ABSTRACT
The study was on the “perceived influence of teachers classroom management skills on the academic performance of students in public secondary schools in South East in Nigeria”. Descriptive research design was used for the study. The purpose of the study considered the extent to which perceived influence of teachers’ classroom Management skills influence academic performance of students in public secondary schools in south east Nigeria. In carrying out this research, relevant literature was reviewed. Ten research questions and seven hypotheses were developed to guide the study. The population of the study was 26,600 respondents consisting of 10,480 male and 16,180 female teachers from 1,316 public secondary schools in the five states of South-East. A sample of 1330 respondents comprising of 526 male and 794 female teachers was randomly drawn through the use of multistage sampling involving simple random and proportionate stratified simple random techniques. A 4 point scale questionnaire was used to elicit information from the respondents. The face and content validation of the instrument was carried out by three experts in the college of education Michael Okpara University of Agriculture Umudike. The instrument for data collection was a 50-item structured questionnaire titled ‘’Perceived Influence of Teachers’ classroom management skills on Academic Performance of Students” (PITCMSAPS). To ensure the reliability of the instrument, test retest method was conducted using 50 teachers, 20 males and 30 females from 10 rural and urban public secondary schools in Uyo education zone of Akwa Ibom State, which were not part of the study but have the characteristics of administration. A total number of 1330 copies of questionnaire was distributed and administered, out of which 1307 were used for data analysis. The data collected was analyzed using mean and standard deviation to answer the research questions, t-test statistic was used to test the null hypotheses at 0.05 level of significant. Findings of the study among others revealed that teachers’ classroom management skills influenced to a greater extent academic performance of students in public secondary schools rural and urban in South East Nigeria; such skills include: teacher’s authority skill, teacher’s classroom arrangement, teachers’, knowledge of subject matter, teachers’ patience skill, teacher’s class discipline, communication skill, teachers’ ICT skills and others. Based on the findings above, the study recommended that; teachers should regularly attend capacity building workshops, seminars, and conferences update and to acquire more knowledge on the system, that teachers should always make sure that classrooms are well arranged, supplied instructional materials carefully taken care of in order to sustain the students’ interest in learning and principals, administrators, directors, parents should assist the teachers to instill discipline to students regularly and every student should be treated equally to enhance their interest to study and perform better.
TABLE
OF CONTENTS
PAGE
Cover page
Title Page i
Declaration ii
Certification iii
Dedication iv
Acknowledgement v
Table of content vii
List of Tables ix
List of Appendices xi
Abstract xii
CHAPTER 1:
INTRODUCTION
1.1
Background to the Study 1
1.2
Statement of the Problem 15
1.3
Purpose of the Study 17
1.4
Research Questions 19
1.5
Hypotheses 20
1.6
Significance of the Study 22
1.7
Scope of the Study 23
CHAPTER 2: REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE
2.1 The
Concepts 24
2.1.1 Teachers 24
2.1.2 Classroom 30
2.1.3 Management 33
2.1.4 Classroom
management 37
2.1.5 Skills 44
2.1.6 Teachers
classroom management skills 47
2.1.7 Academic
performance of students 87
2.2 Theoretical Framework 92
2.2.1 Social
system theory by Parson Talcot (1951) 92
2.2.2 Human relation theory by Mary Paker Follet
(1930- 1990) 95
2.2.3 Classical
organizational theory by W.F Taylor and his group (1910 – 30) 96
2.3 Empirical Studies 98
2.4 Summary
of Review of Related Literature 102
CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY
3.1
Design of the Study 104
3.2
Area of the Study 104
3.3
Population of the Study 105
3.4
Sample and Sampling Techniques 105
3.5
Instrument for Data Collection 106
3.6
Validation of the Instrument 107
3.7
Reliability of the Instrument 107
3.8
Method of Data Collection 108
3.9
Method of Data Analysis 108
CHAPTER 4: RESULTS
AND DISCUSSION
4.1 Results 109
4.2 Summary
of Major Findings 127
4.3 Discussion
of the Finding 131
CHAPTER 5: SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS
5.1 Summary of the Study 138
5.2 Conclusion 139
5.3 Educational Implication of the Study 141
5.4 Recommendations 143
5.5 Limitations of the Study 144
5.6 Suggestions
for Further Study 145
References
146
Appendices 157
LIST
OF TABLES
4.1: Mean and standard deviation on
extent to which teacher’s
gender
authority leadership skill influences the academic
performance
of students (N =1307) 109
4.2: t
– test analysis of gender teachers on the extent
teacher’s authority skill influences the academic performance
of
students in public Secondary Schools 110
4.3: Mean
and standard deviation on extent to which teacher’s
Classroom
arrangement skill influences the academic
performance
of students (N = 1307) 111
4.4:
t – test analysis of rural and
urban teachers on the extent
teacher’s classroom arrangement skill influences the
academic
performance of students in Public
Secondary Schools 112
4.5: Mean
and standard deviation on extent to which teachers’
knowledge
of subject matter skill influences the
academic
performance of students (N
= 1307) 112
4.6:
t – test analysis of urban and rural teachers on the extent
teachers’
knowledge of subject matter skill influences the
academic
performance of students in Public Secondary
Schools 113
4.7: Mean
and standard deviation on extent to which
teachers’
individualization skills influences the academic
performance
of students (N = 1307) 114
4.8 t
– test analysis of urban and rural teachers on the extent
teachers’
individualization skill influences the academic
