Impact of Teacher-competence on Students’ Achievement in English Language
CHAPTER ONE
Objectives of the Study
The overall objective of this study is to analyse the impact of teacher”s competence on student”s achievement in English Language.
Specifically, this study is designed to theoretically and empirically investigate the following research objectives:
- To make a theoretical analysis of school effectiveness and teacher”s academic and professional competencies.
- To investigate the methodological competencies of English teachers and their role in improving instructional processes.
- To investigate how teacher”s competencies improve students achievement in English Language.
- To examine if teacher”s material utilization competencies assist students during learning.
CHAPTER TWO
LITERATURE REVIEW
Introduction
An educational system is effective to the extent it makes use of the available resources to achieve its stated aims and objectives. The major objective of every school system irrespective of the level of education is to provide high quality education for learners (Whawo, 1993, p. 4). The resources needed to provide this high quality education include financial as well as human and material assets (Carrim & Shalem, 1999, pp. 59–84). School effectiveness researchers acknowledge the diverse educational aims of acquiring subject knowledge, skills, values and attitude necessary for the educational context and for future participation in the wider society (Lockheed & Verspoor, 1990; UNESCO, 1990). Apart from the family, school is the principal agent of socialization through which children get an academic education and learn many cultural codes (Brander et al., 1995; Ezewu, 1983).
In addition, the success of any educational system no doubt depends on the available methodological competence, educational qualification level, and the administrative machinery established for its implementation. In recognition of this fact, therefore, professionalism is given a major emphasis in all teaching activities. For this reason, there has been an upsurge in attempts to acquire professional teaching qualifications such as the Nigeria certificate in Education (NCE), Bachelor of Art Education (B.A Ed), Bachelor of Science Education (B.Sc. Ed), Bachelor of Education (B.Ed.), and Master of Education (M.Ed.), Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), in education, and other educational qualifications that are needed to become a professional teacher in Nigeria (Ololube, 1997).
On the other hand, there has been a general conception in Nigeria among teaching and non-teaching staff that the ability to teach with enthusiasm may be both in-born and acquired. It was further argued in my discussion and evaluation with university colleagues that academic qualification without also undergoing a period of professional training is all that is required for teaching competence. In this paradigm, the public see intelligence, interest, and other personal traits as the only qualities assumed to be necessary for effective teach-ing. Therefore, they concluded that teacher education is unworthy. As a result, most unemployed Nigerian college and university graduates see teaching as short-term employment as teachers, until they get job that is in line with their academic qualification. This is because they are been offered job opportunities by the Ministry of Education regardless of the availability of teachers that are both academically and professionally qualified. In the same consideration,
CHAPTER THREE
METHODOLOGY OF STUDY
Research Design
This study used descriptive survey design. The descriptive survey research design is used for its appropriateness in making reality known through collecting detailed factual information that describes existing phenomena at a given moment in time (Vyhmeister, 2001). This research design will sought to solicit information by asking respondents questions about teacher”s competence and the effect in students achievement in English Language, responses are given in writing (Vyhmeister, 2001). This design is appropriate in this study because it enables the researcher to collect data from the respondents through the use of questionnaires and observation checklists.
CHAPTER FOUR
DATA PRESENTATION AND ANALYSIS
CHAPTER FIVE
SUMMARY OF FINDINGS, COCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION
Summary of Findings
The discussion of the major findings follows the main research objectives of the study. These objectives were met by reviewing related literature in the field of teachers’ competence and effectiveness in teaching, and the empirical work carried out on private secondary school improvement in Nigeria. In short, the data collected and its subsequent analysis yielded the following major findings:
- Teachers with higher academic qualification are more effective than teachers with lower academic qualification. Higher academic qualification is regarded as part of teachers’ work role for advancement because it improves their work production.
- Teachers’ professional training improves their competence and competencies. Professional competency is the result of possession of sets of relevant attributes such as knowledge, skills and attitudes. Competency is a combination of attributes underlying some aspect of successful professional performance.
- It is evident from the results of this study that the respondents have positive attitudes towards professional development with particular reference to how teachers apply various instructional techniques to achieve instructional objectives. This study showed that successful methods of instruction, or those that lead to greater students’ achievement, are mastery learning with an emphasis on reinforcement and feedback, co-operative learning, personalized and adaptive instruction, effective time and classroom management, application and the use of contemporary knowledge, longer wait time and good questioning techniques.
- There are significant differences between trained and untrained teachers’ effectiveness in their methodological competencies such as individual teaching methods, problem-solving methods and the dramatization of teaching situations. Also there are significant differences in the effectiveness of professional and non-professional teachers in the area of material utilization competencies.
Conclusion
Nigeria like other developing counties needs effective teacher education programs to enhance competence and effectiveness in teaching, especially in the private schools. Urgent action is required in the field of teacher training. Teacher training is broadly divided into what is provided before and during employment. They are pre-service or initial education, training, continuing professional development or in-service education, and training (Day & Sachs, 2004, 3–32; Bolam & McMahon, 2004, pp. 33–63). Teacher training is commonly acknowledged as one of the most important factors in developing quality teachers. In-service training might take any form, such as sandwich programs organized by the faculties of education of most Nigeria universities during the long vacation for a period of 8 weeks per session, workshops, seminars, symposiums and so on, are all aimed at augmenting the inadequacies of pre-service training. Thus, the incompetencies that may occur because of low intellectual capacity and the continuous updating of teachers’ knowledge, skill and interest in the teaching field may be achieved through these means.
Recommendations
The following recommendations are made based on the findings of the study;
- Higher education in Nigeria should begin to show keen awareness of the important connections between the teacher education, competency and the effectiveness and improvement of schools. It is on this ground that an effective education system can emerge.
- The Ministry of Education should focus attention on the manpower requirement need of our schools (both public and private); they should sufficiently make provision for planning if they want to make headway towards the achievement of educational goals via increasing teachers’ competency and effectiveness.
- The Ministry of Education, School Boards and teachers in general should ensure that they make useful coordination of learning because making teaching and learning sufficiently important is for the good of our educational system.
- Employment of teaching staff should be anchored on technical expertise, as future evaluation procedures will be based on the ability to perform. There should be a high degree of specialization. It is expected that if work is shared according to area of specialization, the rate of production will be faster and more effective. Ability not personal loyalty should be the condition for employment.
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