CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY
The quality of education is directly related to the quality of
instruction in the classrooms. It is a fact that the academic
qualifications, knowledge of the subject matter, competence, and skills
of teaching and the commitment of the teacher have effective impact on
the teaching learning process (National Education Policy 1998-2010).
Quality improvement in education depends upon proper training of
teachers. The teachers cannot play any of the roles unless properly
trained (Yadved and Singh, 1988). The performance of students
especially in external examinations goes a long way to show the level
of preparedness of the student definitely by qualified teachers.
Teaching is an art. It can be refined by training
and practice. The availability of competent teachers is central in the
reconstruction of the educational system. English has acquired the
status of a global language (Crystal, 1997). Keeping in view the
growing need and importance of English language in every walk of life,
English is made a compulsory subject in Nigeria from the very beginning
of the academic career. This increasingly necessitates good quality
initial preparation for non-native speaker teachers in the school
system (Cullen, 1994).
English is taught as a compulsory subject and
also the whole teaching learning process is carried out in English
language. In other words, English is also the medium of instruction in
Nigerian schools. This enables the students of these schools to learn
English in an environment where most of the interaction between the
teacher and the students is in English (Fuller & Clark, 1994). As a
result, the students of these schools are more proficient in English
and perform well in the external examinations.
In some schools, however, the teaching of English
is done somewhat differently and the proficiency in the language is
somewhat inadequate. The traditional grammar translation method is
favorite with the teachers and there is hardly any exposure to English
language inside or outside the class. Most of the activities in the
class are done in the vernacular or the mother tongue. Even English
language is explained through Urdu or the vernaculars (Al-mutawa &
Kailani, 1989). The students resort to memorization and cramming.
The teacher is the facilitator of examinations
rather than of learning. The students memorize, translate and
retranslate and, finally reproduce the crammed information or knowledge
in the external examinations. No creativity is witnessed on the part
of the students from this kind of teaching experience (Baumgardner,
1993). The reason is that the teachers themselves are not qualified or
competent enough to teach English efficiently. This causes poor results
in English eventually leading to highest failure percentage in English
at external examinations. Thus English becomes the biggest hurdle
(particularly for the students from rural areas) in the way to getting
higher education and the key administrative posts. In its annual
report, Federal Public Service Commission (1998) reported that English
language as the medium of expression in the external examination is
depriving the students of some poor institutions to compete with their
counterparts from highly placed institutions.
English as a language plays a number of roles in
the socio-economic, political and cultural development of Nigeria
society. The continued slide in the performance of students in the
English language in external examinations is a course for great concern
not only for the teachers but also for all stake holders in the
business of education. This is more worrisome when one considers the
fact that English doubles as a medium of instruction in Nigerian
schools as well as our linquafranca. The central role of English
cannot, therefore, be wished away. The pattern of failure has, however,
shown that the incidence appears to be higher in some schools than it
is with other schools. A number of factors have been linked to the
courses but more relevant is the issue of qualification of the
teachers. This is more important because in the business of teaching and
learning, teachers offer only what they have; you cannot offer what
you don’t have. The qualification of teachers involved in teaching and
learning has great roles in the performance of students and it is to
find out these effects that this study is set out to accomplish.
Chomsky (1972) “states that one can not really teach a language but can
only present the conditions in which it will develop spontaneously in
the mind in its own ways”
1.2 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
Language teaching has been the primary focus of applied
linguistics. Formal instruction does not work in vacuum. School
environment, teacher qualifications, curriculum and instructional
approaches, and many other factors interact to produce growth in
student academic skills and knowledge. There is sufficient empirical
evidence that suggests that the academic performance of students relies
substantially on the teachers they are assigned. Classroom based
research is valid enough to determine whether the learners are
receiving appropriate content instruction or not. Pennington (1989)
says that the quality of teaching must be considered in determining
what results can be expected. He further states that teachers make
decisions about classroom management based upon the achievement gains.
Thus we can say that findings about the relationship between teacher
characteristics and student academic performance scores are important
in determining the policy about the teachers. It is assumed that only
those who have professional training in English teaching should teach
English language. The English teacher should be the one whose
competence and proficiency in all the language skills are in a good
measure. But especially in written and conversational English, is not
deficient. The English teacher should have a good knowledge of current
usage and the theoretical aspects of English. In Nigeria today, most
students in secondary schools and in fact even in universities lack the
ability to communicate efficiently in English, both oral and written.
This is still the major problem faced by English students today. It is
therefore important to find out if the qualification of the English
teachers has any effect on the performance of the students in written
and spoken English in external examinations.
1.3 OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY
The following are the objectives of this study:
- To examine the effects of qualification of English teachers on
the performance of secondary school students in external examination.
- To examine the criteria for producing a qualified English teacher.
- To determine the factors that can improve the academic performance of secondary school students in external examinations.
1.4 RESEARCH QUESTIONS
- What are the effects of qualification of English teachers on
the performance of secondary school students in external examination?
- What are the criteria for producing a qualified English teacher?
- What are the factors that can improve the academic performance of secondary school students in external examinations?
1.5 HYPOTHESIS
HO: There is no significant relationship between the qualification
of English teacher and secondary school student performance in
external examination.
HA: There is significant relationship between the qualification of
English teacher and secondary school student performance in external
examination.
1.6 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY
The following are the significance of this study:
- This study will serve as a painter to the ministry of
education to verify whether the qualification of teachers has any
effect on the student performance in senior secondary school
certificate examination (SSCE). The finding will also help people who
want to conduct such research to serve as reference.
- This research will also serve as a resource base to other
scholars and researchers interested in carrying out further research in
this field subsequently, if applied will go to an extent to provide
new explanation to the topic
1.7 LIMITATION OF STUDY
Financial constraint- Insufficient fund
tends to impede the efficiency of the researcher in sourcing for the
relevant materials, literature or information and in the process of
data collection (internet, questionnaire and interview).
Time constraint- The researcher will
simultaneously engage in this study with other academic work. This
consequently will cut down on the time devoted for the research work.