The Effects of Qualification of English Teachers on the Performance of Secondary School Students in External Examinations (a Case Study of Selected Schools in Nsukka Lga)
Chapter One
Objectives of the Study
The purpose of this study is to find out the teachers qualification on students performance in senior secondary school certificate examination (SSCE). The study also tries to assess the validity of the assumption that any fluent speaker of English can teach the subject and attempt to explore ways of English. The learning of English can be enhanced and how to improve on the quality of the English teachers already in the classroom.
The study also tries to analyze;
- How teacher’s qualification effect the student’s practical demonstration of the language skill since the language cannot really be taught?
- How important teacher’s are in the language development?
- Can the general low performance of students be related to teacher’s qualification?
- Does the untrained teacher encounter move problem than the trained teachers in the language teaching situation?
The above questions are what this researcher is set out to find out solution to.
CHAPTER TWO
LITERATURE REVIEW
Academic and Professional Qualification of English Teachers
There is a direct relationship between the educational qualification of the teachers and the teaching of English in our senior secondary schools. The more trained the teacher is, the more efficient the teacher will impact to the students. Some scholars have tried to prove that fluent speakers and native speakers of English but without teaching qualification are not automatically good English teachers.
Hill (1974) quotes “Although English was my mother tongue, I was surprised and worried to find how little I know about it and just as surprised and worried to discover that despite the fact that it was my mother tongue, it did not automatically mean that I could teach it to others efficiency”.
The importance of the qualification of a teacher in the teaching and learning situation cannot be over emphasized. The teacher in the language learning situation is more than one who serves as just a guide. The language teacher has a very great role to play in the classroom situation.
The teacher is the most important single element in any teaching situation. Naturally the general teaching skill of the instructor, his special training and his linguistic ability will also affect the teaching learning situation.
Finochiaro (1954) asserts that it should however be noted that technique themselves cannot compensate for poor language proficiency, though they definitely enhance the effectiveness of the teacher’s needs to have a high degree of mastery of English Language, in addition to his professional techniques of teaching.
Broughten et al (1980) points out, learning to use a language, this involves a great deal more than acquiring some grammar and vocabulary and a reasonable pronunciation. It involves the competence to suit the language to the situation, the participant and the basic purpose. Conversely and equally important, it involves competence to interpret what other speakers mean.
The quality of the teacher is determined by the quality of their education and qualification in the teaching of English language and the experience gained in the job. A trained teacher who is teaching English language knows exactly what kind of behaviour he expects from his students and how this is related to the aims of the lesson i.e. whether their class work is silent like writing or reading or controlled oral activity at class or group level or a free group activity.
In Nigerian today, the qualification of English teachers who are already in the classroom has been neglected. For instance, at the junior level, no special qualification in English teaching is required in other to become an English teacher. Usually the class teacher teaches all the subject in his/her class and it just happens that English is one of the subjects taught. Most of the teachers at this level are themselves very poor in their use of spoken English and very few of them can be described as competent in their use of language.
At the secondary school or intermediate level, a great number of teachers of Englsih language are NCE holders while the majority in many others cases are people who have themselves been trained only to this level.
The graduate teachers at this level fall into three groups.
- Thos who graduate from university
- Native speakers of English language who did not go to universities.
- Non-native speakers of English who stopped receiving formal instruction in English language (as a subject) at ordinary level. In view of the poor quality of the English teachers already in the classroom, the low performance or falling standard of English in Nigeria can be attributed to the quality of teachers that are teaching English in our institutions of learning.
Bloomfield (1972) states that the fact that every Nigeria family does not speak English language makes it difficult for some Nigeria children to have access to speaking English language, except in schools where it is used as the medium of instruction. In such situation, English is hardly spoken outside the four walls of the classroom; hence most Nigerian students have their greatest difficulty in effective communication in English language.
This situation tends to be growing worse, most secondary school leavers today, are identified by their paper qualification and not by their practical demonstration of the skills, which they ought to have acquired in the school. The so-called –language majors are not exception to this disheartening and embarrassing situation in not imparting knowledge proficiently since they code their skill and methods of teaching.
The Curriculum of English Teachers Education
Since the teachers of English language in Nigerian secondary schools are mainly graduates of Department of English of universities and colleges of Education, the discussion in terms of curriculum will be limited to these two levels of institutions, English course offered by these institution will be examined under the following headings: language, literature and general linguistics. This will however be on a very brief term owing to the nature and purpose of this research.
University courses, according to historical accounts in most of the West African Universities were until recently colleges and universities in English-speaking countries, Britain and U.S.A. Consequently, the structive and content of the courses in their English departments reflect the needs in native English-speaking situations. Some of these universities are even some years behind their foreign models. Looking at their syllabuses, one may find out that some have tried to adjust their courses to local needs.
