ABSTRACT
The study examined “Teaching and Learning Conditions in Public, Private and Faith-based Secondary Schools in Abia State, Nigeria. The design adopted for the study was Questionnaire-descriptive survey design was adopted for the study. Seven research questions were asked and four hypotheses were tested at 0.05 significant level. Literature was reviewed based on the variables related to the objectives of the study. The population of the study was 11,376 made up of 697 principals and 10,679 teachers in 697 secondary schools of the three categories of ownership public, private and faith-based from 70 school in Abia State. The number of schools sampled was 70. Simple random sampling technique by balloting was used to select 23 public schools, 25 private schools and 22 faith-based schools used. The sample size of the respondents was 968, (291 teachers from the public schools, 318 from the private schools and 359 teachers) from the faith based schools). The instrument used for data collection was a researcher-structured questionnaire titled Secondary School Teaching and Learning Conditions Questionnaire (SSTLQ) built on a 4-point rating scale. The instrument was validated by three experts one from Measurement and Evaluation and two from Educational Management from Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike. The instrument was carried out to determine the measure of stability of the instrument and the measure of internal consistency. The measure of stability of the School Teaching and Learning Conditions Questionnaire (SSTLQ) was 0.82, as the stability of the five sub-scales had reliability indices that ranged from 0.71-0.74 which were reliable. The internal consistency was established using the cronbach alpha method which yielded an internal consistency of 0.84 for the Senior Secondary Teaching and Learning Condition Questionnaire (SSTLQ), as the internal consistency of the sub-scales of the Senior Secondary Teaching and Learning Condition Questionnaire (SSTLQ) ranged from 0.74-0.78 which implied that the instrument was reliable. The data generated were computed using descriptive statistics involving the computation of frequency counts, mean and pooled mean to answer the six research questions while the two way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to test the null hypotheses at 0.05 level of significance. The findings of the study revealed that Teaching and Learning Conditions differ in public, private and faith-based secondary schools in the aspect of teacher-factors, student-factors, learners friendly environment, management practices, building facilities and teachers condition of service. Based on the findings, recommendations were made, which includes that secondary schools in Abia State should not overlook the condition of service of teachers that will facilitate their teaching conditions, to avoid poor teaching effectiveness of teachers in the three school types, public, private and faith-based.
TABLE
OF CONTENTS
Title Page
i
Declaration ii
Certification iii
Dedication iv
Acknowledgments v
Table of Contents
vi
List of Tables vii
Abstract viii
CHAPTER 1:
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background
to the Study
1
1.2 Statement
of the Problem
9
1.3 Purpose
of the Study 10
1.4 Research
Questions
10
1.5 Research
Hypotheses 11
1.6 Significance of the Study 12
1.7 Scope of the Study 13
CHAPTER 2: REVIEW
OF RELATED LITERATURE
2.1 Conceptual
Framework 14
2.1.1 Concept of teaching 14
2.1.2 Concept of learning 15
2.1.3 Teaching and learning 16
2.1.4 Public secondary
school
28
2.1. 5 Private secondary school 30
2.1 6
Faith-based secondary school
31
2.2 Theoretical Framework
34
2.2.1 Theory of learning conditions by robert gayne
(1985) 36
2.2.2 Molding theory of teaching by kerlingger
(1965) 38
2.3 Empirical Studies
38
2.4 Summary of Review of Related Literature
41
CHAPTER 3:
METHODOLOGY
3.1 Design of the Study 44
3.2 Area of Study
45
3.3 Population of the Study 46
3.4 Sample and
Sampling Techniques
47
3.5 Instrument for Data Collection 48
3.6 Validation of the Instrument
48
3.7 Reliability of the Instrument
49
3.8 Method of Data Collection
50
3.9 Method of Data Analysis
50
CHAPTER
4: RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
4.2 Result 68
4.3 Discussion 71
CHAPTER 5: SUMMARY,
CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS
5.1 Summary 76
5.2 Conclusion 81
5.3 Recommendations 82
5.4 Educational
Implication of the Study ` 83
5.5 Limitations
of the Study 84
5.6
Suggestion for Further Studies 84
REFERENCES
85
APPENDICES
LIST
OF TABLES
Table 4.1: Mean and standard
deviation scores of the responses of
principals
and teachers on the teacher factors available in the
public, private and
faith-based schools 51
Table 4.2: Mean
and standard deviation scores of the principals and teachers
responses on the extent students factor being provided in the public,
private and faith-based schools. 53
Table 4.3: Mean and standard
deviation scores of the responses of the
principals and teachers on the extent of learners
friendly environment
are available in the public, private and faith-based
schools. 55
Table 4.4: Mean standard
deviation scores of the responses of the principals
and teachers on the extent of management practices
in public,
