IMPACT OF QUALITATIVE SECONDARY EDUCATION ON THE ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE OF STUDENTS IN THE SENIOR SECONDARY SCHOOLS
ABSTRACT
The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of qualitative secondary education on the academic performance of students in senior secondary schools. The study used a survey-based descriptive research design. The sample included 80 students and 40 teachers from five senior secondary schools. The sample was chosen using a simple random sampling technique.
The researcher created questionnaires that were used to collect information from respondents at several senior secondary schools in Lagos State’s Kosofe Local Government Area. Frequency counts and percentage scores were used to analyze the collected data. At the 0.05 level of significance, non-parametric statistics (Chi-square,X2) were used to test the four hypotheses stated in the research work.
According to the findings, adequate school facilities did not have a significant impact on student performance. Second, there was a significant relationship between students’ learning attitudes and their performance. Third, educational inspection and supervision contributed significantly to high-quality secondary education.
Finally, there was a link between teacher qualifications and an effective learning process. It was therefore suggested that teachers be encouraged to participate in in-service training, seminars, and workshops in order to improve their professional competence. More qualified teachers should be hired by the government. Parents should provide their children with the necessary equipment.
Keywords: inspection and supervision, teacher qualification, school facilities, learning environment, students’ learning attitudes, and in-service training
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 THE STUDY’S BACKGROUND
People and nations are making a conscious effort to devote their meager resources to acquiring quality education, as awareness of the importance of education to the upliftment of individual and societal standards grows. Furthermore, “the strategic importance of secondary education in the national educational system has made it a major concern.” This was Segun Adeshina’s opinion as early as 1984.
Secondary education, according to Adeshina (1984, P. ii), serves as a transition zone because it receives primary school leavers and turnout students for postsecondary education. Cornell (2010) expresses a similar viewpoint, stating that secondary education is required for a person as part of the process of obtaining the proper education.
According to Cornell, secondary education is important because it not only serves as a bridge between what children learned in primary school and what they will learn in college
(secondary) education, but also provides them with the opportunity to acquire knowledge that will aid in the development of critical and analytical thinking as well as understanding of the world around them. Secondary education is critical in providing functional education to the country’s citizens.
According to Moja (2000), the education provided at this level serves two purposes. The first is to prepare students to leave school with the skills they need to find work, while the second is to prepare them to continue their academic careers in higher education.
In light of this, the Federal Government of Nigeria (2004) asserted in the National Policy of Education that the broad aims of secondary education within overall objectives are to prepare students for useful living within society and to prepare them for higher education.
As a result of the foregoing, secondary education appears to be the ideal tool for national development. As a result, secondary education is expected to be of high quality and standard.
However, the Nigerian school system is increasingly confronted with a slew of complex issues. There is widespread concern that educational standards are deteriorating and morale is deteriorating. Some blame students for the apparent decline in educational quality and moral values.
A thoughtful few believe they are as a result of the nature of changes in all directions. The majority of people blame teachers for the problems in our schools. They are not as devoted to the cause of education as their forefathers. Teachers as a whole blame the parents and the students.
They also blame the government for unappealing service conditions and inadequate physical facilities in some parts of the educational system. This research project does not intend to place blame on educational policy or the system.
According to the research, the entire blame is on a lack of adequate educational inspection and supervision, inadequate school facilities, and a failure to implement quality control measures such as the teacher-to-pupil ratio as specified in the National Policy on Education.
1.2 THE PROBLEM’S STATEMENT
However, it appears that secondary schools are not living up to expectations in terms of fulfilling their obligations. Recently, there has been a public outcry over students’ persistently poor performance in public examinations. According to the West African Examination Council (WAEC, 2007), the percentage of failure rate for English in the last five years has surpassed the percentage of credit level in the SSCE conducted by it between 2001 and 2005. The candidates observed a fluctuating trend in Mathematics over the years.
