ABSTRACT
The
study examined the effect of teachers’ public image on teachers’ performance in
public secondary schools in Odi-Olowo Local Government Area of Lagos State. In
this study, relevant and extensive literatures were reviewed under
sub-headings. The descriptive research survey was used in the assessment of the
opinions of the selected respondents with the adoption of the questionnaire and
the sampling technique. A total of 100 (One Hundred) respondents were selected
and used as samples for this study, the respondents were made up of (50 males
and 50 females). A total of four research questions and four null hypotheses
were generated and used in this study using the simple percentage count to
analyze the research questions and the Pearson Moment Correlation Coefficient
and the t-test statistical tools were used to test the null hypotheses at 0.05
level of significance. At the end of the data analyses, the following results emerged:
there is a
significant effects of negative public image on teachers' motivation to teach
in the public secondary schools in Lagos State; there is a significant effect
of positive image on teachers' motivation to teach in the public secondary
schools in Lagos State. There is a significant relationships between public image of teachers and their
general performance in secondary schools in Lagos State; there is a significant
gender difference in the teaching effectiveness among teachers due to public
image. Based on the findings of this study,
the following recommendations were made: It is recommended that teachers
should be regarded well in the Nigerian teaching profession and that for
teachers to be effective in the teaching and learning processes. It is also
recommended that teachers should not have negative dispositions towards their
work in the secondary schools in Lagos State. Teachers in Nigeria are generally
regarded as “second- class” professionals, and this has caused poor performance
among teachers in Nigerian secondary schools, especially in Lagos State. For
this reason, it is recommended that teachers should have positive dispositions
and positive image so that they would be able to carry out their works
effectively and to assist students performances in their academic activities in
schools.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
PAGES
Title
page i
Certification
ii
Dedication
iii
Acknowledgement iv
Abstract
v
Table
of Contents vi
CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION
Background
to the Study 1
Statement
of the Problem 6
Purpose
of the Study 6
Research Questions 7
Research
Hypotheses 8
Significance
of the Study 8
Scope of the Study 9
Definition
of Terms 9
CHAPTER TWO: REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE
Introduction 11
The
Concept and Nature of Teaching 12
Teaching and Related Concepts 13
The Concept and Nature of Learning 16
Concept and Nature of Education 21
Theoretical Framework 25
History of Teacher Education 27
Education
in the Missionary Era (1842 - 1930) 29
Education
in the Private and Individual ERA (1931 -1954) 30
Education
and the Expansion Era (1955 - 1966) 31
An
Overview of Teachers' Image in Nigeria (1960 -1986) and (1986-2010) 33
Factors
Affecting Teachers' Image in Nigeria 36
Summary
of Literature Review 39
CHAPTER
THREE: RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODOLOGY
Introduction 41
Research Design 41
Population of the Study 41
Sample and Sampling Technique 41
The Instrument 42
Validity of the Instrument 42
Reliability of Instrument 42
Procedure for Data Collection 42
Procedure for Data Analysis Method 43
CHAPTER
FOUR: DATA ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION OF RESULTS
Introduction 44
Descriptive Analysis of Bio-Data 44
Descriptive Analysis of Research Questions 47
Testing of Hypotheses 52
Summary of
Findings 55
CHAPTER
FIVE: SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS
Summary of the Study
56
Conclusions 57
Recommendations 57
Suggestion
for Further Studies 59
References
60
Appendix
64
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
Background to the Study
In Nigeria, in general terms, the image of the
classroom teacher at all levels of the Nigerian educational system is nothing
to write home about. This means that the average Nigerian teacher is seen as a “Mr
or Mrs-nobody”. In terms of recognition, the teacher is the last on the list.
This is because, an average Nigerian sees the teacher as a poor personality due
to the fact that the teacher's condition of serve is always on the low point.
