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EFFECTS OF TEACHERS EXPERIENCE IN THE ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE OF STUDENTS IN MATHEMATICS

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1     BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

Education is a continuous process in life. It is the process of training and developing the knowledge, skill, mind and character of people. It is also the process by which the latent abilities of individuals are developed so that they may be useful to themselves and the society (Olaniyonu, Adekoya and Gbenu, 2008). Meaningful improvements in the quality of education that students receive are determined by the quality of teachers (Anderson, 1991). Therefore, quality teaching and learning are sine qua non for students‟ academic performance.

For a nation that wants to achieve rapid technological development, academic performance in Mathematics is central to the attainment of this laudable goal. Mathematics is the foundation science subject for the other science subjects like, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, and Additional Mathematics. Mathematics is the science of structure, order, number, space and quantity, it is a relationship which revolves around the elementary practice of counting measuring and description of shapes and objects. From the social and economic perspective Mathematics is a key element and a day to day activity that every living human being unconsciously practices in one form or the other. From this perspective Mathematics is a subject of everyday application and communication tool per excellence. The indisputable fact is that any good student of Mathematics easily keys into other subjects of Mathematics easily keys into other subjects. This explains why any student who is good in Mathematics is found to be good in other subject.

A number of scholars citing the role that language played in the successful development experience of nations like Japan, China, Korea, former Soviet Union now Common Wealth of Independent States, and the Asian Tigers, have advocated for the use of Nigerian local languages in teaching Mathematics and other science subjects in the primary and secondary schools. This recommendation was made to address the public concern on the poor academic performance of students in Senior Secondary Certificate Examination (SSCE) in Mathematics in recent years. This recommendation has not been implemented till date and the poor academic performance in this subject has persisted.

The controversy over the falling standards of education in Nigeria has been on the front burner of national discourse over the past decades and it is apparent that the debates will continue for some time to come. Poor academic performance has been linked to several factors which include high teacher-student ratio, shortage of good teaching staff, poor quality of educational leadership, political instability and politicization of educational programmes, automatic promotion, age of the learners, and inadequate essential physical facilities and equipment (Ewetan, 2010; Akinwunmi and Odunsi, 2008).

Information gathered through the National Bureau of Statistics shows that as at 2008, there were 14,829 secondary schools in Nigeria. Out of this number 2,930 secondary schools or 19.76% were from South West while 508 secondary schools or 17.34% were from Ogun State. One of the essential ingredients in developing good schools with high academic performance is regular supply of human and material resources. There are several states in Nigeria whose school teachers at the primary and secondary level are so unqualified that the percentage could be as high as eighty percent (Adesina 1986). Thus, the high percentage of unqualified teachers in public secondary school is a major factor responsible for the poor students‟ academic performance. A major feature of this poor academic performance is the dismal performance in Mathematics and English Language in the Senior Secondary Certificate Examination (SSCE) in Nigeria in the recent years which has been linked to decline in the quality of teaching and learning (Ewetan, 2010; Akinsolu, 2010; Daso, 2013, Chhinh and Tabata, 2013). Better students’ results are the main indicator of the experience and effectiveness of teachers. In developing and developed countries the teacher factor has been linked to low achievement in Mathematics (Akpo, 2012; TIMSS, 2002; Afrassa and Peeves, 1999; Jacob and Lefgen, undated).

Considering the foregoing, this study seeks to investigate the relationship between teacher variables such as years of experience, availability of experienced teachers, and students’ academic performance in Mathematics and English Language in public secondary schools in Ifako Ijaye Local Government Areas in Lagos State, Nigeria.

1.2      STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

An increasing number of students are experiencing problems in mathematics. In the Nigerian context, Ojimba(2000) had found that the governments, parents, guardians, teachers and the general public have continued to show concern about the standard of mathematics and the consequent poor performance in mathematics of our secondary school students. Corroborating this view, Adegboye (2001) posited that the general poor trend of performance by students in mathematics at the secondary school level is no longer debatable. Though, Adeniye (2003) had associated the poor performance of students in mathematics to poor teaching methods, the literature on home background and school type factors and achievement in mathematics are scanty, hence the need for this study.

1.3      PURPOSE OF THE STUDY

i.        To find out the status of teachers in terms of qualifications in the selected public secondary schools in Ifako Ijaye Local Government Areas of Lagos State.

ii.        To find out the distribution of teachers on the basis of teaching experience in the selected public secondary schools in Ifako Ijaye Local Government Areas of Lagos State.

iii.        To find out the level of students‟ academic performance in the selected public secondary schools in Ifako Ijaye Local Government Areas in Lagos State.

iv.        To examine the relationship between teachers‟ years of experience and students’ academic performance in the selected public secondary schools in Ifako Ijaye Local Government Areas of Lagos State.

v.        To examine the relationship between teachers‟ development programmes and students‟ academic performance in the selected public secondary schools in Ifako Ijaye Local Government Areas of Lagos State

1.4      RESEARCH QUESTIONS

i.        What is the status of teachers in terms of qualifications in the selected public secondary schools in Ifako Ijaye Local Government Areas in Lagos State?

ii.        How are teachers distributed on the basis of teaching experience in the selected public secondary schools in Ifako Ijaye Local Government Areas in Lagos State?

iii.        What is the level of students‟ academic performance in the selected public secondary schools in Ifako Ijaye Local Government Areas in Lagos State?

iv.        What is the relationship between teachers‟ years of experience and students’ academic performance in the selected public secondary schools in Ifako Ijaye Local Government Areas of Lagos State?

v.        What is the relationship between teachers‟ development programmes and students’ academic performance in the selected public secondary schools in Ifako Ijaye Local Government Areas of Lagos State?

1.5      HYPOTHESIS

Ho: There is no significant relationship between the teachers experience and students’ academic performance in secondary schools.

Hi: There is a significant relationship between teachers attitude and students’ academic performance in secondary schools.

1.6      SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

The study will help to identify the main problem faced by students in Mathematics, such as lack of qualified teachers, inadequate relevance textbooks, poor method used by the teachers, inadequate instructional materials, and problem of class size etc.

1.7     SCOPE/LIMITATION OF THE STUDY

The study of the research will be restricted to only five secondary schools in Ifako Ijaye local government area and questionnaire will be used for the students to respond to.

i.    Iju grammar school Iju

ii.   Ebenezer comprehensive high school

iii.  Fagba junior secondary school

iv. Somori Grammar school

v.   Africa church Grammar school

LIMITATION OF STUDY

Financial constraint- Insufficient fund tends to impede the efficiency of the researcher in sourcing for the relevant materials, literature or information and in the process of data collection (internet, questionnaire and interview).

Time constraint- The researcher will simultaneously engage in this study with other academic work. This consequently will cut down on the time devoted for the research work

1.8      DEFINATION OF TERMS

Simplify: Make less difficulty, simple or easy to understand.

Express: State definitely (not merely stated but show clearly).

Factor: resolve into factors or break the multiples into smaller units.

Find: Discover, seek out or obtain by search of effort.

Measure: State the size or weight through the act of measuring or quantifying.

Mathematics: is the study of science that deals with the logic of shape, quantity and arrangement.

Effects: something brought about by a cause or agent.

Teachers’ experience: They are teachers with classroom experience.

Academic performance: how well a student meets standards set out by local government and the institution itself.

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