INFLUENCE OF TRAINING PROGRAMMES ON THE JOB PERFORMANCE OF SECONDARY SCHOOL TEACHERS

 

ABSTRACT
This study examines the Influence of Training Programmes on the Job Performance of Senior
Secondary School Teacher in Niger State, Nigeria. To guide the study, five (5) objectives
were formulated which includes; assess the influence of workshop programmeson teachers
job performance in Niger state, and determine the influence of seminar programmes on
teachers job performance. In line with the stated objectives, five (5) research questions, five
(5) null hypotheses and five (5) basic assumptions were raised for the study. Relevant and
related literatures were reviewed. Descriptive research design was used for the study on the
total population of9222 made up of 387 principal, 8613 teachers and 222 supervisors. The
Research Advisors (2006) and multi-stage sampling technique was adopted to achieve the
sample size for the study with the total number of 363 made up of 45 principal, 293 teachers
and 25 supervisors. A self-developed questionnaire which comprised of fifty six (50)
structured item statements were modified on a five (5) point Likert scale which was used to
collect data from the respondents, the instrument was validated by the researcher‟s
supervisors. Pilot study was conducted in schools to ascertain the reliability and a reliability
coefficient of 0.82 was obtained. Bio-data collected for the study were analyzed through the
use of inferential statistics of frequency and sample percentage, weighted mean otherwise
known as decision mean was used to answer the five (5) research questions while descriptive
statistics of one way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) statistical tool was used to test the five
(5) hypotheses postulated for this study at0.5 level of significance. The finding of the study
revealed that training programmes play vital roles in enhancing the performance of teachers
in Niger state secondary schools. It was concluded therefore that, teachers who participated in
various medium of training on the job tend to be more abreast with current and innovative
skills in teaching. Hence the study recommended that, as much as possible, teachers should
be availed the opportunity to attend at least a training programme on different areas of
teachers performance indices such as; training in classroom management, record keeping,
content knowledge, methodology of teaching etc. annually. This will help keep them abreast
of current techniques and innovations in teaching

CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background to the Study
To assert that teaching is the oldest profession in the modern Nigeria should attract little or
no controversy both in non-formal and formal setting. Against the modernist theorists
depictingwesternization of Africans as the mark of real development, an average African trained
her wards ever before the advent of colonialism. From a personal point of view, colonialism
process only tinkered with the normal course of African educational process.
More so, the rise of modern teaching profession in Nigeria coincides with the coming of
Christian missionaries who held tenaciously to the belief that proper Christianization of African
hinges on impartation of western education. The colonialist intervention in Education was
regulatory in nature through the issuance of ordinance, and progressively establishment of
government schools. Consequently the sprang of schools, both by the missionaries and the
colonial government necessitated the establishment of training schools where prospective teachers were taught in the science of teaching and learning (Osuji, 2009)
In retrospect, the majority of teachers employed by the missionaries and colonial government were considered untrained. The issue was a prominent focus of Ashby Commission report on
Investment in Higher Education in 1959. Lord Ashby – an educator per excellence and one time
Vice Chancellor of Cambridge observed that; “the quality of teachers at the primary and secondary level is poor and great majority of teachers have neither enough general education to qualify themto teach, nor adequate professional training”. The situation was very critical during the missionary era. Pupils in higher classes were used to train pupils in lower classes in the same school. The senior ones were taught in the morning while the senior turned to junior ones from noon till closing  hours (Ajibola 2008). With more commitment from the government, and pursuant to implementation of Ashby report, the country witnessed a substantial improvement in training and focus on professionalism
Teacher as one of the most important inputs in the education system shapes the direction andinfluences to a great extent other educational inputs to achieve goals and objectives as indicated in the National Education Policy (1998-2010, p. 47), that “the teacher is considered the most crucial factor in implementing all instructional reforms at the grassroots level”. It is a fact that the academic qualifications, knowledge of the subject matter, competence and skills of teaching and the commitment of the teacher have impact on the teaching-learning process. Since thequality of educational outcomes depends to a great extent on the quality of teachers, the extent of their performance depend on the quality and quantity of the training they received. In recognition of this enormous role that the teacher plays, Ukeje (2007) observed that the power toheal or kill, build up or tear apart depends particularly much on the teacher who is the hub of the educationprocess.
