ABSTRACT
This research
examined the impact of qualitative secondary education on the academic
performance of students in the senior secondary schools. The study was a
descriptive research design of the survey type. The sample comprised of eighty
students and forty teachers from five senior secondary schools. A simple random
sampling technique was used to select the sample. The researcher designed
questionnaires which were used to gather information from respondents from some
selected senior secondary schools in Kosofe Local Government area of Lagos
State. The data collected was analyzed using frequency counts and percentage
scores. Non-parametric statistics (Chi-square,X2) was used to test
the four hypotheses stated in the research work at 0.05 level of
significance. Findings revealed that
adequate school facilities did not significantly determine the performance of
the students. Secondly, that there was significant relationship between
students’ learning attitudes and the performance of the students. Thirdly, that
educational inspection and supervision made significant contributions to
qualitative secondary education. Finally, there was a relationship between
teachers’ qualification and effective learning process. It was therefore
recommended that the teachers should be encouraged to pursue in-service
training, seminars and workshops in other to enhance their professional
competence. Government should recruit more qualified teachers. Parents should
provide necessary equipment for their wards.
Keywords:
inspection and supervision, teachers’ qualification, school facilities,
learning environment, students’ learning attitudes, In-service training.
TABLE
OF CONTENTS
TITLE
PAGE
Certification ii
Dedication iii
Acknowledgement iv
Abstract vi
Table of Contents vii
CHAPTER
ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1
BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY 1
1.2 STATEMENT
OF THE PROBLEM 3
1.3 PURPOSE
OF THE STUDY 4
1.4 RESEARCH
QUESTIONS 5
1.5 RESEARCH
HYPOTHESES 5
1.6 SIGNIFICANCE
OF THE STUDY 6
1.7 SCOPE
AND DELIMITATION OF STUDY 6
1.8 DEFINITION
OF TERMS 6
CHAPTER
TWO
LITERATURE
REVIEW
2.1
CONCEPT OF QUALITY 10
2.2
WHAT IS THE INDEX
OF THE QUALITY OF SECONDARY 19
EDUCATION
2.3
CAUSES OF
DECLINING QUALITY IN EDUCATION 20
2.4
PROBLEMS FACING
SECONDARY SCHOOL EDUCATION IN 23
NIGERIA
2.5
QUALITY
IMPROVEMENT IN SECONDARY SCHOOL 25
2.6
CONCEPT OF
SUPERVISION 28
2.7
THE CONCEPT OF SCHOOL INSPECTION 32
2.8
NEED FOR QUALITY
ASSURANCE IN NIGERIAN SCHOOLS 36
2.9
STRATEGIES FOR
ESTABLISHING QUALITY ASSURANCE IN 37
EDUCATION
2.10
ACHIEVING QUALITY ASSURANCE
IN NIGERIAN 38
EDUCATION SYSTEM
CHAPTER
THREE
RESEARCH
METHODOLOGY
3.0 INTRODUCTION 40
3.1 RESEARCH
DESIGN 40
3.2 POPULATION
OF THE STUDY 41
3.3 SAMPLE/SAMPLING
TECHNIQUES 41
3.4
RESEARCH INSTRUMENT 42
3.5 VALIDITY
OF INSTRUMENT 42
3.6 RELIABILITY
42
3.7 PROCEDURE
FOR DATA COLLECTION 43
3.8 PROCEDURE
FOR ADMINISTERING THE INSTRUMENT 43
3.9 METHOD
OF DATA ANALYSIS 43
3.10 LIMITATION 44
CHAPTER
FOUR
4.0 PRESENTATION AND ANALYSIS OF DATA 45
4.1 INTRODUCTION 45
4.2 TEACHER’S QUESTIONNAIRE 46
4.3 STUDENTS’ QUESTIONNAIRE 55
4.4 HYPOTHESES TESTING 62
CHAPTER FIVE
SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND
RECOMMENDATION AND SUGGESTIONS
5.1
SUMMARY 69
5.2
CONCLUSION 72
5.3
RECOMMENDATIONS 73
5.4
SUGGESTION FOR FUTURE RESEARCH 74
REFERENCES 76
APPENDIX
80
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
The increasing awareness of the importance of
education to the upliftment of the individual and societal standards has
awakened in people and nations a conscious effort at devoting their meager
resources to acquiring qualitative education. Also, “The strategic position of
secondary education in the national educational system has made it a target of
major concern.” This was the opinion of Segun Adeshina as far back as 1984.
According to Adeshina (1984, P. ii) secondary
education stands as a transition zone as it receives primary school leavers and
turnout pupils for post secondary education. Cornell (2010) presents a related
opinion, by saying that it is necessary for a person to have secondary
education because it is a part of the process of gaining the right education.
According to Cornell, secondary education is vital because it does not
ordinarily serve as the link between what children already imbibed in primary
school and college (secondary) education, but also affords them with the
opportunity to acquire knowledge that assists in the development of critical
and analytical thinking and that of the understanding of the world around.
Secondary education is very fundamental in the provision of functional
education to the citizens of the country.
Moja (2000) also explains that the education that is
offered at this level has two purposes. The first is to prepare pupils to exit
school with the necessary skills to find employment and the other is to prepare
them to continue with academic careers in higher education. In view of this,
Federal Government of Nigeria (2004) in the National Policy of Education
asserted that the broad aims of secondary education within overall objectives
are preparing students for useful living within the society and preparing them
for higher education.
