AN EVALUATION ON THE IMPACTS OF SCHOOL CLIMATE AND TEACHER OUTPUT ON STUDENTS ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT IN SOME SELECTED SENIOR SECONDARY SCHOOLS
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
According to FFN (2004), the school as an institution has a set of goals and objectives that it must achieve in order to succeed. In order to achieve the stated objectives, the company’s organizational environment, which includes the educational system, is very important. To put it another way, the term “organizational climate” refers to the working conditions that exist between supervisors and subordinates (teachers and school administrators) in order to achieve the school system’s goals. The characteristics that contribute to a sense of belonging in schools as well as the attitudes of staff and students toward their respective institutions are referred to as the “school environment.” Classroom and common areas that are well-managed, high and clearly stated expectations for individual responsibility, a sense of safety at school, and teachers and other supporting staff who consistently acknowledge and fairly address the behavior of students and other students are all indicators of a positive school climate. In a 2007 report, the American Institutes for Research stated that the school’s physical size should also be taken into account. Eberts, Kehoe, and Stone (2002) conducted an investigation into the relationship between school size and student success and discovered that teachers were more satisfied in smaller schools than in larger ones. Fowler and Welberg (2001) found that large school size was negatively related to school climate in one of their studies, whereas Smith and Gregory (2007) discovered that teachers in small schools were significantly more satisfied than those in large schools using a climate assessment instrument and a series of in-depth interviews. According to Ramirez (2002), there is no correlation between student achievement and classroom size or other instructional space; Instead, the most important factor in a school’s success or failure is how its classrooms and other instructional spaces are organized. Educators’ efficiency and the temperament of the school appear to be significant variables in molding the instructing and learning climate in schools. The characteristics that set one school apart from others make up the atmosphere of that school. These characteristics distinguish one school from others in the same region. There may be a school where the principal, teachers, and other staff members enjoy working together. It’s possible that faculty members at a different school are unhappy. The staff at one school may appear to be well-organized, knowledgeable, and self-assured, but when the head of the school loses control of the situation at another school, tension may ensue (Clifton, 2009). Poor conceit would have a negative impact on teachers’ work productivity and student achievement in the school setting because students and teachers are less likely to feel connected in a bad and unwelcoming school environment. The relationship between an organization’s outputs and the resources it uses to produce them is what we mean when we talk about productivity in business. The ratio of teachers’ output to the total number of students they teach is referred to as teacher productivity. The quantity and quality of students produced by teachers are related to the output.
According to Spencer, Pelote, and Seymour (2008), climate is defined as “the perceived subjective effect of the formal system, informal management styles, and other important environmental factors that have an impact on the attitudes, beliefs, values, and motivation of people who work in a particular organization.” Climate also includes a complex mixture of norms, values, and expectations as well as policies and procedures that influence individual behavior.
Climate is a crucial link between organizational structure, teacher attitudes toward work and conduct, and students’ academic performance in schools. It was discovered that how teachers carried out their responsibilities and obligations within the school system was significantly influenced by the formal aspects of schools. With regards to hierarchical environment, it very well may be characterized as a composite of numerous factors that intercede between the construction of an association and the styles and different qualities of pioneers, as well as between educator efficiency and understudy achievement. The organizational climate of schools has been the subject of numerous studies. For instance, Halpin and Croft (2003) discovered that elementary school administrators’ actions have a significant impact on the school’s atmosphere. Kelner, Rivers, and Connell (2006) found that successful leadership competencies and managerial styles create motivating organizational climates, which in turn inspire employees to perform well at work and predict desired organizational outcomes, such as student achievement in the educational system. The relationship between organizational climate and bottom-link performance metrics like volume, efficiency, and production has been the subject of numerous studies (see Figure 1). According to Spencer, Pelote, and Seymour’s (2008) research, the organizational setting accounts for 10 to 25 percent of the variation in performance metrics. Mann and Hirst (2002) looked into the connection between team climate and performance and how a negative event affected team climate. The findings demonstrated a positive correlation between team performance and team atmosphere. Zohar (2000) demonstrated that safe behavior is affected by variation in behavior at the individual supervisor, group climate, and group climate levels of analysis. It was plausible that this would hold true for other climate levels as well as the individual supervisor.
