ABSTRACT
This study was carried out to investigate Influence of Classroom Management Techniques on Secondary School Students’ Academic Performance in Abia State. The study was a descriptive survey design. Three research questions and three null hypotheses guided the study. The population of 3728 was used for the study. The sample for the study consisted of 361 teachers (165 males and 196 females). The sample was drawn using proportionate stratified random sampling techniques to select 143 teachers from Aba education zone, 100 teachers from Ohafia Education Zone and 118 teachers from Umuahia education zone. The sample was further stratified into two with a population of 150 respondents in each strata, giving a total of 300 respondents. This was determined using Taro Yamane’s formula. The researcher developed a structured questionnaire titled “Influence of Classroom Management Techniques on Students’ Academic Performance (ICMTSAP) which was used for data collection. The instrument was validated by three experts in Educational Management, Educational Measurement and Evaluation and Educational Psychology and counselling, from Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike. The data obtained through the test retest method were used to determine the internal consistency reliability of the items which yielded reliability index of 0.67. The data collected were analyzed using mean and standard deviation to answer the research questions, while the t-test statistics was used to test the null hypotheses at 0.05 level of significance. The findings of the study revealed that classroom discipline, classroom motivation and classroom orderliness influence students’ academic performance to a high extent. Based on the findings, it was recommended that teachers should be well educated in the area of classroom discipline, they should also be able to motivate students adequately as well as ensure that classrooms are orderly arranged which will in turn enhance students’ academic performance.
TABLE OF
CONTENTS
Title page i
Declaration ii
Certification iii
Dedication iv
Acknowledgment v
Table of Contents vi
List of Tables vii
Abstract viii
CHAPTER 1
- INTRODUCTION
1.1
Background of the Study 1
1.2
Statement of the Problem 9
1.3
Purpose
of the Study 10
1.4
Significance of the Study 10
1.5
Research Questions 11
1.6
Hypotheses 12
1.7
Scope of the Study 12
CHAPTER 2
- REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE
2.1 Conceptual Framework 14
2.1.1 The Concept of Classroom Management 14
2.1.2 Concept of Classroom
Discipline 30
2.1.3 Concept of Classroom
Motivation 31
2.1.4 Concept of Classroom
Orderliness 32
2.1.5 Concept of Academic Performance 33
2.2 Theoretical
Framework 37
2.2.1 Human Relations Management
Theory by Elton Mayo (1950) 37
2.2.2 Operant
Conditioning Theory by B.F. Skinner
(1960) 38
2.3 Review of Empirical Studies 39
2.4 Summary
of Literature Review 42
CHAPTER 3 - METHODOLOGY
3.1 Design
of the Study 44
3.2 Area of Study 44
3.3 Population of the Study 45
3.4 Sample and Sampling Technique 45
3.5 Instrument for Data Collection 46
3.6 Validation of the Instrument 46
3.7 Reliability of the Instrument 47
3.8 Method of Data Collection 47
3.9 Method of Data Analysis 47
CHAPTER 4 - RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
4.1 Results 44
4.2 Discussion of the Findings 54
CHAPTER 5 –SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS
5.1 Summary 56
5.2 Conclusion 57
5.3 Recommendations 57
5.4 Limitations of the Study 58
5.5 Suggestions for Further Research 58
REFERENCES 59
APPENDICES 60
Appendix A Questionnaire 66
Appendix B Sample size formula 69
Appendix C Reliability of instrument 70
Appendix D Sample size Table 71
LIST OF
TABLES
Table 4.1: Mean
responses on the extent classroom
discipline
influence student’s academic performance. 44
Table 4.2: Mean
responses on the extent classroom motivation
influence
students’ academic performance. 46
Table 4.3: Mean
responses on the extent classroom orderliness
influence
students’ academic performance. 47
Table 4.4: t-test
analysis of male and female teachers mean ratings
on
the influence of classroom discipline on students’
academic
performance. 48
Table 4.5: t-test
analysis of male and female teachers mean ratings
on
the influence of classroom motivation on students’
academic
performance. 49
Table 4.6: t-test
analysis of male and female teachers’ mean
ratings
on the influence of classroom orderliness
on
students’ academic performance. 50
CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION
1.8
BACKGROUND
OF THE STUDY
Classroom
management plays an important role in the teaching and learning process. It is
a veritable tool in the process of passing instructions from the teacher to the
students. Classroom management is about creation of positive learning
environment. The success of any educational system is a function of the
effectiveness of classroom management. Classroom management according to
Akpakwu (2013) is the most neglected area in our secondary schools and the
success or failure of any teaching and learning process depends to a large
extent on the way classrooms are managed. Failure to effectively manage the
classroom can have an overall negative influence on the entire school system,
most especially in terms of sound academic performance of the school students.
