ABSTRACT
The study investigated Job enrichment variables as correlates of teachers' role performance in early childhood care education in South East, Nigeria. The study is a correlational design. Six research questions and six hypotheses guided the study. Eight hundred and twenty-two (822) teachers were sampled out of a population of 8218 early childhood care education teachers and used for the study. Job Enrichment Variables Questionnaire (JEVQ) and Teachers' Role Performance Questionnaire (TRPQ) developed by the researcher were used for data collection. The instruments were validated by three experts, Cronbach-Alpha reliability method was used to determine the internal consistency of the instruments. Reliability coefficients of .81 and .90 were obtained for job enrichment variables and teachers’ role performance respectively. Pearson Product Moment Correlation was used to answer the research questions and test the hypotheses at 0.05 significance level. The result revealed that skill variety, task identity, job autonomy, task significance and job feedback to a significant positive high extent, correlates with teachers' role performance in early childhood care education in South East, Nigeria. The study recommended that teachers should attend capacity building programmes on skill variety regularly for job enrichment and enhancement of function in their profession especially on feedback to parents on pupils’ academic performance. Also, teachers should always protect their job identity for self-motivation and to facilitate pupil’s performance in early childhood care education and parents should always demand comprehensive feedback on the academic performance of their children in order to encourage teachers on where they need to improve their competence for better academic performance in schools.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Title Page i
Certification ii
Declaration iii
Dedication iv
Acknowledgements v
Table of Contents vii
List of Tables x
Abstract xi
CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background
to the Study 1
1.2 Statement
of the Problem 12
1.3 Purpose of the Study 13
1.4 Research Questions 14
1.5 Hypotheses 15
1.6 Significance of the Study 15
1.7 Scope
of the Study 17
CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW
2.1 Conceptual Framework 18
2.1.1 Concept of teachers 18
2.1.2 Teachers’ roles at early childhood care
education 19
2.1.3 Teachers'
role performance 20
2.1.4 Concept of job enrichment 22
2.1.4.1. Skill variety and teachers’ role
performance 24
2.1.4.2
Task identity and teachers’ role performance 30
2.1.4.3
Job autonomy and teachers’ role performance 36
2.1.4.4 Task significance and teachers’ role
performance 42
2.1.4.5
Job feedback and teachers’ role performance 47
2.2. Theoretical Framework 52
2.2.1 Frederick Herzberg’s two factor theory
(1959). 52
2.2.2 Hackman
and Oldham’s job characteristic theory (1975). 57
2.3 Empirical Studies 58
2.4 Summary of Literature Review 68
CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY
3.1 Design
of the Study 70
3.2 Area
of the Study
70
3.3 Population
of the Study 71
3.4 Sample
and Sampling Techniques 71
3.5 Instrument
for Data Collection 72
3.6 Validation of the
Instrument 73
3.7. Reliability
of the Instrument 73
3.8 Method of Data Collection 74
3.9 Method of Data Analysis 74
CHAPTER 4: RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
4.1 Results Presentation 76
4.2 Findings of the Study 85
4.3 Discussion
of the Findings
85
CHAPTER 5: SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND
RECOMMENDATIONS
5.1 Summary 93
5.2 Conclusion 94
5.3 Educational Implications
of the Study 95
5.4 Recommendations 97
5.5 Limitations of the Study 98
5.6 Suggestions for further Study 99
References
100
Appendices 108
LIST OF TABLES
Pages
Table 4.
1: Correlation
Matrix of Relationship between Skill Variety and
Teachers'
Role Performance 77
Table
4.2: Correlation Matrix of
Relationship between Task Identity and
Teachers' Role
Performance 78
Table 4.3: Correlation Matrix of Relationship
between Job Autonomy and
Teachers' Role Performance 80
Table
4.4: Correlation Matrix of
Relationship between Task Significance and
Teachers' Role
Performance 81
Table 4.5: Correlation
Matrix of Relationship between Job Feedback and Teachers' Role Performance 83
Table
4.6 Correlation Matrix of
Relationship between Job Enrichment Variables and Teachers' Role Performance 84
Table
4.7 Regression Analysis of Job
Enrichment Variables and
Teachers' Role Performance 84
CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION
1.1
BACKGROUND
TO THE STUDY
Education is a basic and obvious process
by which skills, knowledge and attitudes are acquired for improving personal
competencies and seeking better opportunities. Whether it is western or
traditional education, the purpose of education is to equip the individual to
progressively control his own affairs positively and contribute to societal
development (Obunadike, 2016). Moreover, Obiweluozor (2015) posited that in
each cutting-edge society education is accepted to be the way to national
improvement and there is a need to keep up each dimension of education
particularly the pre-primary stage, since it is the establishment whereupon all
other educational dimensions fabricate. When a child misses that beginning
time, it is typically hard for the child to be at home with the nuts and bolts.
