Project – THE INFLUENCE OF TEACHERS’ CHARACTERISTICS ON STUDENTS’ ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENTS IN OBIO/AKPOR LGA

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

Background of the Study

The influence of teachers’ characteristics on students’ academic achievements in secondary schools is a widely studied area in educational research. Numerous studies have explored the various factors that contribute to this influence. One important characteristic is the level of education and subject knowledge possessed by the teacher. Research has shown that teachers with higher levels of education and subject expertise tend to have a positive impact on students’ academic achievements. Teachers have a direct responsibility to shape a student’s academic achievements, and are the most important school based factor in their education (Rockoff, 2004; Rivkin, Hanushek Kain 2005; Aaronson, Barrow & Sander, 2007). This is why it is important to examine which teacher characteristics may be related to student academic achievements.

Considering which teacher characteristics produce the best student academic achievements at the Senior Secondary School level can help the school in identifying unique ways to increase student performance with the teacher resources available to them.

Excellence in academic life demands high level of intelligence; but in addition to intelligence, recent studies have indicated that there are other factors that can be useful predictors of academic achievements (Busato, Prins, Elshout, & Hamaker, 1999, 2000; Chamorro Premuzic & Furnham, 2003). One of the factors is teachers’ characteristics.

Teachers cannot be undermined in the discussion of knowledge transfer or education in every way. Teachers are very instrumental to the transfer of knowledge. Ali (2009) observes that there is a statistically significant relationship between teachers’ characteristics and student academic achievements.

According to Thompson, Greer, & Greer (2005) there are twelve characteristics that are central to what students conceptualize as good teaching which connect to the caring for students, both academically and personally and strengthen recent indicators for academic achievements.

These characteristics are: displaying fairness, having a positive outlook being prepared, using a personal touch, respecting students, maintaining high expectations. Possessing a sense of humor, possessing creativity, admitting mistakes, and being forgiving, showing compassion and developing sense of belonging for students.

As humans, we possess an ingrained sense of fair play. We react negatively whenever we are dealt with by someone in a manner that violates what we think constitutes fairness in a situation. Any sign of favoritism, or lack of fairness, can leave scars that last a lifetime.

Borich (2000) suggests that effective teachers are those who use meaningful verbal praise to get and keep students actively participating in the learning process.

Effective teachers are generally positive minded individuals who believe in the success of their students as well as their own ability to help students achieve.

Competence and knowledge of the content area being taught is something that makes a well-prepared teacher more likely to take time during lessons to notice and attend to behavioral matters, effective use of instructional time, student participation and thereby, academic success.

Teachers must show interest in their students, as this promotes bonding. Teachers with a sense of humor make learning fun. If a teacher has a quick wit and the ability to break the ice in difficult situations with the use of humor, students recognize the strength reflected in these teachers, as they provide a wonderful model for how to deal with embarrassing situations effectively.

Students remember unusual things that their teachers did in their teaching. They remember how it related to a subject matter being taught which captivated their interest.

Irvine (2001) suggests that students defined teachers who set limits, provides structure, held high expectations and pushed them to achieve as their favorite teachers. Generally, these behaviors affect student learning. Working to include these traits into everyday teaching routines will ensure that students have a positive school experience as well as a successful one.

Rice (2003) recognized five broad categories of teacher attributes that appear to contribute to teacher quality. They are experience, preparation programs and degrees, type of certification, course work taken in preparation for the profession, and teachers’ own test scores.

Performance as a variable is linked to the teachers’ experience, resulting from the ideas generated in the course of learning, training, acquired classroom management skills/expertise. Teachers’ experience has a significant effect on student performance in the sense that students taught by more experienced teachers achieve at a higher level, because their teachers have mastered the content and gained classroom management skills/expertise to deal with different types of classroom problem (Gibbson, 1997); therefore, academic achievements of students is dependent on the characteristics that a teacher portray.

According to Mumare & Philip (1981), experience has a significant positive effect on the connection that exist between the quality of a teacher and the academic achievements of students cannot be over emphasized because they both work hand in glove in showcasing how quality education could be enshrined in an academic process and this could be inferred from the words of Strong (2007); that asserted a positive relationship between teachers’ verbal ability and students’ achievement.

Parents are keen at seeing their children enroll and graduate from prestigious educational institutions as most compete to offer their best educational programs and be at the fore front of academic excellence. People who are directly involved in the students’ academic life are the teachers who provide help to these students.

