THE EFFECT OF TEACHERS PUBLIC IMAGE ON TEACHERS PERFORMANCE IN PUBLIC SECONDARY SCHOOLS
ABSTRACT
The study looked at the impact of teachers’ public image on their performance in public secondary schools in Lagos State’s Odi-Olowo Local Government Area. Under subheadings, relevant and extensive literatures were reviewed in this study. With the use of the questionnaire and the sampling technique, the descriptive research survey was used to assess the opinions of the selected respondents.
A total of 100 (one hundred) respondents were chosen and used as samples for this study; the respondents consisted of (50 males and 50 females). In this study, four research questions and four null hypotheses were generated and tested at the 0.05 level of significance using the simple percentage count to analyze the research questions and the Pearson Moment Correlation Coefficient and the t-test statistical tools to test the null hypotheses.
The following findings emerged from the data analyses: there is a significant effect of negative public image on teachers’ motivation to teach in Lagos State’s public secondary schools; there is a significant effect of positive image on teachers’ motivation to teach in Lagos State’s public secondary schools.
There is a significant relationship between teachers’ public image and their general performance in secondary schools in Lagos State; there is a significant gender difference in teaching effectiveness among teachers as a result of public image. The following recommendations were made based on the study’s findings:
Teachers should be well-regarded in the Nigerian teaching profession in order for them to be effective in the teaching and learning processes. It is also recommended that teachers in Lagos State’s secondary schools do not have negative attitudes toward their jobs.
Teachers in Nigeria are generally regarded as “second-class” professionals, which has resulted in poor performance among Nigerian secondary school teachers, particularly in Lagos State. As a result, it is recommended that teachers have positive dispositions and a positive image in order to carry out their duties effectively and to assist students in their academic activities in schools.
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
The Study’s Background
In general, the image of the classroom teacher in Nigeria at all levels of the Nigerian educational system is unimpressive. As a result, the average Nigerian teacher is regarded as a “Mr or Mrs-nobody.” The teacher is the last on the list in terms of recognition.
This is because the average Nigerian perceives the teacher as having a poor personality because the teacher’s working conditions are always deplorable. According to Ejiogu (1998), the teacher is poorly and insignificantly compensated for the laborious job of ensuring that the Nigerian child is educated.
Ejiogu (1998) went on to say that the common phrase in Nigeria today is “the teacher’s reward is in heaven.” As a result, the teacher is being penalized for the enormous amount of work he or she does in the country’s school system.
According to Egiogu (1998), unless this negative perception is changed, the Nigerian education system will continue to degenerate and dwindle, as evidenced by the poor academic performance of Nigerian students in public examinations such as the JAMB, the WAEC/GCE/NECO, and so on.
The Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary (new edition) defines image as “the public’s impression of a person, an organization, or a product.” It is also defined as a “mental image or perception of what someone or something is worth or looks like.” Given the above definition of what an image is, it is reasonable to conclude that a specific image is carved for the Nigerian teacher, and that image is negative.
Consider the situation in which a teacher is not recognized as a professional among other professionals due to the Nigeria Union of Teachers’ non-recognition as a professional body. No wonder teachers in Nigeria are ignored, just like every other professional body in the country, such as the Nigeria Bar Association (NBA), the Nigeria Medical
Association (NMA), the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), and so on. According to Uzoma (2005), the neglect shown to the Nigeria Union of Teachers and, indeed, teachers in general, is cause for concern if our educational system is to work well for our children and our children’s children.
Because of the blatant and brazen negligence meted out to our teachers and the umbrella body of teachers, NUT students’ academic achievement is greatly harmed by a variety of factors related to the country’s poor and negative public image of teachers.
For example, the teacher is not well taken care of in terms of low pay, inadequate fringe benefits, and a lack of recognition by employers, the Federal and State governments. According to Ejiogu (1999), for our educational system to be effective and efficient, Nigerian teachers must be recognized and treated as other professionals in the country.
According to Egiogu, if teachers in Nigeria are treated and recognized as others, the teacher-negative-orientation syndrome and low self-esteem among teachers will be eliminated, and academic performance of Nigerian students will improve.
According to Nkemjika and Adeleke (2000), teachers must be motivated in order to do their jobs effectively. According to them, when a worker is motivated, he or she is encouraged to do more work because he or she feels recognized and rewarded. As a result, Nkemjika and Adeleke (2003) believe that the mistreatment of teachers is the primary cause of Nigeria’s falling educational standards.
