In addition, it has been alleged that what is wrong with secondary
education cannot be fixed with teachers alone, yet there is no doubt
that man’s contemporary existence is dominated by teaching. There is
also a universal recognition of the need to use professionally qualified
teachers in instructional processes as an era of globalization where
school effectiveness and quality improvement is the order of the day. Up
until now, Nigeria is on the wrong side of the international effort of
secondary school reform movement. Because, Nigeria has failed to
actively engage in such reform movements. The reason for secondary
school reform for example, is a significant aspect in the maintenance of
balance between greater institutional self-sufficiency and public
accountability. International reforms of schools aimed at creating
school effectiveness and quality improvement is an effort in the 21st
century to improve quality in education. However, Nigeria cannot afford
to be on the erroneous surface (Adeniyi, 2001). Moreover, secondary
schools in Nigeria are not given adequate funds to provide furniture,
relevant textbooks, sponsor teachers for professional course and
adequate classroom let alone being given adequate fund to purchase
modern equipment to aid instruction that will go a long way to fast
track and improve the quality of teachers in schools
(Aduwa-Ogiegbaen&Iyamu 2005; Adeniyi 2001).
The development of a
national core curriculum for science to both the primary and the
secondary school level has helped to specify the area of competency
required by students in order to develop the correct attitude to
science. Gongden and lohdip (2011) stated the curriculum however well
planned, developed and interpreted will come for short of our hopes
unless it is applied by teachers who are themselves the product of its
philosophy.
For many years educators and researchers have debated
and pointed out so many factors which influence student’s academic
performance. Kennedy (2010) stated school factors ( e.g work load, class
size, laboratories and distance from schools), teachers qualification,
teachers teaching experiences, teachers gender and teachers attitudes as
a factors which influence academic performance of students in
chemistry. Jimoh (2008) revealed that students and examiners perceived
topic as difficult, and teachers perceived 8 topics as difficult in
applied electricity and showed that inadequacy of teaching materials,
texts books, poor student-teacher mathematics ability were variables
responsible for perceived difficulties indicate. Jimmy (2014) concluded
that teacher’s competency in teaching and learning is an important
factor in determing the success to a teaching session. Their ability and
wisdom in handing learning activities will have a direct impact on
student’s active involvement in learning activities.
Teachers have
been know to have important influence on students academic performance
and they also play a crucial role in educational attainment because the
teachers is ultimately responsible for translating educational policies
and principle into actions based on practice during interaction with the
students (Afe,2001). Both teaching and learning depend on teachers: no
wonder an effective teachers has been conceptualized as one who produces
desired issues in the course of his duty as a teacher (Uchefuna,
2001).Considering governments huge investment in public education, its
output in terms of quality of students has been observed to be unequal
with government expenditure consequent upon the observed deterioration
in the academic achievement, attitude and value of secondary school
students in public secondary schools, one wonder if the high failure
rates and the failure of the students especial in external examinations
is not a reflection of the instructional quality in the schools.
Therefore, the negative attitude of teachers in classroom interaction
with the students could be responsible for he observed poor performance
of students and the widely acclaimed fallen standard of education in
Nigeria.
Maria and Marie (2012) claimed that female students with an
unobserved propensity for achievement are more likely to be matched
with female teachers (and vice versa for male students), not at all by
the positive impact of matching a students to same gender teacher.
According to Thomas (2006), students are more engaged, behave more
appropriately and perform at higher level when taught by one who are of
the same gender. The quality of education and performance of students
depends on the teachers as reflected in the discharge of their duties.
Over times students academic performance in both internal and external
examination in chemistry had been used in determine the variable of
teachers and teaching (Ajao, 2001). This was buttressed by Ogunsaju
(2004) that the academic standard of students in all Nigeria educational
institutions has fallen considerably below societal expectations.
Therefore,
this study investigated teachers’ quality and students’ academic
performance in Ogbomoso South Local Government Area Secondary Schools,
Oyo State.
Statement of the Problem
The success of teaching-
learning process is dependent upon the characteristics of teachers. It
is agreeable and believable that students’ achievement is a corporate
responsibility among teachers, parents, and the school principal. There
have been incessant complaints and comments from stakeholders that the
standard of education is falling due to poor performance of secondary
school students’ in public examinations like WAEC, NECO, and JAMB on
yearly basis. Yahaya (2003) stressed further that the high rate of
maladjusted behaviours among students (e.g. cultism, examination
malpractice's, drug and sex abuse) are attributable to the mass failure
in some core school subjects.
