1 Background of the study
Education is a very important human activity. It helps any society fashion and model individuals to function well in their environment. According to Boit, Njoki and Chang’ach (2012) in Modish (2020) said that, the purpose of education is to equip the citizenry to reshape their society and eliminate inequality. Every educational system at every level depends heavily on teachers for the execution of its programmes. Obadara (2015) in Modish (2020) viewed teachers to be highly essential for a successful operation of the educational system and as a key to the educational development. Without teachers with relevant characteristics, educational facilities cannot be used to facilitate academic performance of students. Undoubtedly the success and quality of any educational system depend on the quality of teachers input into the system. Akanbi (2015) in Modish (2020) noted that it is a known fact that schools must have teaching and non-teaching personnel’s. The question that arises is, what traits do the personnel’s employed possess? The educational administrator by his position either in the ministry or in privately owned schools must equip the school with good and qualified teachers with relevant behavioural traits
The process of doing this according to him includes interview, test, recruitments, job analysis and record keeping.
Secondary education is an important sector in national and individual development. It plays a vital role in creating a country’s human resource base at a level higher than primary education (Achoka, Odebero, Maiyo&Mualuko, 2017) in Modish (2020). Provision of quality secondary education is therefore important in generating the opportunities and benefits of social and economic development (Onsumu,Muthaka, Ngware&Kosembei, 2016) Modish (2020). One of the indicators of quality of education being provided is cognitive achievement of learners (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, [UNESCO], 2015). According to Adediwura and Tayo (2017), academic achievement is designated by test and examination scores or marks assigned by the subject teachers. It could also be said to be any expression used to represent students’ scholastic standing. Levin, Wasanga and Somerset (2011) reported that the academic achievement of students at secondary school level is not only a pointer of the effectiveness of schools but also a major determinant of the well-being of youths in particular and the nation in general. Yusuf and Adigun (2010); noted that the performance of students in any academic task has always been of special interest to the government, educators, parents and society at large.
For many years, educators, administrators or managers, researchers have debated over which variables influence student’s academic performance. A growing body of evidence suggests that schools can make a great difference in terms of students’ academic performance and a substantial portion of that difference is attributable to teachers. Specifically differential teacher effectiveness is a strong determinant of difference in students’ learning, far outweighing the effects of differences in class size and class heterogeneity. Students who are assigned to one ineffective teacher after another have significantly lower achievement and learning than those who are assigned to a sequence of several highly effective teachers. Thus the impact of teachers’ effectiveness or ineffectiveness seems to be additive and cumulative. Which factors then contribute to teacher effectiveness? Certainly, there has been a convergence of the available research data pertaining to this question over the past years. Some of these factors fall under the general heading of teacher characteristics or behavioural traits which will be used interchangeably in this work. Teachers’characteristicsare relatively stable traits that are related to, and influence, the way teachers practice their profession (UNESCO, 2014). Several of these traits have also been identified by other researches. Commitment and drive for improvement, for example, combine to form what Slavin (1995) referred to as relentlessness, and what Andersen and Pellicer (1998) termed zero tolerance for failure. Also confidence is similar to what Ashton and Webb (1986) termed self-efficacy. Despite differences in nomenclature, the teacher characteristics have been found to be related to teacher effectiveness and student’s academic performances in a variety of settings by a variety of researchers. It is important to note however, that the influence of teacher characteristics on teacher’s effectiveness andstudents’ academic performances is not direct. Rather it is moderated or mediated by their effects on the way in which teachers organize their classrooms and operate within them. What teachers are, influences what teachers do. What teachers do, in return, influence what and how much, students learn (UNESCO 2014). So, effective teachers must possess adequate qualification in what he/she want to teach, knowledge and skills needed to attain the goals of the teaching, and must be able to use that knowledge and those skills appropriately if these goals are to be achieved. The possession of knowledge and skills fall under the heading teacher competence while the use of knowledge and skills in the classroom is referred to as teacher performance /productivity. Thus there should be a link between teacher behavioural traits, teacher competence, and teacher productivity andstudents’ academic performances.There must be training and development of academic staff. The training must aim at improving staff competences, teachers’ productivity and students’ academic performances including on the job training, workshops, seminars, etc. Also, the school administration should ensure that good personnel policies are formulated and implemented appropriately in the school. The staff must be motivated. This will make it easy to engineer the staff to be highly devoted to achieve the objectives of the school, education and thestudents. Many countries are in the midst of educational reform, with the heart of this reform revolving around changes in the curriculum and teacher instructional behaviour. Teachers play a central role in bringing about the desired reform, as it is the teacher who filters the curriculum through to the learners (Sandt, 2017).