Classroom teachers are primarily responsible for student academic achievement as a school’s primary focus is on the academic preparation of students.

Statement of the Problem

The issue of declining academic achievements of students has generated much interest among stakeholders in the educational sector in Nigeria. The quality of education and performance of students depends on the teachers as reflected in the discharge of their duties. Overtime, students’ academic achievements in both internal and external exams had been used to determine the effectiveness of teachers and teaching. According to Ogunsaju (2004), academic standards have fallen below societal expectations. Considering governments huge investment in public education, its output in terms of quality of students has been observed to be unequal with government expenditure.

Despite the increase in educational attainment by teachers in trying to improve on their qualification and skills/expertise the academic achievements of students in senior secondary schools has not been encouraging. This is reflected in the falling standard of education in view of the performance of students in examinations like Senior Secondary Certificate Examination (SSCE), Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), etc.

There is a persistent decline in the academic achievements of SSS students in spite of the huge government budgetary allocation on education. There is a prevalent rise in examination mal-practices, where parents, teachers and even stakeholders in the economy spend heavily on prepared solution and ‘assistance’ from teachers to make their students pass examinations without merit.

This has led to a high degree of failure to breed students that are worth their certificates and is giving the country a serious cause for concern.

Functional educational system most time depends on the adequacy of some indispensable behavioral traits of teachers, such as qualification, experience, and skills/expertise among others hence the need for further investigation.

Objective of the Study

The essence of this study is to investigate how certain characteristics relate to the academic achievements of senior secondary school students in Rivers, Nigeria.

The specific objectives are:

• To determine if the qualification of teachers have an effect on the academic achievements of students.
• To find out if teaching experience is related to academic achievements of students.
• To examine the relationship between teachers classroom effectiveness and students academic achievements.
• To ascertain the influence of teachers skills/expertise on the academic achievements of students.

Research Questions

• There is no significant relationship between teachers’ qualifications and students’ academic achievements.
• There is no significant difference in the academic achievements of students taught by teachers with longer years of experience.
• There is no significant relationship between teachers’ effectiveness and students’ academic achievements
• There is no significant relationship between teachers’ skill/expertise and students’ academic achievements.

Research Hypotheses

H₀₁:     There is no significant relationship between teachers’ qualification and students’ academic achievements.

H₀₂:     There is no significant difference in the academic achievements of students taught by teachers with more years of experience

H₀₃:     There is no significant relationship between teachers’ effectiveness and students’ academic achievements.

H_o4:     There is no significant relationship between teachers’ skill/expertise and students’ academic achievements.

Significance of the Study

This study will look intensively on the effect of teachers’ characteristics on academic achievements of students. It will be beneficial to stakeholders in the educational sector such as teachers, parents, students, school management, and ministries of education, educational researchers, and the society at large.

It will be used as a guide line for schools in recruiting teachers and also help already recruited teachers in improving their teaching methods.

It will be beneficial to curriculum developers in the framing and designing of topics that will correct and improve the performance of senior secondary school students. Educational researchers will see it as an addition to the literature on teachers’ characteristics and academic achievements; giving them a concise and significant outlook of the topic.

The recommendations will enhance academic achievements.

Scope of the Study

The study examines the influence of teachers’ characteristics on students’ academic achievements in Obio/Akpor LGA. The scope of the study is limited to only teachers’ characteristics as a determinant of student’s academic achievements.  The study is carried out in the Rivers metropolis only. The study is also limited to activities of Senior Secondary Schools and not Junior Secondary Schools or Primary Schools.

Operational Definition of Terms

Influence: The capacity to have an effect on the character, development, or behavior of someone or something.

Teachers: Educators who facilitate learning, impart knowledge, and guide students in their academic and personal development.

Characteristics: Distinctive traits or qualities that define a person or group, often including attributes like personality, behavior, and skills.

Students: Individuals engaged in learning, typically enrolled in an educational institution, who seek to acquire knowledge, skills, and competencies.

Academic Achievements: Accomplishments or milestones attained in an educational context, often measured through grades, degrees, awards, or standardized test scores, reflecting a student’s learning and performance.

Project – THE INFLUENCE OF TEACHERS’ CHARACTERISTICS ON STUDENTS’ ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENTS IN OBIO/AKPOR LGA