ABSTRACT: The study investigated Teachers’ Qualification and the Teaching of Government in Secondary Schools. Three research questions were stated to guide the study. The survey research design was employed in the study. The population of the study included all teachers of Government in all the public secondary schools in Abak Local Government Area while sixteen (16) teachers of Government and ten (10) public secondary schools in Abak Local Government Area make up the sample of the study. The instrument for data collection was a fifteen itemed questionnaire entitled “Questionnaire on Teacher’ Qualification and Teaching of Government (QTQTG)”.
Teachers’ Qualification and the Teaching of Government in Secondary Schools
The data collected were analyzed using simple percentages statistical technique for research questions. Findings showed that the teachers’ qualification influence lesson preparation, lesson delivery and instructional materials selection in Government in secondary schools in Abak Local Government Area. Based on the findings it was recommended that Government should organize in-service and pre-service trainings, seminars, symposium and workshop to teachers in order to orient the teachers on emerging trends in educational system.
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background to the Study
Teaching is quite a complex concept and it usually demands knowing the context in which it is used to know in what sense we are using the word “Teaching” is mentioned. According to Ekanem & Ekanem (2010) teaching is seen as an act which requires describing the many body movements involved during the teaching exercise such as talking, writing, stretching, sitting, amongst others which can only be done by a trained and qualified teacher. Teaching is the conscious and deliberate effort by a matured or experienced person and imparts information, knowledge, skills to an immature or less experienced person with the intention that the later will learn or come to believe what he/she is taught on grounds that are good. The success of the learner in certain endeavour may be a function of effect teaching of the teacher.
Correspondingly, Adodo (2011) acknowledged this when stating that one key overriding factor for the success of students’ academic performance is the teacher. In the same vein, Ibrahim (2014) believed that teacher factor such as qualification, gender, years of experience and exposure say a lot about teacher’s teaching effectiveness which is evidenced in the academic performance of the students. It is probably for this reason that it is asserted that “No education system can rise above the quality of its teachers; implying that teachers’ role in the preparation of students to succeed in examination cannot be under estimated.
Similarly, Greenleaf (2008) posited that the role of the teacher in the teaching/learning process is unquestionable. This is because teachers have a lot of influence on the classroom practice and for students to be able to make connection between what is taught in school and its application in problem solving in real life, the teacher has to be effective in his/her teaching.
In another related study, Adeogun (2015) opined that the quality of the educational system depends on the quality of its teaching staff and that a school without human resources may not be able to achieve the goals and objectives of the educational system. The author added that teachers are the major indicators and determinants of quality education. Highly professional teachers who are dedicated are needed in schools as these account for the correlation between what the teachers know and what they teach. Thus, the ability to teach effectively depends on teachers’ variables.
Moreover, Usman (2008) posited that good teacher’s qualification is responsible for effective teaching among the teachers. Usman maintained that students taught by more qualified and more experienced teachers in terms of knowledge of the subject matter perform better than those taught by less qualified and less experienced teachers. From the above background, it is evident that the teacher is one key overriding factor for the success of student’s academic performance.
Teachers’ Qualification and the Teaching of Government in Secondary Schools
1.2 Statement of the Problem
Successful management and realization of objectives of teaching to a large extent can be attributed to many factors. Of these factors, teachers’ availability as well as their effectiveness play a very critical role. However, despite the important role of teachers in the teaching and learning process, there have been poor performances of students in their internal and external examinations. Government being the core social science subject that is offered in secondary level of education and at the tertiary level of education as political science has been seen to have been faced with the challenges faced by other subjects in terms of poor performance of students.
These poor performances among students have caused serious concern among teachers, parents, government, educational administrators and even students themselves. The parents and teachers have blamed the students for not reading. Owing to that fact, “no education system can rise above the level of its teachers, the researcher was triggered to ask “could teachers’ qualification influence the effectiveness of teachers?” Scholars and researchers generally are in agreement that teacher’s qualification play a critical role in the educational system in terms of the effectiveness of teachers.
However, none of these studies known to the researcher was conducted in secondary schools in the study area. It is this existing gap that this present study intended to fill. Hence, the research study on the topic: Teacher’s qualification and Teaching Effectiveness in Government in Secondary Schools.
