RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN TEACHERS CHARACTERISTICS AND ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT OF STUDENTS IN NIGERIAN SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN EDUCATION

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background to the Study

What children learn, remember, and practice after high school has a direct impact on the nation’s abilities and skills. What a person learns, both formally and informally, has an impact on his or her ability to contribute to national progress. People and staff who are educated are the ones who propel the country forward (Aghenta, 2006). As a result, each nation’s level of growth is determined by the quality of education obtained by its population. A variety of factors, including input quality and school process characteristics, influence school system success. (2008) (Ochuba) (Ochuba). Only a well-organized school system can ensure that all aspects of school life are adequately stated and successfully coordinated.

Teachers are essential to providing a high-quality education.

They are best known for their role in educating children who are under their supervision. The most common duty of instructors in the classroom is to provide relevant knowledge to students by following the curriculum. Teachers impart knowledge to students in a variety of ways, including lecture, small group activities, and hands-on learning activities. They also serve a variety of other purposes in the classroom. Teachers set the tone in their classes, create a welcoming environment, mentor and develop students, serve as role models, and so on (Fraser & Walberg, 2005). They are thus responsible for promoting the school’s purpose and ethos through structured classroom prayer, participation in the school’s liturgical life, and modeling appropriate behavioral norms.

Adeogun (2010) claims that the

The educational system’s quality is determined by the teaching staff’s quality, and a school without human resources may be unable to meet the educational system’s goals and objectives. Teachers, according to Adesina (2010), are the primary predictors of excellent education. Highly qualified and dedicated teachers are required in schools. There is a strong link between what instructors know and what they teach, as has been demonstrated. Thus, the ability to successfully teach is dependent on the teacher’s knowledge, which can take many forms.

Teaching requires a significant amount of time, effort, and commitment in a variety of ways. Teachers prepare students for the labor market and for their respective countries’ socioeconomic growth. They are expected to be positive role models.

to meet their students’ intellectual, social, and emotional needs (Williams, 2013). Their effectiveness reflects their dedication. They adapt to different learning styles and classroom dynamics in the classroom by using excellent classroom management skills to create a healthy, safe, resourceful, and productive environment. Students’ perceptions of teaching quality are relatively tightly related to student involvement measures, and the associations primarily function in predicted directions (Xuehui, Emily & Tanja, 2008). Students who believe that their teachers care about them, treat them fairly, and encourage them to ask questions have much higher educational aspirations. Students who claim that their professors give them a lot of homework and constantly lecture in class face serious consequences.

Because educators are at the heart of everything The quality of educators in each school system reflects and influences the overall quality of the school system as well as the potential of the children within the system (Darling-Hammond, Wei, Andree, Richardson, & Orphanos, 2009). Educators, as lifelong learners, provide students with the skills and tools they need to succeed academically and socially. More consistent and effective programs that appropriately equip educators and provide them with the information, skills, and resources needed to successfully engage children and boost academic achievement are required to achieve this. Effective teaching and learning cannot take place in an unfriendly classroom environment. Teachers create a good and successful learning environment by planning and delivering various classes that cater to a wide range of students.

student skills and interests. It also entails developing realistic and rigorous academic achievement standards for students. Teachers must demonstrate their commitment to teacher professional development by participating in and attending appropriate inservice courses, as well as committing to a professional study program.

Teacher training, teaching experiences, pedagogical methods, and professional development are all examples of teacher concepts that have an impact on students, and this study focuses on these aspects. Teachers with the necessary characteristics have been identified as the most important resources in the educational system because they interpret educational aims and goals and ensure that students are educated in accordance with them. Teachers with the necessary characteristics, according to Odunusi (2009), are the heart of any educational system.

Their dedication and excellence. Teacher training, according to Dalton and Moir (2002), can provide instructors with the tools they need to help students improve their academic performance. Reformative in-service education for teachers, according to Lauriala (2008), is capable of creating teacher cognitions and elements critical to changes in knowledge about students, learning, and teachers’ responsibilities.