performance
of students in Public Secondary Schools 115
4.9: Mean
and standard deviation on extent to which teachers’
time management Skill influences
the academic performance
of
students (N = 1307) 116
4-10 t
– test analysis of urban and rural teachers on the extent
teachers’
time management skill influences the academic
performance
of students in public secondary schools 117
4.11: Mean
and standard deviation on extent to which teachers’
patience
skill influences the academic performance
of
students (N = 1307) 118
4.12:
t – test Analysis of urban and
rural teachers on the extent
teachers’
patience skill influences the academic performance
of
students in public secondary schools in the south east,
Nigeria 119
4.13: Mean
and standard deviation on extent to which teachers’ class
discipline
skill influences the academic performance of students
(N = 1307) 120
4.14:
t – test analysis of urban and
rural teachers on the extent
Classroom
disciplinary skill influences the academic
Performance
of students in Public Secondary Schools
in
the South East, Nigeria 121
4.15: Mean
and standard deviation on extent to which teachers’
gender
communication skill influences the academic
performance
of students (N
= 1307) 122
4.16: t
– test analysis of urban and rural teachers on the extent
teachers’ gender communication
skill influences
the
academic performance of students in Public
Secondary
Schools 123
4.17: Mean
and standard deviation on extent to which teachers’
interest
sustenance skill influences the academic performance
of
students (N = 1307) 124
4.18: t
– Test Analysis of male and female teachers on the extent
teachers’
interest sustenance skill influences the academic
performance
of students in public secondary schools. 125
4.19: Mean
and standard deviation on extent to which
teachers’
ICT skill influences the academic performance
of
students (N = 1307) 126
4.20: t
– test analysis of urban and rural teachers on the extent
teacher’s
ICT skill influence the academic performance of
students
in public secondary schools 127
LIST
OF APPENDICES
1:
Questionnaire 157
2:
Distribution of Population in South-East
Sample Distribution Table 163
3: The
Test of Reliability of Instrument Using Pearson 164
4: Sample
of good classroom arrangement 166
5: Data Analysis 167
CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION
1.1 BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY
Teachers` classroom management skills are the
techniques teachers in the classroom implore using available resources of both
human and material resources to make their lessons productive while academic
performance of the students are the expected positive changes observable in the
students during and after school. Teachers` classroom management skills and
academic performance are interwoven. One compliments the other in order to
achieve the objectives. Teachers` classroom management skills are sine-quo-non
to the academic performance of students. All the activities of the teachers and
students are predominantly carried out in the classroom. The major activities
carried out in the classroom are teaching and learning. The job of teaching is
mostly performed by professionals, well learned individuals, male and female
who are pedagogically competent and commonly referred to as teachers.
The
school as a social system is carefully organized in such a way that, the human
power resources (teachers) is made up of male and female teachers. They in
particular need to understand the environment they are working, the progress of
the students and the appropriate skills to use so as to enhance the performance
of the job. Their job is normally carried out and managed in an organized
environment called the school and specifically inside the classroom. The school
environment may be in the rural or urban.
In
Nigeria, all the public schools both primary and secondary globally are sited
or situated either in the rural or urban places as the case may be. Teachers
are posted there male and female according to their areas of subject
specializations. Wherever any school is sited, or located, the administration,
syllabus, and curriculum remain the same. School management system is one in every
government in the country, state, zone, and community. All the school
activities are carried out and managed by the teachers.
Teachers
are very important in the school system as they are most valued instrument of
effective school delivery. Teachers are group of individuals trained
specifically to impart knowledge and skills to children, youths, and adults to
enable them develop healthy attitudes that will make them live in harmony with
others. Equally Eya (2012) described the teacher as a human being with some
characteristics that make him who he is, in addition to what he is. In the
teaching and learning activities, the teacher is the second among the tripod on
which the job stands. His most important responsibility in the school is to
teach.
The
presence of teachers in and out of the school environment presupposes that
teaching and learning are in progress at various classrooms. A number of
research findings and literature documentations have attributed the success of
the school activities in the education industry to the teachers. They are the
nation builders and the engine room or power house of any nation’s educational
system. Their roles can never be over emphasized because they have powerful
effects on the development of the system. The teachers as mentors, set the tone
of the classroom and by extension, build warm environment, nurture and become
positive role models to the students. Johnson (2009) noted that education is
the key to national development and only the teachers hold the key through the
performance of their primary functions in the classroom. He also emphasized
that the quality of any educational system largely depends to a great extent on
the quality of teachers in terms of academic, professional qualifications and
experiences as well as their level of competencies and level of dedication to
their primary functions.
