CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
Background of the Study
Many factors contribute to a student’s academic performance, including individual characteristics, family and Neighborhood experiences. But research such as Jordan, Mendro and Weersinge (1997) suggests that among school related factors, teachers matter most. When it comes to student performance on reading and math tests, a teacher is estimated to have two or three times the impact of any other school factor, including services, facilities and even leadership (Mohammed and Yusuf, 2015).
Effective teachers are best identified by their performance not by their background or experiences. Despite common perceptions, effective teacher cannot reliably be identified based on where they went to school, whether they are registered or how long they are taught. The best way to asses teachers’ effectiveness is to look at their on the – job performance including what they do in the classroom and how much progress their students make on Performance tests. Quality teachers are considered to be those who bring about student learning. (Harris and Sass, 2006) Non-school factors do influence student Performance but effective teaching has the potential to help level the playing of such factors. The importance of good or quality teachers is no secret or it cannot be overemphasized. Schools have always sought out the best teachers they could get in the belief that their students’ success depends on it. If teachers are so important to student learning, how can schools make sure all students receive the benefit of good/quality teachers?
More than two decades of research findings are unequivocal about the connection between teacher quality and student learning. The report of the National Commission on teaching and America’s future (1996) made teaching the core of its three simple promises in its blueprint for reforming the nation’s schools. They are: what teachers know and can do is the most important influence on what students learn. Recruiting, preparing and retaining good teachers is the central strategy for improving schools. School reform cannot succeed unless it focuses on creating the conditions under which teachers can teach well. A highly effective teacher, therefore, is one whose students show the most gains from one year to the next. By using this approach, researchers are able to isolate the effect of the teacher from other factors related to student performance such as students’ prior academic record or school they attended. “The effect of teaching on student learning is greater than student ethnicity or family income, school attended by student or class size.
Biology education aims at equipping learners with diverse basic scientific skills, competencies and creativity needed to provide opportunities for wealth creation. These aims will remain a mirage if teachers of biology do not have the pre-requisite qualification and experience needed for an engaged
biology interactive classroom to enhance their productivity.
The effect is stronger for poor and or minority students than for their more affluent peers, although all groups benefit from effective teachers. The effects accumulate over the years. The positive effects associated with being taught by a highly effective teacher, defined as a teacher whose average student score gain is in the top 25% were stronger for poor and minority students than for their white and affluent counter parts. The study found that low income students were more likely to benefit from instruction by a highly effective teacher than were their more advantaged peers Van der Bergh and Roos, (2014). Another study found that the Performance gain from having a highly effective teacher could be almost three times as large for African American students as for white students even when comparing students who start with similar Performance levels (Sanders and Rivers 1996). All of the foregoing necessitated the need to carry out this study. It against this background that this study is undertaken to determine the impact of teacher qualification and experience on students’ performance in senior secondary school Ikere Ekiti
A second important finding from this work was that the positive effects of teacher quality appear to accumulate over the years. That is, students who were enrolled in succession of classes taught by effective teachers demonstrated greater learning gains than did students who had the least effective teachers one after another. For example, 5th grade math student who had three consecutive highly effective teachers scored between 52 and 54% percentile point ahead of students who had three consecutive teachers who w
Biology is the science that draws necessary conclusions and also the manipulation of the meaningless symbols of a first order language according to explicit, syntactical rules.
Advanced Biology is widely used, but often in an unseen and unadvertised way.
This study titled Teachers Characteristics and Performance as Determinants of senior secondary schools students’ performance in Ikere Local Government Area of Ekiti State. This will study the event that occur such as the rate of students failure in Biology in the senior secondary school(SSS), stakeholders blame students who are not ready to learn as one of the causes of their failure. Also, teacher can be blame as a result of their attitude to work which will affect the academic performance of students.
Adesina (2000), also revealed that teachers are the primary indicator and determinant of the quality of education. Thus, the ability to teach effectively depends on the knowledge of teachers and knowledge that exists in many forms.
Teacher must thoroughly understand the content of what they teach. Teachers who master the material will pass a language more clearly and provide better explanations that those with weaker backgrounds. Perspective of students to teachers in this mastery of the material have a significant influence on students academic performance.
According to Eggen and Kaunchk (2001), positive attitudes of teachers is essential for effective learning. Fisher et al (2000) stated that the study that the high level of learning that will takes place on learners when they are happy going themselves and the material being studies when teacher use instructional time effectively. Ways to deal with student-teacher affect student’s attitudes towards school and academic performance of students. How students perceptions of their teachers attitudes while teaching in the classroom be measured in this study are qualifications, Experience and teaching skills.
Ehindero and Ajibade (2000) asserts that students are stakeholders in education, and has been suspected and speculated about some of their teachers do not have the necessary professionals qualifications. In a sense, skills, techniques, strategies are needed to convey concepts, ideas, principles are a means to facilitate effective learning.
Obanyan (2000) says that teacher are considered instrumental to translate content standards into the subject matter in the classroom, the teacher remain a constant factor in the successful implementation of educational programs.
Ajayi(2006) found that the classroom teacher is one of the major determinants of student’s Performance, training is most important as a determinant of student’s academic performance.
On the contrary, Husen (2000) reported that increased in-service is accompanied by low Performance levels by students especially where the training is assumed to be for only teachers of low scoring students.
Biology is the fundamentals root on which science is based. Unfortunately, students in our secondary schools and the teacher teaching them have negative attitude towards Biology regardless of its importance in making it as far as science and technology.
It is very important to look into teachers characteristics in student’s performance in Biology. Biology as a compulsory subject in the secondary school record poor performance of students.
Biology is regarded as the key to all science and technology subject, without a good foundation in Biology student would not be able to do well in science and technology. It is very important to note that boys and girls in secondary school usually run away from Biology classes without any regard for its being a compulsory subject.
Obi (2000) noted that for the effective teaching of Biology, the teacher must be well equipped with the idea of what he or she is going to teach in the classroom. Appropriate method of teaching is also required while supporting the fact that it is necessary to be knowledgeable about a particular concept, it is also necessary to know how to impact the knowledge adequately. The teacher must know the best techniques and method of presenting his/her ideas to his or her pupils, bearing in mind their interest, needs and individual differences.
Kolawole (2005) he Stated that creative teaching requires new materials and thoughtful activities such as learning single as learning skill, procedures analysis of problem and application of generalization.
Therefore, a good teacher must have a sound knowledge of the contents, method and above all good attitudes to work. Based on the general belief that Biology is regarded as the foundation of all science subjects there is need to handle its teaching effectively. He further observed that falling standing in performance of pupils in Biology in the secondary school could attribute to the teacher’s characteristics toward its effectively teaching.
Statement of the Problem The view of the researcher is to find the teacher’s qualification, experience and Gender as determinants with particulars reference to senior secondary school in Ikere Local Government
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