CHAPTER
ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1
BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY
The importance of qualified teachers and school environment
in secondary schools today in particular cannot be overemphasized. Reason being
that school environment has a major effect in the quality of education students
received. This implies that schools that fail to provide the necessary learning
facilities and create a conducive atmosphere for teaching and learning coupled
with qualified teachers may hardly put in the best in their students especially
in the area of academic performances.
The quality of education not only depends on the
teachers teaching performances, but also on how he/she can control the school
environment effectively (Ajao,
2001). Many factors might contribute to students’ poor achievement inschool
which may include: poor study habits and lack ofavailable resource materials,
poor school climate, indiscipline,inadequate facilities, teachers’
ineffectiveness, the teachingmethod and the type of learning environment
available for boththe students and the teachers, Teacher’s ineffectiveness as a
cause of student’s poor performances can narrowed down to their qualification in
the subject(s) being taught. Learning can also be
said to occurthrough one’s effective interaction with one’s environment.
Environmenthere refers to availability of facilities that are of good help to
facilitate studentslearning and yield a positive outcome on their academic
performances. This environment ranges from books, audio-visual, software
andhardware of educational technology; so also, size of classroom,sitting
position and arrangement, availability of tables, chairs,chalkboards, shelves
on which instruments for practical arearranged (Farrant, 1991 and
Farombi, 1998).
On the other hand, the extent at which some teachers,
exhibit high level of indiscipline within the school environment does not seem
to portray them as role models. Thus, they rather encourage indiscipline among
students by their attitudes as this may have negative influence of students’
academic achievement.
Teachers
on the other-hand can make or mar the school curriculum; therefore, their adequacy
and quality such as qualification, experience, attitude and personality for
better service delivery needs to be assessed by the school authority on a
regular basis, so that students’ academic performance won’t be jeopardize with.
The
availability of qualified teachers is a major determinant in the performance of
students in schools Akinsolu (2010).Coonen (1987) emphasizes that teachers who
has undergone in-service training were more effective in classrooms as compared
to teachers who had not undergone any form of training.
Many scholars and researchers generally are not in agreement
that the school environments, which include teacher administration, play a
critical role in positive academic performances than other variables (Patrick,
2005). The important role of the teachers in the learning is unquestionable.
Teachers have been said to have a lot of influence on their classroom
practices. Teachers should have and apply specific teaching skills and abilities
that can be reflected in their students’ performance in the subject they teach,
in which the students will be able to make connection between whatis taught in
school and its application in problem solving in real life.
1.2
STATEMENT OF PROBLEM
The
influence of teacher quality and school environment on positive academic
achievementof students has been an issue of concern to all stakeholders and
researchers ineducation. This is crystal clear in the rate of mass failure of
studentsin both internal and external examinations which might be narrowed down
to lack of basic infrastructural facilities like good
buildings and classrooms and teacher quality, experience and competence.However,
several research studies have fail to identified other factors such as school
climate, discipline and physical facilities, teacher quality, type of location
of school and over population of students inclassroom as being responsible for
poor academic for pooracademic achievement of students. However, the researcher
is examining the effect of teacher’s quality and work environment on secondary
school students’ academic performance.
1.3
OBJECTIVES OF STUDY
The
following are the objectives of this study
1. To examine the teacher’s quality as
determinants of secondary school students academic performance
2. To determine the effect of work environment
on secondary school students academic performance
3. To identify factors that affect
secondary school students academic performance
1.4 RESEARCH
QUESTIONS
1. What are the effects of work
environment on secondary school students academic performance?
2. What is the correlation between the
teacher’s quality and secondary school students academic performance?
3. What are the factors encouraging
secondary school students academic performance?
1.5 HYPOTHESIS
Hypothesis 1
HO: Teacher’s quality does not determine secondary
school students’ academic performance
HA:Teacher’s quality determine secondary
school students academic performance
Hypothesis 2
HO: Work environment does not have any
effect on secondary school students’ academic performance.
HA: Work environment does have effect on
secondary school students’ academic performance.
1.6 SIGNIFICANCE
OF STUDY
·
The
outcome of this study will form a useful guide for school management/boards on
type of school environment that can facilitate better learning among secondary
school students.
·
The
result of this study will also go a long way to help in maintaining discipline
among teachers because of the major role they play in student’s academic
performance.
·
The
outcome of this research work will also go a long way in educating school
management and board on the quality of teachers that are been employed.
·
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
SCOPE/LIMITATIONS OF STUDY
This study
on teacher’s quality and work environment as determinants of secondary school
student’s academic performance will cover the assessment of a selected
secondary school, its environment and the teachers.
1. 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).
2.
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.
1.8 DEFINITION
OF TERMS
1. Teacher: a person whose job is to pass
information and orient students about certain subjects
2. Student: a person formally engaged in learning,
especially one enrolled in a school or college
3. Environment:the setting or conditions in which a
particular activity is carried on.
4. Performance: the accomplishment of a given task
measured against preset known standards of accuracy, completeness, cost and
speed