ABSTRACT

This study examined the influence of teachers’ transfer on students’ academic performance in agricultural science in Ikere Local Government Area of Ekiti state. This study was guided by four research objectives and research questions to establish the effect of teachers’ transfer on the academic performance of agricultural science students in Ikere local government area of Ekiti state. The study adopted a descriptive survey design method. A sample size 75 teachers was use for the study. Questionnaires were used to collect data. Analysis of data involved the use of descriptive statistics such as frequencies, percentages and mean statistics. The findings in the study established that teachers’ transfer have influence on pupils academic performance (such as – teacher’s transfer increase the workload of the other teachers remaining in the school, teacher’s transfer affects school academic time-table, teacher’s transfer disrupt students’ academic performance etc.). The study recommended that no transfer should be made in the middle of the school session. All transfer should be made either at the start or at the end of the session. Only mutual transfer should be allowed because it doesn’t solve the problem of acute shortage of the teacher in schools and Teachers should be appointed to nearby schools to their home.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Title Page i

Certification ii

Dedication iii

Acknowledgements iv

Table of contents v

Abstract vi

CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION

Background to the Study

Statement of the Problem

Objective of the Study

Research Questions

Significance of the Study

Definition of Terms

CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW

conceptual framework

Theoretical Framework

Empirical Review

CHAPTER THREE: METHODOLOGY

Research Design

Population of the Study

Sample and Sampling Technique

Research Instrument

Validity of the Instruments

Reliability of Instrument

Administration of the Instrument

Data Analysis Technique

CHAPTER FOUR: RESULT AND DATA ANALYSIS

Result

Discussion of Findings

CHAPTER FIVE: SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Summary

Conclusion

Recommendations

References

Appendix

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

Background to the Study

Education is the bedrock for socio-economic development (Ariko, 2019). This objective cannot be achieved in an environment of poor performance. In fact education is the key for the attainment of Nigeria’s vision 2030 and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030 (Ariko, 2019). It has been declared that education standards in secondary schools in Ekiti state are gradually deteriorating (Ariko, 2019).

This state of affairs has led to the education stakeholders in the area citing several possible factors as responsible for the declining performance of the schools. Among these is the issue of teacher transfer. Queries have been raised around teacher transfer in the area such as, is there any relation between teachers transfer and student performance?.

Generally, teaching is considered a relative occupation in any society. Teacher’s quality is the most significant schooling input in the determination of student academic achievement knowing fully well the central role the teacher plays in the education industry (Armsgtrong, 2020). However, it has been observed that teaching profession is the most populous profession all over the world (Boyd et al, 2021). Onsomu (2014), explained that the high rate of teacher mobility impacts negatively on school improvement efforts because it disrupts the stability and continuity of teaching. Teacher mobility characteristically involves teacher transfer or job change with the latter being strongly associated with teacher attrition in schools.

Furthermore, teachers are different in term of personality, attitude, and skills and in their dedication to their profession and cause (Keigher, 2020). Some teachers only have the basic knowledge of their profession while others have extensive knowledge. Some of them may be holder of advance degrees while others may possess minimum of the basics. Some teachers prefer to use the top down methodology in their teaching while others like to follow bottom up methodology in the classroom. All of these differences become difficult to handle when all of them are to teach the same subject to the same class of students in the same session.

It is assumed that frequent change of teacher during the session is harmful to academia (Keigher, 2020). Situation becomes more acute when a teacher is transferred during the academic session and his place takes along time to be filled in future (Kothari, 2020). Moreover it is not necessary that the new teacher has the same philosophy as the previous one (Farzana, Muhammad, Adeel & Lodhi, 2022).

Teachers transfer is the permanent movement of a teacher from one school to another either within or outside the area council (Noor, 2022). Transfers initiated by the teachers are considered voluntary transfers. Teachers may choose to be transferred for a variety of reasons, including but not limited to: the desire to work closer to home, also called a hardship transfer (Yena, 2013). Personality conflicts with an administrator or other staff member; the opportunity to be evaluated by a different administrator; or avoiding an involuntary transfer to another school. Transfers initiated by either the school headteacher or the State Universal Basic Education is considered involuntary transfers (Farzana et al, 2022). Those transfers initiated by the headteacher, also called ‘administrative transfers,’ may be to move a teacher who is not good and fit for the school or who is performing unsatisfactorily (Mwiti, 2022). Other involuntary transfers may be initiated by the school to solve larger problems, such as teacher surpluses due to changes in student enrollment, academic programs, or creation of new schools which is becoming trending issues in State Universal Basic Education (Mwiti, 2022). Employer can also transfer teachers from school to other agencies within the education secretariat like Education authority (Onsomu, 2014).

