Effects of Poverty on the Performance of Female Teachers in Secondary Schools
Chapter One
PURPOSE OF THE STUDY
The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of poverty on the performance of female teachers in some selected secondary schools in Ijumu Local Government Area of Kogi State.
The specific of objectives of this study is to find out;
- How poverty affects female teachers performance.
- Whether female teacher’s performance can really be affected by any economic standard of the nation.
- The major causes of poverty, and
- To provide possible suggestion, in enhancing or improving the performance of female teachers by bringing out strategies to reduce poverty.
CHAPTER TWO
REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE
concept of teaching
Teaching is defined by many scholars of education as “the promotion of learning”. The teacher in her work of teaching should provide appropriate conditions for learning. Oyekan (1994) described teaching as an all-purpose profession engaged in human resource development for individual and economic growth. Olatunji (1996) defined teaching as a social function that aimed at necessary growth in others. Gathecha et al (2013) also define teaching as helping other people to learn. Teaching is the art of impacting knowledge in to the learnrs. It is knowing what to teach the learners and ways of imparting the knowledge in the most effective way possible. Teaching therefore as an act of guiding and imparting knowledge in and outside the classroom can only be done professionally by qualified and trained teachers (Oyekan, 1994). In teaching, further insight is offered by looking at the ancestries of the words. For example, the origin of the word „teach‟ lies in the old English tæcan meaning „show, present, point out‟, which is of Germanic origin; and related to „token‟, from an Indo-European root shared by Greek deiknunai „show‟, „ deigma‟ „samples; ( Hirst ,1975) makes two very important points. For him teaching involves Setting out with the intention of someone learning something and considering 13 persons feelings, experiences and needs. Teaching is only teaching if people can take on what is taught. To this we can add Jerome and Bruner‟s (2009) insights around the nature of education, and the process of learning and problem solving. Bruner asserted that as expertise, we need to have content. As religious educators about belief, practice and teachings; and, as pedagogues, ethics, human growth and development and social life. Good teachers „have deep knowledge of the subjects they teach, and when teachers‟ knowledge falls below a certain level it was a significant impediment to students‟ learning‟ (Coe et. al. 2014: 2). Furthermore, (Coe et.al, 2014) highlighted the more formal character of teaching. Interventions are planned, focused and tied to objectives or intentions. Teaching also often entailed using quizzes and tests to see whether planned outcomes were being met. The feel and character of teaching moments are different to many other processes that informal educators, pedagogues and specialist educators use. Those processes, like conversation, playing a game and walking with people are usually more free-flowing and unpredictable. However, Gathecha (2006) asserted that, teaching was not a simple step-by-step process such as of attending, getting information and intervening because, things rarely go as planned, unless we attend to people‟s feelings, experiences and needs learners might not always get the points straightaway or see what we are trying to help them learn. They might be able to take on what is being taught but it might take time. As a result, how well we have done is often unlikely to show up in the results of any tests or in assessments made in the session or lesson. Oyekan, (1994) noted that earlier, scholars saw that relatively little attention had been given to defining the essential nature of teaching in recent years in the UK and North America. This had contributed to confusion around the term and a major undervaluing of other forms of facilitating learning. The same could not be said in a number of continental European countries where there is a much stronger appreciation of the different forms education takes.
CHAPTER THREE
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
INTRODUCTION
In this chapter, we described the research procedure for this study. A research methodology is a research process adopted or employed to systematically and scientifically present the results of a study to the research audience viz. a vis, the study beneficiaries.
RESEARCH DESIGN
Research designs are perceived to be an overall strategy adopted by the researcher whereby different components of the study are integrated in a logical manner to effectively address a research problem. In this study, the researcher employed the survey research design. This is due to the nature of the study whereby the opinion and views of people are sampled. According to Singleton & Straits, (2009), Survey research can use quantitative research strategies (e.g., using questionnaires with numerically rated items), qualitative research strategies (e.g., using open-ended questions), or both strategies (i.e., mixed methods). As it is often used to describe and explore human behaviour, surveys are therefore frequently used in social and psychological research.
POPULATION OF THE STUDY
According to Udoyen (2019), a study population is a group of elements or individuals as the case may be, who share similar characteristics. These similar features can include location, gender, age, sex or specific interest. The emphasis on study population is that it constitutes of individuals or elements that are homogeneous in description.
This study was carried to examine effects of poverty on the performance of female teachers in secondary schools. Selected secondary schools in Ijumu Local Government Area of Kogi State form the population of the study.
CHAPTER FOUR
DATA PRESENTATION AND ANALYSIS
INTRODUCTION
This chapter presents the analysis of data derived through the questionnaire and key informant interview administered on the respondents in the study area. The analysis and interpretation were derived from the findings of the study. The data analysis depicts the simple frequency and percentage of the respondents as well as interpretation of the information gathered. A total of eighty (80) questionnaires were administered to respondents of which only seventy-seven (77) were returned and validated. This was due to irregular, incomplete and inappropriate responses to some questionnaire. For this study a total of 77 was validated for the analysis.
CHAPTER FIVE
SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION
Introduction
It is important to ascertain that the objective of this study was to ascertain effects of poverty on the performance of female teachers in secondary schools. In the preceding chapter, the relevant data collected for this study were presented, critically analyzed and appropriate interpretation given. In this chapter, certain recommendations made which in the opinion of the researcher will be of benefits in addressing an effect of poverty on the performance of female teachers in secondary schools
Summary
This study was on effects of poverty on the performance of female teachers in secondary schools. Four objectives were raised which included: How poverty affects female teachers performance, Whether female teacher’s performance can really be affected by any economic standard of the nation, the major causes of poverty, and to provide possible suggestion, in enhancing or improving the performance of female teachers by bringing out strategies to reduce poverty.. A total of 77 responses were received and validated from the enrolled participants where all respondents were drawn from selected secondary schools in Kogi state. Hypothesis was tested using Chi-Square statistical tool (SPSS).
Conclusion
In this research, it has been discovered that the malnutrition as a result of inability of parents to provide their children with balance diet, inability of parents to buy enough reading and writing materials for their children, student’s dropout of school due to financial difficulty are all signs or indicators of poverty. Also, the researchers found that, students from rich families perform better than their collogues from poor families, also failure or inability of parents to pay school fees for their children affects their performance and poverty causes a lot of increases of school dropouts. This shows that poverty has an effect on female student’s academic performance. At last, the research has found that, if parents can prioritize the education of their children and welfare will be provided to the teachers also, adequate educational needs of students if provided will reduced the negative effect of poverty on poverty on teaching performance of female teachers. Interestingly, the study also found out that although there are numerous causes of poverty in the country which has presently affected on teaching performance of female teacher. It was also noted that parent found it difficult to provide enough food for their children, pay school fees, buy writing and reading materials which are all signs of poverty and has effect on the teaching performance of teacher (female).
Recommendation
Government should pay and increase monthly salary of teachers to enable them handle teaching in a manner that will help student
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