TEACHER CLASSROOM PRACTICES AND STUDENTS ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE IN SECONDARY SCHOOL
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CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background to the study
The extent to which different teachers are able to accurately assess student achievement is related in part with their educational, professional, and personal backgrounds. For example, variation may be associated with differences in teaching experience or with differences in content area or pedagogical professional development. Various features of the classroom environment can also influence teacher judgments.
Similarly, teachers in classrooms with a substantial proportion of students with special needs may find it particularly challenging to judge the performance of some or all of their students accurately or may tend to assign differential weight to different factors in their judgments (MartÃnez and Mastergeorge, 2002).
It has been proved that teachers have an important influence on students’ academic achievement. They play a crucial role in educational attainment because the teacher is ultimately responsible for translating policy into action and principles based on practice during interaction with the students (Afe, 2001). In their study, Wright, Horn and Sanders (1997) concluded that the most important factor influencing student learning is the teacher. Teachers stand in the interface of the transmission of knowledge, values and skills in the learning process.
Adeyemi (1982) says teaching techniques become a unifying and complimentary force which when planned properly by a teacher is a vital determinant of students academic performance in any subject. Therefore in learning any school subject, three stages are usually distinguishable. First is the acquisition stage, followed by the retention and then the recall stage. Acquisition stage denotes or entails exposure to the materials to be learnt by. The students In retention stage, what has been learnt is stored away while in the third stage that which has been learnt is produced either for tests or examinations.
According to Rivkin, Hanusheck and Kain (2005), there has never been consensus on the specific teacher factors that influence students’ academic achievement. Researchers have examined the influence of teacher characteristics such as gender, educational qualifications and teaching experience on students’ academic achievement with varied findings. Akiri and Ugborugbo (2008) found that there was a significant relationship between teachers’ gender and students’ academic achievement. This is contrary to Dee cited in Akiri and Ugborugbo (2008). Yala and Wanjohi (2011) and Adeyemi (2010) found that teachers’ experience and educational qualifications were the prime predictors of students’ academic achievement. However, Ravkin et al (2005) found that teachers’ teaching experience and educational qualifications were not significantly related to students’ achievement.
Akinsolu (2010) asserts that availability of qualified teachers determined the performance of students in schools. Coonen (1987) emphasizes that teachers involved in in-service training were more effective in classrooms as compared to teachers who had not undergone training. Wirth and Perkins (2013) indicate that teacher’s attitude contributed significantly to student attention in classrooms whereas Adesoji and Olatunbosun (2008) illustrates that student attitude was related to teacher characteristics. This therefore meant that teacher’s attitude directly affected students’ attitude. On teacher personality, Adu and Olatundun (2007) contend that teachers’ characteristics are strong determinants of students’ performance in secondary schools.
1.2 Statement of the problem
Poor academic performances at the secondary school level have become social a problem for Nigerian educators and the general public. There has been increasing mass failure in both externally and internally conducted examinations at all level. In the past, researchers have tried to know the root causes of mass failure in public examinations and from their findings suggested many factors such overcrowded classrooms, deficiencies in qualified teachers, lack of well equipped libraries as some of the factors militating against good academic performance. These suggestions have been adequately looked into by government and proprietors of private schools, yet students perform poorly in their academics in our school system. It is upon this backdrop that this study seeks to investigate teachers’ classroom practices and students’ academic performance in secondary school.
Etsy (2005) opined that the teacher factors that significantly contributed to low academic achievement were incidences of lateness to school, incidences of absenteeism, and inability to complete the syllabi.
Oredein and Oloyede (2007) concluded that teacher management of homework and assignments given to students have an impact on student achievement especially when it is well explained, motivational, corrected and reviewed during class time and used as an occasion for feedback to students.
1.3 Objectives of the Study
This study intends to examine teachers’ classroom practices and students’ academic performance in secondary school. The researcher intends to find out:
- The effect of teaching methods on students’ academic performance.
- The effect of teachers’ qualification on students’ academic performance.
- The influence of classroom environment on academic performance of students in secondary schools.
- The availability and utilization of teaching aids in Secondary Schools.
1.4 Research Questions
- How does teachers’ classroom practice affect students’ academic performance?
- How does teachers’ qualification affects students’ academic performance?
iii. Does classroom environment affect students academic performance in secondary schools?
- To what extent is the availability and utilization of teaching aids in Secondary Schools?
1.5 Hypotheses
H2: There is no significant relationship between teachers’ classroom practices and students’ academic performance.
H2: There is no significant relationship between teachers’ qualification and students’ academic performance.
H3: There is no significant relationship between classroom environment and students’ academic performance.
H4: There is no significant relationship between availability of teaching aids and students’ academic performance.
1.6 Significance of the study
The significance of the study are stated below:
The school administrators may use findings from the study to understand the factors affecting teachers classroom practice and students academic performance in secondary school.
The study will serve as a guide to head teachers and Board of Governors, parents and teachers’ association, members of the public, district education officers, district inspectors of schools to realize the effects of poor remuneration on teacher performance to improve, maintain, develop and retain such manpower.
Again, it will enable secondary school proprietors to be able to plan systematically for staff retention. Other stakeholders of education (parents, students, teachers, support staff, donors) will use the findings of study as a checkpoint to happenings of the same nature.
Furthermore, Ministry of Education will be able to recruit and retain teachers by improving the remuneration, conditions of working environment and providing competent manpower in management of schools in order to improve their classroom practice. It will contribute to the existing body of knowledge and will stimulate other research as in areas of staff retention in government secondary schools.
This study is quite significant in the sense that it will be useful to educationists, psychologists, counselors, parents, teachers and students in other to throw more light and expatiate further on how to improve students’ academic performance.
1.7 Scope of the study
The work examines teacher classroom practices and students academic performance in secondary school with a view to explore Local Educational District (LED), District IV, Yaba, Lagos “ namely, Queens College, Yaba Birrel Avenue Snr High Sch, Onike Girls Jnr High School and Lagos Baptist Senior Sec School II, Herbert Macaulay Jnr Grammar School. The research study is limited to the institutions under study. The research will explore variables such as teachers’ classroom practice, students academic performance, remuneration, teachers’ job performance, fringe benefits, teachers’ working condition etc.
1.8 Operational Definition of Terms
The under listed terms are relevant to this research study:
Academic performance: Academic performance is the outcome of education the extent to which a student, teacher or institution has achieved their educational goals
Teaching Aids: Items used in the classroom to aid teaching and training. May be visual aids or interactive tools
Classroom Practice: Classroom practice is a term used by teachers to describe the process of ensuring that classroom lessons run smoothly.
Student: Student is a person formally engaged in learning, especially one enrolled in a school or college.
Teacher: A teacher or schoolteacher is a person who provides education for pupils (children) and students (adults).
Classroom: A room or place especially in a school in which classes are conducted.
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