The Influence of Teachers Characteristics and Students Academic Performance in Business Studies in Junior Secondary Schools

The Influence of Teachers Characteristics and Students Academic Performance in Business Studies in Junior Secondary Schools 

Abstract

This research study aimed at examining teachers’ characteristics and academic performance of students in Business studies in junior secondary schools in Uyo Local Government Area. Two research questions and two research hypotheses were formulated to guide the study. The study adopted survey research design. Simple random sampling technique was used to select two hundred (200) students and ten teachers from five public secondary schools in Uyo Local Government Area.

A structured questionnaire and students’ raw scores were used as an instrument for data collection. The data collected were analysed using t-test statistical method. The result of the study revealed that teachers’ qualification and teacher’s gender considered in the study as teacher’s characteristic have significant effect on academic performance of students in Business Studies in Junior Secondary Schools in Uyo Local Government Area. Based on the findings of the study, it was recommended among others that; teachers with higher academic qualification should be employed to teach Business Studies in the junior secondary schools.  

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1   Background to the Study

Teaching is an activity that has to do with an exhibiting of certain characteristics of a person who is involved in it. The teacher occupies a central position up which all other activities in the school revolve. Therefore, there are certain qualities expected of them to possess for effective execution of their functions. Ozigi (2012) opined that an important sign which shown that a nation will develop or grow is the nature and qualities of teacher it has and this has a support from the work of Derama (2011) that education is the key and can turn it for national development. The teacher has to be properly educated or trained before he/she can effectively transfer knowledge in the learners, that is to say, he cannot offers what he does not have.

Teachers are known for their enthusiasm for their work and delight in sharing what they have also learnt. Their love for knowledge and contributions to the development of others are the two reasons which show good characteristics of a teacher. Teaches’ knowledge of the subject matter, academic qualification, professional training, age and mastery of subject matter as well as method of teaching or profession skills and techniques has been found to contribute to teachers effectiveness.

Within the context of this research work, two among all the characteristics of teachers mentioned above will be put into consideration which are teachers qualification and gender of teachers as well as how they affect the academic performance of students in Junior secondary schools especially Business Studies.

There are many qualification which people around the globe tend to acquire among them are senior secondary school certificate in Education (SSCE), National Diploma (ND), Nigerian Certification in Education (NCE), higher National Diploma (HND), Bachelor of Science (Education) (B.Sc (Ed), Masters Degree in Education (M.Sc (Ed), etc. Belt (2013) opined that teachers with high academic qualification with deeper experience in their respective filed stands to teach more effectively than those with low academic qualification, he further stressed that the more a teacher is trained and certified, the more effective and qualified he/she will be.

The Influence of Teachers Characteristics and Students Academic Performance in Business Studies in Junior Secondary Schools

In Nigeria, according to recent survey by Maagan (2017) elementary teachers with low qualification, (example senior school certificate in Education (SSCE) performs very minimal while those with high qualification like Nigeria Certificate in Education (NCE), Bachelor of Education (B.Sc (Ed), Masters Degree in Education (M.Sc (Ed), tend to perform maximally during teaching and learning process. In line with these, Aiken (2013) concluded that teachers’ qualification indeed have a positive impact on students’ academic performance.

On the other hand, Smith (2014) observed that the diminishing presence of male teachers was a global issue and that the proportion of male teachers within teaching ranks was declining significantly. He cited many studies whose findings demonstrated the continual decline of males in the teaching profession.

According to Dee (2012) teachers’ gender shapes communication between teachers the students and he also said that teachers act as a gender specific role model, regardless of what he/she says or does during the teaching and learning process. Some authorities cited by Smith (2004) had claimed that there was a strong relationship between the gender of the teacher and the academic performance of students. Among those who had take this stance was the Catholic Education Office (2012) they had assumed that suffered a disadvantage in secondary schools due to the insufficient or scarcity of male teachers and went further to conclude that gender contribute immensely to academic performance of secondary school students.

1.2   Statement of the Problem

Government and individual huge investment in public and private education seem not to be yielding the desire dividends as its output in terms of quality of academic performance of students. That is to say, the academic performance of students has not been commensurate with government expenditure. There has been identified poor performance of students in external and internal examinations.

Consequently upon the observed deterioration in the academic performance of students. It is worrisome if the high failure rates and the poor academic performance of students is not a reflection of the ineffectiveness of teachers in the schools. In other words, the characteristics of teachers could be responsible for the observed poor performance of students and the widely acclaimed falling standard of education in Nigeria.

Based on the above stated observation, it moves the researcher to investigate on teachers characteristics and examine teacher whether the above stated observation can affect the academic performance of Business Studies students in junior secondary schools in Uyo Local Government Area.

1.3   Purpose of the Study

The main purpose of this study was to examine teacher’s characteristics and student’s academic performance in Business Studies in junior secondary schools in Uyo Local Government Area. Specifically, the study sought to:

1. Examine the effect of teachers’ qualification on the academic performance of students in Business Studies in Junior Secondary Schools in Uyo Local Government Area.
2. Examine the effect of teachers’ gender on the academic performance of students in Business Studies in Junior Secondary Schools in Uyo Local Government Area.

1.4   Research Questions

The following research questions were formulated to guide the study

• To what extent does teachers’ qualification affect the academic performance of students in Business Studies in Junior secondary schools in Uyo Local Government Area.
• To what extent does teachers’ gender affect the academic performance of students in Business Studies in Junior secondary schools in Uyo Local Government Area.

1.5   Statement of Hypotheses

The following null hypotheses were formulated to guide the study;

• There is no significant difference in the academic performance between students taught Business Studies by teachers with higher qualification and those taught by a teacher with little/no academic qualification.
• There is no significant difference in the academic performance of students taught Business Studies by male teachers and those taught by female teachers.

1.6   Significance of the Study

The study will be significant in the following ways;

1. The findings of this study would encourage government to give attention to the training and retraining of teachers, for them to become professionals and this will facilitate the improvement on the academic performance of students.
2. The findings of this study would help Business Studies teachers to develop interest, enthusiasm, positive attitude and interpersonal relationship with the students in order to establish a good teacher-student relationship.
3. The findings of this study would also enlighten the school administrators to know that not everybody can teach effectively and as such they should employ only those who have been trained and certified as a professional teacher to carry out the task of teaching.
4. The study would also serve as a reference points for further studies on the same topics or related topics.

1.7   Limitation of the Study

Financial constraint exerted a great influence on this study and the duration given for the completion of this study was not enough for a wide and in-depth research into the problem.

1.8   Delimitation of the study

The study focuses only on teacher’s characteristics and academic performance of Business Studies in Junior secondary schools in Uyo Local Government Area.

1.9   Definition of Terms

Teacher: A teacher is a person who has undergone training in a teacher’s training institution and must hace been certified as professional and would be able to transfer knowledge to another person.

Teachers characteristics: These refers to various qualities and attributes that a person possess which make him/her to be called a teacher, in this context, teachers’ characteristics refers to teachers gender and teachers qualification.

Academic performance: This means the formularies assessment of a student in a particular subject or the summative evaluation of students’ activities in the entire school on other words, it refers to cognitive ability as measured by test, assignment and examination which are used to determine their success or failure in school such as represented by scores of grade.