Description

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background to the Study

The quality of education of a nation could be determined by the quality of her teachers and the available infrastructural facilities for teaching and learning process. The most important factors in improving students’ achievement in Nigeria secondary schools is by employing seasoned qualified teachers and making available educational facilities in all schools. Investment on quality of teachers is related to improvement in teacher’s performance. Also, providing infrastructural facilities is related to provision of equipment and tools to make work effective. Salaman (2019) also reported that characteristics such as certification status and degree in area of specialization are very significant and has something to do with students with communication and behavioural disorder learning outcomes.

Wiki (2013), opined that a teaching qualification or teacher qualification is one of a number of academic and professional degree that enables a person to become a registered teacher in primary or secondary school. Such qualifications include, but are not limited to, the Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGDE), The Professional Diploma in Education (PDE), Bachelor of Education (B.Ed) and Nigeria Certificate in Education (NCE). Academically, qualified teachers refer to those who have academic training as a result of enrolment into educational institution and obtained qualifications such as HND, B.Sc, B.A,  M.A. and so on; while professionally qualified teachers are those who got professional training that gave them professional knowledge, skills, techniques, aptitudes as different from the general education (Edu and Kalu, 2012). They hold degrees like, NCE, B.Ed., B.Sc. Ed, B.A. Ed, and M.Ed and so on. On the other hand, there are studies that have found no significant relationship between teacher educational qualification and students’ academic achievement.

Dike (2019), also opined that that secondary school students lack access to adequate educational facilities, which has diminished their interest in and dedication to their academic endeavors. A dynamic regression discontinuity design provides evidence for the value of school facilities investments. Government and school owners under invest in school facilities, which results in sporadic use of those facilities.

Facility appraisal should be one of the many roles assumed by educational leaders. School administrators should be armed with a general understanding of the relationship between various physical features of a facility and the learning climate. It stands to reason that facility evaluation would warrant equitable scrutiny and effort to that of ventures into pedagogy and curriculum. A growing body of research contributes to the belief that school facility design impacts student achievement, behavior, attendance and teacher retention (Usman, 2019).

In an effort to help schools effectively address the issues of the educational system, the government has undertaken a number of efforts and placed emphasis on the importance of providing educational facilities to schools (Earthman, 2012). The efficiency of teachers and the performance of students are significantly impacted by the state of the school facilities. outcomes for students and educational resources.

The mastery of a subject is determined by the performance of the students in a subject at prescribed examinations. Any interactive activity between a teacher and the students is expected to produce learning outcomes in the learners. When such an activity fails to produce a change in behaviour (learning) in the learners, then, there is a problem. The performance of students in secondary schools is a major concern to educators. Persons with communication and behavioural disorder deserve good communication effort by their teachers and also various educational facilities which will facilitate the necessity to use instructional aids which helps the persons with communication and behavioural disorder to understand, think freely and provide answer based on their capacity    (Owolabi, 2012).

According to Adentwi (2015), falling level of academic performance of students with communication and behavioural disorder can be attributed to teachers’ non-use of verbal reinforcement strategy, inadequate educational facilities, the attitude of some teachers to their job which reflects in their poor attendance to lessons, lateness to school, unsavory comments about students’ performance that could damage their ego, poor method of teaching and the likes. The problems of lack of qualified teachers and lack of educational facilities are prominent in many schools where teachers are neither academically nor professionally qualified or both. Some teachers teaching students with communication and behavioural disorder may have adequate knowledge about the subject but have not attended a teacher training school to be professionally trained. This problem is encountered in the secondary schools in Nigeria. In the field of education in particular, it appears most teachers taking the course have adequate knowledge in the subject matter but are unable to impart the knowledge into the students (Adentwi, 2015).

Adentwi (2015), further stated that a subject specialist or professionally trained teacher is one who has pursued detailed formal and systematic study of a particular subject. The role of teacher teaching students with communication and behavioural disorder is to act as civil trainer, teaching his students to gain deep insights into the subject matter and teaching them their responsibilities to the society they are living. According to Buddi and Zamarro (2019), teacher quality is a key element of student academic success. The professional and academic training and qualification of the teacher can raise the prospects of a student’s academic performance and attainments. This validates the truism that the quality of our schools cannot be better than the quality of the teachers we have and the available infrastructural facilities.

