The Influence Of Teachers’ Professional Development On Students’ Academic Performances

CHAPTER TWO
2.0    REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE
    In this chapter, relevant literature on influence of teachers’ professional development and students’ academic performances has been organized into sub-headings as follows
i.    Theoretical framework
ii.    Teacher experience and competency
iii.    Teacher professional  development
iv.     Briefly on method of teaching
v.    Concept of student’s academic performance
vi.    Teachers’ attitude to the teaching profession and students’ academic performance
vii.    Teachers’ profession and students’ academic performances
viii.    Appraisal of literature reviewed
2.1    Theoretical framework
    The theoretical frame work for this study would be based on descriptive and prescriptive learning theories. Prescriptive learning theories are concerned with guidelines that describe what to do in order to achieve specific outcomes. They are often based on descriptive theories, sometimes they are derived is the umbrella which assembles prescriptive theories.
These theories are applicable to this study in the following ways:
1    Through the finding what is needed to be done to achieve a particular outcome. Professional qualification needed in order to improve teaching and learning.
2    Atmosphere needed to be provided to in order to achieve a better performance in students’ academic performance.
3    The motivation needed by both teachers and students for improve academic achievement to take place.   
2.2    Teacher Experience and Competency
This means the ability of teacher to put his teaching skills into practice by applying a method or a combination of methods of teaching before his or her students can comprehend the lesson. This Include the knowledge and skills critic al to a teacher’s role as educator. The quest for professionalization of teaching, Nigeria makes it imperative to ask the question, is teaching truly a profession in Nigeria? If it is not, what should be done and what are the benefits accruing therefore?    
    A professional is a person who has achieved an acclaimed level of proficiency in a calling or trade sees also professionalism is a person formally certified by a professional body of belonging to a specific profession by virtue of having completed a required course of studies or practice. There are universal criteria that set a vocation apart as a profession. These include:
1.    Theoretical and practical knowledge mastered exclusively by the practitioners
2.     Fairly long time of practice in the field
3.    Ethical code of conduct for practitioners
4.    Continuous practice in the field
5.    Regulatory  body that licenses’ and disciplines, as well as promotes the professional growth of practitioners
6.    Rendering essential and qualitative services to society by the practitioners
7.    Membership of practitioners in the profession or regulatory body.
For any profession, only the existence of the conditions stated above can guarantee:
a.    High status and dignity
b.    Society recognition
c.    Prospect of job opportunity
d.    Job security
e.    Job satisfactory
f.    High rewards and Professional excellence.