Teachers’ Qualification and the Performance of Student’s Questionnaire (Tqpsq)

ABSTRACT

The study is on “teachers’ qualification and the performance of student’s questionnaire (tqpsq)”. The study has three objectives and four research questions.  Survey research design was used for the study. The population was 290 teaching staff of the fifteen (7) governments owned secondary schools in Owerri-Municipal Council LGA of Imo State and the sample size was 217 undergraduate students who registered in Imo State University, Owerri Library. The researcher use simple random sampling technique for the selection. The researcher use simple random sampling technique for the selection. The findings show that Lack of interest in school programme, lack of role model and Finance, lack of instructional materials to make teaching realistic, bad teaching methodologies and lack of qualified teachers, lack of quality of teachers has an adverse effect on the poor academic performance of students, students taught by non-qualified teachers end up with low scores in public examinations. Based on the findings, the study therefore recommended among others that Based on the findings of this study, the following recommendations were made, Government should regularly organize seminars, workshop and training programmes to foster teachers’ mastery of the subject, Government should also make sure that teachers employed possess the necessary teaching qualifications to certify them to teach their subjects, Different teachers should be made to handle different aspects of subjects. This would enable them to be more efficient as they would be made to handle what they have interest in and capable of doing.

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

In this chapter the researcher will be presenting  the background of the study, statement of the problem, scope of the study, purpose of the study,  limitation of the study, significance of the study and research questions.

Background to the Study

Education in all countries of the world should be considered very important for personal and societal development (Adegbemile: 2011). Amaechi, Anamonye, Onuoha and Okwu (2012), saw Education as a crucial tool for development in every country. Furthermore, it is an instrument for the realization of a nation’s growth and development, because the level of a nation’s literacy determines her extent of development. It is in view of the indispensable role of education in development of man and modern society that various declarations on education have been made at the global level and in Nigeria.

Education at Secondary School level  should  be the bedrock and the foundation towards higher knowledge in tertiary institutions. The role of secondary education should be  to lay the foundation for further education and if a good foundation is laid at this level, there are likely to be no problem at subsequent levels.

Senior Secondary education occupies a very unique position in the educational system in Nigeria, because it is that level that determines the academic and professional career of students. According to Federal Government of Nigeria (2004) in the National policy of education, the broad aims of secondary education within the overall objectives are preparing students for useful living within the society and preparing them for higher education. Precisely, the aim of senior secondary education is to provide opportunity for qualitative education for primary school leavers, cater for the differences in talents of the pupils, develop Nigeria cultural heritage, produce a generation of people who respect the dignity of labour, foster Nigerian unity and to inspire its students with the desire for achievement and self improvement both at school and in later life.

In view of the fact that education is considered as investment in most developing countries, the issue of poor performance in external examinations is a source of concern to all stake holders, both at home and abroad. It is in this wise that there seems to be a lot of controversies and concern all over the world as to the view that the standard of education is falling. One of the most amenable tools for measuring such standard has been students’ performance in external examinations. The percentage failure in such examinations appears to be on the increase in recent times. (Nigerians in America, Sept.11, 2011). The failure is assumed to be more pronounced at the secondary school level.

The most important component of teaching activity is students. However, the key to teaching effectiveness is teachers. It is necessary to probe into teacher quality to help teachers ascertain their shortcomings so that they can not only improve themselves but also increase their teaching effectiveness.

Obayan (2003), Iyamu (2005) and Darling-Hammond (2007) asserted that the quality of an educational system depends on the quality of the teachers and that qualitative education is a function of quality and quantity of teaching personnel within the system. Levacic (1995), Adesola (2005), Ahievbolaria (2005) and Akinfolarin (2008) were unanimous in emphasizing that effective utilization of teachers is more important than its mere provision and that effectively utilized human resources would in turn utilize other resources of education to enhance better students’ academic performance.