The value of teaching as a profession cannot be overstated. In order for students to succeed, teachers’ qualities must be clearly established and standardized. Students’ success is heavily reliant on their professors’ abilities. It is commonly assumed that teachers with the necessary characteristics will have a significant impact on their students’ academic progress. This is what this study will look into.

1.2 Problem Statement

It is important to teach.

a career that provides challenges, excitement, personal fulfillment, and the opportunity to encourage and support others in achieving their goals. Kahle, Fargo, and Johnson (2007). Good teachers work with their colleagues, parents, other professionals, and community members to motivate their students to learn. Teachers gain characteristics such as excellent subject knowledge, patience, a good sense of humour, and so on as a result of the intensive training they receive during their pre-service training. These qualities are essential for instilling long-term behavioral changes in students. Teachers who possess these characteristics are expected to motivate and push students to work hard in order to raise educational standards.

However, there have been widespread complaints about the academic performance of Nigerian students in general, and of Lagos State in particular.

especially has fallen short of expectations.

Many students struggle with reading and math. According to Ochuba (2008), there has been a public outcry in Nigeria over the continuous decline in educational standards, as evidenced by public examinations and the performance of education outputs that are insufficient for employment.

So, does this imply that the characteristics of instructors have no beneficial effect on the performance of their students? If that’s the case, what could have been the root causes? The goal of this study is to look into the relationship between the quality of instructors and students’ academic achievement in the Metropolis.

1.3 Study Objectives

The main purpose of this study is to assess teachers’ characteristics and students’ academic performance in Nigerian secondary schools in Education District (IV),

Lagos. This study specifically seeks to:

1. Determine the relationship between teacher quality and student academic performance in Education District (IV), Lagos.

2. Determine the impact of teacher experience on students’ academic performance in Lagos’ Education District (IV).

3. Determine the impact of in-service teacher training on student academic performance in Education District (IV), Lagos.

4. Investigate the impact of teacher professional development on students’ academic performance in Lagos Education District (IV).

1.4 Research Issues

The following research questions were answered in this study:

1. Will the quality of teacher have any significant effect on the performance of secondary school students?

2. Will teacher experience significantly affect the academic performance of secondary school students?

3. Will the in-service training of teachers affect

secondary school students’ performance?

4. How does teacher professional development affect students’ academic performance in Education District (IV), Lagos?

1.5 Importance of the Research

This study aims to provide educational planners and policymakers with some insight by highlighting some basic but seemingly overlooked educational services such as education resource center services, in-service training, and internal supervision of instructions.

The study’s recommendations may help teachers and school administrators re-examine the educational services they provide and identify the services that are essential for quality teaching and learning.

The findings of this study may also help to expand the body of knowledge on the impact of educational services on teacher quality in the future.

Secondary schools in Lagos state. It will also contain some useful reference materials for future researchers who may wish to conduct similar studies elsewhere. Furthermore, the study emphasizes the importance of teachers being academically, physically, and intellectually sound in order to produce quality students that the nation requires in this millennium.

Finally, the study is expected to guide educational planners in the provision of educational services that may improve secondary school teachers’ quality.

1.6 Research Limitations

This study focuses on the characteristics of teachers and the academic performance of students in Nigerian secondary schools. It is applicable to the Education District (IV) of Lagos State.

1.7 Key Terms Definition

The following terms are operationally defined as they are used in this study:

Teacher education refers to the policies and procedures that are designed to provide teachers with the knowledge, attitudes, behaviors, and skills they need to perform their duties effectively in the classroom, school, and community.

Experience teaching: Familiarity with teaching skills and knowledge gained through months or years of actual practice.

Pedagogical practices: The teaching methods and practices.

Professional Development: This term encompasses all types of facilitated learning opportunities, from academic degrees to formal coursework, conferences, and informal learning opportunities in the workplace.

Academic achievement: The result of an examination given to students at the end of an achievement test.

Teachers’ self-efficacy: This refers to a teacher’s ability to promote students’ learning.

 

Leave a Comment