private and
faith-based schools. 57
Table 4.5: Mean and standard
deviation scores of the responses of the
principals and teachers on the extent building
facilities are available in
the public,
private and faith-based secondary schools. 59
Table 4.6: Mean and standard
deviation scores of the responses of the principals
and teachers on the extent of compliance of teachers
condition of
service in public, private and faith-based secondary
schools. 61
Table 4.7: A Two way analysis of variance (ANOVA) of
a significant difference
between the mean ratings of the principals and
teachers on the teachers
factor available in the public, private and
faith-based schools. 64
Table 4.8: A
two-way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) of a significant
difference between the mean ratings of the
principals and teachers
the extent of availability of student factor in the
public, private and
faith-based schools. 65
Table 4.9: Two
way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) of a significant difference
between the mean ratings and teachers on the extent
of the
availability of learners friendly environment in the
public, private
and faith-based schools. 66
Table 4.10: Two way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) of a
significant difference
between the mean ratings of the principals and
teachers on the
extent of compliance to teachers condition of
service available in
the public, private and faith-based schools 67
CHAPTER
1
INTRODUCTION
1.1 BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY
Education
is very vital to the pace of social, political and economic development of any
nation. Its importance cannot be neglected. Education is the base and pillar of
any country's economic development. It is regarded as the bedrock of the nation's
development. Modebelu (2015) defined education as a process of leading
individuals out of ignorance through the training of their mind in adequate
understanding of the world around them and by acquisition of appropriate
knowledge, attitude, values and skills for effective citizenship. That is why
most nations of the world including Nigeria strive to devote a sizable
proportion of their Gross National Income to develop the sector. Policy makers,
educationists and administrators in the educational sectors are seeking for
ways to utilize the limited resources efficiently and effectively in order to
identify and solve problems in the sector, as well as to provide quality
education to the citizens. This kind of education is very imperative and can be
achieved through teaching and learning.
The
influence of teaching and learning especially in public, private and
faith-based school has been an issue
especially to parents and wards whose children are of secondary school age. It
is common knowledge to hear parents of such students in private secondary
schools claim that private secondary schools are better equipped than public or
faith-based secondary schools and vice versa, and this support the view of Hans
and Sassi (2011). These arguments may be on the basis of available physical
structures, well designed buildings, library facilities, environmental
enrichments and adequate space among others. However, parents of students from
public schools are possibly irritated and psychologically depressed and would
want to transfer their wards to such equipped schools. This situation results
in most parents scrambling for few available places they believe have good
teaching and learning conditions. Observation of private, public and
faith-based schools in Abia state show that the achievement of students in the
three school types differ, and this support the view of (Richardson, 2008).
Some of the reasons adduced include ineffectiveness of their teachers due to
poor teaching experience, poor physical infrastructure among others which also
differ from one school type to the other. What is not yet clear is whether the
teaching and learning conditions differ or not.
Teaching
according to Akudolu in Modebelu (2009) is a systematic activity deliberately
engaged in by somebody to facilitate the learning of the intended worthwhile
knowledge, values and skills. (Mkpa, 2017) defined teaching as an activity
consisting of a body of actions intended to induce learning through the
conscious and deliberate efforts of a mature and experienced person to
facilitate or impact knowledge. From the above definitions, teaching is
deliberate efforts of a mature and experienced person (teacher) reflecting a
body of activities that must be systematic to induce or facilitate learning.
Once there is teaching there must be learning except where the teaching has
been turned into “cheating” then it will produce “tearing”. Teaching, as a
major function of the teacher brings about learning. Ikegbunam (2009) defined learning as a
process by which a learner profits from experience, if the result is a
permanent change in behaviour traceable to exposure to conditions in the
environment, experience and practice. It is the process of acquisition of
knowledge and skills through study, experience or being taught. The experienced
person (the teacher) teaches while the less-experienced (the learner) learns,
hence the inevitable existence of the teaching and learning process.