Unfortunately the present state of education in developing nations especially Nigeria does not allow anyone to have much confidence in the system. At all levels of our educational system, problems such as inadequate infrastructure,brain drain, population explosions, lack of motivation on the part of instructional and non-instructional staff, crowded classrooms, lack of instructional aids, lack of recreational facilities, high student/teacher ratio, inadequate training and development for staff and dearth of data and statistics. All these have serious implication on teachers’ delivery system in the classrooms and certainly have undesirable effects on students’ academic performance. Teachers with relevant behavioural traits have been recognised as the hearth and most vital resources in the educational system since they are the ones who interpret the aims and goals of education and ensure that the students are educated in line with them. Babayomi (2019) at the world Teachers’ day noted that teachers are fully equipped to understand and communicate to both children and adults, the skills required to build more sustainable livelihood in a world in which technological change and globalization are continually changing the nature of work. High competence levels and recruitment criteria, career development, salaries comparable to other professionals with similar qualifications, appropriate class sizes and resources for effective teaching and learning are essential conditions for the educational quality that is universally sought. He identified the teacher with professional behavioural traits as the pivot of the educational process and the main determinant of the quality and effectiveness of its result. So the supply of good teachers with right traits remains the bottleneck to improvement. Odunusi (2019) stated that teachers with right traits are the hubs of any educational system upon their devotion and quality, the effectiveness of all educational arrangement must chiefly depend. Teachers have been, and will always be the essential pillars of education. No matter how grandiose a school system and its curricula may be, the implementation of its programmes will be fruitless unless competent and effective teachers handle them. To this end, this study is set to examine how teacher characteristics such as qualification, experience, self-efficacy and teaching method influence students’ performance in Basic Technology.
The issue of quality in the educational system has been receiving a great deal of attention in the society in recent times. Stakeholders of education especially parents as well as the entire society are now clamouring for quality in the education system which may be as a result of the perceived poor quality products turned out from the institutions on yearly basis. The demand for quality in education is not out of place considering the huge sum of money that goes into the system. Madumere-Obike (2003) was of the view that education consumes a lot of public revenue. Therefore, it is important to note that those who manage schools should be accountable to the stakeholders. The quality of the products of education is part of that accountability (Oladokun, Adebanjo& Charles-Owaba, 2008).
The quality of education of a nation could be determined by the quality of her teachers. The most important factor in improving students’ academic achievement in school is by employing seasoned qualified teachers in all schools (Abe &Adu, 2013). Academically qualified teachers refer to those who have academic training as a result of enrolment into educational institution and obtained qualifications in various areas of endeavour such as HND, B.Sc, B.A, and Master ofArt (M.A.) and so on; while professionally qualified teachers are those who got professional training that gave them professional knowledge, skills, techniques, aptitudes as different from the general education. They hold degrees like, B.Ed, B.Sc. Ed, B.A. Ed, and M.Ed degrees and so on. Onyekuru and Ibegbunam (2013) found that teaching effectiveness of teachers from secondary schools was below average. However, Akinsolu (2010) had a contrary result when he found out that teachers’ qualifications, experience and teacher–student ratio were significantly related to students’ academic performance.
Education imparted through quality instruction is not only for good grades alone but also for the acquisition of the right values, skills and competences to make an individual a useful member of the society. For education to achieve this objective, it must be of high quality which should not only consist of passing examinations (which is usually the first priority) but also include the acquisition of skills (in the cognitive, affective and psychomotor domains) through improved schools’ ability to facilitate and support the work of teachers and students.
The school can only achieve this lofty objective through the use of the services of qualified teachers who have all it takes to give quality instruction through interaction with students in the teaching-learning situation. Muhammad, Rashida, Riffat and Fayyaz (2011) who found out that there was no much difference in the quality of teachers of schools with higher academic achievement and that of the schools with lower academic achievement. However,
Daso (2013) in a study had found out that there was a significant relationship between teachers’ method of teaching, teachers’ attitude and students’ achievement in mathematics.
This is as a result of the fact that success in examination serves as a good motivator to students, teachers, administrators and employers of labour. On the other hand, failure to perform successfully in examination demoralizes all and sundry, especially students. It is the craving to succeed and avoid the frustration and embarrassment associated with failure that makes students engage in examination malpractices which have threatened the very foundation of our educational system. This may not be unconnected with the quality of teachers we have in the educational system. This has an adverse effect on the quality of Educationinstruction because no educational system can rise above the quality of its teachers (FederalRepublic of Nigeria (FRN), 2014).