Furthermore, teacher performance seems to be a nagging issue in education. Several researchers
pointed to the low quality of teachers (Adeyemi,2011), This could be attributed tomany factors and could also have adverse effects on students‟ performance which is one of the outcomes of teacher performance. Performance in the words of Vipinosa(2015) is the result of the efforts exerted and the resources utilized. It can be measured as a ratio of output to input. Inthe context of school system, Ajayi and Afolabi(2012) observed that performance is measured in terms of both efficiency and effectiveness of teachers‟ job practices,
However, many factors are responsible for shaping the quality of teachers, trainingprogramme
being an integral part of the education system, has greatly expanded and will expand further for catering to the fast emerging needs of the country educational system. According to Lawal (2004)
teacher training is an important aspect of education process that deals with the art of acquiring new skills in the teachingprofession.
Training according to Ezeani and Oladele (2013) involves the development of specific skills and
attitudes needed to perform a particular job or series of jobs tomaximize the productivity of
theindividual and improve the overall organizational efficiency. They contended further that, it is a form of assistance or coaching, given to an employee to help him have current knowledge of the job content, scope and maintain optimum performance within the organization. This is essential especially with the frequent policy changes in education and also in the evolving newknowledge and technology based society. Training teachers can help them reduce mistakes and improveinnovations in the teaching profession.
Teachers are different with respect to their attitudes and respond to emerging realities in teaching; Hammond (2000) observed that organizers of training programmes are usually faced with five major tasks in preparing new teachers or helping experienced teachers become better. These tasks are; determining the curriculum content of teacher training program, methods to use in conducting the training program, motivating teachers to learn, assessing teachers' learning, and dealing with individual differences among teachers. That is why teacher training programmes often include imparting knowledge about content and skills in instruction, classroom management, assessment, and developing teacher knowledge and skill.
According to Asu (2004, p.15) there are several outcome areas that are potentially affected by
teacher training programmes. These include: 1. Teacher knowledge,
2. Teacher records keeping,
3. Teaching methodology and techniques
4. Classroom management, and
5. Student discipline.
Teacher training is broadly categorized into; pre-service and in-service program, according to
Beardwell and Holdin (1994), pre-service is the training provided before employment of teachers
and is generally a pre requisite for it. It is aimed at the professional growth of teacher and is
planned in such a way that it Leads to the development of a positive attitude towards education and towards improving their performance in terms of better teaching.
Since unarguably it appears the training received in teacher institutions has little or no relevance
with thepractice in schools. There is, therefore, the need to address this mismatch through
continuous training programme such as conferences, workshops, seminars and symposium etc.
This enables teachers to be abreastwith the changes in the field of education orchestrated by
modern technology.Kamau (2011).asserts that, the purpose of continuous training according to
Musset (2010) is to update, develop andbroaden the knowledge that teachers had acquired during
the initial teacher education and/or provide them withnew skills and professional understanding.
Regardless of the training type or method adopted the important thing is for the teacher to be better equipped in instructional performance.Olagboye (1999) indicated that in order to meet the
challenging demand of teaching occasioned by innovation and development in teaching practice,
teachers must be availed the opportunity to constant training in addition to their background
teachers education.
Generally speaking, training improves the effectiveness of teachers. In the words ofNgala and
Odebero (2010) training is seen as a vehicle to improve on teachers teachingeffectiveness. They further noted that teachers getting involved in training program, particularlypursing higher
education and training motivate them into taking their teaching roles more seriously.
However,Feiman-Nemser(2007) noted that despite the benefits associated with training of
secondary school teachers, it is to a large extent neglected. Even at that, teachers express astrong
desire for such professional development. The benefit of training to both the teacher and the
educational system cannot be over stated.Oyitso&Olomokor (2012) revealed that training brings
greaterconfidence on workers, enriched employee knowledge and increased performance skills,
creates greaterefficiency and effectiveness and leads to higher productivity.
From the above discussion, one can infer that continuous training of teachers have become
imperative in the face of new development since changes in the field of education has become
more frequent thanever before. For teachers to remain relevant and productive in the face of these changes, their training must be pursued with renewed vigour. This is because educational concepts, content, classroom management skills and teachingmethodologies keep changing with time. These changes impact on both educational delivery and outcomes.
1.2. Statement of the Problem
The education system is plagued by a myriad of problems – low performance on the part of
teachers resulting in poor students‟ academic performance and decline of quality of education in
general to mention but a few.There is a school of thought that believes that, these problems are
associated with inability of available training programmes to address teacher performance needs.
Although, government at various levels provides training opportunities for teachers in secondary
schools, the extent at which they have been effective in improving teachers‟ job performance is a
major concern. For instance, Niger state government through its education Board and ministry
conduct continuous training programmes for both new and old teachers. There is yet indication that the quality of teachersleave much room to be desired going by student performance in external examination. Lawal (2004) asserts that most of these training programmes are either poorly managed or ineffective at improving the performance of teachers.