Fine buildings, equipment, special services,
conducive environment and others which help to provide favourable learning in
the classroom, remain insignificant, if the learning experiences are directed
by incompetent teachers. Igbo (2004) equally agreed that the teachers in the
school perform natural role by mentoring the students, encouraging them to
enjoy and have interest in learning and interacting with their fellow students.
The Federal Republic of Nigeria FRN, (2013) and Fafunwa (2002) affirm the
importance of the teachers in the school, mostly in the classroom, by stating
that no education can rise above the quality of the teachers in the system.
What the teacher knows and can do is of the most important influence on what
students learn. The teachers impart the desirable and planned knowledge to the
students through a well-planned curriculum, and create enabling classroom
environment to facilitate teaching and learning which are the sole objectives
of the school at all levels of education: - primary secondary and tertiary.
Classrooms are found in all
educational institutions of all kinds, from pre-schools to Universities, and
also in other places where education or training of individuals from childhood
to adulthood is provided, such as co-operatives, religious and humanitarian
organizations (Woolner, 2010 & Eunice, 2014). A classroom is a learning
space, a room in which both children and adults learn about things. Classrooms
are found inside the school buildings. According to Eya (2012), a classroom is
the smallest formal arrangement or unit of the educational organization aimed
at achieving effective teaching and learning that can be found mostly in a
school.
A classroom environment affords the
teacher an opportunity to exercise the important role in teaching and learning,
where he/she meets the learners with various attitudes, social classes,
different ethnicity, various degrees of moral and intelligent quotient (1-Q). Classrooms
are properly planned and established in the schools for healthy teaching and
learning. Every classroom is controlled and managed by a teacher; hence
teachers are the classroom managers and are expected to do the functions of
classroom management effectively and efficiently in order to achieve the set
goals and objectives.
Management to Ezimoha and Modebelu
(2016) and Duvie and Oleabhiele (2017),
in a school system is concerned with the co-ordination of all the resources
available to the school through the process of planning, directing, organizing,
controlling and evaluating the human, materials and time resources in order to
achieve the school objectives. They added that management in the school system
and in the classroom in particular is the process of providing leadership in
the classroom by coordinating activities and making decisions that will help
the leader to achieve the objectives.
Therefore, the school teacher who is
the leader in the classroom with the power and authority designated to him/her
coordinates and administers available resources in the classroom in order to
achieve the objectives, by creating good atmosphere for teaching and learning
to take place. They concluded that management is the mobilization and
organization of all it takes in a school and classroom in particular to achieve
effective teaching and learning which are the major aims and objectives of a
school system.
Management in this context is
teacher’s role in creating classroom environment where success is possible,
where discipline is maintained and where distraction is minimized in order to
achieve the school goals. Therefore, this presupposes that the most important
role of the teacher in a typical classroom is that of classroom management. Classroom
Management refers to the process of creating favourable conditions to
facilitate instruction as well as that of regulating social behaviours of the
teachers.
According to Modebelu (2015),
classroom management involves some forms of coordination of activities that go
on in the classroom. It is the arrangement of classroom buildings, facilities
and materials for the comfort of the learners (Students) and for effective
achievement of the instructional objectives. It is actually carried out as the
major responsibility of classroom teacher, because the way a class is
effectively and efficiently managed shows the relationship between the teachers
and the students. Ahrwiler (2011) stated that classroom management can be
classified as methods or techniques adopted by the teacher to ensure that every
learner utilizes available resources with the sole aim of achieving the goals
of the school system. It is also the gathering together of all the resources,
human and materials in a co-operative environment to achieve the desired goals.
Classroom management also covers the
whole phase of management issues that a teacher has to contend within his
classroom, because the classroom is a place where learning opportunity is
provided for students. It involves effective teaching and learning and the
issue of classroom management is a continuous exercise which a teacher has to
cope with anytime he/she enters the classroom. They are very necessary, very
unique in school and classroom organization. Effective classroom management is
the pre-rogative of the teacher’s function in the school.
The growing emphasis on classroom
management is based on the general recognition that effective instruction
requires effective classroom management skills and that strong management
skills are foundation of strong teaching, which in turn enhances learners
performance. Therefore teachers` classroom management effectiveness and
efficiency demands teachers classroom management skills. Skills to Great School
Partnership (2014) is the ability and capacity acquired through deliberate,
systematic, and sustained efforts to smoothly and adaptively carry out complex
activities or job functions involving ideas, things and people.
It is also the ability to carry out a
task with pre-determined results often within a given amount of time, energy or
both. Skills can often be divided into domain general and domain specific
skills. Domain general skills are acquired and also inherited and they include;
time management, team work, effective communication, leadership, self-motivation
and others, whereas domain specific skills are technical and for particular jobs
or trades (Obunadike, 2015).