Early years in life are most significant
in the formation of intelligence, identity and social conduct of a youngster
(Sooter, 2013). The years prior to a child getting to Kindergarten are among
the most basic in his or her life to impact learning, that is the reason
present day parents show genuine concern for the education of their young ones
by giving required help to prepare them to succeed later in school. It is a
usual practice in many societies to make arrangement for early childhood
education programmes of different sorts for children beneath the official
school-going age (generally 6years) in order to prepare them for education in
primary schools (Obidike, 2012). Ige (2011) pointed out that early childhood is
a critical period of rapid physical, cognitive, and psycho-social development
of a child. The quality of care and education a child receives at this crucial
age determines, to a great extent, the level of his/her physical and cognitive
development in the future.
In Nigeria, Early Childhood Care
Development and Education (ECCDE) is “an aspect of Universal Basic Education
which was introduced in 1999 to make a way for more children to have basic
education and improve the state of education in the country” (Ejieh in Sooter,
2013; 173). The Federal Government of Nigeria further gave prominence to early
childhood education as one of the programmes in the Nigerian educational
system. According to Federal Republic of Nigeria, (FRN) (2013; 10) National
Policy on Education.
Early childhood education is labeled as
Early Childhood/Pre-primary Education and is defined as the education given in
an educational institution to children prior to their entering the primary
school. It includes the Crèche, the Nursery and the Kindergarten. As stated in
the policy document, the purpose of pre-primary education includes, among
others: Providing a smooth transition from the home to the school, preparing
the child for the primary level of education, providing adequate care and supervision
for the children while their parents are at work, inculcating in the child the
spirit of enquiry and creativity through the exploration of nature and the
local environment, playing with toys, artistic and musical activities, teaching
the rudiments of numbers, letters, colours, shapes, forms, through play,
inculcating social norms, developing a sense of cooperation and team spirit and
learning good habits especially good health habits.
In the FRN (2013; 11), National Policy on
Education document, the implementation guidelines of ECCE stated by the
government in order to achieve these objectives are as follows:
i.
establish pre-primary sections in existing
primary schools and encourage both community and private efforts in the
provisions of pre-primary education.
ii.
make provision in teacher education
programmes for specialization in early childhood pre-primary education.
iii.
ensure that the medium of instruction is
principally the mother tongue or the language of the immediate community; and
to this end will,
iv.
develop the orthography of many more
Nigerian languages
v.
produce textbooks in Nigerian languages.
vi.
ensure that the main method of teaching at
this level shall be through play and that the curriculum of teacher education
is oriented or geared to achieve this, regulate and control the operation of
pre-primary education and the teacher -pupil ratio shall be 1:25.
vii.
set and monitor minimum standard for
early-childhood centres in the country; and
viii.
ensure full participation of government,
communities and teacher associations in the running and maintenance of early
childhood care education facilities.
The significance of pre-primary
education cannot be overemphasized; it empowers children to improve on their
self-confidence since they are given opportunity to connect with their
companions and grown-ups too. Pre-primary education enhances freedom and helps
curb the propensity of children that are highly aggressive during group
activities. Children’s interactions with their peers and adults help to broaden
their scope of understanding and they also gain mastery of the world around
them (Obiweluozor, 2015). Pre-primary education is significant or critical to
the child, parents and society, since it grants unhindered transition from home
to school. It enhances the child's freedom to interact with other individuals
outside his close relatives. The pre-primary school helps children's cognitive
domain through learning rhymes and tunes; while playing on the slides and
swings helps their physical development and assemble their muscles. Sorted out
play with structure squares and riddles, infant dolls, and teddy bears helps in
emotional development of the children.