When an educator talks about classroom management, one of the first things that
comes to mind is maintenance of discipline, control, motivational teaching
methods, leadership styles, use of instructional materials and communication.
Classroom management is a cardinal feature of the total education process. It
contains all steps through which interaction between the educator and the
learner takes place.
According
to Aryana (2010) Classroom management refers to all those essential activities
which are highly necessary not only to create but also to maintain a supportive
and orderly atmosphere of learning. It
includes planning and preparation of teaching and learning materials,
organization of the materials, and enforcement of rules and routines in the classroom
(Aryana, 2010). The way teachers conduct
the classroom issue significantly has a deep influence upon their own teaching
and learning of the students, because classroom is a place where the closest
interaction between the students and the teacher takes place (Aryana, 2010).
Effective classroom management decides the effectiveness of teacher’s quality
and students’ learning.
Effective teachers create a sound,
supportive and friendly environment in classroom where students feel safe,
respected, cared and secured. For this purpose, effective teachers create
conditions of co-operation, discipline and responsibility both for themselves
and for their students. The American researchers Stronge, Ward and Grant (2011)state
that teachers have major influence on pupils’ learning, and use as the point of
departure for their study. Teachers are the ultimate
decider of classroom atmosphere. Their role is crucial in influencing the
behavior of students. Managing a classroom is the ultimate responsibility of a
teacher. The way a teacher manages the classroom will change the thinking of
the students towards learning. Classroom management is a complex exercise in
the process of education. It demands talent, skills, energy and ability from
teachers to manage classrooms because it directly deals with the behaviours of
learners (Stronge,
et al 2011). Human behavior is the most complex
phenomenon. Teachers with highly practical vision, strategies, skills and
knowledge can manage the classroom effectively.
Classroom management is the action a
teacher takes to create an environment that supports and facilitates
instructions, academic, social and emotional learning. It is the process of
creating favorable conditions to facilitate instructions as well as that of
regulating social behaviour of students (Stronge et al 2011).
Classroom management can also be said to be the process of ensuring that
classroom lessons run smoothly without disruptive behaviour from students
compromising the delivery of instruction. Teachers in the classroom are by the
nature of their profession, managers of classroom activities, that is to say that teacher’s
personal qualities and relations to pupils / students are the most important
factors in the work of learning in school (Stronge et al 2011). The
classroom teacher’s job unlike that of other professionals is concerned with
maintaining orderliness, allocating resources, regulating the sequence of
events and directing his own attention towards achieving educational goals. It
is probably no exaggeration to say that classroom management has been a primary
concern of teachers ever since there has been a teacher in classroom.
However, Akpakwu (2013) defined
classroom management as the orderly control of the learners, teaching materials
and teaching aids in order to obtain the desired learning objectives. It is the
wide variety of skills and techniques that teachers use to keep students
organized, orderly, focused, attentive and academically productive during a
class. Classroom management can as well be explained as the actions and
directions that teachers use to create a successful learning environment
(Wikipedia, 2017). With
the interest and research in classroom management in the last twenty years,
there is obviously now a knowledge base to explore and develop even more
concrete programmes to equip teachers with a repertoire of skills and
strategies to cope more effectively with the complex and challenging task of
teaching. Managing a class of thirty or forty individuals well does not come
easily with every teacher. It is imperative that teachers recognize the need to
be more aware of how to function or relate with pupils in specific classroom
contexts. Teaching is not merely a matter of following inflexible rules.