Skills require certain environmental
stimuli and situations to access the level of the skill acquisitions shown and
used. In the school system, teachers who are the hub of activities need broad
range of skills in the classroom in order to perform as expected and for the
students’ to perform better and achieve excellence in their academic pursuit.
These skills acquired by the teachers through long experiences are called
“Teachers’ classroom management skills”.
Teachers classroom management skills
are the steps, strategies, capacity,
techniques, styles, ability, and ideas a teacher in a classroom implores
to ensure that he/she controls the classroom, and gains the students interest,
and love of learning with active concentrations while teaching is going on.
Modebelu, Eya and Obunadike (2016) classified these skills as:- Teachers
ability in mastering the subject matter, making the classroom environment
conducive to learning, knowing the students with regard to their individual
abilities, interest, differences, maintaining good teacher-students
relationship, and maintaining discipline and order during teaching and learning
process. Robort and Jane (2003) opined
that of all the school variables, teachers’ classroom management skill has the
largest effects on students’ performances and achievements.
Most students cannot learn or
comprehend in chaotic and poorly managed classroom. They listed teachers
classroom management skills that will be effectively utilized to enhance the
academic performance of students as follows; positive management skills, good
classroom arrangement, conducive environment for learning, guiding classroom
rules and discipline and effective communication.
In the same vein, Eya (2012)
classified teachers management skills as the techniques for teachers’ effective
classroom control and discipline. He emphasized that the qualities of a good
and devoted classroom teacher is his ability to control and make use of the
available resources in the class using the best skills the situation demands.
He itemized these skills as follows: ability to pass instruction or directive
in a very simple and clear ways, knowledge of the subject matter, Students
interest being natural in the class, having positive regards for students,
being always in control and taking care of the individual differences. From
Carrie (2010) dimension, teaching profession is mostly underrated in the global
world.
Most people assumed that teachers do
not need any special skill to do the job, while some people were of the view
that a great effort and ability are needed to handle a classroom full of
students. Continuing, Carrie (2010) maintained that, it is not only having
thorough knowledge of the subject matter, the teachers also need to know how to
control the class and maintain discipline and order. To be a good teacher, the
following classroom management skills are required: authority skill, knowledge
of the subject matter, individualization, time-management and patience.
Globally in the school system the
activities of the teachers as classroom managers and organizers influence to a
great extent the success of the students academically. Nigeria as a nation is
not left behind. The duty of the teacher in the classroom is making the
students do the things that make the classroom very conducive for effective
teaching and learning, since the fundamental goal of the school is to enhance
teaching and learning process. Therefore, to be able to influence the behavior
of students positively and to enhance their academic performance, teachers
should make use of adequate classroom management skills, which within the
contest of this study would include the following briefly explained as
mentioned:
Authority skills: this is an
important aspect of leadership quality of a teacher. It is the ability of a
higher officer to assert influence on the lower officer. The higher officer is
always the leader. He/she has the power and commensurate authority as to
influence his followers as in the case of a class teacher and his students. A
good class teacher is always the manager, administrator, and head. He should
always command authority in the class through his appearances, emotional dispositions,
mannerisms, dressing, eating habits, language power, his human relations and
ability to exercise his duties in a responsible manner. He is expected to
appear healthy and neat, control temper and avoid bad manner (Ibiam, 2015). But
today in the South East Nigeria secondary schools, most teachers appear to have
lost their authority skills in the class as a result of their in-competencies
to control the students thereby leaving them often to behave as they like, join
the class when they feel while instruction is on.
Class Arrangement Skill: This is an aspect of teachers’
management skills that is very necessary to apply for effective goals
achievement. Classroom arrangement is the process of organizing the basic
facilities in the class, for the smooth flow of teaching and learning in the
classroom: This arrangement has to do with the teachers ability to organize the
classroom well in terms of seating position and caring for instructional
materials. Having good ventilation and lightening of the classroom, care of
routine and regulating the physical condition of the classroom.
This means that the classroom must be free
from dangerous objects and substances such as sharp metals, and woods, slippery
objects, arrows, knives, and so on (Oku, 2006). Today, in most secondary
schools in the South East Nigeria especially in rural areas, most classrooms
appear not to be taking care of by the teachers.
Knowledge of the Subject Matter Skill: The teachers should have good
knowledge of the subjects they teach, environments, and the students they are
teaching. Teachers in the classrooms should ensure that they know the subjects
to teach thoroughly and the skills to impact the knowledge to the students must
be there. They should be able to know far more than the students, and the
content of the topic intended to cover in the class, as there are some students
who are ready to pull them down if found incompetent (Modebelu & Eya, 2016).
Presently, most teachers especially the newly recruited ones are not
specialists in their subject areas and did not pass through colleges of
educations to acquire the appropriate teaching skills.