It is only when the goals of teaching and
learning are achieved, can the teaching and learning process be described as
effective. Teaching and learning occur
when students or learners report back with findings, usually in a written
format. They are sources of information (library, teaching materials, human resources,
other students, teachers etc.) from which students are able to learn. They are
deliberate interventions which involve the planning and implementation of
instructional activities and teaching experiences to meet intended learner
outcomes according to a teaching plan (Uzuegbu, 2013). These occur when the
teaching and learning conditions are readily available or handy. Supporting
this assertion, (Eya, 2015) reported that teaching conditions are the same as
learning conditions. The implication is that when teaching or teachers’
conditions are adequate and learning or learners’ conditions are also adequate,
the teacher teaches excellently while the leaner learns maximally. Conversely
when either condition is inadequate the teacher may teach excellently while the
learner may learn minimally or the learner is ready to learn but the teacher is
cheating instead of teaching due to unfavourable teaching and learning
conditions. This implies that there are conditions that promote teaching and
learning against cheating and lying. Both teaching and learning conditions must
be adequate for effective teaching and learning process. There is need to
identify these conditions.
Ajayi
(2001) identified five conditions for quality teaching and learning to include:
adequate building facilities, staffing, learning assessment and management.
Ajayi and Oluchukwu (2008) reported that teaching and learning conditions
should reflect number of teachers and
percentage of teachers who are qualified, teacher shortage or surplus, teacher
specialization, number of students per class, number of textbooks in school or
classes, quality of textbooks, number of textbooks and journals purchased for
library and library use, innovations in instructional materials and methods,
number of desks/tables and chairs, number of classrooms, educational attainment
of the teachers and head-teachers, finance/capital, and effective supervision
of instruction. Eliot (2015) emphasized the importance of learning environment
as a teaching and learning condition. He defined learning environment as a diverse
physical locations, contexts and cultures in which students learn. Eliot
recommended that teaching and learning materials like chalk, books, charts
etcetera should be handy. Eliot (2015) and Edgglosry (2013) identified key
proponents of teaching and learning process as the teacher and the learner, as
such their freedom of interaction, safety and respect should be equally
guaranteed within the physical and emotive environment they find themselves.
Education Edict (1974) and Igwe (1990) considered compliance to teachers’
conditions of service as very important teaching and learning conditions. The teachers’ conditions of service include
background and motivation, social welfare aspects, compensations, salaries, promotions
and extra-curricular activities. From the above discussion teaching and
learning conditions vital for attainment of secondary education goals are
summarized as teachers’ factor, students’ factor, classroom-learning
environment, compliance to teachers’ conditions of service, building facilities,
learning resources, funding and
management.
Teacher
factor refers to teachers’
qualifications, teachers’ teaching experience, teachers’ advancement/capacity
building, teachers’ specialization for demonstration of competency of subject
mastery, teacher-student ratio of 1:40, minimum teaching load of eighteen
credit hours, teacher’s table and chair, a dictionary, a syllabus and teacher’s
guide for each subject. Teaching approach and methods in use are very important
teacher factor/condition that can enhance or mar teaching and learning in any
school not minding the adequacy of other factors.
On
the other hand, the students’/ learners’ factor entails that each student must have a desk, space, basic
textbooks, and exercise books at a rate of one per subject per child; learning
assessment of each learner’s progress must reflect evaluation of at least once
a forth night; at least, 50% of the learners’ time should be in interactive
learning in the form of independent study, project, problem-solving,
brain-storming, discussion among others. And each learner to write one exercise
in each language area and subject content.
Classroom
environment refers to physical
learning environment known as classroom that must be neat, well-ventilated and
spacious to allow free movement, the chairs and desks should be arranged neatly
to give the teacher a clear view of the class with learners facing the writing
board. Learning materials must be handy. The smaller the classes, the more
effective teacher-student interaction is and the more rewarding the teaching
becomes. Mutual respect is an indispensable ingredient in the recipe of
learning. A teacher who feels disrespected easily gets frustrated and is likely
to deliver dismally; similarly disrespected students/learners easily disengage
from learning process. All these factors and many more that are associated with
the school environment are expected to be successfully managed in order to make
a difference.
Management
refers to working with and through people to achieve goals by ensuring
systematic allocation of available resources especially in the secondary
schools. One of the managers of secondary education is the teacher and for
schools to achieve high performance, the teacher must be effective.
Effectiveness of the teachers in most cases across the school types have been
attributed to their conditions of service. Teacher’s conditions of service
refers to working conditions as a contract between the employers of teachers
and teachers themselves. Such conditions include social welfare, teachers’
salaries, teachers’ promotions among others.