It is believed that teachers‟ performance will be generally enhanced and thequality of educational outcomes improvedwhen training programmesare tailored towards equipping teachers with current techniques in specific performance indicators such as; teaching methodology, classroom management, records keeping, improved usage of instructional materials and teachers‟ knowledge of subject matter thereby improving the available medium for teachers‟ continuous training.
However, as it is evident that training programmes givestrength or vigor to the efficiency and
output of the already employed and new teacher. It is of high value regarding the achievement of
the educational objectives in a way that it‟s familiarizes teachers with the techniques to implement educational plans and programmes.
Nevertheless, the need to examine policies and contexts that support the implementation of
effective professional learning opportunities for teachers is also a bone of concern in Nigeria, after many years of neglect. Reports and studies in the past have shown institutional inadequacies in the trajectory of teacher growth and development. However, there is a growing attention towards teacher professional growth and development efforts in the country‟s education policy frameworks (Agbeko, 2007). Currently, there are a number of changes occurring in the ways that the education system is responding to current needs of teachers‟ education in the country. These changes are also shaping teacher education to move away from being a single event that happens at the beginning of a teaching practice. With such changes taking place in the teacher development landscape, the country‟s teacher education programmes are expected to provide teacher trainees with the requisite competencies to support and reinforce quality classroom instructions in their life-long career development (Agbeko, 2007). With the country‟s educational reform initiatives consistently stressing the need for continuous teacher learning programmes, this research espouses current training modes and their effectiveness at meeting the needs and providing professional support for teachers
1.3 Objectives of the Study
The objectives of this study are to:
1. Ascertain the influence of seminar programmes on job performance of secondary school teachers in Niger state.
2. Evaluate the influence of study circle programmes on job performanceof secondary school
teacher in Niger state.
3. Evaluate the influence of symposium programmes on job performance of secondary school
teachers in Niger state.
4. Assess the influence of conference programmes onjob performance of secondary school teachers in Niger state.
5. Determine the influence of workshop programmes onjob performance of secondary school
teachers in Niger state.
1.4 Research Question
This research work seeks to ask the following questions:
1. What influencedo seminar programmeshave on job performance of secondary school teachers in Niger state?
2. How do study circle programmesinfluence onjob performance of secondary school teachers
in Niger state?
3. To what extent do symposium programmes influence onjob performance of secondary
school teacher in Niger state?
4. What influence do conference programmes have on job performance of secondary school
teacher in Niger state?
5. What are the influences of workshop programmes on job performance of secondary school
teachers in Niger state?
1.5 Research Hypotheses
The following hypotheses are postulated for the purpose of this study:
1. There is no significant difference in the opinions of teachers, principals and supervisors on
the influence of seminar programmes on job performance of secondary school teachers in
Niger state.
2. There is no significant difference in the opinions of respondents on the influence of study
circle programmes on job performance of secondary school teachers in Niger state.
3. There is no significant difference in opinions of respondents on the influence of symposium
programmes on job performance of secondary school teachers in Niger state.
4. There is no significant difference in the opinions of respondents on the influence of conference programmes on job performance of secondary school teachers in Niger state.
5. There is no significant difference in the opinions of respondents on the influence of
workshop programmes on job performance of secondary school teachers in Niger state.
1.6 Basic Assumptions
The following are basic assumptions about the research study;
1. Effective seminar programmes for secondary school teachers in Niger state will impact
positively on their job performance..
2. Whenever there iseffective study circle programmesjob performance of secondary school
teachers in Niger state will be improved.
3. Effective symposium programme will impact positively on job performance of secondary
school teachers in Niger state.
4. Effective conference programme will enhance job performance of secondary school
teachers in Niger state
5. Whenever effective workshop programmes are organize for secondary school teachers in
Niger state their job performance will be improved.
1.7 Significance of the Study
It is undeniable that people get educated from the experience and literature of others, this work will serve many people in a number of ways, it will particularly guide teachers on how to tailor the knowledge garnered in any training programmes towards addressing their capacity needs.
Also, government agencies concern with staff development such as national teachers institute(NTI) will find the content of this work very useful in determining an efficient way to plan and administered training to their staff.
More so, this research will be of tremendous help to planners,educational institutions and
curriculum developers in identifying areas that require improvement and urgent attention towards the realization of secondary school goals as stated in the national policy in education (2004). Finally, the study is targeted at assisting other researchers and students who aspire to conduct study in the same or related topic.
1.8 Scope of the Study
The study titled “Influence of Training Programmes on the Job Performance of Secondary Schools Teachers” covered only public secondary school in Niger state, Nigeria. More so, the study covered the entire principals, teachers and supervisors of the ministry of education in Niger state. However, due to limited resources and the challenge of time, the study does not include private secondary schools situated within Niger state, Nigeria.