(pdf) An Analysis on the Impact of Unqualified Teachers on Student Academic Performance

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY

The primary impact of education in society is the transmission of information that will integrate individuals and enable them to become more relevant members of society capable of addressing issues. Qualified teachers have been identified as an useful tool for achieving effective teaching. It is important to note that inadequate and bad teaching in Kano State’s schools, as well as throughout Nigeria, has continued to wreak mayhem by crushing the hopes and aspirations of certain pupils, particularly the ambitious. According to the National Policy on Education (2004), the National Certificate of Education is the minimum acceptable certification for teaching (NCE). University graduates in areas other than education who wish to pursue a career in teaching must now receive a Post-graduate Diploma in Education, which replaces the previous minimum of a teachers certificate (Grade II) (PGDE). Due to computer illiteracy, many instructors in Sub-Saharan Africa, especially Nigeria, are unable to use new information technology in their classrooms, and hence must rely on the lecture style of instruction (Haambokoma, 2002). Learners’ low academic performance has been attributed to a lack of exposure to hands-on experiences, particularly in areas such as mathematics, basic science, English, basic technology, and agriculture. According to Adeogun (2001), the quality of any educational system is determined by the quality of its instructors. According to a review of related evidence, teacher quality is the most significant school-based deciding factor of students’ accomplishment (Sass, 2008). As a result, it is necessary to analyze the qualifications, experience, and teaching approach of primary school instructors in order to assure the quality of education provided to students. Where gaps are discovered, teachers should be in-serviced to allow them to cope with the demands of a dynamic school curriculum (Murunga, 2013). According to Ebietomiye (2009), the success of any human endeavor, particularly in the sphere of education, is inextricably linked to the quality of individuals who perform the responsibilities in the organization. As a result, it is critical to recruit and employ properly qualified teachers in order to improve elementary school performance. Teachers who are well-trained and certified improve the effectiveness of their lessons. To the degree that every individual who transmits ideas of any sort that produce a change or impact the recipient’s behavioural pattern is considered a “teacher,” the word “teacher” connotes an undifferentiated meaning. At a strict professional sense, Orstein (2005) sees a teacher as someone who must undergo professional training in a teachers’ training institution or a university’s faculty of education, after which he or she is certified to teach and is really involved in teaching. This reality about who a professional teacher is was confirmed by Ebietomiye (2009). The consequence is that in order to ensure quality learning and enhanced academic achievement, a quality instructor is required. Governments, guardians, educators, parents, and society as a whole have been observed to be continually concerned about their students’ academic success (Nasongo, 2009). Teachers, according to Adeyemi (2010), play a significant effect in influencing students’ academic achievement. There has never been an agreement among experts on the elements that impact pupils’ academic progress that are specific to a given instructor (Rivkin, 2005). Teachers’ experience and educational credentials, according to Orodho (2003), have a considerable impact on students’ academic performance. Maguswi (2011) discovered that a shortage of trained Physics teachers had a key role in the underachievement of Zambian female students in OLevel Physics tests when doing study. Furthermore, Adaramola (2011) discovered in a research conducted in Nigeria that the presence of incompetent teachers resulted in children consistently performing poorly in most science-related topics. To be a teacher, according to Orstein (2005), one must be imbued with the goal and talent of teaching, which may be obtained through teachers’ institutes and years of on-the-job experience. It is also critical that the problem of teachers’ professionalism and qualification not be treated lightly if any improvement in primary school students’ academic achievement is to be achieved. The goal of this study is to see how unqualified teachers impact children’ academic performance in elementary schools in Kano South, Kano State, Nigeria. To see if students taught by holders of a National Certificate in Education (NCE) or a Bachelor in Education (B.Ed) did better in their subject areas than students taught by holders of a Higher National Diploma (HND) or a Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.) degree.

STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

Teachers are regarded as the most important components of our educational system. Teachers’ personal and professional growth has a direct influence on student accomplishment. Teachers at government schools are usually quite old, yet academic programs alter every year (Rivkin, 2005). There are no sufficient trainings to update the knowledge of the teachers, who continue to have minimal qualifications and educate the students in the traditional manner. The majority of teachers are unaware of the new ideas introduced in the new curriculum. Unqualified teachers are hired who are unable to properly manage the teaching and learning processes in schools, resulting in low student performance and, as a result, parental unhappiness with government school performance. This is particularly concerning since poor instruction and inefficient teaching lower demand for education, reducing the pool of skilled teachers (Aaronson, 2007). For many years, there has been concern in Kano State, Nigeria, concerning the issues that most elementary school teachers encounter. Poor teaching methodologies, insufficient training, limited government facilities, and incorrect communication language are among the issues. In light of this, the researcher set out to investigate the impact of unqualified teachers on children’ academic performance in elementary schools in the Dala Local Government Area of Kano State, Nigeria.

OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY

The research includes both broad and specialized aims. The overall or major goal of this study is to look at the impact of unqualified teachers on children’ academic performance in elementary schools in the Dala Local Government Area of Kano State, Nigeria. The precise aims are:

i.to evaluate the impact of unqualified teachers on student academic performance.

RESEARCH QUESTIONS

i.What is the impact of unqualified teachers on student academic performance?

ii. What are the variables that contribute to an inflow of these unqualified teachers in Kano State’s Dala Local Government Area?

iii. What are the attitudes of teachers and students toward learning in Kano State’s Dala Local Government Area?

SIGNIFICANCE OF STUDY

This research will be beneficial to both teachers and students who are interested in learning more about the elements that influence a student’s academic performance. Understanding classroom environment variables will assist teachers to focus their professional development on areas that will improve student accomplishment. Understanding the value of teachers and their influence on student performance can aid secondary school administrators in retaining teachers and ensuring that their lessons are student-centered. The outcomes of the study are intended to aid physics teachers in teaching physics to improve students’ performance by guiding school management committees to choose school teachers who have the proper combination of diverse teacher qualities. This study will add to the body of knowledge in the field of entrepreneurship education by building an intention model that will aid academics in doing more research in related fields.

SCOPE OF THE STUDY

The impact of unqualified teachers on children’ academic performance in elementary schools in the Dala Local Government Area of Kano State, Nigeria, is investigated in this research. As a result, it will encompass students from four elementary schools in the Eastern, Western, Northern, and Southern sectors of the Local Government. Unqualified teachers and academic performance would be the factors of interest. Academic performance is the dependent variable, whereas unqualified teacher is the independent variable.

LIMITATION OF THE STUDY

A study limitation is a feature of the study over which the researcher has no control and is aware that it may impair the validity of the results; in other words, something isn’t as excellent as it should be, but the researcher can’t do anything about it. The following are some of the limitations:

i. The manner of data collecting lowered the data’s authenticity. Other means of data gathering, such as observation, rating, scale, questionnaire, interviews, and so on, are required for triangulation.

ii. Due to a lack of time for the researcher to conduct the research while still focusing on his or her academics, the study was conducted in just four schools in the Dala Local Government Area of Kano State.

DEFINITION OF TERMS

During the research, the words listed below were employed.

Academic Achievement: Scores on a single end-of-year assessment.

The Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) is a committee charged with coordinating and implementing the program (universal basic education) at the state and local government levels through the state universal basic education commissions of each state and local government education authority. It was established on October 7, 2004.

Unqualified teachers: Teachers posting to schools who lack the relevant, essential, or needed qualifications to properly undertake teaching activities and other school obligations.

National Certificate on Education: A certificate examination issued to an individual who attends and passes the requisite abilities, qualifying them to teach at both the elementary and secondary school levels of education.