Individualization Skill: The students in the classroom are from different families, social
status, and characters and therefore need special individual attentions. The
teachers are expected to understand the students’ individual differences and
should not expect all the students to behave in the same way, work at the same
rate, to understand facts and concepts at the same speed, and to settle down to
serious work at the same time. The teachers are expected to allow the students
to have confidence in them in order to learn with interest as to achieve their
objectives. All the students should be given equal treatment whether bright or
dull (Eze, 2007). Recently in the system, some research works have shown that, most teachers seem to have diverted their attentions and interest to students from highly
influenced families/homes because of money acquisition and positions,
Time Management Skill: The ability to manage time
effectively in an organization is a sure means of achieving the expected
objectives. In the school system time is allotted to everything from the
beginning to the end. It is planned as a legal record, it is a plan of action,
which shows the following information: Subjects to be taught in a day, time to
each subjects, time to start, time to end, who to teach, class to teach, sport
time, and venue, recreation time and venues (Daniel, 2003). It is therefore the
prerogative of the classroom teachers to effectively manage the use of school
time, in order to execute their scheme of work efficiently and effectively.
Presently, majority of teachers in the public secondary schools in the South
East Nigeria: Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu and Imo State seem to have developed
nonchalant attitude on school time table. Some will not be in school to teach
at the appropriate time allotted to their subjects, while some will not come to
school till the end of the section or during time for test when they will be
rushing their lessons by encroaching into other teachers’ times.
Teacher’s Patience Skill: This is the
ability of the teacher to tolerate the students even at extreme provocations.
Teachers in the classrooms are expected to exercise patience at any time with
the students, take time to deal with them no matter their challenges. The
teacher should avoid any action that will lead to enmity, in the class, but
always be ready to prevent problems. He/she is expected to love his job and the
students in order to get the students believe him and have interest in
learning. Teachers in the classrooms who manage their classrooms well have
immense patience. They control their anger or provocations when students
misbehave (Emmer & Stough, 2006). In the school system presently, some
teachers at times appear to be losing control in anger, fighting themselves and
students when provoked, some will because of provocation, send the students out
from entering their class during their periods throughout the term.
Effective Communication Skill: Effective Communication skill of the
classroom teacher is an essential ladder to enhance academic performance of the
students. Communication according to Eya (2012) is the act of conveying a
message or making something known to somebody by the exchange of information,
ideas, news, thoughts, feelings. This is done through words or non-verbal
means, or by the use of letters, telephone, books, conferences and seminars.
The essence of communication is therefore to clearly relate these ideas,
thoughts and feelings to someone from whom the sender of the information or
news expects feedback. In an effective classrooms communication both the
teacher and the learners will be more responsive and committed to the pursuit
of the lesson’s objectives. The teacher engages in the classroom communication
whenever he delivers his lessons very well and students learn effectively too
with feedback from them (Nwankwo, 2014). In the public secondary schools in
Nigeria, teacher communication skill seem to be very poor and negatively
affected by recipient’s lack of interest, lack of knowledge, social barriers
and message distortion.
ITC Skill: Information communication and Technology skill are called
technical skills which everybody in the global society today is expected to
have and acquire, following the world trend movement. The skills have great
impact in all aspects of human life. The skills should be acquired by the
teachers in the schools’ first, so that they will impact the knowledge to the
students. This implies that every teacher in the school is expected to be ICT
complaint especially in the classroom. Today the global world is at
individual’s door through the knowledge of ICT. Most of the examinations are
today done online through internet connections. Students are expected to be
fully ICT complaint from Junior Secondary classes to senior before their
graduation from secondary schools. (Ajayi, 2003; Uwazuruike & Ike Obioha,
2008).
Discipline Skills: An important aspect of teachers’ classroom management skill is
discipline. Discipline according to Adesina (as cited in Alu, Eya, Odo, Ede
& Ugwu, 2001) is “readiness or ability to respect authority and observe
conventional or established laws of the society". Discipline has to do
with individuals ready to comply, teachers ready to obey the school rules and
regulations, so as to transform them to become responsible individual in the
society. The school system is designed with the aim of inculcating discipline
to the learners-students who are expected to improve the welfare and the
well-being of the society. It is the duty of the school through the classroom
teachers to pass this information to the life of the learners. For any
meaningful activity to go on in the school, or in the classroom, there must be
order and rules to obey (Ibiam, 2015). Presently majority of the public
secondary schools in the South East Nigeria both rural and urban appear to lack
effective and adequate disciplinary control in the system especially in the
classrooms.
Sustenance of Student’s Interest: All students in the school,
especially in the classroom appreciate special and personal attention from the
class teacher. It is the class teacher’s responsibility to make himself very
much available to the students. In the classroom the teacher is expected to
sustain the students’ interest through type of tasks assigned to them in groups
or individually. The level of the ability of the students and their ages should
always be in the mind of the teacher while assigning responsibilities to them. It
is when the above mentioned teachers classroom management skills discussed here
are well adopted in the classroom, that academic performance of students may be
enhanced and observed by the public (Ajayi, 2003).