At the pre-primary school
stage, children learn to share and co-operate with others as opposed to
building up narrow minded inclinations. Exposure to pre-primary education has
helped in teaching the child how to comprehend and deal with his/her feelings.
The introduction of pre-primary education is helpful to parents who work
outside the home and does not have house help to watch over their children
while they are away. The children will be exposed to reading and writing.
Statistical research has revealed that children who have gone through early
childhood or pre-primary programmes are almost certain than other children to
stay in primary school and accomplish great outcomes (UNESCO, 1995).
Due to the official
recognition of pre-primary education in the Nigeria’s National Policy on
Education document, establishment of pre-primary schools has been made
possible. This has raised the status of pre-primary education to the lime light
and it is never again an issue to be broached aside. Maduewesi in Obiweluozor
(2015) opined that acknowledgment of the significance of pre-primary education
by the Federal government has brought about the recognition of the significance
of young children as a people requiring and craving care. The government indicated
that it will empower private endeavors in the arrangement of pre-primary
education. Private individuals are
granted license or authority to set up nursery schools.
However, the goals and
objectives of ECCE cannot be realized without efficient and effective
professional teachers. Similarly, Aluede (2009; 40) stated that “a teacher is
regarded as: a guide; a creator (stimulator of creativity); an authority; a
person; an evaluator; a community builder; a story teller”. The mind boggling
procedure of instructing and learning demands that one who is to take up the
activity of educating should, among others, be outfitted with the knowledge and
abilities to handle the feelings, emotions and estimations of learners just as
the knowledge of cognitive development of the learners and the best strategies
and instructional materials with which to teach them (Unachukwu & Okorji, 2014).
In the same vein, Okeke in Okeke and Mtyuda (2017; 60) defined a teacher as”
one who discovers or orders, transmits, disseminates, appraises, or administers
knowledge, skills, competencies, appropriate values in any learning and
teaching process”. A teacher must be a constant learner, ahead of the pupils he
is teaching and must be able to impart the knowledge he has in a way that the
learner will understand. Furthermore, teachers are professionals and they are
probably the most important agents through which schools achieve their goals.
Teachers occupy a prime position in the
education enterprise as they are responsible for shaping the destiny of nations
and individuals. In the opinion of Haggai and Sambo (2012), ECCE requires
people who are knowledgeable, such as specialist care givers and teachers who
are well equipped for the task and are able to handle children effectively. The
ECCE teacher has very important and demanding role to play in the education of
the child. The Cambridge Dictionary defined role as a part or character someone
performs or the function or position of a person. It is also the capacity
accepted or part played by someone or something in a specific circumstance. In
the context of the present study, role is the duty the ECCE teacher performs in
the school on a daily basis. Teachers’ role is therefore the part he plays in
molding the life of the child so he can be useful to himself and the society.
Thus, Measom (2011; 20) asserted that
the early childhood teacher is expected to
perform the following roles: being responsible for the academic,
social-emotional growth and development of all children in their care, inculcating
a strict schedule that include daily routines, such as going to the
convenience, washing hands, eating and participating in social activities that
will keep the children occupied and productive and help them learn to function
in a structured environment.
Furthermore, Martinez-Beck in Phajane
(2014) opined that the teacher supports learning by providing activities and
materials that children find engaging. The teacher also ensures the children
have adequate time to explore, play and interact which helps them find learning
easy. In addition, an early-childhood teacher develops a schedule that also
allows for rest time and play, maintains a safe and comfortable environment and
inspects the children's environment to ensure the safety of equipment and
materials while removing or repairing items that pose a threat to the children.
The early-childhood teacher recognizes that the 3-5-year-old child's learning
occurs through both play and experiences that helps to develop the children's
cognitive, affective and psychomotor domains. They also prepare lesson notes
for effective teaching and evaluate the pupils regularly (Fenech in Phajane,
2014). All these roles go to show that the ECCE teacher ought to be a
specialist in the field, enthusiastic and should love the job so that he can
effectively carry out the roles.
Teachers’ role performance is of paramount
importance to maintain the enviable position of early childhood care education.