Furthermore, according to the Saturday Punch Newspaper of September 27, 2008, out of a total of 1,369,142 candidates who sat for the West African Senior Certificate Examination (WASSCE) in Nigeria in 2008, only 188,442
(or 13.76 percent) received five credit passes or higher in English Language, Mathematics, and three other subjects. While 947,945 candidates, or 83 percent, failed the examination.
Furthermore, many students engage in various forms of malpractice, with parents enrolling their children or wards in ‘Special Centers.’ In secondary schools, traits such as honesty, hard work, punctuality, self-denial, and self-discipline are also disappearing, which are necessary conditions for effective citizenship.
It has been observed that very few secondary school graduates these days are able to communicate effectively, have poor mastery of the English language, lack required technical skills, oral and written communication, and knowledge of handling administrative positions.
There is also the issue of professionally qualified teachers. According to Egwu (2009), there are concerning disparities between teachers’ certified qualifications, actual teaching competence, and job performance.
Furthermore, there is a lack of modernized and adequate teaching and learning facilities such as teachers’ instructional materials, laboratories, libraries, well-equipped classrooms, and office furniture, among other things.
1.3 OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY
These specific goals are as follows:
I To investigate the extent to which adequate school facilities influence student performance.
(ii) To ascertain the extent to which the students’ learning attitudes influence their performance.
(iii) To investigate how educational inspection and supervision contribute to high-quality secondary education.
(iv) Determine the relationship between teacher qualifications and an effective teaching-learning process.
1.4 QUESTIONS FOR RESEARCH
i. How do adequate school facilities influence student performance?
ii. Does the learning attitude of students influence their performance?
iii. Does adequate educational inspection and supervision result in high-quality secondary education?
iv. What is the relationship between teacher qualification and an effective teaching learning process?
1.5 HYPOTHESES FOR RESEARCH
Ho1: There is no statistically significant relationship between adequate school facilities and student performance.
Ho2: There is no significant relationship between students’ learning attitudes and their academic performance.
Ho3: There is no statistically significant link between educational inspection and supervision and high-quality secondary education.
Ho4: There is no statistically significant relationship between teachers’ qualifications and effective learning processes.
1.6 THE STUDY’S SIGNIFICANCE
This research will benefit teachers, the government, pupils and students, society as a whole, and educational planners.
The research will assist pupils and students in learning effectively and intelligently, the government will attempt to prioritize education projects by funding them, teachers will improve on themselves by acquiring necessary professional skills even as good remuneration for them is worked out, schools will begin to excel in their examinations, the quality of education will be greatly improved, corruption will be reduced, and some with proven integrity will be appointed.
1.7 STUDY SCOPE AND DELIVERY LIMITATIONS
The purpose of this research is to determine the impact of qualitative secondary education on the academic performance of students in senior secondary schools. The study is limited to five secondary schools in Lagos State’s Kosofe Local Government Area.
1.8 TERMS AND CONDITIONS
It is critical to define the terminologies used in this paper because scholars’ perspectives on related concepts may differ greatly. Abercrombie (1974) emphasized the importance of term definition, stating that “the use of words with so many meanings give rise to confusion both in trying to communicate ambiguously with each other and in attempting to think clearly themselves.” The following terms are defined as they are used in the context based on this assertion.
Quality
This is a level of excellence, a distinguishing feature, and a unique and essential characteristic of an inherent feature.
Input
It refers to school-related factors such as curriculum, textbooks, and learning materials, as well as teachers, parents, and the community.
Output
Students who have completed the required level of education.
Outcome
This refers to the desired outcome to be demonstrated or expected from students who have completed a level of education, such as good citizenship, healthy behavior, and so on.
Process
This includes the school climate and teaching/learning encounters, which include leadership expectations, teacher attitudes, a safe and gender sensitive environment, and autonomy, among other things.
Quality Control
This is a comprehensive approach to identifying and resolving issues in the educational system in order to ensure continuous quality improvement.
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IMPACT OF QUALITATIVE SECONDARY EDUCATION ON THE ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE OF STUDENTS IN THE SENIOR SECONDARY SCHOOLS
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