TEACHERS’ PERSONALITY VARIABLES AND STUDENTS’ ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE IN BIOLOGY IN SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN UYO LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA, AKWA IBOM STATE

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1    Background of the Study

Every profession or vocation makes certain demands on its practitioners. The teaching profession is no exception. In this particular case, teaching does not only thrive on interaction between teachers and learners, it entails embarking on efforts that would bring about some transformation in the concepts and practices of the latter. It is within this context that we can understand Farrant’s (1964) advice that teachers need to develop those human qualities of personality and character that will make them better teachers. He adds that some of these qualities come naturally whereas others should be consciously laboured for. This, he believes, will enable the teacher to see teaching “as a means of helping children to meet the challenge of life” (p 208). The summary of the above is that the teacher cannot afford to play down on the issue of personality in his/her work.

Behaviour, as an expression of personality, pertains to the outward life of individuals which is public knowledge and which can be noted dispassionately (Child, 1973). Depending on various situational factors, one may manifest behaviours that are positive or negative, progressive or recessive.

Positive or progressive behaviours would help the teacher greatly in the performance of his/her work. Such behaviours include perseverance, a sense of humour and self-control. On the other hand, negative or recessive behaviours like lateness, impatience and laxity are bound to compromise or diminish the quality of the teacher’s performance and integrity.

According to Ntino (2004), even though behavioural psychology is criticized for its rote and seeming straight jacket approach to learning, it has much to offer to the Biology teacher. In the same vein, Ottong (2004), asserts that the process of individual personality development is strongly affected by social interaction.  It therefore means that the behavioural patterns of a Biology teacher matter greatly in the modification and adjustments that take place in the students.

In summary, the above emphasizes teaching effectiveness. Quoting from Brothers (1993), Ntino (2004), gives the following description for teaching effectiveness:

The effective teacher establishes an environment conducive to learning and uses appropriate instructional and interpersonal skills to produce educated students who are motivated to continue learning. Instructional skills include knowledge, communication, evaluation and organization. Personal traits include commitment and caring. Commitment includes execution of professional responsibilities and professional development for improvement of teaching and broadening of knowledge base. Caring includes responsiveness to students, fostering responsibility, treating students impartially, respecting divergent viewpoints and enhancing self-esteem. (p 4).

The above submission has several implications. The success of the Biology teacher does not depend only on his professional and instructional skills. His readiness to go close to the students, the way he comports himself before them, how he speaks to them, etc. are (personality) skills he cannot do without. As examples, a teacher would draw his students closer if he sometimes interacts with them in the local dialect or picks interest in the situation of things in their homes.

Biology is a natural science concerned with the study of life and living organisms, including their structure, function, growth, evolution, distribution and taxonomy. It is an integration of aerobiology, agriculture, anatomy, astrobiology, biochemistry, bioengineering, biogeography, bioinformatics, biomathematics, biomechanics, biomusicology, biophysics, biosemiotics, biotechnology, botany, cell biology, cognitive biology, cryobiology, ecology, environmental biology, epidemiology, evolutionary biology, genetics, hematology, integrative biology, marine biology, microbiology, molecular biology, nanobiology, neurobiology, population ecology, paleontology, pathology, physiology, phyto-patology, psychobiology, quantum biology, sociobiology, zoology (Sapp, 2003). Generally, students have difficulties with the vast and eclectic nature of modern biology composed of many branches and sub disciplines. This calls for considerable efforts by the Biology teacher to carry the students along. He must show understanding when they have difficulty and adopt a friendly attitude towards them within and outside the learning environment.

These behavioural patterns would contribute significantly in making students take their studies more seriously and thus perform better.

 1.2    Statement of the Problem

Farrant (1964:105), has rightly observed that what a teacher is and what he does speak much louder than what he says. This emphasizes the age-long saying that actions speak louder than words. Teachers (and people generally) do not take full cognizance of the far-reaching effect that their actions (and inactions) or conduct (and misconduct) have upon others. Otherwise we would not have teachers being habitually late to classes, having arrears of notes of lesson or being slow in marking the exercises they give their students.

It is not uncommon to find teachers making a brief appearance in school and then disappearing for the day or even days. Other aspects in which teachers can easily be faulted include converting the staff room to a market place or gossip centre, untidy appearance and inappropriate communication.

