ABSTRACT: This study investigated Teachers Quality and Academic Performance of Students. The Survey design was used for the study. The design was suitable because of studied large population through a representative sample in order to find out and described the existing phenomena in the population. The population of the study of 4,800 students in public secondary schools in the study area. There were total of 10 public secondary schools in the area. Ten (10) public secondary schools in the study area through simple random sampling technique. Two hundred (200) students were chosen for the sample size for the study. The data for this study was collected using a questionnaire. It was called Impact of Teacher’s Quality on the Students Academic Performance Questionnaire. It had 15 items. The respondents were expected to respond to either Agree (A) or Disagree (D) to each statement in part B of the questionnaire. The data obtained for the study was analyzed using t-test formular. This test statistic tested all the hypotheses at 0.05 alpha levels.
Teachers Quality and Academic Performance of Students
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background to the Study
A teacher is a person who provides education for pupils and students. He is someone who facilitates education for an individual and may also be described as a personal tutor. According to Mbise (2015) a teacher is an expert who is capable of imparting knowledge that will help learners to build, identify and to acquire skills that will be used to face the challenges in life. The teacher also provides to the learners knowledge, skills and values that enhance development. A teacher is the person who is capable of creating behavioural change in terms of cognitive, psychomotor as well as affective domain (Senge, 2016). An educated person is capable of utilizing the available opportunities in both private and public sectors. The educated person can easily secure employment as well as having life skills that will enable him/her to interact well in the society.”
Good performance/achievement in schooling could be the partial contribution of several factors such as teacher, students and school variable among others. Adodo (2017) argued that one key overriding factor for the success of students’ academic performance is the teachers. In the same vein Ibrahim (2010), believed that teacher charts qualification and exposure can go a long way to bring about student’s high academic performance. It is probably for this reason; Ibukun (2019) asserted that no education system can be rise above the quality of its teachers. Considering the assertions it implies that teachers role in the preparation of pupil’s to successes in examinations cannot be undermined.
Grave stock and curator Greenleaf (2008) states that the explanation for good or poor pupil’s academic performance have been quite exhaustive yet controversy still exists among scholars as to what contribute single or jointly to pupil’s poor performance.
Be that as it may the important role of the teachers in learning is unquestionable. Teachers have a lot of influence on the classroom practice. Teachers should have and apply specific abilities without which their influence may not be reflected for pupils 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 their teaching.
In his study Adeogun (2015) opine 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 goal and objective of the educational system, Adesina (1980) also noted that teachers are the major indication and determinate of quality education. Highly professional teacher who are dedicated are needed in schools. It has been established accounting to correlation between what teacher knows and what they teach. Thus the ability to teach effectively depends on the teacher’s knowledge and knowledge occurs in a variety of forms. Teacher effectiveness is impeded if the teacher is unfamiliar with the body of knowledge taught. The implication of this for teacher is that they must thoroughly understand the content of what they teach.
Usman (2003) argued that shortage of qualified teachers is responsible for the poor academic performance observable among the pupils while Ademulegun (2001) argued that pupils taught by more qualified and experience teachers in terms of knowledge of the subject matter performs batter then those taught by less qualified but experienced teachers.
Teachers Quality and Academic Performance of Students
1.2 Statement of the Problem
Among the many problems facing the educational system in Nigeria is the poor quality and quantity of professional teachers. A personnel audit carried out by the National Primary Education Commission in (2012) suggested that there was a short fall in the supply of qualified teachers of both the primary and secondary level to the tune of 22% and 8% respectively (Nwideeduh 2003).
The above trend results in recruiting individuals with little or no quality characteristics into teaching profession. Joshua (2019) and Akiabote (2017) has examined not only on the effectiveness and efficiency of the teachers but also the willingness and readiness of the learners to imbibe the knowledge, skill and precepts taught by such teachers.
Lack of professionalism among most of the teachers had resulted in a display of behaviour that discourages the students from learning under them. These days, most teachers exhibits poor teacher students relationship, leadership, lateness and absenteeism from work. Lack of mastery of the subject matter etc. has been observed by Isyoku (2016), as being the cause of poor academic performance among students such attitude may be held responsible for the readiness of the students to learn under such teachers. Hence, lack of academic discipline among the students. Based on the above observation, this study is carried out to examined the Teachers Quality and Academic Performance of Students in secondary schools.
1.3 Purpose of the Study
The main purpose of this study was to examine the impacts on the academic performance of the students in Secondary Schools in Potiskum local Government Area of Yobe State, the specific purpose includes:
- to determine the relationship between teacher communication skills and students’ academic performance .
- to determine the relationship between teacher classroom management skills and students’ academic performance.
- to determine the relationship between teacher-student relationship and students’ academic performance .
- to determine the relationship between teacher knowledge of subject matter and students’ academic performance
1.4 Significance of the Study
This study would be useful particularly to teachers who are in direct contact with the learners. Students look up to the teacher as a model and the teachers’ quality have a way of influencing the learners. As such qualities could be acquired through adequate professional training; the study would also be useful to government and other stakeholders in the education sector.
They will find it useful as means of encouraging teacher education to enable the teachers acquire those characteristics to facilities effective teaching and learning.
Teachers: as they will adjust and put on those characters that will positively affect the performance of students.
Serves as a reference material to their researchers in the future and as well show cases the researcher contribution to the development in education in the states as well as the nation at large.
Government: This study will cause government to send educational supervisors to monitor the activities of teachers in secondary schools and ensured that adequate materials are provided and utilized effectively.
1.5 Research Questions
The following research questions were used to guide this study.
- How does teacher communication skills impacts on students’ academic performance ?
- Does teacher classroom management skills have impacts on students’ academic performance ?
- To what extent does teacher-student relationship impacts on students’ academic performance ?
- How does teacher knowledge of subject matter impacts on students’ academic performance ?
1.6 Research Hypotheses
The following null hypotheses were formulated to guide the study:
- There is no significant relationship between teacher communication skills and students academic performance.
- There is no significant relationship between classroom management skills and academic performance of students.
- There is no significant relationship between teacher-student relationship and academic performance of students.
- There is no significant relationship between teacher knowledge of subject matter and academic performance of students.
1.7 Delimitation of the Study
This study is delimited in scope to impact of teacher’s quality on secondary school students’ academic performances in Potiskum Local Government Area of Yobe State. The variables covered in the study include the impact of teacher’s communication skills, teacher classroom management skills, teacher-student relationship, teacher knowledge of subject matter on the academic performance of students.
1.8 Limitation of the Study
The study was faced with the following limitations:
- Finance: This exerted a great influence to the study at the researcher could hardly get enough money to cover wider area in her local government.
- Another great limitation of this study was lack of adequate empirical literature to actual put the researcher on a proper focus.
- Finally other variables that might constitute teachers quality were not tested for or controlled. All such limitations might influence the statistical indices as well as generalized of the findings.
1.9 Operational Definition of Terms
Teacher’s quality: This refers to the traits, disposition and personality identified in the teacher.
Teacher: Is a person who teaches or instructs, especially as a profession instructor.
Teaching: This is the process through which knowledge and skills are impacted to the learners by the teacher.
Learning: This is the process of acquiring the skills, attitudes and knowledge acquires by a learners from the teaching situation.
Academic performance: Academic performance is the measurement of student achievement across various academic subjects. Teachers and education officials typically measure achievement using classroom performance, graduation rates and results from standardized tests.
Secondary school: A secondary school can be defined as an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. It is a school for learners between the ages of 11 or 12 and 17 or 18.
