Gender Attitude Towards Teaching as A Profession In Owerri Municipal Area of Imo State

ABSTRACT

This study was to examine the gender attitude towards teaching as a profession, Owerri Municipal Area in Imo State. The study was designed to find out the attitude of students towards teaching as a profession. Four research questions were formulated to guide the study. The study adopted a survey research survey design. The population of the study comprises of all secondary schools in Owerri Municipal Area. 100 students were randomly sampled from five schools. The instrument used for collecting data is the questionnaire. The data analysis was done using descriptive statistics such as mean, frequency and percentage. The findings reveals that majority of the secondary students doesn’t have interest in teaching in teaching as a profession rather they prefer other profession like medicine, law and accountancy, the low standards of living among teachers due to poor salaries and irregular payment have contributed to negative perception gender have towards teaching as a profession, teaching as a profession can be a proud profession if the governments are actively involved in raising the standard, the inadequate provision of educational facilities has brought about neglect of updating knowledge and research work in this profession. Recommendations were made from the findings revealed.

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background of the Study

         Emotions and attitude plays a crucial role in all human behaviours. Over the past few decades, emotional aspects and attitudes of people have recently attracted a great deal of attention in academic research (Oz, Demirezen & Pourfeiz, 2015, Durmusoglu, Yanik, & Akkoyumlu, 2009) much research has shown that attitudes are closely linked to learning.

The need for genuine, dedicated teachers for a country can’t be over emphasized of course; the educational sectors need teachers who will be committed to their jobs. It is obvious that so many teachers combined their profession with outside jobs, as a result of poor salary.

The global claims that education is a major sure and potent instrument of sustainable development in all human society today cannot be overemphasized. Education is conceived as a powerful agency which is instrumental in bringing about the desired changes in the social and cultural life of a nation. Developing countries face barrage of extra ordinary problems among which are abject poverty, ignorance etc, the solution of course, lies in proper education of citizenry. Ogunna cited in Okemakido (2013) explained that education helps cushion high rate of literacy effect, emancipate the masses from the shackle of ignorance, equipping them with cognitive skills to induce development and make them aware politically economically, socially and enable them produce and develop teaming human resources, producing caliber of personnel imbued with skills for productivity.

Weje in Uwafo (2009) opined that education unlocks the door of modernization and sustainable development and that hold the key to the door. The whole process of education is shaped and mould by human personality called the teacher, who plays a pivotal role in any education system. Thus the teacher has the responsibility of translating educational policies into practice and programs into action. Okafor (1991) writing on the secret of American power pointed that America built her greatness in the classroom. According to Orji (2003), he argued that the level of job satisfaction among teachers differ according to sex, with male teachers being more dissatisfied with teaching jobs than female teachers. The reason for some negative attitude of male teachers towards teaching profession could be poor remuneration and lower salaries. This fact makes students to have poor negative attitude towards teaching as a profession.

At the secondary school level, the male and female secondary school students are given the opportunity to decide on what career path to pursue in life. These students already have negative thought about teaching as a profession, which will make them go for other professions like law, medicine and accountancy etc. without even regarding teaching as a profession. For students who may want to have flare or interest for teaching will surely deviate. There by making these students to choose wrong choice as career. It is clear that from the fore going that the role of the teacher in sustainable development cannot be quantified, especially in the act of training personnel in various areas of workface. However there is need to be properly educated and trained for professional efficiency and inculcation of positive attitude that will enable one to go through the training properly and come out well equipped for the responsibility ahead. Many nations have solved many of their problems through education and the secret lies in the effective classroom and the secret lies in the effective classroom activities, management and control (Nwaanekezi, 2011).

Attitude, according to Guse and Byrne (2007) a positive or negative view that represents view that represents an individual’s degree of like and dislike for an item. This case is also valid for the profession of teaching attitude of teacher has also been determined to be influence or gender on the report of Dodeen. (2003). He found that female teachers have more positive attitude towards teaching. They indicated that it is the social and political control exciting amongst teachers and over their profession, in addition to the economical problems. She also reported that the work place also plays a crucial role in shaping teachers attitude towards teaching especially behaviors of principles and the nature of communication with the school.

Linking attitude to this noble profession (teaching) the inspiration drawn from the characteristics of a true profession. It has been realized that teaching could be said to be a semi-profession because it doesn’t satisfy all the requirements of a true profession.