All these deviations are a source of distraction to and a subject of derogatory remarks by students. Just as they would not take the teachers concerned seriously, they would not take their studies seriously.

1.3    Purpose of the Study

This study aims at determining the relationship between teachers’ personality variables and students’ academic performance in Biology in secondary schools in Uyo Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State. Specifically, the study seeks to:

1. Determine the relationship between commitment of Biology teachers and students’ academic performance in biology in secondary schools in Uyo Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State.
2. Determine the relationship between the appearance of Biology teachers and students’ academic performance in biology in secondary schools in Uyo Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State.

• Determine the relationship between Biology teachers’ communication style and students’ academic performance in biology in secondary schools in Uyo Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State.

1. Determine the relationship between student-teacher interaction and students’ academic performance in biology in secondary schools in Uyo Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State.

1.4    Significance of the Study

This study is bound to have a broad-based significance to the teachers, students, curriculum planners, and the general public. Within the school environment we have principally the teachers and the students. Biology teachers and indeed all other teachers would benefit from the findings of this study as it would offer them the opportunity of seeing the need for re-evaluating their attitude to work. They would appreciate that such evaluation helps to mirror the degree of their effectiveness and, consequently, how it affects student’s performance.

Students may also benefit from this study, as they would come to appreciate the fact that certain approaches adopted by their teachers are purposely in their (students’) overall interest.

Outside the school environment are educational administrators and policy makers. The study may help them see the remarkable role which behavioural psychology play in developing their students. This realization is necessary in drawing up an appropriate structure and contents of training programmes and refresher courses for teachers.

The general public would benefit from the findings recorded in this study as it would serve as the basis for conducting future studies on Personality Variables.

1.5    Research Questions

The following research questions were formulated to guide the study;

1. To what extent does the level of commitment of Biology teachers relate with students’ academic performance?
2. To what extent does the appearance of Biology teachers relate with students’ academic performance?
3. What is the relationship between Biology teachers’ communication style and students’ academic students’ performance?
4. What is the relationship between student-teacher interaction and students’ academic performance in Biology?

1.6    Research Hypotheses

The following null hypotheses were formulated to guide the study:

1. There is no significant relationship between commitment of Biology teachers and students’ academic performance.
2. There is no significant relationship between the appearance of Biology teachers and students’ academic performance.

• There is no significant relationship between teachers’ communication style and students’ academic performance in secondary schools.

1. There is no significant relationship between student-teacher interaction and students’ academic performance in secondary schools.

 1.7    Basic Assumptions of the Study

For the purpose of this study, the following assumptions have been made:

1. Biology Studies teacher vary in their commitment,

leadership styles and methods of teaching.

1. It is envisaged that every secondary schools in all the sampled schools are of the same setting and standard.

• The teachers of the sampled schools are competent enough to give reliable information.

1. The sample used is well distributed and is representative of the population under study.
2. Teachers’ personality could be observed.
3. Students’ academic performance could be measured.

1.8    Scope and Delimitations of the Study

This study was delimited to the determining of the relationship between teachers’ personality and academic performance of students in Biology in secondary schools in Uyo Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State. Many teachers’ personalities could influence the academic performance of students but for the purpose of this study, only teachers’ personalities such as teachers’ commitment, teachers’ appearance, teachers’ communication style and teacher-student interaction were under investigation.

The scope of the study covered all the teachers and students in the thirteen public secondary schools in Uyo Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria during the 2015/2016 academic session.

1.9    Limitations of the Study

The study was limited in its scope as a result of inabilities to identify all the sub-variable that constitute teachers’ personalities. Although the descriptive survey design employed in the study enabled data collection on many variables, there were increased chances of sampling errors. Despite the fact that the design allowed for a large number of subjects, the number used was small since more subjects could attract increased costs.

 1.10  Operational Definition of Terms

Personality Variables: The various behavioural manifestations that make up an individual’s personality, for example; commitment to duty, friendliness and self-control.

Students: Those admitted into a (secondary) school for the purpose of receiving lessons from teachers.

Performance: The score obtained following an assessment of a student’s academic work.

Biology: A natural science concerned with the study of life and living organisms, including their structure, function, growth, evolution, distribution and taxonomy