The issue of teachers’ role performance especially at this fundamental level of
a child’s education has always attracted the attention of educational
practitioners and other stakeholders in education. Teachers’ role performance
is a function of very many variables and as such attracts numerous definitions.
In this study role performance is considered a synonym of job performance.
Doneedy in Oleforo, Usen and Bassey (2015) properly clarified that job
performance entails the general adequacy and proficiency of completing things.
It gives a picture of how an establishment is fairing. Teachers' job
performance includes every one of the exercises completed by the educator to
accomplish the desired results in the life of the pupils. It includes the
degree to which the teacher takes an interest in the general running of the
school so as to accomplish the normal targets and objectives of the school. In
essence, performance is the achievement of school objectives. Ezeogwu in
Obunadike (2016; 430) highlighted teachers' roles in the school as follows:
i.
Classroom management: The teacher arranges
and organizes the classroom to ensure a smooth and effective teaching and
learning. Arrangement and organization of the classroom takes into cognizance
arranging the seats, arranging the pupils in a suitable manner, decorating the
classroom with charts, teaching aids, maps which apart from beautifying the
environment aids pupils’ learning. The teacher also ensures effective class
control.
ii.
Preparation of lesson plan and
presentation. The teacher plans the lesson and writes lesson notes and presents
the lesson in a manner that encourages active learner participation.
iii.
Security: effective learning cannot be
achieved where the teacher fails to provide security for the learner. This is
in terms of warm and friendly environment for teaching and learning. The learner
needs attention and affection from the teacher so as to promote learning. The
learner equally needs protection from bullying and intimidation which develops
in the learner a relaxed mind to receive the lesson.
iv.
Evaluating, recording and reporting: these
are essential part of the teachers' job. They involve building records, keeping
of pupils’ records including records relating to planning of the curriculum and
class schedules. It will help in accessing necessary information about the
learner at any time.
v.
Participating in school activities: The
teacher is duty bound to participate in school activities including
extra-curricular activities of the school. The teacher functions as a games
master and patron of any school committee in addition to his classroom
teaching.
The giving of quality instruction at all
levels of the educational system rests squarely on the teachers (Akpan, 2015).
It therefore becomes difficult to separate instruction from the teachers’
responsibility to direct the all-round education and development of the
individual child in the right way. However, the early childhood teachers in the
South East Nigeria, do not seem to perform their roles creditably well.
Akwuegwu (2005) blamed the poor performance of teachers on poor preparation of
the teachers at the point of entry into the job. It seems many come into the
teaching profession without adequate knowledge of their job description right
from the point of entry, therefore, they go in and start performing their roles
as they consider fit. Worse still, some seem to have inadequate knowledge of
the subject matter as such they find it difficult to impart their knowledge
effectively therefore, a gap imperatively exists between the tasks and
responsibilities of the ECCE teacher and his abilities and quality of delivery.
Moreover, it appears that the teachers that are qualified and knowledgeable
about their job are not dedicated to it, because of lack of motivation. The
crux of the matter is that there is observable poor attitude of teachers
towards work in many early childhood care education centres in South East,
Nigeria, which may be due to poor job enrichment (Akpan, 2015).
The central focus of job enrichment is
giving teachers more authority over their work and motivating them for increased
productivity. In enriched jobs workers carry out their job with expanded
freedom, autonomy and responsibility. They also receive plenty feedback which
enable them to assess and correct their own performance (Mindtools, 2010).
These no doubt improve their role performance efficiency and so place them in a
position to train the children properly in early childhood care education. In
enriched jobs depth is added to a job by giving workers more control,
responsibility and discretion over how their job is performed (Newstrom, 2011).
Job enrichment is including worker in pleasurable exercises and inspiring them
to utilize their abilities effectively (Davoudi, 2013).