The quality of education of any nation determines the development status of that particular nation. The most important person in a school setting is the teacher and he is the pivot of the education process. The teacher is the most important person in the entire education programme and he can make or mar the best educational programme in the world. Education therefore is what teachers make of it. Thus, competent, devoted and professionally qualified teachers are part of essential foundation for a good education system. In other words, the attainment of national objectives for the adequate preparation of students for their examinations and achievement of educational objectives depend largely on quality teachers.
Uche (2012) in a study indicated that the students rated the quality of the academic staff high, especially in terms of professional competence, but rated their supervision low.
1.2 Statement of the Problem
The 2020 and 2021 WAEC ranking have shown that many public secondary school products in Nigeria are poor in reading, writing, computational and vocational skills. Many of them also perform woefully in various examinations apart from WAEC.
The parameter commonly used in determining school effectiveness is students’ results in standardized tests especially in external examinations. Since one of the purposes of education is the acquisition of knowledge and skills, students’ performance after graduation can be seen as a reflection of their performance in school.
This also borders on the quality of human and material resources which are available during their schooling.
As policy-makers become more involved in school reform, greater attention is given to the role teachers’ quality plays on students’ achievement.
The genuineness of this outcry is depicted by the deteriorating poor performance of students in examination as earlier mentioned.
Although several attempts have been made at improving teacher quality and teaching facilities, these efforts have not been proportionately reflected in students’ overall performance. Therefore, there is the need for teachers to acquire enough skills to make them relevant technologically.
Although many variables account for students’ academic performance such as adequacy of educational resources (both human and material) and their effective utilization, conducive learning environment, this study was concerned mainly to investigating the extent to which teachers’ quality determines students’ academic performance in Kaiama Local Government Area of Kwara State.
READ ALSO: INFLUENCE OF TEACHER ATTRITION RATE ON THE QUALITY OF SECONDARY SCHOOL EDUCATION IN NIGERIA
1.3 Purpose of the study
The purpose of the study is to determine:
1.thelevelofteachers’teachingmasteryinpublicsecondaryschoolsinKaiamaLocalGovernmentArea?
- thelevelofstudents’academicperformanceincommercialrelatedsubjectsinpublicsecondaryschoolsofKaiamaLocalGovernmentArea?
- If thereanyinfluenceofteachers’teachingmasteryonstudents’academicperformanceinpublicsecondaryschoolsofKaiamaLocalGovernmentArea?
4.Doesacademicqualificationofteachersinfluenceonstudents’academicperformanceofteachinginpublicsecondaryschoolsofKaiamaLocalGovernmentarea?
1.4 Research Questions
The following research questions were raised to guide this study.
1.Whatisthelevelofteachers’teachingmasteryinpublicsecondaryschoolsinKaiamaLocalGovernmentArea?
2.Whatisthelevelofstudents’academicperformanceincommercialrelatedsubjectsinpublicsecondaryschoolsofKaiamaLocalGovernmentArea?
3.Isthereanyinfluenceofteachers’teachingmasteryonstudents’academicperformanceinpublicsecondaryschoolsofKaiamaLocalGovernmentArea?
1.5 Significance of the Study
The study will ensure that the potentials of the teachers are well harnessed and utilized to reflect the true picture of their quality in the academic performance of students.
The study will be significance in improving teacher’s responsibilities and be dedicated to their duty in the classroom because poor performance of students will always be attributed to their failure in their assigned task.
This research work help to ensure students continue to be hard working to improve on their performance in the school in order to secure a bright future for them. The study will also gear local inspectorate of education on their routine duties by visiting schools in order to ensure that teachers are doing their primary assignment
1.6 Scope of the Study.
The study investigates teacher’s quality as determinant of students’ academic performance in public secondary schools of Kaiama local government area, Kwara State. it will be conducted in three (03) public secondary schools which will involves GSS Kugiji, GSS Aboki and GDSS in Kaiama Local Government Area (KwaraState).
1.7 Definitions of Terms
Teacher:a person whose occupation is teaching
Dedication: Teachers quality of being dedicated to a task or purpose.
Teacher’s Creativity: this is the ability of teacher to use his imagination or original ideas to create something; inventiveness.
Teacher’s Commitment: this is a teacher state or quality of being dedicated to a classroom routine or school activities, etc.
Teacher’s Attitude: A teacher’s predisposition or a tendency to respond positively or negatively towards a certain idea, student, or school environment.
Teacher’s Professionalism: this is level of competence or skill expected of a teacher in the disposition of his or her duty.
Quality:an essential and distinguishing attribute of something or someone.
Determinant: having the power or quality of deciding
Students: a learner who is enrolled in an educational institution
Academic: an educator who works at a college or university
Performance: the act of presenting a play or a piece of music or other entertainment
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