ABSTRACT
The title of the study is the principal perception of the causes of laxity and indolence among the science teachers and its implication on the students in the secondary school in Enugu Educational zone. The purpose of the study was to find out principal perception of causes and implication of laxity and among science teachers on academic performance of secondary student in Enugu educational zone. Enugu state. The design of the study was descriptive survey. 200 respondents were selected using simple random sampling. The instrument used for data collection was questionnaire. The data generated were analyzed using weighted mean. The findings of the study include that the caus3es of laxity and indolence are lack of the following
1) Knowledge of the content of the subject matter;
2) Inadequate supervision an inspection
3) Motivation to the teachers. Laxity and indolence of science teachers lead to non giving of assignment, non coverage of science work, non – assessment of learning outcome of the students. Laxity and indolence of the teachers lead to poor academic performance of the students both in internal and external examinations. The recommendations include that intelligent energetic, creative goal oriented science teacher should be employed; adequate supervision and inspection should be provided in the schools and teachers should be adequately motivated.
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 THE BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
At the centre of any meaningful education system stands a teacher. Teachers serves as the nerve of education. They serve not only as the conveyor of knowledge but also as the passage through which knowledge passes to learners. Following from this, Taylor (2004) says that the role of teachers in the society lies at the heart of intellectual and social life’s. it is through teachers that each generation comes to the term with its heritage, produces new knowledge and learns to deal with change. This is true because For Tropps (2002) education is concerned with knowledge, with skills, with persons, with relationships between persons, and with values. Simultaneously, teachers are involved in these different facets of education all their working lives and everyday. Supporting this view. Castle (1999) says that it is in the person of the teacher rather than in the curriculum or organization of the school that all these aspects of education is harmonized. Adding to this, Alaezi (1999) describes teachers as those involved in the act of changing human behavior and transformation of society for better. Thus, teachers bring out into reality the potent or hidden knowledge in man. This makes Okon and Anderson (2000) to see a teacher as a dispenser of knowledge and facilitator of learning and model. As a dispenser of knowledge, this makes Kay (1998) to perceive a teacher as one who forms in every young man and woman, so far as he can, an ethical sensitiveness and a teacher from economic point of view, Wilson (2000) says that a teacher is a manager, director or salesman of indeterminate commodity. From mechanical model, he sees a teacher as a graduate greaser whose task is simply to keep the machinery of administration moving with education occurring as an incidental by production. All these made Ejunjiobi (2007) to say that, the teacher in the course of his teaching helps students to acquire, retain and be able to use knowledge, understand, analyze, synthesize and evaluate skill, establish habits and develop attitudes.
The above explanations and definitions which outlined the roles of a teacher show that the works of a teacher are enormous and challenging. The challenging and arduous tasks of teaching require that a science teacher should be hardworking, careful, attentive, strict and severe in carrying out his duties and dealing with students. However, there are still some teachers who show laxity and indolence in their duties.
Exposing these types of teachers, Basslier (2001) says that the failing standard of education in Nigeria is to a large extent caused by non commitment of some teachers to their duties. For him, some teachers do not attend classes even when they are in the school due to laziness. Some teachers exhibit lackadaisical attitude and laxity toward their primary duties as teachers. The laxity and indolence of science teachers in secondary schools have great implications to educational growth in general and academic performances of science students in particular.