CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background of the Study:
The issue of poor academic performance among students in Nigeria, particularly in Delta State, has raised concerns about the declining standard of education. The quality of education is closely tied to the effectiveness of teachers in fulfilling their duties. Teachers have a significant influence on students' academic achievement and play a crucial role in translating educational policies into action during interactions with students.
Despite significant government investment in public education, the output in terms of students' quality appears to be inconsistent with the expenditure. The observed deterioration in academic achievement, attitudes, and values of secondary school students raises questions about instructional quality in schools. The ineffectiveness of teachers in classroom interactions is considered a potential cause of poor student performance and the declining standard of education in Nigeria.
Teaching effectiveness is a multidimensional construct that encompasses aspects such as subject mastery, effective communication, lesson preparation, and presentation. Numerous studies have explored the impact of teachers' teaching effectiveness on students' learning outcomes, emphasizing the role of effective teaching as a predictor of academic achievement.
Poor academic performance in Nigeria has been linked to teachers' shortcomings, including inadequate subject mastery, negative work attitudes, poor teaching habits, and low motivation. Conditions affecting effective teaching, such as poor infrastructure, inadequate instructional materials, and insufficient resources in public secondary schools, contribute to the overall instructional quality.
While teachers' effectiveness is a crucial factor influencing academic achievement, other elements like socio-economic background, family support, student aptitude, personality, self-confidence, and previous instructional quality also play roles. Students' grades and test scores alone may not accurately reflect teachers' competence, leading researchers to explore alternative methods of evaluating effectiveness, such as students' self-evaluation, administrators' evaluations, and colleagues' assessments.
Statement of the Problem:
The problem at hand revolves around the significant role teachers play in students' academic and career success. However, concerns arise when teachers are selected or employed based on partiality and nepotism rather than merit. Some teachers may lack subject mastery, fail to utilize instructional materials effectively, and struggle with classroom management, compromising the purpose of their recruitment.
While not all teachers exhibit such nonchalant attitudes, the study seeks to investigate the relationship between teachers' effectiveness and students' academic achievement in biology. It specifically focuses on subject mastery, utilization of instructional materials, and classroom management in Eket Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State. This research aims to shed light on the effectiveness of teachers in this context and provide insights into the factors influencing students' academic performance.
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Bottom of Form
Purpose of the Study
The main purpose of this study is to examine teachers’ effectiveness and academic achievement of biology students in Eket local government area. The specific objectives are as follows:
1. To examine the relationship between knowledge of subject matter and academic achievement of students in biology in Eket local government area.
2. To find out the relationship between effective utilization of instructional materials and academic achievement of students in biology in Eket local government area.
3. To determine the relationship between class room management and academic achievement of students in biology in Eket local government area.
1.4 Research Questions
The following research questions will be answered
1. What is the relationship between knowledge of subject matter and academic achievement of students in biology in Eket local government area?
2. What is the relationship between effective utilization of instructional materials and academic achievement of students in biology in Eket local government area?
3. What is the relationship between class room management and academic achievement of students in biology in Eket local government area?
1.5 Research Hypotheses
The following hypotheses were formulated for testing at 0.05 level of significance.
1. There is no significant relationship between knowledge of subject matter and academic achievement of students in biology.
2. There is no significant relationship between effective utilization of instructional materials and academic achievement of students in biology.
3. There is no significant relationship between class room management and academic achievement of students in biology.
1.6 Significance of the Study
Every research study undertaken is not done in isolation, but for a purpose; as it may have a positive contribution to both the academic field and the society at large. This study therefore, is not an exception as it is significant in many ways:
1. This study is expected to be of immense help to the government, school administrators, policy makers and teachers in examining variables of teachers’ effectiveness.
2. It may also be of help to improve the teaching effectiveness of the teachers in our secondary schools in Akwa Ibom State.
3. The result of this study is expected to provide data for planning, as well as provide additional stock of secondary schools data for other researchers, who might find it relevant and useful in their enquiries.
4. The study will fill the gap of knowledge in past researches as well as offer solution to some practical or theoretical problems affecting students’ achievement.
1.7 Delimitations of the Study
This study was delimited to teachers’ effectiveness and academic achievement of biology students in Eket local government area. The study is particularly limited to teachers’ level of subject knowledge, utilization of instructional material and classroom management with respect to academic achievement of the student in biology in the 2014/2015 academic session.
1.8 Limitations of the Study
It was difficult to gather materials especially relevant and current information related to the study variables, since the study is not common. This caused scarcity of relevant research materials from local journals, the researcher had to rely greatly on the foreign materials in order to put this work. Another difficulty faced was lack of fund and limited time for the undertaking and submission.
1.9 Definition of Terms
Teachers effectiveness: This refers to the teachers competencies and resourcefulness in terms of their knowledge of biology subject content, use of instructional materials for teaching and satisfactory classroom management.
Academic Achievement: This is the scores obtained by students in a biology achievement test constructed by the researcher for the study.
Biology: This is the study of plants and animals.