According to Ayobanji (2007), “every human being needs to be recognized and rewarded for effectiveness.” However, in the case of the Nigerian teacher, despite the fact that he/she does an excellent job of training and educating the entire nation, and that without him, every individual would wallow in ignorance due to illiteracy, the government and society rarely accord him the respect he/she deserves.
Rather than improving the teacher’s working conditions and encouraging the teacher to work hard for the benefit of all, the teacher’s situation deteriorates over time. The teacher is underpaid, has a negative reputation, and is not given the same level of attention as other members of society.
As a result, the teacher repays the government and society by mistreating his or her students and carrying out his or her work in a careless manner. As a result, there has been a flight of excellence in the school system and an exit of high academic achievement among students in Nigeria in recent years.
As a result of the preceding statements, a teacher will feel unwanted and unloved by the public if the public sees and treats him or her with disrespect and honor. This will not encourage the teacher to give his or her all. Similarly, a teacher who is despised by the people or government he or she serves will be unable to give his or her all, no matter how good or Godly he or she is.
Such a teacher(s) will feel unwanted and unrecognized, which will have an impact on his/her overall productivity in the country’s school system. It is worth noting that the public image of teachers in Nigeria has long been a source of contention.
While some regard him (the teacher) as a valuable service provider, others regard him as a slacker with little or no innovation or creativity to withstand the test of time. People, however, fail to recognize that when a teacher makes a mistake, the entire nation perishes (Adewale, 1990).
When compared to developed countries, the public perception of teachers in developing countries, including Nigeria, has not been particularly positive. “Three out of every four Americans say they have trust and confidence in the men and women who teach children in public schools,” according to a recent Philadelphia and Kappa/Gallup Annual Poll (1993). In contrast to what is available in Nigeria.
Teachers were only given respect by the public or society from the 1950s to the 1980s. During this time period, the high level of commitment has been attributed to three major factors: the teachers’ good social status, economic status, and a conducive work environment, among others (Achimugo, 2005).
This demonstrates that teachers were greatly honored, dignified, and highly respected by parents in particular and society as a whole at the time. It’s no surprise that time period witnessed the golden age of Nigeria’s educational system.
This is in stark contrast to what is available in today’s society. A society in which teachers are seen or perceived to be aided rather than assisting society by molding the students or pupils placed in their care. It is almost a taboo in today’s society to be referred to as a “teacher.”
According to Hall and Langton (1990) in Lawal (2012), events over the years have demonstrated that the status and perception of teachers by society and the teaching profession in Nigeria and many other countries, particularly in Africa, have plummeted.
This low status and perception of teachers and the teaching profession could be attributed to the fact that teachers’ social origins and teaching and learning environments have been significantly improved. Kottler and Stanley (2000) As a result, different segments of society have different perceptions of teachers.
According to a survey conducted among media outlets, teachers, parents, and teaching assistants in England [Hargreaves et al (2006)], while the majority of the governed public surveyed considered the teaching profession to be an attractive career due largely to an attractive salary package, the media’s perception of teaching is more of a profession deserving of sympathy.
Even among those who thought teaching was an appealing career, a sizable proportion (32 percent) thought it was unappealing. One wonders what the average Nigerian’s perception of teachers will be. However, despite the presence of private schools, educational infrastructure is not noteworthy.
The infrastructure of public schools is in disrepair. Some states have taken aggressive measures to address this issue. The personnel required to carry out this function have also been neglected as a result of infrastructure neglect. This is the primary reason why most parents in Nigeria regard teaching as an unappealing profession, and will go to any length to discourage their children from pursuing it.
Even students consider teaching to be a low-level occupation that falls under the category of blue collar work. The most painful aspect is that students in education colleges who are more or less being prepared to teach as a profession in our various school levels quickly refute the slogan “Teacher.” Then one might wonder, “Why accept the offer of admission to a college of education?”
Statement of the Issue
The negative image that the public has of the teaching profession and teachers in general cannot be overstated. This is because the teacher is not recognized, nor is he regarded as a great educational builder of the child. In general, the image of the classroom teacher in Nigeria at all levels of the Nigerian educational system is unimpressive. As a result, the average Nigerian teacher is regarded as a Mr. or Mrs.-nobody.
Because the teacher’s condition of service is always at a low point, the average Nigerian perceives the teacher as having a poor personality. According to Ejiogu (1998), the teacher is poorly and insignificantly compensated for the laborious job of ensuring that the Nigerian child is educated.
