CHAPTER
ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background to the Study
One of the most common causes of
organizational inefficiency is poor communication or interaction among and or
between staff and their leaders at the upper echelon. Communication is an
important factor in human relations, for without interaction, meaningful
relationships would be possible and without relationships among people,
communication will not be necessary. Chigodu (1998), communication is the
process of transmitting and imparting information from a sender to a receiver.
It is a process of transmitting meanings from sender to receiver, for an
effective communication to occur the receiver must first get the information as
intended by the sender.
According to Uzor (1989), interaction
in a system may be internal (that is within the organization) or external (that
is outside the organization). Different types of interactions have been
identified in various organizations such as oral or verbal interactions,
written communications grapevine and signs or symbols. In any form of
communications or interactions process, meanings are conveyed through a medium
as a memorandum, a telephone call, or a conversation between two or more
persons in the organization of an institution.
Meaningful interaction between the
leader (principal) and teachers, and or students, can only occur through proper
channels and medium of communication (Onyene, 2002). She notes that performance
and expectations are transmitted upwards while suggestions flow downwards. That
reports on teachers’ performances provide information required for
administrative decision-making related to promotion, demotion, inservice
programmes, transfers, rewards etc. That such report is channeled to higher
educational personnel who may be in the ministry of education or schools’
board. Improvement, suggestion, resources and criticisms may be transmitted
downward from the headteacher or some other personnel in school.
Thus, an earlier perspective (Adeleke,
1994), asserted that generally, the purpose of communication in the school is
to afford the headheacher (principal or headmaster/mistress) and the teachers
or students the opportunity to discuss the different aspects of the teaching or
learning process and other business of the school. Both educational personnel
therefore need to decide on certain arrangements or activities usually,
initiates the interaction. This helps to develop a clear understanding of their
responsibilities to each other.
In this regard relevant questions may
be required on the why, when, what and how of the leadership engagement. No
wonder Onaderu (1990) insisted communication will be necessary to set goals of
students and the expectations of their academic achievement.
School transactions need to be
communicated in verbal-oral and verbal-written forms. Both the principal and
the teacher need to talk to each other. The dialogue and the teacher need to
talk to each other. The dialogue between the school personnel usually services
to clear uncertainties or apprehensions which the principal of headteacher may
have. Dialoguing help to set the teacher at ease and to create the friendly
familiar atmosphere required for effective instructional purposes in an
institution (Anywnwu, 2000). For instance, teachers in the school system need
to co-operate with one another for effective teaching/learning outcome; they
need to adopt the intergroup relationship whereby they rub minds on crucial and
nutty issues concerning the teaching and learning process.
Also, it has been said by Onyene (2005)
that teachers who work together have the habit of guided practice. This,
according to her, is a situation whereby teachers guide themselves on certain
teaching problems and prepare to answer questions in the classroom. There
should be teacher-teacher relationship if high productivity is expected from
the staff; and principal and teachers should relate and be friendly if they
will achieve great productivity in the school (Onyeji, 2001). He observed that
experienced teachers adopt the cooperative review, which brings about the
reviewing of important subject matters that will help them to teach well in the
school. This is a simple but very useful informal cooperative teaching method
called think-pair-share. It was developed to assist teachers to assist the
students in the classroom.
1.2 Statement of the Problem
Ineffective team
building at the primary school level by the school and unnecessary charged
atmosphere in the school environment are due to lack of staff interaction.
Schools where there are rancour, bad politics and segregation amongst the
entire rank and file of the workforce there would be inadequate love, mutual
understanding which may lead to inadequate principal-teachers relationship,
teacher – teacher relationship, teachers – students relationship which often
results to backwardness and stuntedness in the school.
Inadequate
interaction in the school amongst staff, can affect teachers’ work performance,
principals’ leadership roles and students’ academic achievement in the school,
and can adversely affect the school – community relationship. This study
therefore examines staff interaction co-operation and effectively team building
at the primary school level in Lagos
State.
This study
therefore investigates staff interactive co-operation and effective team
building in Lagos
State primary schools.
1.3 Purpose of the Study
The purposes of this study are:
(i)
to ascertain whether there is effective interaction and
co-operation among primary school teachers;
(ii)
examine whether there is intergoup relationship between the
performance of teachers who interact cooperatively and those who do not;
(iii)
assess the extent to which interactive cooperation of
primary school teachers influence team building.
1.4 Research Questions
The following research questions were
raised for the conduct of this study:
(i)
Is there any effective interaction amongst primary school
teacher?
(ii)
Will mutual cooperation among teachers at the primary school
affect their work performance?
(iii)
Will teacher – teacher relationship affect their team
building at the primary school level?
1.5 Research Hypothesis
The following research hypotheses were
formulated in this study thus:
(i)
There will be no significant influence of interaction on
teachers’ work performance at the primary school levels.
(ii)
There will be no significant gender difference in the
interaction co-operation of teachers at the primary school level.
(iii)
There will be no significant difference between the work
attitude of primary school teachers, who interacted and those who did not.
1.6 Significance of the Study
The study is beneficial in many ways
especially to the following individuals: Teachers will capture the essence of
interaction and co-operation through the findings and recommendations of this
study. It will help them to imbibe the culture of communicating with others in
the school for effective productivity and building of good team work in school.
Parents would be able to understand
through this study that to interact and communicate even amongst other teachers
will bring about effective cooperation and mutual understanding which will
enable students to perform well in the school. This is because if teachers
corporate and interaction effectively, there will be good team and by working
well, their students’ academic performance will improve tremendously.
The school authority will know the
deeper essence of creating a school atmosphere that gives the teachers the
opportunity to interact and co-operate work in order to ensure team work in the
school. His team work amongst teachers, teachers’ morals would be boosted for
effective work on productivity in the schools.
Government
will through this study understand the importance teachers’ interaction and
co-operation. Not only that, this study will help the government to be able to
know that good school climate will ensure teachers’ team work in the school.
1.7 Scope
of the Study
The study covers the investigation into staff interactive
co-operation and effective team building among primary school teachers in
selected secondary schools in Mainland Local Government Area of Lagos.
1.8 Definitions of
Terms
Operational terms
were defined in this study as follows:
(i)
Staff
Cooperation:
This refers to the ability to communicate and relate with one another by staff
in any organization or institution. Staff cooperation among teachers brings
about healthy school environment and effective work performance.
(ii)
Staff
Interaction:
This means effective communication among members of staff in any given school
environment or setting. Interaction could be in form of friendliness or cordial
relationship that exists among staff (teachers).
(iii)
Staff
Intervention:
This refers to the mutual activities that exist in the school among teachers or
staff. It is the activities carried out in the school, in which staff assists
themselves in the process of teaching and learning.
(iv)
Investigation: This means
making a research on something in order to find out the fact of the matter.
(v)
Opportunity: This refers to a time, juncture or condition of things
favourable to an end or purpose, or admitting being done or affected; occasion
or chance.
(vi)
Academic
Performance:
This refers to level or rate at which students’ outcomes are measured in the
school during a particular school period in a particular subject or course of
study.