The quality of education is directly related to the quality of instruction in the class room it is fact that the academic qualification knowledge of the subject matter, competence and skills of teaching and commitment of the teacher have effective impact on teaching- learning process. Quality improvement in education depends upon proper training of teachers. The teacher cannot play any of the roles unless proper trained. The performance of the student’s especially in external Examination goes a long way to show the level of preparedness of the students as defined by qualification of their teachers. Teaching is an art. it can be refined by training and practise. The availability of competent teachers is central in the reconstruction of the educational system. English has acquired the status of global language. Keeping in view the growing need and importance of English language in every walk of life, English is made a compulsory subject in Nigeria from the very beginning of the academic career. This increasing necessitate good quality initial preparation for non native speaker teachers in the schools system.

WHO IS A TEACHCER

There is no doubt that a teacher is part and parcel of teaching and learning process. Almost anyone can become teacher, but it take special person to be a great or quality teacher. “A teacher is person who is capable of impacting knowledge and shaping the youth to the wider scope of knowledge”. AladeIbiwunmi 2012 A teacher create, mould, construct, build and identify skill acquired to face the challenges in life.

Ehrenberry and Brewer (1994) highlight five important factors an effective teacher must exhibit. These include

• Clear and focused mission
• Instructional leadership
• Frequently monitoring of students progress
• Safe and orderly environment
• Positive home school relations

WHAT IS TEACHING

Teaching according to Oyekan (2000) is a continuous human activity by which the teacher connects the leaners and subject matter drawn from curriculum. It is the cardinal duty of the teacher to help the students to learn, understand and achieve beyond their current educational status. The support of an inexperience teachers will be differ from that of a quality or professional teacher. Quality of students work, the quality teacher’s delivery is based on the improvement in the learning process and student weekly assessment result.

WHAT IS ENGLISH

English is vital way of communicating in school, public life and international. In studying English pupils develop skills in speaking, listening, reading and writing. It enable them to express themselves creatively and imaginatively and to communicate with others effectively. English has a pre- eminent place in education and in society. It is a subject in its own right and the medium for pupils understanding.  Language provides access to the whole curriculum.

English is taught as compulsory subject and also the whole teaching process is carried out in English language. In other words, English is also the medium of instruction in Nigeria schools. This enable the student of this schools to learn English in an environment where most of the interaction between teacher and the students is English. As result, the student of these schools are more proficient in English and perform well in the external examination. In some schools, however, the teaching of English is done somewhat differently and proficiency in language is somewhat inadequate. The traditional grammar translation method is favourite with the teachers and there is hardly any exposure to English language inside or outside the class. Teaching is done in the vernacular or the mother tongue, the teacher in this setting is the facilitator of examination rather than of learning. The Student memorize, translate and retranslate and finally reproduce the examination information or knowledge in the external examinations. No creativity is witnessed on the part of the students from this kind of teaching experience. The reason is that the teachers themselves are not qualified or competent enough to teach English efficiently. This causes poor results in English eventually leading to highest failure percentage in English at external examinations. Thus, English becomes the biggest hurdle (particulary for the students from rural areas) in the way to getting higher education and key administrative posts.

English as a language plays a number of roles in the socio-economic,political,and cultural development of Nigeria society.the continued slide in the performance of students in the English language in external examinations is a cause for great concern not only for the teachers but also for all stakeholders in the business of education. This is more worrisome when one considers the fact that English doubles as a medium of instruction in Nigeria schools as well as our lingua franca. The central role of English cannot be washed away.

The pattern of failure has, however, shown that the incidence appears to be higher in some schools than it is with other schools. A number of factors have been linked to the causes, but more relevant is the issue of qualification of the teachers. This is more important because in the learning, teachers offer only what they have; you cannot offer what you don’t have.

The qualification of teachers involve in teaching and learning has great roles in the performance of students. The way the students perceive the teaching in terms of their teachers knowledge of content of subject matter may significantly affect the students’ academic performance. Because of this, the teacher should therefore master the subject matter before teaching commences. Most teachers go into teaching without the knowing what to teach.

Aguoru[2008]observed that most teachers do not perceive their jobs to be a profession in which they require skills to excel.he went further to explain that a large number of these teachers lack the commitment in carrying out their task and the failure came from uncertified teachers who are allowed to teach the subject. Ehindero and Ajibade[2008] asserted that student who are curious stakeholders in educational enterprise have long suspected and speculated that some of their teachers lack the necessary professional[not academic]qualification required to communicate concepts, ideas and principles in a way that would facilitate effective learning.