According to Ejiogu (1998), the teacher is poorly and negligibly rewarded for
the tedious job he/she does to see that the Nigerian child is educated. Ejiogu
(1998), went ahead to opine that the normal statement in Nigeria today is that
"the teacher's reward is in heaven". This by extension means that the
teacher is negatively rewarded for the enormous work he/she carries out in the
school system in the country. According to Egiogu (1998), unless this negative
perception is changed, the Nigerian education system will continue to
degenerate and dwindle through the evidence that is shown in the poor academic
performance of the Nigerian student in the public examinations such as the
JAMB, the WAEC/GCE/NECO etc.
The Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary (new
edition) defined image as the "impression a person, an organization or a
product gives to the public". It is also defined as a "mental picture
or perception that you have of what somebody or something is worth of or look
like". In consideration of the above definition of what an image is, it behaves
to say that a particular image is carved for the Nigerian teacher, and that
image is a negative one. Take for instance, a situation where the teacher is
not recognized as a professional among other professionals due to
non-recognition of the Nigeria Union of Teachers as a professional body. No
wonder the teacher in Nigeria is not paid attention to like every other
professional body in Nigeria such as the Nigeria Bar Association (NBA), the
Nigeria Medical Association (NMA), the Nigeria Union of Journalism (NUJ) etc.
According to Uzoma (2005), the negligence given to the Nigeria Union of
Teachers and indeed, teachers in general, calls for concern if our educational
system is to work well for our children and our children’s' children this
unfortunate trend must stop forth with.
In view of the blatant and brazen negligence metted
out to our teachers and the umbrella body of teachers, the NUT students'
academic achievement is greatly affected negatively by different factors which
concern the poor and negative public image of the teacher in the country. For
instance, for the fact that the teacher is not well taken care of in terms of
the low salary, poor fringe benefits and lack of recognition by the employers,
the Federal and State governments. Ejiogu (1999) stated that, for our
educational system to be effectively and efficiently run, the Nigerian teacher
must be recognized and treated as other professionals in the country. According
to Egiogu, if teachers in Nigeria are well treated and recognized like others,
the teacher-negative-orientation syndrome and poor self-esteem among teachers
will be eradicated, and there will be improvement in the academic performance
of the Nigerian students. Nkemjika and Adeleke (2000), stated that teachers
need to be motivated for them to carry out their work effectively. According to
them, when a worker is motivated, the worker is given a boost to do more work
because he/she feels recognized and rewarded. Therefore, Nkemjika and Adeleke
(2003) are of the opinion that the careless treatment of teachers is the main
cause of fallen standards of education in Nigeria.
As Ayobanji
(2007) puts it, generally, every human being needs to be recognized and
rewarded for effectiveness. But in the case of the Nigerian teacher, despite
that he/she does a great job of training and educating the entire nation, and
without him, every individual will wallow in ignorance as a result of illiteracy,
the government and the society rarely accord him the respect he/she deserves.
Rather than improving the teacher's condition of service and making the teacher
to work well for the benefit of all, the teacher's condition is worsen as the
years go by. The teacher is poorly paid, negatively perceived, not given
attention like others in the society. For this reason, the teacher pays back
the government and the society through shabby treatment of the student and
shallow carriage of his/her work. The resultant effect of this is the flight of
excellence in the school system and the exit of high academic achievement among
students in Nigeria in the recent time.
The above statements therefore, means that a teacher
will feel unwanted and unloved by the public if the public sees and treats him
or her without respect and honour. This will not make the teacher to give out
more of his/her best. Equally, a teacher that is usually looked down upon by the
same people or government he/she is serving, will not be able to give out
his/her best no matter how good or Godly he/she may be. Such a teacher(s) will
feel unwanted and unrecognized, the effect will be on his/her general
productivity in the school system in the country. It is important to mention
here that teacher's public image had been a matter of debate over time in
Nigeria. While some see him (the teacher) as a valuable service provider,
others perceive him as a lazy folk with little or no innovation and creativity
to stand the test of time. But people forget to know that when a teacher makes
a mistake, the whole nation perishes (Adewale, 1990).