As the government began supplying schools with infrastructure, learning resources and even taking over the repair of run-down ones, the failure of the initiative became apparent. These educational facilities support students’ academic goals and accomplishments. These facilities are crucial and valuable because they help teachers bring a cognitive truth about students’ academic progress into focus. They also play a significant role in the teaching and learning process. Due to time constraints, educational facilities make teaching and learning faster and require less instruction from the teacher (Innocent, 2021).

It is crucial that the learning environment emphasize the value of teachers and students working together to learn as a learning community. Such settings put students at the center of education and promote their active involvement in it. As a result, teachers can give students the finest instruction necessary for their survival in the community.

According to Olaofe (2015), teachers’ qualifications  and infrastructural facilities have witnessed a steady decline from a large number of teachers who could not make learning take place, to teachers who could make students unlearn what they have accidentally learnt somewhere else. The exodus of competent personnel from the teaching profession largely due to its unattractiveness in terms of prestige, allowances and salaries, coupled with the issues of death and retirement, has led to glaring cases of teacher-shortage in our secondary schools. Since the traditional role of education is to provide answers to national and personal goals and need, it means that education also has to change to meet the new challenges at the international, national, community and individual levels. (Mupa and Chinooneka 2015)

By extension, the quality of training, as well as the number of teacher-trainees produced to meet the needs of secondary education in Nigeria have to change to meet the exigencies of our time. The kind of this education required to meet these challenges is by all estimation outside the competences of ill–trained, barely educated teachers, whom are capable of causing students to unlearn what they might have accidentally learnt elsewhere. It is in support of this that teacher education is central to matching these new changes with the required personnel. (Mupa and Chinooneka 2015)

Aremu (2010), stresses that academic failure is not only frustrating to the students and the parents, its effects are equally grave on the society in terms of dearth of manpower in all spheres of the economy and politics. Education at secondary school level is supposed to be the bedrock and the foundation towards higher knowledge. It is an investment as well as an instrument that can be used to achieve a more rapid economic, social, political, technological, scientific and cultural development in the country.

Morakinyo (2013), believed that the falling level of academic achievement is attributed to teachers’ non-use of available infrastructural facilities. Interest in students performance and teachers’ qualifications has intensified among education policy makers and researchers. During this period, research has accumulated that links student achievement to the qualifications of teachers. Attitudes are generally regarded as having been learnt. They predispose an individual to action that has some degree of consistency and can be evaluated as either negative or positive (McMillen S, et al). The experiences of teachers influence the formation of attitudes and these, in turn, influence their classroom practices. Thus it is crucial in understanding secondary teachers that these attitudes are made explicit and examined in order to adapt tertiary courses to the needs of these students.

It is believed that both teachers’ qualifications and infrastructural facilities play pivotal roles in determining the academic performance of students with communication and behavioral disorders. To maximize the potential for success, it is essential to invest in qualified educators, create inclusive learning environments, and provide the necessary resources and facilities to support these students effectively. Collaboration, individualization, and ongoing professional development are key factors in ensuring that students with communication and behavioral disorders reach their full academic potential. It is on this ground the researchers conclude on carring out a study on the effects of teacher’s qualification and infrastructural facilities on the academic performance of students with communication and behavioural disorder.

1.2    Statement of the Problem

The issue of professionalism in teaching has been on course for quite some decades now. The success or failure of any educational programme rests majorly on the adequate availability of infrastructure, qualified, competent and dedicated teachers. The ability of a teacher to teach is not derived only from one’s academic background but it is based upon outstanding pedagogical skill acquired. The realization of the national growth in technology as highlighted in the Nigeria National Policy on Education hinges largely on the quality of the teachers.

Over the years, students’ achievement in secondary schools has prompted educational researchers to continuously make relentless efforts at identifying mitigating factors that might account for the observed poor performance including those that are believed to be communication and behavioural disorder. Some research studies suggest that factors inside and outside the classroom affect students’ achievement and interest. Among other variables identified are: students’ poor study habit, low self-esteem, teacher factors, shortage of qualified teachers, inadequate teaching facilities in schools, home factor, school environmental factors and many others. Despite their efforts, students continue to exhibit poor performance in their academic pursuit. The nature of Government as a secondary school subject is that it requires a qualified teacher to teach, convenient and accessible infrastructural facilities.

