The Effect Of Qualities Of Home Economics Teachers On The Performance Of Students In Wassce

The Effect Of Qualities Of Home Economics Teachers On The Performance Of Students In Wassce

Chapiter 1

1.0 Overview

1.1 Study Background

Since the middle of the 20th century, there has been intense debate about the quality of teachers all across the world. In a study, Riovkin, Hanushek, and Kain (1998) showed that teacher quality had a much bigger impact on kids’ achievement than any other frequently seen component, such as home environment, supportive classroom, etc.

The caliber of teachers is a subject of considerable importance. Between states and across countries, there are significant differences in the quality of teachers. While highlighting the significance of teacher quality in the implementation of the curriculum, the National Policy on Education (Federal Republic of Nigeria, Revised 2004) also highlighted that no nation’s educational system can surpass the quality of its instructors. Any discussion of schools must include teachers, and the bulk of educational policies either directly or indirectly address their position. Additionally, teachers, administrators, and parents continually stress the importance of the role that instructors play in relation to other factors that affect academic performance. Comparable to other factors that affect academic success, teachers have a role. Every educational system needs instructors since the caliber of the system as a whole is greatly influenced by the caliber of the teaching force.

Education experts and academics have argued about which school factors affect student accomplishment for a long time. This question has increased significance when policymakers become more involved in school reform because their initiatives rely on presumptions about the relationships between different educationally related elements like class size, teacher quality, school size, etc. According to Peter (1997), “quality is the basic irreplaceable feature of a thing.” For instance, the qualities of excellent scientific instructors relate to those qualities that improve the teacher’s fitness and effectiveness in carrying out the tasks related to science education.

Policy makers, educational leaders, institutions that train teachers, and those who are engaged in enhancing public education all find teacher quality to be an important educational topic. The quality of the teacher is the key to improved student performance regardless of the state of the schools, the child’s wealth, the character of the community, or any other aspect of the lives or educational environments of schoolchildren, according to American Council on Education (1999). To guarantee that kids are meeting a variety of cognitive goals, quality teachers use a wide range of teaching methods, experiences, assignments, and materials. If we want to make sure that our children meet the high standards required for them to have full lives and become productive students, we must provide them with well-prepared, highly skilled teachers.

Ingersoll (1996) defined teacher quality as a measure of a teacher’s credentials, teaching methods, certification, experience, and preparations for teaching. Content knowledge, pedagogical understanding, teaching qualifications, and verbal skills are all parts of teacher qualification. According to Shulman (1987), there are seven (7) professional competencies necessary for high-quality teaching, including knowledge of the academic subject, knowledge of teaching techniques, knowledge of the traits and cultural background of students, knowledge of curriculum materials and programs, knowledge of the teaching environment, subject-specific knowledge of teaching techniques, and knowledge of the objectives and purposes of instruction. Salvin (2003) underlined the importance of having a strong understanding of the subject matter and the ability to inspire students. He must also understand how to make the best use of class time and how to deal with individual variances.

In order to be useful in the classroom, a home economics teacher must constantly update both his knowledge of the subject matter and his teaching strategies for integrated science. He should make an effort to acquire the necessary knowledge to be able to teach any aspect of the program’s content.

Good teachers are knowledgeable in their fields and are able to effectively communicate that information to their students. They are deliberate educators who regularly reflect on and improve their own teaching strategies by going to professional seminars and conferences. According to Reynolds (1995), competent teachers are capable of performing all the duties necessary for efficient education. A good teacher is a thinker who is aware of the needs and developmental stages of their students. They are also taught to provide differentiated instruction that takes into account each student’s unique learning style.

Gregorian (2001) emphasized that preservice teacher education can be held responsible for one of the most common complaints about bad teaching in schools today. According to Darling-Hammond Clung and Frelow (2002), effective teacher preparation programs are essential for producing high-caliber educators. Geo (2007) also identified the following two important teacher qualification factors that, according to numerous research, have a significant, favorable impact on students’ learning:

(i) The subject-matter expertise of the teacher. He used mathematics to illustrate this point and claimed that more knowledgeable teachers generate students who perform better on math tests than less knowledgeable ones.

The experience level of the teacher is important. He used the example of having five years of experience to clarify this.

The purpose of this study is to look at how home economics teachers’ characteristics affect students’ WASSCE performance.

Statement of the problem: 1.2

There is a severe lack of qualified teachers across the nation, according to what I have heard and seen. Due to this, several states have been forced to hire individuals who do not match the criteria for a qualified teacher, meaning they have not proven their subject-matter expertise. They lack formal teacher training, and many of them have no prior classroom experience. Although teacher turnover is substantially higher in many secondary schools, more teachers are leaving for other professions.

Two (2) years before he started working at my school, one of my physics instructors in senior secondary school three (SS3) had just received his chemical engineering degree from university. This was the physics teacher’s first time instructing, he said. As a student, I observed that the physics teacher’s subject expertise was lacking and that his instructional approach was only adequate. When the results of the West African Examination Council’s (WAEC) senior secondary three (SS3) students’ physics exams were released, this was reflected in their performance. Poor performance was displayed.

This study aims to evaluate the relationship between home economics student academic achievement and teacher quality.

1.3 Study’s Goals And Objectives

The primary goal of the research project is to assess how home economics teachers’ characteristics affect students’ WASSCE performance. Additional precise goals of the study include:

1. To investigate the impact of teachers’ performance on students’ academic success in home economics

2. To look into what influences a teacher’s ability to teach home economics effectively.

3. To investigate the connection between home economics students’ participation and the characteristics of their professors

4. To assess the management of the school’s involvement in the hiring of competent home economics instructors

5. To give solutions to the aforementioned issues

1.4 Questions For Research

To determine the aforementioned study’s aims, research questions were developed. The following list of specific research questions is provided:

1. How does the caliber of teachers affect students’ academic success in home economics?

2. What elements affect a teacher’s ability to effectively teach home economics?

3. What connection exists between student attendance in home economics classes and the characteristics of the teachers teaching such classes?

4. What functions does the school administration have in finding suitable home economics teachers?

1.5 RESEARCH HYPOTHESIS STATEMENT

H0: There is no connection between the characteristics of home economic teachers and students’ attendance in those classes.

The presence of students in home economics classes and the characteristics of the professors are significantly correlated, according to hypothesis 1.

1.6 Importance Of The Study

The study on the relationship between characteristics of home economic teachers and students attendance to home economics classes will be of great benefit to the teachers, the school administration, the state government, the federal government, and the ministry of education in Nigeria. It will also discuss the effect of characteristics of home economic teachers on the performance of students in the WASSCE. The research will also go through the elements that determine good home economics teaching and learning. Finally, the study will add to the body of knowledge already available about the characteristics of home economics teachers.

1.7 Aim Of The Study

The relationship between the characteristics of home economic teachers and students’ attendance to home economics classes will be covered in the study on the impact of home economics teachers’ qualities on students’ performance in the WASSCE. It will also go through the elements that determine good home economics teaching and learning.

1.8 Study Limitations

Financial restraint: A researcher’s ability to collect data (through the internet, a questionnaire, and interviews) and locate relevant materials, literature, or information is often hindered by a lack of funding.

Time restraint: The researcher will do this investigation together with other academic activities at the same time. Consequently, less time will be spent on the research job.

1.9 Term Definition

TEACHERS QUALITY: According to the study, teachers’ quality is determined by their professionalism and teaching abilities when it comes to delivering business education in junior high and high school.

EFFECTIVE TEACHING: This simply entails the utilization of all available academic and instructional resources when teaching home economics.

LEARNING: the process of gaining knowledge or skills through instruction, experience, or study.