The teacher is the pillar of educational development. Country’s level of development among other things is hinged on the quality of education given to its citizenry by the teacher. On this premise, teacher’s attitude, willingness, motivation and above all items or love for the teaching profession is the major focus of this work. It is important for the educational sector to have willful and talented teachers who will help to promote educational system which is almost at the dead point especially in Nigeria. Teachers constitute the most essential body of personnel within the educational system. Given the enormous responsibilities bestowed on teacher by his calling and society, his condition of service remains pitiable.

It is important to identify the missing links in teaching that causes controversies over its professional status and how best to contain them n order to boost up the professional image of teachers in our society. These controversies such as poor remuneration and lower salaries, regarding teaching as low or no profession in the society is responsible for non-commitment of teachers to their job and students (gender) negative to teaching as a profession. Teaching has been analyzed by various authors using the parameters of profession. According to Oon (2003) noted that a profession is a job that is not for all corners but exclusive to a certain group of people who posses monopoly of knowledge, skins, ethics, right and privileges required of a job. In fact, parents and indeed the society need to be educated to be educated to understand the realities about teacher and the teaching profession. It had never occurred to them that this negative and low rating of teachers have a boomerang effect on the educational system and the society at large. Lassa (1996), observed that in spite of the inevitability of teacher’s role in espousing quality and standard performance of educational system, the sad truth remains that society almost all over the would have depicted a surprising hesitance in correlating the values and standard of teachers with the expected standard of education. In this regard, the maxim that to whom much is given much is expected is very apt.

However, in this study work we shall review some features and characteristics of professionals while considering the place of teachers in the professional area:

• Long period of training
• Professional ethics of government members
• Professional body uniting members
• Standards and control guided members

In the field of teaching, candidates are expected to undergo few years of training at the National Teachers Institute (NTI), college of education or the facilities of education in the universities. Secondary there are ethics governing teachers code of conduct in Nigeria. There is also the national Union of Teachers (NUT) charged with helping to seek teachers welfare, when the above requirements are prevalent, then teaching is qualified to be called a profession.

1.2 Statement of the Problem

Statement in Nigeria Secondary Schools disregard teaching as a profession because of the poor salaries and poor remuneration received by teachers which makes them to live in abject poverty delay of payment of gravity and pension, lack of conductive learning environment by the government for the teachers in order to enhance teaching and learning, discrimination of teachers both in the banking sector by parents and government. All these factors are responsible for the reasons why students see teaching as a low or no profession. The negative attitude of students has affected the teaching profession and educational sector at large.

Therefore, this study tends to investigate the attitude of students towards teaching as a profession and also identify many other causes of student’s negative attitude.

1.3   Scope of the Study

This study tends to examine the attitude of students towards teaching as a profession.  This is how ever limited to the attitude of students towards teaching as a profession and the causes of the attitude students (gender develop towards teaching profession).

1.4 Purpose of the Study

This study is undertaken to reveal the following;

1. If the attitude of students towards teaching as a profession has affected the standard of education in secondary school system.
2. Factors that can influence gender attitude towards taking teaching as a profession.
3. Students attitude towards teaching as a profession will be influenced through the possible solutions.
4. To determine the extent to which the views of male students is different from the female students towards teaching as a profession.

1.5   Significance of the Study

The importance of this study can’t be over emphasized, putting into consideration, the ultimate help of teachers and teaching profession in our society today. This study will help to restore the dignity of the profession and as well outline issues or factors that will reduce the level of misconceptions and understanding of teaching as a profession. The study will also enhance the interest of students who have flare teaching and also help those who neglect the profession to appreciate its place in the society. This study will as well improve the ethical standard of the profession.  It is believed that both the students are the society at large will benefit from the study.

1.6   Research Questions

The following research questions are formulated for the study:

1. What attitude does the students posses towards teaching as a profession?
2. What leads to the attitude students posses towards teaching as a profession?
3. What are the possible solutions to the causes of students’ attitude towards teaching as profession?
4. To what extent are the views of male students different from that of female students towards teaching as a profession?

 1.7   Research Hypothesis

1. There is no significant difference between the attitude of male and female student towards teaching as profession.

Pages:  83

Category: Project

Format:  Word & PDF

Chapters: 1-5

Material contains Table of Content, Abstract and References