INFLUENCE OF TEACHERS
FACTORS ON STUDENTS ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE IN BUSINESS STUDIES IN JUNIOR
SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN ATISBO LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA OF OYO STATE
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
Background to the study
The differential scholastic achievement of students in Nigeria has
been and is 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. The annual releases of Senior Secondary Certificate Examination
results (SSCE) conducted by West African Examination Council (WAEC) justified
the problematic nature and generalization of poor secondary school students’
performance in different school subjects Poor academic performance according to
Aremu (2003) is a performance that is adjudged by the examinee/testee and some
other significant as falling below an expected standard. Poor academic
performance has been observed in school subjects especially mathematics and
English language among secondary school students (Adesemowo, 2005). Aremu
(2000) stresses that academic failure is not only frustrating to the students
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. Education at
secondary school level is supposed to be the bedrock and the foundation towards
higher knowledge in tertiary institutions. It is an investment 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.
The National Policy on Education (2004) stipulated that secondary education is
an instrument for national development that fosters the worth and development
of the individual for further education and development, general development of
the society and equality of educational opportunities to all Nigerian children,
irrespective of any real or marginal disabilities.
The role of secondary education is to lay the foundation for
further education and if a good foundation is laid at this level, there are
likely to be no problem at subsequent levels. However, different people at
different times have passed the blame of poor performance in secondary school
to students because of their low retention, parental factors, association with
wrong peers, low achievement, low retention, low achievement motivation and the
likes (Aremu & Sokan, 2003; Aremu & Oluwole 2001; Aremu, 2000).
Morakinyo
(2003) believe that the falling level of academic achievement is attributable
to teacher’s non-use of verbal reinforcement strategy. Others found out that
the attitude of some teachers to their job is reflected in their poor
attendance to lessons, lateness to school, unsavory comments about student’s
performance that could damage their ego, poor method of teaching and the likes
affect pupils’ academic performance.
The
academic performance of secondary school students in the West African
Examination Council (WAEC) and National Examination Council (NECO) has taken a
dramatic decline in recent times. This poor performance cuts across all
subjects including Economics. There is no gainsaying that the purpose of
teaching is to facilitate learning such that the students will be able to
achieve high academic performance in examinations. For teachers of Economics,
it is important that they understand and appreciate the determinants of their students’
performance in the subject. This knowledge will help the teachers to organize
the teaching and learning process such that the students will achieve high
performance in Economics. The fact remains that there can be no excellent
academic performance without effective teaching and learning. It has been
established among Psychologists that a number of factors determine the ability
of the students. Some of these factors include; the learning environment, the
competence of the teacher, motivation, the interest of the students to mention
but a few.
Numerous
studies have analyzed the factors behind the performance of students.
Identifying the variables that influence the academic performance of students
at school is of great importance for two reasons. On one hand, it is an
essential tool for the public authorities in charge of definition of optimal
and efficient education policies. On the other hand, this kind of analysis can
help the educational institutions to improve the quality of their programmes (Awa,
2003) cited in Issah (2009).
Statement of the Problem
The benefits of
studying business study cannot be over emphasized, as such, when students fail
or perform poorly in business study in the
examination; they lose the opportunity to fully enjoy these benefits. The question therefore is what is the
cause of this fallen standard and poor academic performance of students? Is the
fault entirely that of teachers or students or both of them? Is it that
students of today are non-achievers because they have low intelligent quotient
and a good neutral mechanism to be able to act purposefully, think rationally
and deal effectively with academic tasks? Or is it because teachers are no
longer putting in much commitment as before? Or is it in teachers’ method of teaching and
interaction with pupils? Or is the poor performance of students caused by
parents’ neglect, separation and poverty? The present study therefore sought to
find out the causes of poor student performance in business studies in junior
secondary schools in Otisbo Local government area of Oyo State .
Purpose of the Study
The broad objective of this study is
to find out the influence of teachers factors on students academic performance
in business study in some selected junior secondary schools in Otisbo Local
government area of Oyo State .
To be able to achieve this objective the
following specific objective shall be considered:
Ø To determine whether the teacher
commitment to teaching and work habit can causes poor performance of student in
business studies
Ø To find out the opinion of school
counselors and their view of factors responsible for poor performance of
students in business studies
Ø To determine whether teacher
qualification, availability and use of teaching materials and parental
involvement can causes poor performance of students in business studies.
Ø To also determine whether motivation
and job satisfaction of teachers can cause poor performance of students in
business studies and to offer suggestion on how the problem can be solved.
Researcher Question
This study thus attempts to find
answers to the under mentioned research questions and find out where the
problem lies:
1.
Is
there any relationship between teacher commitment to teaching and work habit
and the performance of student in business studes
2.
Is
there any relationship between teacher qualification and teaching environment
and the performance of students in business studies?
3.
Is
there any relationship between availability and uses of teaching and learning
materials and the performance of students in business studies
4.
What
are the major causes of students poor performance in business studies in Otisbo
Local government area.
Significance of the
study
Although,
the new national policy on education in Nigeria emphasized on business
education and other skill subject, business studies at secondary school is not
effectively implemented.
It
is hoped that the finding of this study will make education authorities to give
attention to business education programme. Also the findings and recommendation
will provide useful information for the causes of low performance in business
studies by business education teachers and principals of secondary schools
improving plan for implementing business education programme.
In
addition, it will serve as a useful guide to guidance, counselors, parents,
teachers and principals in advising the students on choice of future career in
the field of business.
Scope of the Study
This study is limited in scope to the
influence of teachers factors on students performance in Business studies in Otisbo
Local Government in Ekiti-State.
The
finding of this study will focus on the factors affecting poor performance in
business studies in Junior secondary school in Otisbo Local Government in
Ekiti-State. Two selected secondary schools and 25 student each from the
selected secondary schools will be used for the study.
Operational Definition of Terms
v Teacher commitment: Teacher commitment is the who may be seen as the pivot of the
transmission of knowledge can be effective if he or she learns and applies all
of the teaching principles and method that make a teacher as professional and
competent enough to knowledge in any given field of discipline.
v Availability of teaching aids:
Teaching aids are objects which helps teachers to make lesson clearer and fully
expressed to students. They also transmit information, ideas and roles to
student in such a way that will modify their attitudes habit good example of
teaching aids.
v Parental Involvement in school: Ability to give quality education to students to produce
encouraging academic performance largely depends on parents, teachers, other
educational stakeholders.
v Teacher Qualification: These are teachers who have acquired advance education and
special training in teaching. This includes holders of bachelor degree higher
national diploma.
v Motivation:
Teachers should be able to know individual difference, interest and abilities
in orders to known how to motivate the learners.
v Vocational education is any form of education whose primary purpose is to prepare people for
employment in recognized occupation.
v Business studies: Is the study of the vocational activities working to be sense of the
student on how to be self independent.
v Commercial education: It is a discipline that taught in secondary schools.
The subjects are business studies, typewriting, shorthand,
commerce and accounts
