TEACHER QUALITY AND WORK ENVIRONMENT
AS DETERMINANTS OF SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE
CHAPTER
ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1
BACKGROUND
TO THE STUDY
The importance of qualified teachers and
school environment in secondary schools today in particular cannot be
overemphasized. Reason being that school environment has a major effect in the
quality of education students received. This implies that schools that fail to
provide the necessary learning facilities and create a conducive atmosphere for
teaching and learning coupled with qualified teachers may hardly put in the
best in their students especially in the area of academic performances.
The quality of education not
only depends on the teachers teaching performances, but also on how he/she can
control the school environment effectively (Ajao,
2001). Many factors might contribute to students’ poor achievement in school
which may include: poor study habits and lack of available resource materials,
poor school climate, indiscipline, inadequate facilities, teachers’
ineffectiveness, the teaching method and the type of learning environment
available for both the students and the teachers, Teacher’s ineffectiveness as
a cause of student’s poor performances can narrowed down to their qualification
in the subject(s) being taught. Learning can also be
said to occur through one’s effective interaction
with one’s environment. Environment here refers
to availability of facilities that are of good help to facilitate students
learning and yield a positive outcome on their
academic performances. This environment ranges from books, audio-visual,
software and hardware of educational
technology; so also, size of classroom, sitting
position and arrangement, availability of tables, chairs, chalkboards, shelves on which instruments for practical are
arranged (Farrant, 1991 and Farombi, 1998).
On the other hand, the extent at which
some teachers, exhibit high level of indiscipline within the school environment
does not seem to portray them as role models. Thus, they rather encourage indiscipline
among students by their attitudes as this may have negative influence of
students’ academic achievement.
Teachers
on the other-hand can make or mar the school curriculum; therefore, their
adequacy and quality such as qualification, experience, attitude and
personality for better service delivery needs to be assessed by the school
authority on a regular basis, so that students’ academic performance won’t be
jeopardize with.
The
availability of qualified teachers is a major determinant in the performance of
students in schools Akinsolu (2010). Coonen (1987)
emphasizes that teachers who has undergone in-service training were more
effective in classrooms as compared to teachers who had not undergone any form
of training.
Many scholars and researchers generally
are not in agreement that the school environments, which include teacher
administration, play a critical role in positive academic performances than
other variables (Patrick, 2005). The important role of the teachers in the
learning is unquestionable. Teachers have been said to have a lot of influence
on their classroom practices. Teachers should have and apply specific teaching
skills and abilities that can be reflected in their students’ performance in
the subject they teach, in which the students will be able to make connection
between what is taught in school and its application in problem solving in real
life.
1.2
STATEMENT
OF PROBLEM
The influence of teacher quality and school
environment on positive academic achievementof students has been an issue of concern to all stakeholders and
researchers ineducation. This is
crystal clear in the rate of mass failure of studentsin both internal and external examinations which might be narrowed
down to lack of basic infrastructural facilities like
good buildings and classrooms and teacher qualification, experience and
competence. However, several research studies have fail to identified
other factors such as school climate, discipline and physical facilities,
teacher quality, type of location of school and over population of students in classroom
as being responsible for poor academic for poor academic achievement of
students. However, the researcher is examining the effect of teacher’s quality
and work environment on secondary school students’ academic performance.
1.3
OBJECTIVES
OF STUDY
The
following are the objectives of this study
1. To
examine the teacher’s quality as determinants of secondary school students
academic performance
2. To
determine the effect of work environment on secondary school students academic
performance
3. To
identify factors that affect secondary school students academic performance
1.4
RESEARCH
QUESTIONS
1. What
are the effects of work environment on secondary school students academic
performance?
2. What
is the correlation between the teacher’s quality and secondary school students
academic performance?
3. What
are the factors encouraging secondary school students academic performance?
1.5
HYPOTHESIS
Hypothesis 1
HO: Teacher’s
quality does not determine secondary school students’ academic performance
HA: Teacher’s
quality determine secondary school students academic performance
Hypothesis 2
HO: Work
environment does not have any effect on secondary school students academic
performance
HA: Work
environment does have effect on secondary school students’ academic performance
1.6
SIGNIFICANCE
OF STUDY
·
The outcome of this
study will form a useful guide for school management/boards on type of school
environment that can facilitate better learning among secondary school
students.
·
The result of this
study will also go a long way to help in maintaining discipline among teachers
because of the major role they play in student’s academic performance.
·
The outcome of this
research work will also go a long way in educating school management and board on
the quality of teachers that are been employed.
·
This research will also
serve as a resource base to other scholars and researchers interested in
carrying out further research in this field subsequently, if applied will go to
an extent to provide new explanation to the topic.
1.7
SCOPE/LIMITATIONS
OF STUDY
This
study on teacher’s quality and work environment as determinants of secondary
school student’s academic performance will cover the assessment of a selected
secondary school, its environment and the teachers.
1. Financial constraint–
Insufficient fund tends to impede the efficiency of the researcher in sourcing
for the relevant materials, literature or information and in the process of
data collection (internet, questionnaire and interview).
2.
Time
constraint– The researcher will simultaneously engage in this study with
other academic work. This consequently will cut down on the time devoted for
the research work.
1.8 DEFINITION OF TERMS
1. Teacher:
a person whose job is to pass information and orient students about certain
subjects
2. Student:
a person formally engaged in learning, especially one enrolled in a school or
college
3. Environment:
the setting or conditions in which a particular activity is carried on.
4. Performance:
the accomplishment of a given task measured against preset known standards of
accuracy, completeness, cost and speed
REFERENCES
Ajao, A. (2001). Teachers effectiveness on students’
academic performance. Journal of Education and Practice 5 (22).
Akinsolu, A. O (2005). Resource utilization and
internal efficiency of public secondary schools in Osun State, Nigeria.
Unpublished PhD dissertation.Department of Educational Management,
University of Ilorin.
Farombi, J.G. (1998). Resource concentration,
utilization and management as correlates of students’ learning outcomes: a
study in School Quality in Oyo State.Unpublished Ph.D. Thesis,
university of Ibadan.
Farrant,J. S. (1991). Principles and practice of
education (Tenth Impression Singapore: Longman.
Patrick, B. (2005). Why children must not be
Compared In Education Sight for Quality Information Magazine, Kenya