Abstract: The study investigated Classroom Management Techniques and Students’ Academic Performance in Economics in Secondary Schools in Uyo Local Government Area. The population of the study is three thousand and eight (3008) Economics students in senior secondary two (SS2) from the thirteen (13) public secondary schools in Uyo Local Government Area. Two research questions and two research hypotheses were formulated to guide the study. A structured questionnaire titled “Classroom Management Technique and Academic Performance of Students Questionnaire (CMTAPSQ)” and Students’ Economics Achievement Test (EAT) were the main instruments for data collection. The research design was a quasi-experimental design. Data were analyzed using Mean, Standard deviation and independent test statistic.
Findings revealed that there is no significant difference in the use of class activities on students’ academic performance in Economics; and there is no significant different in teacher’s leadership style on students’ academic performance in Economics in Secondary Schools in Uyo Local Government Area. Based on this it was recommended that teachers should use class activities and democratic leadership style during the teaching of Economics so as to improve students’ participation and increase academic performance.
Classroom Management Techniques and Students’ Academic Performance in Economics in Secondary Schools
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background to the Study
Many formed organization like secondary schools are aimed at effective and efficient management of human and material resources available for the teacher. The teachers have a lot of functions to perform in the teaching and learning process for effectiveness to be achieved. Teacher’s effectiveness in the classroom management technique to control students towards effective and meaningful learning.
Also, the academic achievement of students in school can be attributed to the teacher’s ability to managed and control the classroom during instruction (Ibanga, 2014). This cannot be achieved however in a classroom that is not well maintained since the classroom is characterized by students with diverse characteristic, materials with several functions and if not properly arranged may be the interest of the educational process. There has to be a smooth and effective way of handling the class through the process of controlling, supervising, planning, mobilizing of various resources. It is the process of utilizing diverse techniques to execute the educational policies in order to realize the ultimate objective of learning.
Management in the classroom has to be done in a systematic and orderly manner. It needs to be well handled by teachers (Ekanem, 2006). Classroom management techniques can be seen as a wide variety of skill that teachers use to keep students organized, orderly, focused, attentive, on task and academically productive during a class.
Finding by Ekanem (2006), asserts that learning cannot take place in a rowdy atmosphere it calls for a conducive and controlled environment as such the purpose of classroom management need not be over-emphasized. The purpose includes the following; to ensure that the national objectives of educating are achieved. Classroom is the power room in which the objective are dissected and coupled through different processes of teaching and learning; to encourage hard work. Student themselves can be appointed to assist the teacher as the teacher assign responsibilities to them, they are been trained as leaders to tomorrow.
However, in secondary schools, there several classroom management techniques which according to Omenka and Otor (2015) include the method of maintaining of discipline, motivational teaching methods, leadership styles, use of instructional materials and communication. The authors further explained that classroom discipline is a function of the interaction between teachers and students which bring about self control and respect for authority by students and to Omenka and Otor, classroom discipline can be achieved by setting of rules in the classroom that student should follow while teaching and learning process is going on. For instance, disturbance during class will demand the students to answer certain question based on the lesson before he or she sat down.
Another way of ensuring discipline is rearrangement of sitting, position among students. The authors concluded that discipline is a classroom management technique that teachers in secondary schools must adopt since some secondary schools student are in their period of adolescent which is characterized as a period of stress and storm.
The use of motivational teaching method such as the use of class activities which enhance participatory learning where the students are being engage during and after the lesson. This could also involve the use of class discussion. According to Akpan (2013), the use of motivational teaching method is a classroom management technique which stimulates students to take actions that will enhance their learning and that technique does not allow students to be lazy. Akpan added that the teacher can use reward learners in order to increase the probability of reporting the desired behaviour. Peter (2012) posited that the use of motivation by teachers in classroom management enables the students to be eager to learn, willing to undertake learning activities and attend classroom regularly and punctually and that some student’s interest are aroused only by rewards while others are spurred by showing of demonstration stories and other relevant instructional materials.
Moreover, Udoudo (2006) is of the vein that the leadership style of teachers is another variable use in measuring the classroom management technique of the teachers. The author added that the three leadership style passed by the teacher influence the students performance in the classroom during lesson, for instance, a teacher who adopt democratic leadership style will have his or her students involved in the decision making during lesson presentation and also an autocratic leadership style when adopted by the teacher make the student to learn with fear without having deep understanding of who he or she is learning and also that laisser faire classroom leadership style. Influence the students’ performance as the students are given freedom to do whatever they like in the classroom.
This therefore means that the leadership style adopted by secondary school teacher. This therefore formed the background for the researcher to investigate classroom management technique adopted by the teacher as it influence student’s academic performance in economics in secondary in Uyo Local Government Area.
Classroom Management Techniques and Students’ Academic Performance in Economics in Secondary Schools
1.2 Statement of the Problem
The importance of appropriate classroom management technique in the realization of educational objectives cannot be over emphasized. The classroom management techniques used in the classroom such as maintenance of classroom discipline provide training of the students on respect for authority and obeying set out rules and responsibilities which if imbibed by the students may increase their learning process. Also, the uses of motivational teaching methods make learning to be students centered and encourage students’ participation as they take part in class activities.
Similarly the leadership style adopted in the classroom also influence the participation of students in the class as some students like learning in environment that they are free to contribute during teaching learning process.
However, classrooms which have adequate learning activities assist in maintaining the zeal of the class and arouse the students’ interest in learning. Students’ interest can be arouse either by inner or external stimulus and motivation can be used to arouse students’ interest either by using rewards and indentures or by setting up class activities which make the students to be involved in the learning process which thereby increase students’ learning. This therefore motivated the researcher to investigate whether these behaviour have significant influence on students’ academic performance in school as he or she carryout this present study on classroom management technique and students’ academic performance in Economics in secondary in Uyo Local Government Area.