Rather, teaching necessitates constant adjustment to the demands of the complex
classroom environment. One technique is not applicable to all pupils; neither
does it suit all levels and classes. The crux of the situation is that
effective classroom management is pivotal to the success of a teacher. An
effective teacher is an effective manager. Thus, Classroom
discipline, classroom motivation and classroom orderliness are the three
classroom management techniques employed in this study.
Oxford Learners Dictionary (2013),
describe Discipline as the practice of training people to obey rules and orders
and punishing them if they do not; the controlled behavior or situation that
results from the training. Classroom discipline in the other hand, involves a
set of rules regulating students’ behaviour, having self-control and compliance
to constituted authorities. According to Wikipedia (2017) Classroom discipline refers to the
strategies a teacher uses to manage student behaviors and attitudes during
instructional time. A teacher who uses consistent discipline strategies exhibits more effective classroom management than an
inconsistent teacher. Effective discipline strategies seek to encourage
responsible behaviour, discourage misconduct and promote a higher level of
self-esteem. Classroom motivation is another classroom management technique
employed in this study. According to Fadipe (2010), it is the process of
influencing or stimulating a student to take action that will help him
accomplish desired goals. A teacher can reward the learner in order to increase
the probability of repeating the desired behaviour. Mallum and Haggai (2010)
opined that motivation has greater influence on students’ academic performance
in the classroom. They maintained that the work of the teacher is made easier
when his students are motivated. It can be rightly argued that the teacher is
the biggest influence on how well students behave in a classroom. This means
that it is not the quality of the students, the involvement of the parents, or
the administration that make the most impact, but the teacher’s attitude. This
is premised on the fact that some students tend to live up to the teacher’s
expectations. In such situation, when the teacher expects great things from
them, they would surely rise to the challenge.
Motivation
makes the students to be eager to learn, willing to undertake learning
activities and attend classes regularly and punctually. Motivation stimulates
the interest of the students and inspires them to take part in classroom
activities. Another important classroom management technique is classroom
orderliness which is also another management technique employed in this study.
It is the process of having a regular, proper and systematic arrangement of the
classroom as well as the orderly behavior of students. The orderliness of a
classroom helps students feel calm and more organized. Doyle (2011) states that maintaining
orderliness in a classroom is a basic task of teaching as management activities
lead to the establishment and maintenance of those conditions in which
instruction can take place effectively and efficiently. He stated that two
major tasks – learning and orderliness constitute teaching. According to Doyle,
for learning to be achieved, orderliness must be provided in the classroom
beforehand. Thus, these two tasks are said to be indivisible.
According
to Doyle (2011), the underlying assumption is that classroom orderliness
encourages student engagement which supports learning. Without orderliness, a
teacher is hard pressed to promote student learning. The implication of this
according to (Doyle, 2011) is that classroom management results in the coupling
of orderliness and learning. Doyle therefore saw classroom management as the
progression of strategies that teachers utilize to promote orderliness and
student engagement in learning. The consequence of this position is the prompt
enhancement of the right learning outcome. Embracing the essence of orderliness
in classroom management enables the teacher needs to apply all facets of
discipline within the classroom. It then becomes obvious that school and
classroom management according to specialists in the field of education aim at
encouraging and establishing student self – control through a process of
promoting positive student performance and behaviour. Thus, academic
performance, teacher efficacy and teacher and student behaviour are directly
linked with the concept of school and classroom management.
Orderliness
in the classroom according to Doyle (2011) prompts engagement whereas the
teacher uses discipline to curb misbehavior and the result is co-operation.