Moreover, Lunenburg (2011; 1) defined job
enrichment as ″a job design strategy for enhancing job content by building into
it more motivating potential″. It is an attempt to motivate employees by giving
them the opportunity to use their capabilities (Pillai, Mashood, Amoodi &
Husain, 2012). It can be deduced therefore, that job enrichment is an approach
to spur employees by giving them expanded duty and variety in their jobs. Many
employers traditionally believe that money was the only true motivating factor
for employees and that if one wanted to get more work out of employees,
offering them more money was the only way to do it. While that might be valid
for a little group of individuals, most workers like to work and to be
appreciated for the work they do. Job enrichment enables the employees to have
more control in arranging their work and choosing how the work ought to be
carried out. This is one approach to take advantage of the desire most
employees need to work superbly, to be appreciated for their commitments to the
organization and to feel more as an important part of the team.
Hackman and Oldham in Hussein (2018)
asserted that for a job to be called enriched it must have the five job
enrichment dimensions which include: skill variety, job identity, task
significance, job autonomy and job feedback. Job enrichment is geared towards
discovering constructive approaches to address every one of these areas and
thereby improve workers motivation and individual fulfillment. The present
study is interested in ascertaining the extent these five job dimensions
correlate with teachers’ role performance in early childhood care education in
South East, Nigeria.
Skill variety is how much a job requires a
wide range of exercises in doing the work, which includes the utilization of
various skills and talents and abilities (Hussein, 2018).This is significant in
light of the fact that utilizing just a single expertise to do a similar task
over and again can be very exhausting, regularly making the worker's productivity
decline after a timeframe. However, using a different kind of skills in a job
will tend to keep the employee more interested in the job and more motivated
(Newstrom, 2011). The early childhood care education teacher needs variety of
skills to perform his/her role to enjoy fulfillment in the job and still gain
increased productivity. Some of the skills needed by the teacher are: effective
communication skills, which involve demonstration of the ability of the teacher
to orally transmit information on a given subject in a rational and coherent,
effectively comprehended style with proper grammar and sentence structure.
Other skills include; Technical skills,
which are needed by the teacher for the selection and utilization of
appropriate methods and materials for effective classroom teaching. The teacher
who has technical skills has the ability to diagnose the entry behaviour and
skills of pupils for a given set of instructional objectives; Planning and
preparation skills are involved in selecting the educational aims and learning
outcomes intended for a lesson and how best to achieve them while lesson
presentation skills are involved in successfully engaging pupils in the
learning experience, particularly in relation to the quality of instruction. On
the other hand, lesson management skills are involved in overseeing and
arranging the learning activities occurring during the lesson to keep up
pupils’ attention, interest and involvement whereas classroom climate skills
come into play in establishing and maintaining positive attitudes and
motivation by pupils towards the lesson. Finally, discipline skills are
involved in maintaining good order and dealing with any pupil’s misbehavior that
occurs during class time (Kyriachou, 2014).
This brings to fore the significance of
job identity. Job identity is a matter of realizing a visible outcome from performing
a task. Having the option to see the
final product of the work they do is a significant motivator for employees. One
approach to make job identity clearer is through job enlargement, which means
adding more tasks and duties to a current job.
When utilizing job enlargement as an
enrichment strategy, it is significant that augmenting the job gives the worker
greater duty and more variety, not simply more work (Robbins, Judge, Millet
& Waters-Marsh, 2008 & Jacko, 2004). Therefore, the teacher's task
identity implies that the teacher does not simply focus on the teaching-
learning situation without giving appropriate attention to class discipline,
safety, lighting, sitting and seats arrangement and every other activity that
add to the smooth running of the class.
In the same vein, Hussein (2018; 352) asserted
that job autonomy involves ″the level of opportunity, freedom and basic
leadership capacity the worker has in finishing assigned tasks″. A great many
people like to be given responsibility; it shows trust and spurs employees to
satisfy that trust. Responsibility can likewise help accelerate work forms by
empowering the worker to settle on choices without hanging tight for the
management endorsement. Autonomy is a very significant aspect of job enrichment
since it gives the employee influence and a feeling of significance (Robbins et
al, 2008). By simply trusting the teacher’s expertise at their job and
empowering them to operate more independently, the teacher will develop an
increased level of job satisfaction and in turn increase their productive
output.
Furthermore, task significance is about
how significant the task a worker does is to others in the organization, if
employees can see how their work affects others, it will be a motivator to do the
best job they can (Robbins et al, 2008 & Jacko, 2004). Adding this element
of job enrichment to a teacher’s role will ensure a higher level of
productivity. The teacher perceiving and understanding how important performing
his role has to do with the overall achievement of educational goals will
positively affect his performance. Similarly, job feedback describes how much
and what kind of information about job performance is received by the teacher.
