ASSESSMENT OF THE FACTORS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE POOR ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE OF STUDENT IN BASIC ELECTRICITY IN BAUCHI STATE

1.1       Background of the Study
Poor academic performance according to Aremu, (2005) is a performance that is adjudged by the examinee or testee and some other significant as falling below an expected standard. Poor academic performance has been observed in Technical Colleges in Bauchi State which stress that the academic failure is not only frustrating to the pupils and the parents, its effects are equally grave on the society in terms of dearth of manpower in all spheres of the economy and politics.
Technology education is supposed to be bedrock and the foundation toward vocational and engineering courses in Universities, Polytechnics and Monotechnics in Nigeria. It is an investment that is as well as an instrument that can be used to achieve a more rapid economic, social, political, technological, scientific and cultural development in the country.

Morakinyo,(2007) believe that the falling level of academic performance which is attributed to teachers’ non use of verbal reinforcement strategy. One of the greatest problems facing Nigerian Educational system is lack of an established and constantly used bench mark for assessing teachers’ effectiveness practically on graduation, recruitment, promotion and day-to-day fitness for the job.

FRN, (2006) recognized that no education system can rise above the quality of its teachers’ and thereby demanded that teacher education programmes in Nigeria should be structured to equip teachers for the effective performance of their duties, but the bench mark for teachers’ performance toward poor academic performance is theoretically and utopially set. Theoretically, because of the assumption that teacher effectiveness correlates positively or equate with the theoretical curriculum which the teacher graduate from. Utopially, because of the paper qualification (certification and degrees) are assumed to speak directly for teachers’ performance. Now the fact remains that not all holders of certificates or degree in Nigeria can be effective in their job performance especially at the present level of proliferation of education programmes nationwide (satellite campuses, affiliation programmes, evening programmes, distance learning programmes and Open University Programmes). These resulted to the noted problems of persistent student’s poor academic performance, loss of interest, poor attribute to lessons and programmes mostly in Basic Electricity in Technical College in Bauchi State. (NABTEB, 2006 and Ama, 2006). Teacher effectiveness is simply the ability of the teaching activities of the teacher to produce the expected good learning outcome on the learner bad or negative effects are excluded in teacher performance in research.

Therefore, teacher effectiveness is the production of expected good learning outcomes (cognitive, affective and psychomotor) by the good teaching behaviours from the students.
Technical college students are familiar with radio, television, computers, pressing irons, refrigerators and other electronic devices. In this study, knowledge and repair skills of television sets are the basis of modern electronics maintenance and servicing trade and have found wide application in technical colleges (Yalam and Fatuku, 2007). They further pointed out that it is important to familiarize students with the knowledge of Basic Technology because the knowledge of the device is relevant and useful in learning technical subjects.

 

1.2       Statement of the Problem
            The differential scholastic achievement of students in Nigeria has been and still a source of concern and research interest to educators, government and parents. This is so because of the great importance that education has on the National development of the country.

All over the country, there is a consensus of opinion about the fallen standard of education in Nigeria (Adebule, 2004). Parents and government are in total agreement that their huge investment on education is not yielding the desired dividend. Teachers also complain of students’ low performance at both internal and external examination not only in Basic Electricity as a subject.
It is apparent that there is an astronomical decline in students’ academic achievement in Basic Electricity in Technical Colleges in Bauchi State. Lack of success can lead to inappropriate behaviour and frustration on the part of student (Igbo, 2007).    

1.3       Purpose of the Study
            The major purpose of this study is to assess the factors responsible for the poor academic performance of student in Basic Electricity in Bauchi State. Specifically, this study will focus on the following objectives;

  1. To find out the qualification possessed by teachers’ teaching Basic Electricity as a subject.
  2. To determine the instructional strategies by which the teachers’ uses in teaching Basic Electricity as a subject.
  3.  To determine the teachers’ personality towards teaching Basic Electricity as a subject.
  4. To determine teacher-students ratio for teaching Basic Electricity as a subject.
  5. To determine the level of teachers’ mastery of the subject.

1.4       Significance of the Study
            The findings of this study will benefit students, teachers, Ministry of Education (MOE), National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) and to all technical colleges in Bauchi State.
To the students, the benefits comes in line with their research while allow them to have an idea of the problem and to find out the possible solutions in their research.
To the teachers, the benefits can create a change in strategies for teaching and allow teachers to learn from his/her mistakes during teaching and to also determine whether the students are following. Most teachers don’t adapt to appropriate teaching method and this can affect students, they believe in their self too much and at the end they make the same mistake others did in the past but by using a research like this can guide and put teachers through without having the problem of massive failure.
To the Ministry of Education (MOE), a research like this can be acknowledged and be used in the future in case similar problem occur. So therefore, it is also beneficial to this organization if it is required.
To the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE), most technical colleges in Nigeria follow the footsteps of this organization which guide them on how the curriculum should be and if problem like poor academic performance in a particular subject and looking for possible solutions to the problem, finding out the nature and cause of the problem. So therefore, using a research like this can be used to find out the likely problems and solutions to the problem.
To all technical colleges in Bauchi State, a research like this can also benefit institutions like this because the colleges can adapt to some of the possible solution provided in this research as a guide to the problem and also benefit the students in technical colleges in Bauchi State.  
In conclusion of my findings of this study, will enable the employers and technical education to understand to understand their roles and participate effectively in training skilled personnel through constant interaction with one another. It is also hoped that government as a model for linking industries through which functional technological training can be obtained will use the findings of the study.
1.5       Research Question
            The following research questions guides the study;

  1. What are the qualifications possessed by teachers’ teaching Basic Electricity as a subject?
  2. What are the instructional strategies by which teachers’ uses in teaching Basic Electricity as a subject?
  3. What are the teachers’ personalities towards teaching Basic Electricity as a subject?
  4. How to determine what teacher-students ratio required in teaching Basic Electricity as a subject?
  5. To what level do teachers’ mastery Basic Electricity as a subject?

1.6       Scope of the Study
            This study is limited to some teachers’ related factors which will cover teachers’ qualification, instructional strategies to be used, teachers’ personality towards teaching, teacher-students ratio required for teaching and teachers’ mastery of the subject.