Ejiogu went on to say that in Nigeria today, the common refrain is that “the teacher’s reward is in heaven.” As a result, the teacher is being penalized for the enormous amount of work he or she does in the country’s school system.
According to Egiogu (1999), unless this negative perception is changed, the Nigerian education system will continue to degenerate and dwindle, as evidenced by poor academic performance of Nigerian students (the product of the teacher) in public examinations such as the JAMB, the WAEC/GCE/NECO, and so on.
The aforementioned issues prompted an examination of the public image of teachers in Lagos State, in particular, and in Nigeria in general.
The Study’s Purpose
The primary goal of this study is to investigate the impact of teachers’ public image on their motivation for executive performance in public secondary schools in Lagos State, Nigeria.
The following are the study’s specific objectives:
(1) To determine whether teachers’ motivation to teach in Lagos State’s public secondary schools is influenced by their negative public image.
(2) To investigate whether a positive image influences teachers’ motivation to teach in Lagos State’s public secondary schools.
(3) To determine whether there is a link between teachers’ public image and their overall performance in secondary schools in Lagos State.
(4) To determine whether there is a gender difference in teaching effectiveness among teachers as a result of public image.
Research Issues
The study raised the following research questions:
(1) To what extent does a negative public image of teachers affect teachers’ motivation to teach in Lagos State secondary schools?
(2) To what extent does a positive image of teachers influence teachers’ motivation to teach in Lagos State secondary schools?
(3) Is there a link between teachers’ public image and their overall performance in secondary schools in Lagos State?
(4) To what extent will there be a gender difference in teaching effectiveness among teachers as a result of public perception?
Hypotheses for Research
In this study, the following research hypotheses were developed:
(1) Does a negative public image have no effect on teachers’ motivation to teach in Lagos State’s public secondary schools?
(2) Is there no effect of positive image on teachers’ motivation to teach in Lagos State’s public secondary schools?
(3) Is there no link between teachers’ public image and their overall performance in Lagos State secondary schools?
(4) Is there a relationship between gender differences in teaching effectiveness among teachers and public image?
The Study’s Importance
The primary beneficiaries of this research work in carrying it out are:
Teachers will benefit from this study because the findings and recommendations will help them understand how their public image affects their overall performance in the Lagos State school system.
Students will undoubtedly benefit from this study because it will allow them to understand how their teachers’ performance affects their overall achievement in school.
Government: This research will help the government determine whether there is a link between students’ public image and their academic achievement. This will cause them to begin addressing such issues rather than focusing their efforts on things like in-service training, manpower development, and so on. It will also help the government address issues that have a negative impact on teachers’ reputations.
Parents: The immediate beneficiaries of improved academic performance are the pupils’ or students’ parents. Because motivated teachers translate to motivated students, this study will enable parents to either improve their relationship with teachers or change any negative perceptions they have of teachers (s).
Society will be aware of the impact of public image on the performance of secondary school teachers in Lagos State.
The Study’s Scope
The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of public image on teachers’ motivation to teach in public secondary schools in Odi-Olowo Local Government Area, Lagos State, Nigeria.
Term Definitions
For a better understanding of the terms frequently used in this research project, the definitions provided below have been provided.
Academic Achievement: This is a term used to describe the educational outcome that a child has obtained. It is typically measured by the grades students receive on continuous assignment tests, internal and external examinations.
A teacher is someone whose job it is to engage in the act of teaching, particularly in a formal setting known as a school. This is also a person who imparts knowledge and skills to another individual or group of individuals.
The term “public” refers to the people who are affected by educational outcomes. It is directed at students, parents, and even the government.
Students’ mental image of the teachers is referred to as their public image. It also refers to teachers’ and the teaching profession’s perceptions.
Developing Countries: These are countries that do not have a high level of technological penetration. It also refers to countries where a higher proportion of the population or citizens live below the United Nations’ poverty line of $2 per day.
Impoverished: A state of being perpetually poor or on the verge of poverty.
Educational Infrastructure: These are the facilities that help students learn. The availability of materials and facilities aids or facilitates learning.
Attractive: This is synonymous with rewarding. It also implies obtaining a favorable outcome.
Personnel: This refers to the human resources required to continue the learning process. It is primarily made up of teachers, administrators, and school owners.
The term “public school” refers to a school that is owned, controlled, and managed by the government.
Private School: A private school is an educational institution that is owned, controlled, and managed by private individuals.
The term “concept of self” refers to a student’s perception or feelings about themselves. It is also referred to as the complexity of students.
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