It is against this background that this study will be carried out to ascertain the effects of English Teachers’ Qualification on Senior Secondary School External Examination Performance in Owerri Municipal Council of Imo State.

Statement of Problem

The roles of the teachers in student achievement in English language cannot be over emphasized In Nigeria today most students in secondary school and infact even in universities lack the ability to even communicate effectively in English both oral and written.

There have been reports of persistent poor performance of students in some subjects at the senior secondary school level of education that the observing absence of qualified teachers to teach do contribute significantly to the poor performance of students in some subjects.

Scholars have attributed this to the handling of the subject by unqualified teachers who themselves have no proper mastery of the subject among other factors. Hence, this study was carried out to investigate the extent to which these teacher characteristics/qualifications could predict students’ academic performance in secondary schools in Owerri Municipal Council Local Government Area of Imo State.

Scope of the Study

This study covers all the teachers and students in the public Senior Secondary Schools in Owerri Municipal Council Area of Imo State. It is delimited in finding out how teachers’ qualification affects students’ academic performance. The study sought to address some variables such as causes of Poor Academic Performance among Secondary School Students, how teacher qualification affects students’ performance, professional qualifications required of a teacher, ways of improving qualifications of teachers and the way forward.

Purpose of the Study

The main purpose of this study is to evaluate the effect of English teacher’s qualification on Senior Secondary School Students External Examination in Owerri Municipal Council Area of Imo State. Specifically, the study sought to:-

1. Ascertain the causes of Poor Academic Performance among Secondary School Students.
2. Examine how teacher qualification affects students’ performance.
3. Ascertain the professional qualifications required of a teacher.
4. Find ways of improving qualifications of teachers.

Significance of the Study

The study would provide empirical information on the teacher related factors that could predict student academic achievement. The study would also contribute to research efforts geared towards finding a permanent solution to the problem of poor performance of students. It will also serve as an eye opener to teachers and other stakeholders on which of the teacher related factors could predict students’ academic achievement.

The findings of the study would be useful to teachers as they work toward creating classroom climate and selecting instructional strategies that are supportive to students’ learning. The findings will contribute to the existing research on teacher’s effectiveness using longitudinal approach. They will in addition provide feedback to teachers on the need to modify subsequent instructional practices and provide classroom environment that will help to raise the levels of students’ achievement.

Furthermore, the findings of this study will enable teachers to consider the learning needs of increasingly diverse student population thus work towards closing the gaps in equity of students’ outcomes. Since the assessment of students’ summative evaluation generally is predicated on the teachers’ preparation, planning, instruction, classroom climate and professionalism among others, it is hoped that a better understanding of the needs for teachers’ accountability in providing quality education would yield valuable insight for researchers who may wish to explore further the process of teaching and learning in normal classroom settings. School classroom evaluation methods using students’ achievement results are currently a significant topic of investigation in the educational accountability arena.

The findings of the study will broaden student’s knowledge, steer up their interest in subjects and improve the teaching skills of teachers in various secondary schools in the study area and Nigeria at large. It is hope that findings of this study will build a proper link between students’ academic performance and the quality needed for teacher’s effectiveness in handling subjects across the state.

Findings of this study will provide educational planners and administrators with adequate information about teachers’ availability and how this affects productivity in public secondary schools in Imo State. It will likewise assist in establishing corrective measures with respect to some disadvantaged schools to ensure equity and uniformity in posting of teachers to schools in the state and improve the system productivity.

Lastly, this study will serve as an empirical study and a relevant material to subsequent researchers who might be carrying out a related topic to this.

Research Questions

The following research questions will be formulated by the researcher to guide the study in line with the purpose of the study;

1. What are the causes of Poor Academic Performance among Secondary School Students?
2. What are the professional qualifications required of a teacher?
3. What are ways of improving qualifications of teachers?

Pages:  78

Category: Project

Format:  Word & PDF        

Chapters: 1-5

Material contains Table of Content, Abstract and References.