Doyle further argued that co-operation rather than engagement is the minimum
requirement for desired student behaviour, asserted that orderliness is not
absolute silence or rigid conformity to rules, but orderliness in a classroom
simply means that within acceptable limits, the students are following the
programme of action necessary for a particular classroom event to be realized
in the situation. Therefore, it must be appreciated that effective classroom
management is probably the most difficult aspect of a teacher’s duty and role.
It
is opined by Grayson (2011) that it is not just to teach curriculum content
that a teacher does but also to guide, direct and empower students to govern
their own behaviour so that their life within a social setting can be an
enjoyable and a productive one. The overall value of effective classroom
management and its positive effect in guaranteeing sound academic performance
is well captured by Emmer and Stough (2010). They argued that the ability of
the teacher to organize the classroom and manage the behaviour of their
students is critical to achieving positive educational outcomes. Although sound
behavioural management does not guarantee effective instruction, it establishes
the environmental context that makes good instruction possible. Reciprocally
highly effective instruction reduces but does not eliminate classroom
behavioural problems. It is necessary to consider the importance of maintaining
orderliness in effective classroom management. This has become necessary
because establishing and maintaining orderliness is central to what educators
do. The major aim of classroom management is the improvement of students’
academic performance.
Students’ academic performance is the extent to which
students have achieved their short or long term educational goals. It refers to
how well a student is accomplishing his or her tasks and studies. Grades are
certainly the most well-known indicator of academic performance. Grades are the
students’ score for their classes and overall tenure. Grades are most often a
tallying or average of assignments and test scores including examinations.
Grading systems vary greatly by country and school. Common scales include a percentage from 1-100, lettering systems
from A-F and Grade Point Average (GPA) from 0-4.0 or 5.0 as the case may be.
Ipem
(2012) sees academic performance as performance of students in various subjects
offered in the school over a specific period of time. In other words, the
performance of individuals in classroom test, in terminal and end of the
examination can be classified as academic performance. In the context of this
study, academic performance refers to the extent to which students have
achieved mastery of the objective of the subjects they are exposed to in
school.
According
to James (2007), academic performance has been observed in school subjects
especially mathematics and English language among secondary school students.
Several factors have generally been identified as causes of poor academic
performance. Verstrate (2014) believes that the falling level of academic
performance is attributed to teachers’ non-use of verbal reinforcement
strategy. Inan (2010) also found out that the attitude of some teachers to their
job, poor teaching methods and the like influence students’ academic
performance.
The
blame for poor academic performance among secondary school students could be
attributed to a variety of factors such as student inability to manage their
time, peer influence, family factors and the likes. Parents, teachers,
curriculum experts and evaluators have expressed considerable concern over the
deteriorating students’ performance in public examinations. As such, the need
for effective classroom management so as to enhance the academic performance of
students is very important. Generally, classroom management promotes academic
performance. The following are some of the characteristics of effective
classroom management: arousal of students’ interests, participation, attentiveness,
co-operation, minimizing of misconduct among others.
In
the past it was seen that a teacher in secondary school has the total quality
of managerial skills and were proficient in effective teaching and classroom
management. An evident of teachers’ classroom management was the fact that
parents entrusted their wards (children) into the hands of the teacher to
curdle and train them formally, this is because the teachers were able to
manage the classroom effectively, and also inculcate values to the students
which enhanced the academic performances of the students. But in recent times,
teachers do not properly carry out effective classroom management as were
recommended; the teachers’ lack of classroom management has contributed to the
low output on students’ academic performance. This and many more hitches are
the problems that can be encountered when the classroom is not properly manage.
One
of the main goals of secondary school is to contribute to national development
through high level relevant skills, inspire students with a desire for
self-improvement and achievement of excellence (FRN 2014). This cannot be
achieved without adequate classroom management from the teachers.
Paradoxically, it has been observed that secondary school students are not
doing well academically because of lack of proper classroom management. This
has become a source of worry, thus, the need to fill this gap stimulate the
researcher’s interest toundergo this study.