Literature is well provided for in most of these universities and colleges of educations because this has been the traditional discipline in the English departments.
General linguistics has however become an important but an optional course in most of these universities and colleges of education. But how much of the theory is brought to bear on the problem of English as a second language is a matter for speculation. In some cases it is regarded as a separate discipline not directly related to the English language courses.
Adekunle (1969) reveals that the most neglected area in all the universities is the language courses. Language courses are listed in the calendar under various titles: use of English “problem of contemporary English usage” “Spoken English” and “conversational English”. “Only one of these universities examined language in form of oral test and offer use of English in the final degree examination”.
There has been little or no change in this trend; some universities still neglect language courses. The colleges of Education are not better than the universities in most of the cases therefore the programme run by these institutions are very similar.
CHAPTER THREE
METHODOLOGY
Sources of Data
The data used for this study were collected from many sources. These were obtained mainly through questionnaire. First hand information was gathered from principals, English teachers and students of the sample schools and text books relevant to the topic of study were also consulted.
Sample
The researcher used some population of students to represent the whole population of the students in the three (3) schools. These students were used so as to collect useful information. Teachers and principals of the schools were served with questionnaire. The total number of sample is two hundred (200).
Method of Data Collection
The methods that were used by the researcher were the interview and the questionnaire method. Interview was conducted to the Students, teachers and principals forty (40) students from each school, one principal in each school as well as seventy-seven teachers of the three (3) schools were used.
CHAPTER FOUR
DATA PRESENTATION AND ANALYSIS
TABLE 1: STUDENTS ATTITUDES TOWARDS LEARNING ENGLISH AND ASSESSMENT OF THEIR TEACHER PERSONALITY AND TEACHING STRATEGIES.
CHAPTER FIVE
CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION
Major Findings Conducted
In the research carried out “The teacher’s qualification and students performance in senior secondary certificate examination (SSCE)” conducted in the sampled schools, the following were discovered:
- There are no language laboratories in the secondary schools and harpers effective teaching and learning.
- Most of the English teachers do not organized practical lessons and they use native language in the class very often to explain certain facts.
- Workshops and seminars are necessary to update the English teachers already in the classroom.
- Teachers’ qualification and their teaching experience affect the students’ performance.
- Native speakers or fluent speakers are not automatically effective English teachers.
- A degree in English is necessary for English teachers teaching senior schools.
Tenability of Assumption
The major assumption underlying the study is the teachers’ qualification in terms of experience, method of teaching attitudes towards students and professional training affect the students’ performance in SSCE.
The result of the finding revealed that the teachers were mostly NCE holders. The performances in the sampled schools were generally very low. This low performance as one of the principals, Opinion can be attributed to poor foundation in the primary school. According to the principals the students can hardly speak good English. The teachers also have to be blamed for the poor performance. Because some of the teachers according to this source hardly have interest in the teaching profession, since some of them depend too much on textbook and speak native language in and outside the classroom.
Conclusion
From the information gathered, it can be concluded that, the English teacher already in the classroom are not properly trained. For instance, students and the principals have agreed that the teachers do not organize practical lessons and that they use native language both inside and outside the classroom. This shows that the teachers do not know the basic techniques of developing the language in their classroom situation.
The students on their part do not show much interest in the learning process. Hence they perform badly in their examination.
Recommendations
On the basis of the findings, the following recommendations are suggested:
- Instructional facilities such as a good language laboratory should be provided in our secondary schools to ensure effective language development.
- The teachers already in the classroom should endeavour to use teaching aids and organize practical lessons for effective learning. They should also try and avoid the use of native language both inside and outside the classroom since language is best developed through oral practice.
- Students should be encouraged by teachers, parents and government to learn especially how to speak English, since English still remain the medium of instruction in our institutions of learning.
- The authorities concerned should stop the idea of mass admissions into secondary schools. Admission should be based on merit. This will help to check the problem of unqualified students who can hardly speak English language.
- Mass promotion of students from one class to the other should be discouraged. Students who do not pass to go to the next class should be made to measure up to the required standard, but should not be promoted to the next class. They should be made to repeat the year so as to measure up to standard.
- Workshop and seminars and conferences should be organized regularly for English teachers already in the classroom.
- Teachers have to be promoted when necessary, and their monthly wages together with other entitlement have to be paid promptly in order to entice them stay and teach.
- Opportunity of in-service has to be given to teachers so as to increase their knowledge of understanding in order to promote the learning of students form the lower to higher level.
REFERENCE
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- Frrant .J.S. (1980). Principles and practice of education; Landsman, London.
- Wardhaugh .R. (1969). TESOL: Current Problems and Classroom Practice. TESOL Quarterly.
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- Chomsky .N. (1972). Language and the mind language and education a source book: Milton Keynes: Open University Press.
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