However, Ijaiya, (2000), opined that the performance of students in any academic task has always been of special interest to educators, parents and society at large. The secondary concern of any educator who is entrusted with the responsibility of selecting students for any advance training programme in a given field is the ability to estimate as accurately and as early as possible the probability that such candidates will succeed or fail. Academic performance has been described as the scholastic standing of a students at a given moment (Ijaiya, 2000). This scholastic standing could be explained in terms of the grades obtained in a course or groups of courses (Ijaiya, 2000). Oderinde (2003), commented on this scholastic standing and argued that performance is a measure of output and that the main outputs in education are expressed in terms of learning, that is, changes in knowledge, skills and attitudes of individuals as a result of their experiences within the school's system.

From the foregoing, it is imperative to investigate the effect of teachers transfer on the academic performance of students in Ikere local government area of Ekiti state.

Statement of the Problem

Personnel transfer, intra-system transfer and promotion, without replacement causes understaffing in an organization (Okumbe, 2001). It is now becoming common knowledge that State Universal Basic Education Board transfer teachers from one school to another school, majorly from urban to rural schools. The consequence of these unfavourable transfers has been an inequitable teacher distribution in Ekiti state secondary school (Okumbe, 2001). Ekiti State Universal Basic Education Board has been rationalizing distribution of teachers from overstaffed schools to understaffed schools (especially rural schools). Accordingly, teachers’ transfers and deployments are caused by various reasons with some being valid while others are not (Mwiti, 2017). Also, transferred teachers will leave more workload for those left behind and before they can adjust to the current situation, it will take some weeks and this will affect students’ academic performance at that period. It is against this backdrop that the study examines the effects of teachers’ transfer on the academic performance of secondary school students in Ikere west local government.

Objective of the study

The general objective of this study is to assess the effects of teachers transfer on the academic performance of secondary school students. The specific objectives are to;

1. to identify the underlying reasons for teacher transfer requests in secondary school

2. to examine the influence of teacher’s transfers on students’ academic performance in secondary school

3. to examine the attitude of student toward teacher transfer.

Research Questions

The following research questions were generated and answered in this study:

1. What are the underlying reasons for teachers transfer requests in secondary school?

2. How do teachers’ transfers influence students’ academic performance in secondary school?

3. What is the attitude of students toward teacher transfer?

Significance of the Study

The findings will be useful to teaching service commission to know about the influence of teachers’ order to avoid its effects on schools as well as to make educational reforms. And to make policies that will be developed, and will mitigate against unnecessary teacher transfer to resist negative effects and hence boost school performance and management.

Also it is significant to educational management and school administrators whereby it will help them to know how teacher’s transfer affect the school system and formulate alternative ways to reduce the request of teacher’s transfer.

The study will further be important to schools to assist schools heads to understand that high performance should be rewarded to retain talented teachers.

Also the study helps the subject teachers to get information which might be interest, to keep them self to remain at school. And classroom students to know if there is teacher transfer in their school, their performance will decrease. This will be through key information data that will be obtained to guide in overall educational sector.

Operational Definition of Terms:

Academic performance: Is the final grade awarded to a student after doing an examination or a test on a course of study i.e. an outcome of education. It is the extent to which a student has achieved his/her educational goals and objectives as measured by examinations or continuous assessments.

Public secondary schools: Public secondary schools are funded by the government or communities and are managed through board of governors and parent-teacher associations.

Secondary school teachers: Secondary school teachers in this study refer to professional teacher, NCE or degree certificate, from teacher training colleges and education faculties of universities. The teachers are employed and supervised by teaching service commission.

Teachers’ transfer: A teacher’s transfer is an agile alteration in assignment within the district, province or from one school to another (Farzane et, al, 2022).