Generally, in developing countries of which Nigeria
is one, the public perception of teachers has not been too encouraging when
compared to the developed nations. According to the recent Philadelphia and
Kappa/Gallup Annual Poll (1993), "Three of every four Americans say they
have trust and confidence in the men and women who teach children in the public
schools". This is in contrast to what is obtainable in Nigeria. Teachers
are only accorded regard by the public or society during the 1950s up to 1980s.
During this periods, the high sense of commitment has been attributed to three
major facts which include; the teachers' good social status, economic status,
conducive work environment etc (Achimugo, 2005). This shows that teachers at
that time were greatly honoured, dignified and highly respected by parents in
particular and society at large. No wonder that period witnessed the golden
period of Nigerian educational system. This is in sharp contrast to what is
obtainable in present day society. A society where teachers are seen or
perceived as being helped as against them helping the society by moulding the
students or pupils placed in their care. In present day society, it is almost
becoming a taboo to be called a "teacher".
According to Hall and Langton (1990) in Lawal (2012),
posited that events over the years have shown that the status and perception of
teachers by the society and the teaching profession in Nigeria and many other
countries, especially in Africa have nose-dived. This low status and perception
of teachers and the teaching profession could be attributed to the fact that
the social origins of teachers and environment of teaching and learning are
seriously improvised. (Kottler and Stanley 2000).This therefore means that
various segments of the society have different perception of teachers. In a
survey conducted among media houses, teachers, parents and teaching assistants
in England [Hargreaves et al (2006)] found that while the majority of the
governed public surveyed considered the teaching profession to be quiet an
attractive career due to largely to an attractive salary package, the media's
perception of teaching is more of a profession deserving some sympathy. Even
among the general public that viewed teaching as an attractive career, a good
number of them (32%) still regarded teaching as unattractive. One wonders what
a typical Nigerian perception of teachers will be like. But for the presence of
private schools, educational infrastructure is nothing to write home about.
Public schools infrastructure is dilapidated. Some
states have aggressively tackled this problem. Due to the neglect in infrastructure,
the personnel needed to carry out this function have also been neglected. This
is the major reason why most parents in Nigeria regard teaching as an
unattractive profession such that they (parents) will do everything to
discourage their ward from becoming one. Even students regard teaching as a low
level career that can be categorized under the blue collar job. The most
painful is that students in colleges of education who are more or less being
prepared for teaching as a profession in our various school level swiftly
refute the slogan "Teacher". Then one is tempted to ask "why
take the offer of admission in a college of education".
Statement of the Problem
The negative image portrayed by the public against
the teaching profession and the Teachers in general, cannot be overemphasized.
This is because, the teacher is not recognized, neither is he regarded as a
great builder of the child educationally. In Nigeria, in general terms, the
image of the classroom teacher at all levels of the Nigerian educational system
is nothing to write home about. This means that the average Nigerian teacher is
seen as a Mr or Mrs-nobody.
An average Nigerian sees the teacher as a poor
personality due to the fact that the teacher's condition of serve is always on
the low point. According to Ejiogu (1998), the teacher is poorly and negligibly
rewarded for the tedious job he/she does to see that the Nigerian child is
educated. Ejiogu went ahead to opine that the normal refrain in Nigeria today
is that "the teacher's reward is in heaven". This by extension, means
that the teacher is negatively rewarded for the enormous work he/she carries
out in the school system in the country. According to Egiogu (1999), unless
this negative perception is changed, the Nigerian education system will
continue to degenerate and dwindle through the evidence that is shown in the
poor academic performance of the Nigerian student (the product the teacher) in
the public examinations such as the JAMB, the WAEC/GCE/NECO etc.
The above identified problems gave rise to the
examination of the public image of teachers in Lagos State in particular and
Nigeria in general.
Purpose of the Study
The main purpose of this study is to examine the
effect of public image on teachers' motivation for executive performance in the
public secondary schools in Lagos State, Nigeria.