It is a standout amongst the most significant areas for motivation. Without
feedback, employees have no chance of knowing whether they are doing things
accurately or wrongly. Positive feedback motivates employees when the endeavors
they have put into their work is acknowledged. While money related prizes for working
superbly can be a solid motivator, at times expressions of commendation can
achieve the same goal. Corrective feedback is also important because it lets
employees know what areas need improvement (Robbins et al, 2008& Jacko,
2004). Teachers will be happier and perform better when they get positive
feedback from students results, parents and the school management. Corrective
feedback will also make the teacher to perform better.
To this end, Davoudi (2013) affirmed that
lack of job enrichment does not enhance teachers’ effectiveness and promote
professionalism in their chosen career. This, however gives teachers a poor
sense of career satisfaction and improvement in their performance, which in
turn affects pupils’ overall performance. In support of the above, Lunenborg
(2011) opined that, unenriched jobs are monotonous, unchallenging and workers
do not have autonomy and so give little sense of commitment to their jobs hence
poor outcome. Furthermore, various researchers such as Magaji (2015) carried out
a study on job enrichment and staff motivation in private universities in South
West, Nigeria, Inayatullah and Jehangir (2011) investigated Teacher’s Job
Performance: The Role of Motivation in Peshawar while Vijay and Indradevi
(2015) conducted a study on Job Enrichment and Individual Performance among
Faculties with Special Reference to a Private University in India. However,
none of these researchers anchored their investigation on job enrichment
variables as correlates of teachers’ role performance in Early Childhood Care
Education. In addition, their studies did not focus on the present study area
hence, there exists a gap which this study intended to fill by investigating
Job enrichment variables as correlates of teachers’ role performance in early childhood
care education in South East, Nigeria.
1.2 STATEMENT
OF THE PROBLEM
The early childhood care education
teachers have repertoire of roles to perform on a daily basis to ensure the
achievement of the goals and objectives of the school system. These roles can
only be done creditably well if the variables of job enrichment are applied to
their work situation. Job enrichment is a job design technique that is useful
in providing autonomy and encouraging teachers’ initiative towards high quality
performance and job excellence. An enriched job encourages workers to take on
higher responsibilities that will make them to acquire new skills bringing
about variety thereby reducing monotony and boredom in their job. When a
teachers' job is challenging or enriched, it brings out the best in him/her. An
enriched job goes with recognition of employee’s inputs which enhances job
satisfaction and fulfillment.
The ECCE teachers among other things are
to; prepare lesson notes, manage the classroom and ensure the children are
actively participating in the goings on in the class, It is worrisome to note
that the Early Childhood teachers do not seem to perform their roles creditably
well, this is evidenced in the performance of the children they are teaching.
It could be perhaps because their jobs are not enriched. While job enrichment
is recognized to play enviable role in enhancing workers role performance,
there is dearth of information on the extent ECCE teachers are exposed to it in
their job situations. The researcher noted that ECCE teachers daily engage in
unrewarding and monotonous job that offer little or no professional
satisfaction this might be as a result of the non-application of job
enrichment. The absence of job enrichment and consequently fulfillment, can often
lead to anxiety and unhappiness of the teacher which ultimately affects his/her
performance. It is on this basis that the problem of this study is stated
interrogatively thus: To what extent do job enrichment variables serve as
correlates of teachers’ role performance in ECCE in South East, Nigeria?
1.3 PURPOSE OF THE STUDY
The purpose of this study is to examine
job enrichment variables as correlates of teachers’ role performance in early
childhood care education (ECCE) in South East, Nigeria. Specifically, this
study sought to:
1. Determine
the relationship between skill variety and teachers’ role performance in early
childhood care education.