1.9
STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
Effective
classroom management techniques are crucial for teaching and learning to take
place not only in secondary schools but in all levels of education. Recent
occurrences at the secondary school level and other levels of education have
left many scholars in Panic today. Moreover, the problems of poor performance of
students have been consistent in the Nigerian Secondary School system. The
source of these problems has generated a whole lot of controversy over the
years among educational stakeholders, researchers among others.
However, school teachers have been seriously blamed for not
performing their duties and their gross inability to effectively manage their
classroom and to solve these problems confronting the school system. Conversely,
teachers in public secondary schools face disruptive behaviours from students
which jeopardize the flow of their teaching and in turn affect students’
academic performance. The teacher finds himself in the classroom filled with
students who are disposed to violence, not only to their fellow students but
teachers also. In a bid to control this tendency towards violence,
indiscipline, disorderliness, waywardness and noise making, effective
management of the classroom is therefore important. It is against this
background that the researcher sees the subject matter of this research as an
empirical study worthy of investigation.
1.3 PURPOSE OF THE STUDY
The purpose of the study was to find out the influence of classroom management
techniques on secondary school students’ academic performance in Abia State.
The study therefore was designed specifically:
- to
find out the influence of classroom discipline on secondary school
students’ academic performance in Abia State.
- to
ascertain the influence of classroom motivation on secondary school
students’ academic performance in Abia State.
- to
find out the influence of classroom orderliness on secondary school
students’ academic performance in Abia State.
1.4 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY
The findings of this study would be useful
to the following stakeholders: Students, teachers, principals, Curriculum
planners, Local Government Educational Authorities, Secondary Education
Management Board, State and Federal Ministries of Education, Educational
Administrators, and researchers.
This
study will be of significance to students because they are the target
recipients of the educational policies. Students are the pivot of every
teaching and learning situation. This means that students are in the centre of
every teaching and learning experience. Therefore the outcome of the findings
when implemented will enable the society to have well cultured and viable
students which are future quality leaders of our nation tomorrow.
The study could benefit teachers as the findings could aid them on developing efficient classroom strategies for effective
student and school management.
More
so, to the principals, the findings of the study may be of great immense
benefit as they will enrich knowledge and provide useful information, which may
enable curriculum planners and students, achieve better result.
To
the Local Government Education Authorities, Secondary Education Management
Board, and Federal and State Ministries of Education and curriculum planners who
are engaged in policy formulation and Implementation, the findings of this study
can be used as basis for enacting policies that will effectively improve the
quality of classroom management and standard of education as well as to
organize seminars and workshops for teachers most especially the newly
recruited teachers.
To
the educational administrators, and other stakeholders in the educational
sector, the findings of this study may serve as an insight into formulating
strategies for effective running of their schools.
It
should be noted that this study is of scholarly importance. As such,
researchers who are undertaking research work similar to the present study and
other scholars alike who may wish to use this work as a reference material for
their own research will find this study beneficial.
1.5 RESEARCH
QUESTIONS
The following research questions were used to guide the study:
- To what extent does classroom discipline
influence the students’ academic performance?
- To what extent does classroom motivation
influence the students’ academic performance?
- To what extent does classroom orderliness
influence the students’ academic performance?
1.6 HYPOTHESES
The following null
hypotheses were formulated and tested at 0.05 level of significance
Ho1. There is no significant difference between
the mean responses of male and female teachers on the influence of classroom
discipline on students’ academic performance.
Ho2. There is no significant difference between
the mean responses of male and female teachers on the influence of classroom
motivation on students’ academic performance.
Ho3. There is no significant difference between
the mean responses of male and female teachers on the influence of classroom
orderliness on students’ academic performance.
1.7 SCOPE OF THE STUDY
The study is delimited to the
influence of classroom management techniques on secondary school students’
academic performance in Abia State. The study is equally delimited to the
following classroom management techniques: discipline, motivation and
orderliness. And the research work was further delimited to only teachers in
public secondary schools in Abia state.
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