Academic Performance of Students is
the ability of the students to study and remember facts as well as being able
to communicate the acquired knowledge verbally or on paper. In other words,
academic performance refers to how students deal with their studies and how
they cope with or accomplish different tasks given to them by their teachers. Academic
performance of students generally refers to how well a student is accomplishing
his/her tasks or studies.
Academic performance of the students
is associated with the school environment, which include effective classroom
management, adequate school equipment, teachers’ authority skills, libraries,
technical workshops, teachers’ quality and attitudes to work, effective
teaching methods and good or conducive teaching/learning environment (Ajayi,
2001). Adesina and Akinyemi, (2014) referred
to students’ academic performance as a general pedagogical terminology used
while determining learners’ success in formal education which is measured
through examination reports, researches and ratings with numerous factors or
variables exerting influence. FRN (2013) further identified the rating of
students’ academic performance according to the subjects taught in the school
which are classified as core or elective subjects. According to Chineke (2015), examination is
viewed as an indicator of determining students’ academic performance in the
educational system via school and classrooms. Through these agents, the
learners/students who are the recipients of education are subjected to one form
of examination or the other in order to test their level of knowledge impacted
through classroom instructions. This true test examination is always required
to help determine the standard and level of performance of the
students/learners in education industry.
Presently this true test has been
characterized by a lot of fraud and examination malpractices which is greatly
affecting the academic performance of students in the society. Surprisingly, in the Nigeria school system
there is a general lamentation by the public on the continuous decline or
falling standard of education nationwide. This is as a result of regular low academic
performance of the students in both internal and external examinations,
unlawful students’ behaviours. Some of these behaviours include examination
malpractices, cultism, regular students’ absenteeism, and others seen in our
societies today.
The government, education
stakeholders, school managers and teachers have been putting great efforts from
different dimensions to combat these problems in the society. This they do
through effective supervision of both internal and external examinations,
improving the school curriculum, maintaining the school plants and environment,
providing adequate facilities and others (Adesina & Akinyemi, 2014). Despite
all these efforts, the result of internal
and external examination of students have continued to indicate poor
performance on the side of the students and their inability to communicate the
acquired knowledge verbally and on paper to indicating problems or gaps in the
system. This gap seems to originate from the grassroots in the school system.
Recently it can be observed that
teachers in the school system always award unmerited marks to their students
during internal examinations, class assignment and take home works, in order to
boast the tone of their schools, please their students and their parents who
influence them their wealth and unnecessary intimidation of fear. While in
external examinations majority of the students today will go to any length,
through dubious means and examination malpractices in order to acquire
certificates not merited and which they cannot defend.
No
wonder Wole, (2012) in Vanguard newspaper published the result of Nov/Dec GCE
Examination with 62.03 percentage failures of students across the country,
indicating low academic performance of students generally. Equally, available
evidence has shown mass failures in May/June 2015 WASSCE in the results of
students all over the nation. In that particular year, about 1540,250 candidates
registered for the examination, only 40 percent of the candidates obtained
credits in six subjects including Mathematics and English language. The same
thing happened in 2016 and 2017 May/June results respectively, where the
percentage results analysis were 31.85 in 2016 and 38.25 percent in 2017
respectively (WASSCE Chief examiner Report, 2017).
Several
efforts have been made by the government and scholars in the field through
research findings to remedy the ugly situations. Studies, seminars and workshops
have been carried out and organized for teachers and students on this issue for
proper solution but the problem has continued to be at its high rate. Again some
related studies to “classroom management skills” as they relate to academic
performance of students have been carried out by some scholars in the field of
education both in Nigeria and outside Nigeria from different dimensions/areas
for better solution for this problem.
But to the best of the researcher's knowledge
the present study at has not been done in the South East Nigeria hence, the gap
exist in the area. It is against this background that the study examined the teachers’
classroom management skills on academic performance of the students in the
public secondary schools in South East Nigeria.
1.2 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
The nature of the increasingly low
academic performance of students and their inability to communicate adequately
verbally or on paper in Nigeria society especially in the South East of Nigeria
is very much alarming. The problem has become a big concern to the stakeholders
in education sector as well as to the Public sector.
The ideal situation was the opposite
of what is happening now in the system. Before this time, the problem if ever
existed was at a very minimal rate. Students in the schools then were very much
interested in their academic works. They were serious with their studies, very
obedient to the school rules and regulations. Their academic performance then
was very high because both internal and external examinations were on personal
merits. There was no room for examination malpractices and other deviant
behaviours as it is today. On the other hand, teachers were highly dedicated to
their jobs. They were focused, committed and highly interested in their classroom
job of teaching and learning. They controlled and managed the classroom
activities with adequate teaching skills. They adequately and effectively
adopted different methodologies, strategies, techniques and skills such as
authority and responsibility, class arrangement, teacher`s good knowledge of
subject matter, effective communication, patience and had good interest of
their students in mind.