2. ascertain
the relationship between job identity and teachers’ role performance in early
childhood care education
3. determine
the relationship between job autonomy and teachers’ role performance in early
childhood care education
4. ascertain
what relationship exists between task significance and teachers’ role performance
in early childhood care education
5. ascertain
the relationship between job feedback and teachers’ role performance in early
childhood care education
6. determine the relationship between job
enrichment variables and teachers’ role performance in early childhood care
education
1.4 RESEARCH QUESTIONS
The following research questions were answered:
1. What is the
relationship between skill variety and teachers’ role performance in early
childhood care education?
2. What
is the relationship between job identity and teachers’ role performance in
early childhood care education?
3. What is the relationship between job
autonomy and teachers’ role performance in early childhood care education?
4. What is the relationship between task
significance and teachers’ role performance in early childhood care education?
5.What is the relationship between job
feedback and teachers’ role performance in early childhood care education?
6. What is the
relationship between job enrichment variables and teachers’ role performance in
early childhood care education?
1.5
HYPOTHESES
The following null hypotheses were
formulated and tested at 0.05 level of significance:
H01:
There is no significant relationship between skill
variety and teachers’ role performance in early childhood care education
H02:
There is no significant relationship between job identity and teachers’ role
performance in early childhood care
education
H03:
There is no significant relationship between job autonomy and teachers’ role
performance in early childhood care
education
H04: There is no significant
relationship between task significance and teachers’ role performance in
early childhood care education
H05: There is no significant
relationship between job feedback and teachers’ role performance in early childhood care education
H06: There is no significant
relationship between job enrichment variables and teachers’ role performance in
early childhood care educaion
1.6
SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY
The findings of
the study will be useful to policy makers, managers of early childhood care
education, the society, teachers, parents, pupils and upcoming researchers.
The findings of the study will expose to
policy makers the problem areas in the teaching and learning process in early
childhood care education and how to formulate policies to tackle those problems
to get better results in Nigerian educational system. The information about the
part the government has to play on the realization of the goals and objectives
of ECCE which they are not performing as expected will serve as a reminder to
them to make them to promptly attend to those areas.
The findings of the study will provide
information to managers of early childhood care education on what job enrichment
is all about and how to apply it to the job situation of teachers which will
enhance their motivation and better performance. This will definitely affect
positively the attainment of educational goals at ECCE level.
The society also stands to benefit from
the findings of this study in that they will appreciate more the importance of
teachers and their contributions to the society. This will enable the society
to put the teachers in their rightful place and accord them the honour they
deserve for them to perform better. It will also enable the society to make
objective suggestions that may facilitate the moving of education industry
forward
The findings of the study will help
teachers to be more mindful of their job significance as it affects the future
career of the pupils they are teaching. This will make them to put in more
effort and be more dedicated to their work of molding the pupils. Also, it will
expose to the teacher the variety of skills needed for better role performance,
teachers will therefore buckle up in getting more versed or improving
themselves in mastering those essential skills.
The findings of the study will provide
information to parents on the importance of giving feedback about their wards'
performance to teachers. If it is positive it will encourage the teachers to do
better and if it is negative the teacher will know areas in which to improve so
as to be able to help the child. Parents will also be exposed to the areas they
need to work with teachers to enhance better performance of their wards.
The findings of the study will be
beneficial to the early childhood care education pupils as they will have the
opportunity to benefit from the improvement of their teachers in discharging
their duties. This will help them to have a sound educational foundation which
will give them an edge in their future educational pursuit.
The findings of this study will reveal to
stakeholders and education industry in general those job enrichment variables
that are necessary for facilitating better job performance among teachers in
early childhood care education and thus create a conducive atmosphere for
better education at the nursery and primary school level. The literature on job
enrichment variables and teachers’ role performance will witness a boost and
those who may be interested in researching this area both in education and
management will have literature to rely on to carry out their studies.
1.7
SCOPE OF THE STUDY
The study is delimited to all teachers in
4,784 Early Childhood Education centres in 5,453 public Primary Schools in
South East, Nigeria. South East has five states namely Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi,
Enugu and Imo. The study examined job enrichment variables as correlates of
teachers' role performance in early childhood education in South East, Nigeria.
The independent variable is job enrichment variables while the dependent
variable is teachers' role performance. The study specifically focused on the
extent skill variety, job identity, job autonomy, task significance, job
feedback correlate with teachers’ role performance in early childhood care
education in South East, Nigeria.
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