The specific objectives of the study include the
followings:
(1) To find out if negative public image affects
teachers' motivation to teach in the public secondary schools in Lagos State.
(2) To examine whether the positive image affects
teachers' motivation to teach in the public secondary schools in Lagos State.
(3) To assess whether relationship exists between
public image of teachers and their general performance in secondary schools in
Lagos State.
(4)
To investigate whether there is gender difference in the teaching effectiveness
among teachers due to public image.
Research Questions
The
following research questions were raised in the study:
(1) To what extent does negative public image of teachers’ affect
teachers’ motivation to teach in the secondary schools in Lagos State?
(2) To what extent does positive image of teachers’ affect teachers’
motivation to teach in the secondary schools in Lagos State?
(3) What relationship exists between public image of teachers and
their general performance in secondary schools in Lagos State?
(4) To what extent will there be any gender difference in the teaching
effectiveness among teachers due to public image?
Research Hypotheses
The following research hypotheses were formulated in
this study:
(1)
There is no influence effect of negative public image on teachers' motivation
to teach in the public secondary schools in Lagos State?
(2)
There is no effect of positive image on teachers' motivation to teach in the
public secondary schools in Lagos State?
(3)
There is no relationship between public image of teachers and their general
performance in secondary schools in Lagos State?
(4)
There is no relationship of gender differences in the teaching effectiveness
among teachers due to public image?
Significance of the Study
In
carrying out this research, the major beneficiaries of this research work are :
Teachers:
This study will be beneficial to the teachers who will know through the findings
and recommendations of this study, appreciate the fact that public image
affects their general performance in the school system in Lagos State.
Students:
Students no doubt, will benefit from this study because it will enable them to
know how the performance of their teachers affects their overall achievement in
the school.
Government: This research work will enable the government to
know whether there is a relationship between public image and academic
achievement of the students. This will make them starts addressing such
problems instead of concentrating their efforts on things such as; in-service
training, manpower development etc. It will also assist the government to
quickly address those issues that negatively put teachers in bad light.
Parents: The immediate beneficiary of improved academic achievements is the
parents of the pupils or students. This study will enable the parent to either
improve on their relationship with teachers or change any negative imagination
they have about the teachers because motivated teachers translate to a
motivated student(s).
Society: The society will be in the know about
the role of public image on the performance of secondary school teachers in
Lagos State.
Scope of the
Study
This research
work examined the effect of public image on teachers' motivation to teach in
the public secondary schools in Odi-Olowo Local Government Area of Lagos State,
Nigeria.
Definition of Terms
The following definitions have been provided for
better understanding of the terms frequently used in this research project.
Academic Achievement: This is a term used in
describing the educational outcome for which a child has passed through. It is
usually measured by the grades obtained by the students in continuous
assignment test, internal and external examinations.
Teacher: This is a person whose job is undertaking the act of teaching
especially in a formal setting called a school. This is also a person who
impacts knowledge, skills to one another person or group of people.
Public: This refers to people for which educational
outcome affects. It refers to student, parents and even the government.
Public Image: This refers to the mental picture
students have about the teachers. It also refers to the perception of teachers
and the teaching profession.
Developing Countries: This refers to countries without
a high technological penetration. It also refers to countries for which a
greater percentage of the people or citizens live below the united nation
organization's poverty line which is $2 per day.
Impoverished: This refers to a state of being perpetually poor or
tending towards poverty.
Educational Infrastructure: This refers to
facilities that aid learning. It is the availability of materials facilities
that aid or facilitate learning.
Attractive: This means rewarding. It also means yielding
positive result.
Personnel: This refers to the manpower needed to carry on the
learning process. It mostly comprises of teachers, administrators, and school
owners.
Public school: This refers to educational institution
that is owned, controlled and managed by the government.
Private School: This refers to educational institution
that is owned, controlled and managed by private individuals.
Concept of Self: This refers to student's perception or
feelings about themselves. It can synonymously be referred to as the complexity
of students.
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