Presently, the situation has changed;
both the teachers and students in the school are nonchalant to their teaching
and learning. Most teachers are not interested in what happens in the classroom
which is the grass root in the education system. Majority of the teachers in
the field are engaged in private businesses and consider their primary job of
effective teaching as secondary. To the students, majority of them are not
interested to concentrate, sit down in the classroom and study, rather resort
to fraud, examination malpractices, sorting of examination papers and even
buying the certificates they cannot defend. In and outside the school, majority
of the students cannot communicate verbally or paper. This constituted the
major problem of this study.
This issue has become a big challenge
to Nigerians in and outside the country, thus prompting questions such as: what
are the causes? Where is the root cause from? Who should be blamed and what are
the possible ways out. Public observations and research findings tend to shift
the blame to the schools, basically on the teaching methodologies strategies
and skills adopted by the teachers in the classrooms. Most teachers in the
system today don’t seem to be adopting the appropriate teacher`s classroom
management skills in their teachings as a result of time, lack of effective
communication and so on. This has equally contributed to students’ lack of
interest to concentrate in their studies.
However, this might not be the only
reason the students perform poorly in their academic works or studies and
cannot communicate well in the society despite the acquired knowledge as
educated individuals. It is clear from all indications that these days most
students have poor study habits, lack interest to study, have poor home
foundations and above all are not properly groomed from classroom foundation.
Also the high levels of academic performance of student may not be guaranteed
where instructional space such as classroom, libraries, technical workshops,
classroom equipment and laboratories are structurally defective.
Equally, achievement of the secondary
school objectives will only be successfully achieved right from classroom with
appropriate teachers’ classroom management skills. But it is yet to gather
adequate research evidence to prove that teachers` classroom management skill
may be the key factors on students’ low academic performance in the system. Therefore,
the problem of the study put in question form is: Does teachers` classroom
management skills influence academic performance of students in the schools? Based
on the foregoing, the study examined the teachers’ classroom management skills on
academic performance of the students in the public secondary schools in South
East Nigeria.
1.3 PURPOSE OF THE STUDY
The study examined the perceived
influence of teachers’ classroom management skills on academic performance of students’
in public Secondary Schools in the South East, Nigeria. Specifically, the study
sought to:
1. examine
the extent to which teachers’ gender authority skill influence the academic
performance of students in rural and urban Public Secondary Schools in the
South East, Nigeria.
2. examine
the extent to which teachers’ classroom arrangement skill influence the
academic performance of students in Public Secondary Schools rural and urban in
the South East, Nigeria.
3. examine
the extent to which teachers’ knowledge of subject matter skill influence the
academic performance of students in Public Secondary Schools in rural and urban
the South East, Nigeria.
4. examine
the extent to which teachers’ individualization teaching skill influence the
academic performance of students in Public Secondary Schools rural and urban in
the South East, Nigeria.
5. find
out the extent to which teachers’ time management skill influence the academic
performance student’s in rural and urban Public Secondary Schools in the South
East, Nigeria.
6. examine
the extent to which teachers’ patience skill influence the academic performance
of students in rural and urban Public Secondary Schools in the South East,
Nigeria.
7. find
out the extent to which teachers’ class discipline maintenance skill influence the
academic performance of students in Public Secondary Schools rural and urban in
the South East, Nigeria.
8. examine
the extent to which teachers’ gender communication skill influence the academic
performance of students in rural and urban Public Secondary Schools in the
South East, Nigeria.
9. examine
the extent to which teachers’ students’ interest sustenance skill influence the
academic performance of students in rural and urban Public Secondary Schools in
the South East, Nigeria.
10. examine
the extent to which teachers’ ICT skill influence the academic performance of
students in rural and urban Public Secondary Schools in the South East,
Nigeria.
1.4
RESEARCH
QUESTIONS
In
carrying out the study, the following research questions were posed to guide
the study.
1. To
what extent does teachers’ gender authority skill influence the academic
performance of students in rural and urban Public Secondary Schools in the
South East, Nigeria?
2. To
what extent does teachers’ classroom arrangement skill influence the academic
performance of students in rural and urban Public Secondary Schools in the
South East, Nigeria?
3. To
what extent does teachers’ knowledge of subject matter skill influence the
academic performance of students in Public Secondary Schools in rural and urban
the South East, Nigeria?
4. To
what extent does teachers’ individualization skill influence the academic
performance of students in Public Secondary Schools in rural and urban the
South East, Nigeria?
5. To
what extent does teacher’s time management skill influence the academic
performance of students in Public Secondary Schools rural and urban in the
South East, Nigeria?
6. To
what extent does teachers’ patience skill influence the academic performance of
students in Public Secondary Schools rural and urban in the South East,
Nigeria?