In spite of the fact that economic growth and development are characterized by high levels of productivity in every nation on the planet, the level of efficiency and productivity in schools, as well as the system’s overall capacity to achieve its objectives, are all dependent on educators’ capacity to effectively carry out their defined roles. This is due to the fact that teachers serve as the axis around which the entire educational system revolves (Eduese, 2006).
According to Lloyd, Mensch, and Clark (2000), teachers have a significant impact on student achievement and the attainment of higher education degrees. Since there can be no real socio-economic and political progress in any community if there aren’t enough teachers, teaching and learning success are dependent on teachers. The total effectiveness and efficiency with which tasks are completed and completed is what we mean when we talk about productivity. The ratio is merely a method for determining a company’s level of resource conversion success. In the educational system, teacher productivity can be measured by how well teachers do their jobs. Qualitative methods like student test scores on standardized tests have been used to evaluate instructors’ performance (Schacter and Thum, 2004). According to Blankstein (2006), teacher input is not the only factor that influences students’ achievement in the school system, so test scores and grades do not accurately reflect the quality of instruction. Peer influence, ethnicity, gender, motivation, and family background variables like home environment and parental educational background have also been identified as having a significant impact on students’ achievement (Wenglisky, 2001). This suggests that teachers’ productivity can be measured in terms of what they can control and do in the classroom, like teaching effectiveness and classroom performance, rather than what they can’t control or do. Since it evaluates a wide variety of distinct aspects of teaching performance, teaching effectiveness has been recognized as a multifaceted concept (Dunkin, 2007).
1.2 EXPOSITION OF THE PROBLEM There are a number of factors that could affect teacher productivity and student achievement in secondary education, including: Dunkin (2007) also found that both instructor productivity and student achievement are below average at this institution. In the educational system, it is difficult to achieve the anticipated effect of improved teacher performance, which is increased student achievement. Teachers’ low levels of productivity are causing dissatisfaction, which in turn causes students’ low levels of achievement. 1.3 OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY The research will be guided by the following research questions, which aim to assess the impact of school climate and teacher output on students’ academic achievement in a select group of senior secondary schools.
i. To investigate the connection between students’ academic success and teacher productivity in secondary schools.
ii. to determine the connection between students’ academic performance and the climate of the school.
iii. to assess the impact of teacher productivity on the academic performance of secondary school students.
iv. to find out how much teacher productivity is affected by the school climate.
1.4 QUESTIONS FOR THE RESEARCH The following inquiries have been prepared for the study:
i. Is there a link between how productive teachers are and how well students do in secondary school?
ii. Is there a link between students’ academic performance and the climate of their schools?
iii. How does teacher productivity affect the academic performance of secondary school students?
iv. How much of an impact does the school environment have on teacher productivity?
1.5 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY This study will be important to the ministry of education because Nigerian education is in a terrible state. Classes are full, schools are underfunded, teachers are underpaid, and workers’ welfare is at its lowest point.
As a result, the government and its agencies, parents, teachers, school administrators, and older students will all be very interested in this research. It will also be helpful in assisting policymakers in the government, particularly the inspectorate divisions of the ministry of education, in carrying out their oversight function by regularly inspecting schools to identify incompetent teachers who should be sent on refresher courses.
Because it will add to the existing body of knowledge, the study will be significant to the academic community.
1.7 OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY The purpose of this study is to investigate the connection between students’ academic achievement in secondary schools and teacher productivity. Additionally, the study will investigate the connection between student academic performance and school climate. The study will look into how teachers’ productivity affects how well students do in secondary school. Last but not least, the study will investigate the extent to which teacher productivity is affected by school climate. Thus this study will be delimited to Anambre State.
1.7 LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY Like in any human endeavor, the researchers were subjected to a few limitations during the course of their research. The researcher chose a moderate sample size because insufficient funds typically hinder the researcher’s ability to find relevant materials, literature, or information and to collect data (via the internet, questionnaire, and interview). Plus, the researcher will be working on other academic projects at the same time on this study. As a consequence of this, less time will be spent on research.
1.8 TERMS OF DEFINITION Academic achievement: – this refers to the overall performance of students.
School atmosphere: refers to the social atmosphere of a setting or learning environment, which students may or may not experience in accordance with the guidelines established by the administrator and teachers.
Result for teachers: This suggested being distinct from teaching as an art form.
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