How
far are these conditions met in the three school types since they are
determinants of students and teachers effectiveness? Attainment of these goals
depends to a large extent on quality of teaching and learning process going on
in the schools, which in turn is product of adequate availability and
utilization of teaching and learning conditions in the schools. At present,
there are three major types or classes of secondary schools that provide
secondary education in Nigeria in particular and other nations at large. These
schools are classified in terms of ownership and control/management namely
public, private and faith-based schools.
Prior
to the Nigerian civil war of 1967 to 1970, missionaries or voluntary agencies presently known and
addressed as faith-based organizations established and managed Faith-based
secondary schools as the major provider of secondary education in Nigeria with
little grants-in-aid from colonial government (Anuna, 2006 & Attah, 2016).
It was observed that quality of teaching and learning was commendable. This
could be because the owners provided the needed teaching and learning
conditions to a high extent. The devastating
effects/impacts of the civil war on educational school plant caused the majority
if not all the missionaries to lose interest in re-establishing, control and
administration of secondary schools in Nigeria.
Public
Education Edict of 1970 showed that the then East-Central State (the major
theatre of the war) took- over the ownership, control, management and
supervision of all primary and secondary schools, teacher training colleges
etc. in the state. This simply implied take-over from missionaries/ faith-based
agencies and private individuals. This was legalized under section 2 and
subsection (1) of the edict. Igwe (1990)
noted that since then effective operation and good personnel management of
uniform conditions of service which constitute adequate teaching and learning
conditions became imperative. Teaching and learning conditions were adequately
provided for, hence quality teaching and learning process resulting in high
standards of education (Nwangwu, 2008, Ukeje, Akabogu & Ndu, 1992). Increasing
awareness of the importance of education called for social demand approach in
educational planning to meet up with surge in demand for secondary education in
Nigeria. The government solicited for
assistance in provision of secondary education.
FRN
(2013) indicated that government welcomes the participation of voluntary
agencies, communities and private individuals in the establishment and
management of secondary schools while state government prescribes conditions to
be met by the communities and others wishing to establish secondary schools.
This brought back private schools and faith-based schools (mission schools)
into the system. From the above discussion, it became clear that the three
major providers of secondary education in Nigeria are public, private and
faith-based schools. Public secondary schools are schools owned, controlled and
managed by government with particular reference to state government with
exception of unity schools managed by federal government of Nigeria (FRN,
2013). Private Secondary schools are established and managed by private
individuals (Federal Republic of Nigeria- FRN, 2009 & Grossberg, 2016).
Kernerman (2010) defined Faith-based secondary schools as schools established
by religious bodies. Mifflin (2016) noted that they are supported by religious
organizations.
Recently
in Abia, Anambra and other states, the Faith-based organizations (missions)
agitated to have their schools back from government. Governments of such states
have returned a good number of these schools. Teachers in public schools seem
very reluctant to serve under mission and private schools except retired,
untrained and ones without opportunity to be employed in public schools. The
public schools are recently accused of lowering standard of education insinuated
to be due to weak educational administration, inadequate supervision of
instruction, poor funding, inadequate learning environment and non-compliance
to teachers’ conditions of service. The private schools are accused of
questionable standards, racketeering and marketing certificates through many
existing special centers, abating of examination malpractice and exorbitant
tuition. This is with exception of very few internationally standard private
schools. The faith-based schools seem to be commended of restoration of moral
standards but academic standards remain questionable in these three schools
today. The missions seem to resort to retired teachers and untrained due to
paucity of fund. They tend to lean on government who has not been able to
provide for its schools. Parents and guardians appear confused as to which of
these schools has teaching and learning conditions for effective secondary
education in Nigeria. There is need for comparison of teaching and learning
conditions in these schools with a view to determining degree of differences or
similarities as a guide to parents and other stakeholders in education.
A
study in Lagos by Ojeri (2011) on effectiveness of public, private and
faith-based secondary schools revealed that private and faith-based are more
effective in terms of teaching and learning. Also a study in Pakistan by Norich
(2009) on the same effectiveness of public, private and faith-based showed that
private schools perform better than public and faith- based schools. Majority
of studies reviewed determined effectiveness of the three schools. To the best
knowledge of the researcher, empirical studies available indicated need for
this study on comparison of teaching and learning conditions in public, private
and faith-based secondary schools especially in Abia State of Nigeria.
1.2 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
The
goals of secondary education are to prepare individuals for useful living within
the society and for higher education. Unfortunately the products of secondary
education seem to lack these basic skills. They are also described as half
baked and perform poorly/inadequately in both internal and external examination
such as (SSCE) Senior Secondary Certificates Examination.