7. To
what extent does teachers’ class discipline skill influence the academic
performance of students in Public Secondary Schools rural and urban in the
South East, Nigeria?
8. To
what extent does teachers’ gender communication skill influence the academic
performance of students in Public Secondary Schools in the South East, Nigeria?
9. To
what extent does teachers’ interest sustenance skill influence the academic
performance of students in Public Secondary Schools rural and urban in the
South East, Nigeria?
10. To
what extent does teachers’ ICT skill influences the academic performance of
students in Public Secondary Schools rural and urban in the South East,
Nigeria?
1.5
HYPOTHESES
The following null hypotheses were
formulated to guide the study and were tested at 0.05 level of significance:
1. There
is no significant difference between the mean score responses of teachers’ gender on the extent teacher’s
authority skill influence the academic performance of students in Public
Secondary Schools rural and urban in the South East, Nigeria.
2. There
is no significant difference between the mean score response of rural and urban
teachers on the extent teachers classroom arrangement skill influence the
academic performance of students in public secondary schools in the South East
Nigeria.
3. There
is no significant difference between the mean score responses of urban and
rural teachers on the extent teachers’ knowledge of subject matter skill
influences the academic performance of students in public secondary schools in
the South East, Nigeria.
4. There
is no significant difference between the mean score responses of urban and
rural teachers on the extent teachers’ individualization skill influence the
academic performance of students in public secondary schools in South East, Nigeria.
5. There
is no significant difference between the mean score responses of urban and
rural teachers on the extent teacher’s time management skill influence the
academic performance of students in public secondary schools in South East,
Nigeria.
6. There
is no significant difference between the mean score responses of urban and
rural teachers on the extent teachers patience skill influences the academic
performance of students in public secondary schools in the South east Nigeria.
7. There
is no significant difference between the mean score responses of urban and
rural teachers on the extent teacher’s classroom disciplinary skill influences
the academic performance of students in public secondary schools in the South
East, Nigeria.
8. There
is no significant difference between the mean score responses of urban and
rural teachers on the extent teachers’ gender communication skill influences
the academic performance of students in public secondary schools in the
South-East, Nigeria.
9. There
is no significant difference between the mean score responses of urban and
rural teachers on the extent teachers’ interest sustenance skill influences the
academic performance of students in public secondary schools in the South East,
Nigeria.
10. There
is no significant difference between the mean score responses of urban and
rural teachers on the extent teacher’s ICT skill influence the academic
performance of students in public secondary schools in the South East, Nigeria.
1.6 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY
The findings of the study if adopted
and implemented will benefit teachers’ students, school administrators,
planners, educators, parents, government and stakeholders.
The findings of this study would be
of great benefit to teachers, such may motivate students’ interest to study. Guide
them to pay attention to the instructions and other classroom activities as to
enhance their academic performance upon graduation. The findings will also
guide the teachers and equip them with the implications of their classroom
management skills. The merits and demerits will then guide them in choosing the
best classroom management skills in their daily classroom activities, and also
improve on them from time to time through life long education, seminars and
workshops for better achievement.
To the students, the finding will
guide and motivate them to have interest in their studies, study without
examination malpractices and fraud. Acquired certificate by merits and been
able to express themselves verbally and on paper as the case may be.
The findings of the study may be of
aid to the stakeholders, government and educational planners to decide and plan
better on how to help the teachers manage and improve their classroom skills
for effective teaching and learning. Furthermore, it will provide insight to
them on the best way of promoting and maintaining students’ interest and
attention in the classroom activities so as to enhance their academic
performance in the system. The findings will also guide them to plan well for
the teachers’ life-long education and retention. It will also provide insight
for effective supervision of the teachers and students in the classroom on how
well and how adequately their desirable classroom management are being
utilized.
Finally,
the findings of the study may contribute to the available literature on
teachers’ classroom management skills and may also serve as resource material
for future researchers who would want to carry out study in related area. It
would also provide a valuable reference for other scholars to reflect upon the
aspects of teachers’ classroom management skills discussed in this study;-
authority skill, classroom arrangement skill, knowledge of subject matters
skill, individualization skill, time management skill, patience skill,
discipline skill, effective communication skill, sustenance of students’
interest skill, and ICT skill, on academic performance of students in public
Secondary Schools in the South East Nigeria.
1.7 SCOPE OF THE STUDY
The study focused on the extent
teachers’ classroom management skills influences academic performance of
students in public secondary schools in the South East, Nigeria. The study
covered academic performance of students as dependent variable and extent of
teachers’ classroom management skills as independent variable with particular
reference to the following sub-variables; teachers’ authority skill, classroom
arrangement, teacher's knowledge of subject matter, individualization skill,
time management skill, teacher's patience skill, discipline skill, effective
communication skills, sustenance of students’ interest skill, and ICTs skill.
Geographically, the study was delineated to all the male and female teachers in
public secondary schools both rural and urban in the five States of South East,
Nigeria which are; Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu and Imo.
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