According to more recent study, facility upkeep and damage may have a greater direct impact on students’ academic success than structural problems. Facilities that are pertinent are well received by students. All of these are either lacking in our classrooms or are insufficient, which causes students’ academic performance to be subpar. It is of the opinion of the researchers that teachers’ attitude and infrastructural facilities are great factors that have impact on the academic performance of students with communication and behavioural disorder. The research is therefore aimed at looking into the effects of teachers’ qualification and infrastructural facilities on the academic performance of students with communication and behavioural disorder.

 

 

1.3     Purpose of the Study

            General Purpose

The main purpose of the study is to examine the effects of teachers’ qualification and infrastructural facilities on the academic performance of students with communication and behavioural disorder.

Specific Purpose

Specifically, the study is aimed at:-

1. Finding out the extent to which teachers’ qualification affect students with communication and behavioural disorder academic performance,
2. finding out if the availability of infrastructural facilities has an impact on the academic performance on    students with communication and  behavioural disorder
3. determining the effects of teachers’ teaching method on students with communication and behavioural disorder academic performance.

1.4     Research Questions

1. Does teachers’ qualification affect students with communication and behavioural disorder academic performance?
2. Does availability of infrastructural facilities contribute to the learning of students with behavioural disorder?
3. What is the effect of teachers teaching method on the academic performance

of students with communication and behavioural disorder?

1.5     Significance of the Study

The study on the effects of teachers’ qualification and infrastructural facilities on the academic performance of students with communication and behavioural disorder is of immense significant as it will make  educationists  see the need for employing only  qualified teachers for students with communication and behavioural disorder  and the need to provide relevant infrastructural facilities, instructional materials, equipment such as computers and a conducive learning environment for these students. The result of this study will hopefully reveal the strength or weakness of government under consideration and help decision makers in either improving on the revealed lapses or enacting new solutions on the effective performance of students with communication and behavioural disorder.

The study will also help the school administrators and government to recognize the areas where the students are lagging behind and to solve the problems that bring about such lapses.

Furthermore, the study will be of help to parents to be acquainted with the problems facing their students at the secondary school level.

Finally, this study will be helpful to policy makers in formulating appropriate educational policy in the near future. In the same vein, Federal and State Ministry of Education and other institutions within the study location will benefit from this study by identifying the hindrances to academic performance of students in external examination, and also using such vital information to correct imbalance by proper funding of the education sector.

1.6     Scope of the Study

The effects of teachers’ qualification and infrastructural facilities on the academic performance of students with communication and behavioural disorder will be carried out in Oyo West Local Government Area of Oyo State.

1.7     Operational Definition of Terms

Teacher: a person who has been trained to co-ordinate the learning process in the classroom.

Qualification: this is the degree of goodness or worth of things or somebody used for producing more refined production.

Instructional facilities: It is refers to the facilities or materials provided for students in order to use every opportunity to develop their full potential without any hitches

Teacher Qualification: this refers to the level of education, training, expertise, and credentials possessed by a teacher. It encompasses factors such as academic degrees, certifications, specialized training, and experience in teaching students, particularly those with communication and behavioral disorders. Teacher qualification plays a crucial role in determining the effectiveness of instruction and support provided to students with these challenges.

Academic Performance: this term refers to the level of achievement, learning outcomes and mastery of academic content demonstrated by students. It is typically assessed through various measures such as grades, standardized test scores, assignments, projects, and evaluations. Academic performance indicates how well students are progressing in their studies and acquiring the knowledge, skills, and competencies expected within a specific educational context.

Communication disorder: this is an impairment in the ability to receive, send, process, and comprehend concepts or verbal, nonverbal and graphic symbol systems. A communication disorder may be evident in the processes of hearing, language, and/or speech. A communication disorder may range in severity from mild to profound.

Behavioral disorder: this is any persistent and repetitive pattern of behavior that violates societal norms or rules, seriously impairs a person’s functioning, or creates distress in others. The term is used in a very general sense to cover a wide range of disorders or syndromes.