This
inability of secondary education to achieve the above goals could be due to
poor teaching and learning conditions. Most secondary schools presently seems
to lack these facilities, such as well
designed buildings, library facilities, physical structures, environmental
enrichments and adequate space and teachers seem to be poorly motivated. These
problems are worse when secondary education is given by the three public,
private and faith-based secondary schools.
The
questions put in question from reads thus: what are the teaching and learning
conditions in public, private and faith-based secondary schools in Abia State?
To what extent do the teaching and learning conditions differ in the three
school types?
1.3 PURPOSE OF THE STUDY
The
study compared teaching and learning conditions in public, private and
faith-based secondary schools in Abia State of Nigeria. Specifically, the
objectives of the study are to:
1. determine
the extent of availability of
teacher-factors in public, private and faith-based secondary schools.
2. find
out the extent of availability of student-factors in public, private and
faith-based secondary schools.
3. determine
the extent of availability of learners’ friendly classroom environments in
public, private and faith-based secondary schools.
4. find
out the quality of management practices that are available in the three school
types.
5. examined
the extent of availability of building facilities in the three school types.
6. determine
the extent to which teacher's conditions of service achieved in the three
school types.
7.
determine the extent of
teaching and learning conditions in the three school types.
1.4
RESEARCH QUESTIONS
The following research questions were asked to guide
the study:
1. To
what extent are teacher-factors available in public, private and faith-based
secondary schools?
2. To
what extent are student-factors available in public, private and faith-based
secondary schools?
3. To
what extent are learners’ friendly classroom environments available in public,
private and faith-based secondary schools?
4. To
what extent are the quality of management practices in public, private and
faith-based secondary schools?
5. To
what extent are building facilities available in public, private and
faith-based secondary schools?
6. To
what extent are teachers’ conditions of service achieved in the public, private
and faith-based secondary schools?
1.5 HYPOTHESES
The following hypotheses were formulated and will be
tested at 0.05 level of significance:
1. There
is no significant difference between the mean ratings of teachers and
principals on the extent of availability of teacher’s factor in public, private
and faith-based secondary schools?
2. There
is no significant difference between the mean ratings of teachers and
principals on the extent of availability of the students factor in public,
private and faith-based secondary schools?
3. There
is no significant difference between the mean ratings of teachers and
principals on the extent of the availability of learners friendly classroom
environment in public, private and faith-based secondary schools?
4. There
is no significant difference between the mean ratings of teachers and
principals on the extent of compliance to teachers’ conditions of service in
public, private and faith-based secondary schools?
1.6 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY
The
findings of the study when published may be of great benefit to Government,
Secondary Education Management Board (SEMB), public, parents, teachers,
students and future researchers.
The
findings of the study will reveal to the Government, the state of affairs of
teaching and learning conditions in secondary schools in Abia State in areas of
teacher and student factors, classroom learning environment, building
facilities, learning assessment, management practices and compliance to
teachers’ conditions of service. This may guide them to introduce corrective
measures in areas of lapses.
To
SEMB, the findings may expose to them the areas of needs for improvement in
terms of expected management practices, learning assessment practices, adequacy
of classroom learning environment among others. They may also expose the causes
of lowering standard of education in the state to all the providers of
secondary education with particular reference to public schools. Such may cause
them proffer solutions to the situation where need be.
The
degree of compliance to teachers’ conditions of service may be revealed to the
public who seem to be blaming teachers for inefficiency and ineffectiveness.
They may join teachers to persuade government to live up to expectations for
improved teaching and learning in the state.
The
public and parents will also see the state of teaching and learning conditions
in the state and may be the possible causes of poor students’ academic
performance and learning in schools. The degree of differences of teaching and
learning conditions in public, private and faith-based Secondary Schools may be
revealed. Parents may be better guided in making choice of where to send their
children for effective Secondary Education. The findings of the study may
benefit future researchers. They may provide vital information in studying
related areas.
1.7 SCOPE OF THE STUDY
The study was delimited to comparison of
teaching and learning conditions in public, private and faith-based secondary
schools in Abia State, Nigeria. It aimed at contrasting teaching and learning
conditions variables in the three secondary school-types. Teaching and learning
conditions (independent variable) specifically covered teacher factor, student
factor, classroom learning environment, management practices, compliance to teachers’ conditions
of service, building facilities while Public, Private and Faith-based secondary
schools served as (dependent variable).
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