Ashton (1999) noted
that teachers with regular state certification receive higher supervisor
ratings and student achievement than teachers who do not meet
standards, but this observation was based on data with virtually no
statistical controls having been imposed. In spite of the quantity of
research on the benefits of teacher certification for student learning,
little of the past research exercised controls over student “inputsâ€
that would give the critical reader confidence in the findings.
Laczko& Berliner (2001) asserted that the impact of certification
status on student achievement in schools. School where they were
currently teaching, the grade level taught, the teacher’s certification
status, highest degree earned, date and institution where it was
achieved, age, and number of years teaching experience.
It has been
evidenced that in many countries, teacher qualifications that are
considered to be related to student learning have become desirable
targets of teacher education reform. Some of these reforms call for the
professionalization of teacher education by making it longer, upgrading
it to graduate programs, and regulating it through mechanisms of
licensure, certification, and promotion aligned with standards
(Darling-Hammond et al., 2001; 2002). Findings related to teachers'
academic degrees (for example; bachelors or masters among others) are
inconclusive. Some studies suggest positive effects of advanced degrees
(Rice, 2003; Wayne &Youngs, 2003). Some argue that the requirement
of a second degree raises the cost in terms of teacher education and the
time it involves and may prevent quality candidates from choosing this
profession (Murnane, 1996). This characteristic is related to the
subject-matter knowledge teachers acquire during their formal studies
and pre-service teacher education courses. The evidence gained from
different studies is contradictory. Several studies report a positive
relationship between teachers' preparation in the subject matter they
later teach and student achievement (Goldhaber& Brewer, 2000).
The
quality of education of a nation could be determined by the quality of
her teachers the most important factor in improving students ‘
performance is by employing seasoned qualified teachers in all school.
Abe and Adu (2013) and 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 qualification includes, but are not limited to
the post graduate certificate in education (PGDE). The professional
Diploma in education (PGDE), Bachelor of education (B. Ed) and Nigerian
certificate of education (NCE)
The teacher qualification factor
in student‘s performance is a subject of great concern. The teacher
qualification expressed in terms of formal education and training shows
different result when correlated to performance in chemistry. The
teacher qualification had positive effects at primary and secondary
school level though significant in regression (Kennedy, 2010).
Teachers’ Teaching Experience and Students’ Academic Performance
Teacher
teaching experience has a significant effect on student performance in
secondary schools and at higher level. Experienced teachers have a
richer background of experience to draw from and can contribute insight
and ideas to the course of teaching and learning, are open to correction
and are less dictatorial in classroom. Teachers’ experience and student
achievement was that students taught by more experienced teachers
achieve at a higher level, because their teachers have mastered the
content and acquired classroom management skills to deal with different
types of classroom problems (Gibbons , Kimmel & O’ Shea1997).
Furthermore, more experienced teachers are considered to be more able to
concentrate on the most appropriate way to teach particular topics to
students who differ in their abilities, prior knowledge and backgrounds
(Stringfield&Teddlie, 1998).
Therefore, the more the teachers
know about students, the better the teachers can connect with them and
the more likely they will be able to benefit from the teachers’
experience in reconstructing their world. The knowledge that teachers
need about students in order to connect with them is gained through
interaction. For many reasons, measuring the real impact of experience
on a teacher’s effectiveness is complex, more so than measuring any
other teacher attribute. Consequently, many well-constructed research
attempts to interpret the relationship between experience and
effectiveness have produced varying results that reveal no particular
pattern.
Murnane (1996) stated that teacher effectiveness and
quality improve rapidly over the first three years of teaching and
reaches its highest point between the third and fifth year but found no
substantial improvement after year five. In contrast, a small number of
studies suggest that teacher experience effects may be evident for a
longer period of time. Phillips (2000) stated that experience had a
significant positive effect on elementary student achievement among
teachers during their first seven years of teaching. Ferguson (1998)
stated that at the high school level, students taught by teachers with
more than nine years of experience had significantly higher test scores
than students whose teachers had five to nine years of experience.
Rivers & Sanders (2002) stated that teacher’ effectiveness and
quality increases dramatically each year during the first ten years of
teaching. Stronge , Ward& Tucker (2007) stated that a positive
relationship between teachers' verbal ability and composite student
achievement, verbal ability has been considered an indicator of teacher
quality. The basic logic is that teachers rely on talk to teach
(explaining, questioning, and providing direction ns). What verbal
ability means and how to measure it, it turns out, are not
straightforward. Lai (2011) stated that teachers’ verbal ability with a
30-item sentence completion test. Thus, though talk about the importance
of teachers' verbal ability persists, it is not a strong measure of
teacher quality.
Experienced teachers differ from novice teachers in
important ways. They are likely to need professional development that
affirms the knowledge, experience, and intuitive judgment they have
cultivated during their careers. At the same time, teaching experience
does not necessarily result in expertise (Tsui, 2003, 2005). Some
experienced teachers are not as receptive to professional development as
are new teachers, even though they might benefit from opportunities to
reflect on and enhance their knowledge and refresh their enthusiasm for
teaching. Administrators and professional developers must recognize and
address this potential resistance while remaining mindful of experienced
teachers’ characteristics and needs.