All the foregoing therefore suggests that secondary
education is an instrument par excellence for national development. Thus,
secondary education is expected to be of good quality and of high standard.
However, the Nigerian school system is increasingly
challenged with many complex problems. There is a general outcry that the
standards of education are falling and morals flagging. Some blame pupils for
the apparent decline in quality of education and moral values. A thoughtful few
think that they are due to the nature of changes in all directions. Majority
blame the teachers for the woes in our schools. They are not as devoted and
dedicated to the cause of education as their predecessors. Teachers as a group
blame parents and the children. They also blame government for unattractive
condition of service and poor physical facilities in some parts of the
educational system. This research project intends not to put the blame on the
educational policy or on the system. What the research is saying is that the
whole blame is on the lack of adequate educational inspection and supervision,
inadequate school facilities, lack of implementation of quality control measure
in terms of teacher – pupil’s ratio as stipulated in the National Policy on
Education.
1.2 STATEMENT
OF THE PROBLEM
However, it appears that the secondary schools are not
living up to expectation in discharging its obligation. In recent time, there
is public outcry on the persistent poor performance of students in public examination.
According to West African Examination Council (WAEC, 2007), the percentage of
failure rate for English in the past five years surpasses that of the
percentage of credit level in Senior School Certificate Examination (SSCE)
conducted by it between 2001 and 2005. While in Mathematics, a fluctuating
trend was recorded by the candidates within the years. Besides, Saturday Punch
Newspaper of September 27, 2008 showed that out of a total of 1,369,142
candidates that sat for West African Senior Certificate Examination (WASSCE) in
Nigeria in 2008, only 188,442 representing 13.76% obtained five credit passes
and above in English Language, Mathematics and three other subjects. While
947,945 candidates representing 83% failed the examination. Also, many students
engage in all forms of malpractices, parents registering their children or
wards for ‘Special Centres’. There is also disappearance of traits like
honesty, hardwork, punctuality, self-denial and self discipline which are
necessary conditions for effective citizenship in the secondary schools.
It has been observed that very few graduates of
secondary schools these days cannot communicate effectively, have poor mastery
of English Language, lack required technical skills, oral and written
communication, lack requisite knowledge of handling administrative positions.
In addition, there is the challenge of professionally
qualified teachers. According to Egwu (2009), there are alarming differences
between teachers certified qualifications, their actual teaching competence and
performance on the job.
Moreover, there is also lack of modernized and
adequate teaching and learning facilities like teachers’ instructional
materials, laboratories, library, well-equipped classroom, and office
furniture, etc.
1.3 PURPOSE
OF THE STUDY
These specific objectives are:
(i)
To investigate the
extent of the contributions of adequate school facilities on the performance of
the student.
(ii)
To determine the
extent to which the students’ learning attitudes affect the performance of the
students.
(iii)
To examine how
educational inspection and supervision bring about qualitative secondary
education.
(iv)
To identify the
relationship between teachers’ qualification and effective teaching-learning
process.
1.4 RESEARCH
QUESTIONS
i.
What are the
contributions of adequate school facilities on the performance of the student?
ii.
Does students’
learning attitude affect the performance of the students?
iii.
Does adequate
educational inspection and supervision bring about qualitative secondary
education?
iv.
What is the relationship
between teachers’ qualification and effective teaching learning process?
1.5 RESEARCH
HYPOTHESES
Ho1: There is no significant relationship between
adequate school facilities and the performance of the student.
Ho2: There is no significant relationship between
students’ learning attitude and the performance of students.
Ho3: There is no significant relationship between
educational inspection and supervision and qualitative secondary education.
Ho4: There is no significant relationship between
teachers’ qualification and effective learning process.
1.6 SIGNIFICANCE
OF THE STUDY
This research is of significant benefit to teachers,
Government, pupils and students as well as the society at large and also
educational planners.
The research will help the pupils and students to be
able to learn effectively and intelligently, the government will try to
prioritize education projects by funding them, teacher will improve on
themselves by acquiring necessary professional skills even as good remuneration
for them is being worked out, the schools will begin to excel in their
examinations, the quality of education will be highly improved, corruption will
be reduced and some with proven integrity will be raised higher.
1.7 SCOPE
AND DELIMITATION OF STUDY
This study is focused on the impact of qualitative
secondary education on the academic performance of students in the senior
secondary schools. The study is limited to five secondary schools in Kosofe
Local Government Area of Lagos State.
1.8 DEFINITION
OF TERMS
It is essential to define the terminologies used in
this paper because scholars’ view of related concept may greatly differ.
Abercrombie (1974) stressed the need for definition of terms when he asserted
that “The use of word with so many meanings give rise to confusion both in
trying to communicate ambiguously with each other and in attempting to think
clearly themselves”. Based on this assertion, the following terms are defined
as used in the context.
Quality
This is a degree of excellence, a distinguish
attribute and a peculiar and essential character of an inherent feature.
Input
It refers to school related factors such as curriculum
content, textbooks, and learning materials, teachers, parents and the
community.
Output
Refers to students who have received required level of
education.
Outcome
This refers to the desired result to be shown forth or
expected from the students who have undergone a level of education like good
citizenship, healthy behaviour, etc.
Process
This includes school climate and teaching/learning
encounter which include leadership expectation, teacher’s attitude and
environment that is safe and gender sensitive and autonomy among others.
Quality Assurance
This is a holistic method of identifying and resolving
problems within the educational system in order to ensure continuous quality
improvement.
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