SCHOOL FACTORS AND TEACHING JOB PERFORMANCE OF COMPUTER SCIENCE TEACHERS IN SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN AKWA IBOM NORTH WEST SENATORIAL DISTRICT
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background to the Study
Education is the cornerstone of the development process in a nation. While it increases the productive capacity of its constituent’s individuals, education has an incremental effect on the society’s aspirations in the economic, social-cultural and political realms. Education is meaningless without teachers playing a pivotal role in ensuring achievement of educational goals. Teachers at all levels of education are the foundation and bedrock of quality education in the society (Clark, 2006). Teachers play a basic and dynamic role in the educational system.
Shannon and Weaver (2004) explained that teachers are professionals and should be appropriate role models to their students by inculcating right values in them. Without the teachers, the education system will be crippled. Teachers’ performance therefore, determines the success or failure of the educational system. Provision of quality education is important for facilitating a nation’s development. Komba (2007) posited that, to improve individual learners’ values, attitudes, behaviours, and skills, quality education is of paramount importance. Teachers are the heart of classroom instruction, so they are key to learners’ productivity and hence to society’s efficiency. Teachers’ job performances play a crucial role in the student’s learning process (Shannon and Weaver, 2004). Teachers’ effectiveness in performance depends on their level of job satisfaction, competence, both academic and pedagogical, as well as a correlation between their training and skills and their position, workload, and work encouragement.
Job performance refers to an act of accomplishing or executing a given task (Griffin, 2012). Teacher’s job performance is defined as duties performed by a teacher at a particular period in the school system in achieving organisational goals (Obilade, 2009). Teacher’s job performance could be measured through teacher’s job satisfaction and job attitudes such as job commitment, feelings of job challenge, job motivation and job responsibility (Chang and Smithikrai 2010). When individuals are satisfied, their job performance might increase and they tend to be more committed to their work. Job performance is important to ensure the quality of instructions taking place at school.
In education system, the performance of teachers is one of the outstanding factors determining school effectiveness and learning outcomes. Naik (2008) explained that teaching is noble, but it is a challenging occupation. In order for teachers to maintain a high level of professional performance in a school environment, they must assume personal responsibility for their own performance, growth and development. Subair and Awolere (2006) viewed teaching as one of the most influential professions in the society. Teachers are the lifeblood of any education system.
Computer science as a course of study in secondary school has been given several names such as computer studies, computer education and computer literacy. Computer science is the effort or the ability to make the generality of the people computer literate. Computer science according to Edhuze (2003), involved teaching and inculcating in the learner the basic skills required to independently manipulate the computer to achieve educational goals. Okorie (2001) stated that, computer science as a subject is aimed at making students acquire skills and competencies required in this digital word of competitiveness. Such basic skills and competencies upon graduation make them conversant with term and practices embedded in the world of computer. Computer science is therefore a subject organized to enable people understand the function, uses and limitations of the computer and to provide an opportunity for the study of the modern methods of information processing. Okorie (2001) viewed computer science as a process of educating the people on how to use a computer to run a programme and diverse application including business, industry and commerce.
Ayogu (2008) opined that, it is expected that by the end of secondary education, the child has acquired reasonable competence in software such as word processing, spreadsheet and database analyzing programs that allow learners interact with the computer the way they desire. It therefore means that to achieve these objectives, strategies are needed. A basic appreciation of how the computer works an understanding of the basic principle of operating the computer, hands-on experience using the pre-programmed packages which are relevant to the interest of the students as teacher aids in different subjects.
Presently, the performances of computer science teachers are below expectation. Some blame the poor performances on non-challant attitude of the teachers; others attribute the blame on the government poor condition of service and lack of motivation and home environment respectively. The researcher intends to verify the place of school factors that influence teachers’ job performance in computer science. One of the factors that can influence computer science teacher job performance is the school location.
School location is where a school is situated. A school could be located in the urban or rural area. The location of the school whether urban or rural affects the teacher’s teaching ability as well as student’s ability to study and perform at the level expected of him. Mkpugbe (2008) noted that different aspects of school environment (rural and urban) influence the teacher’s job performance. Anam (2003) on influence of school location on teachers discipline showed that urban teachers were more prone to truancy and higher absentee tendency than their counterparts in rural areas. Similarly, Frame (2000) concluded that school location had significant effect on the philosophy, tradition, perspective, discipline and performance of teachers.
Instructional facilities are the different teaching resources and apparatus which a classroom teacher employs to facilitate his or her teaching for the achievement of the stated objective. Agun (2002) defined instructional facilities as those materials which are helpful to the teachers and students and which maximize the learning in various areas. The use of instructional facilities in the teaching of computer science is very important because it provides a concrete basis for conceptual thinking, motivates the people to learn and capture the students’ imagination if used correctly (Ajalla, 2007). Effective teaching of any subject will not only stimulates students’ interest in the subject but also enhance their achievement in the examination. To achieve effective teaching and learning process, there is the need for use of instructional facilities.
The principal leadership style is crucial in the teaching learning process. The principal’s effective leadership is considered to be an important element in school functioning. It is the key to success in creating a vibrant and an innovative environment, and in achieving teaching and learning excellence (Hallinger and Heck, 2008). The principal as head is accountable for the success or failure of the school. For the school to achieve its goal, the teachers must be disciplined and committed to their duties. At all times, the principal should provide disciplinary control over the behaviour of teachers for higher level of performance. The teacher should be friendly and ensure computer science teachers are motivated to be productive.
Adequacy of resource centre is paramount in effective teaching and learning computer science. Computer science requires practical approach and the application of skills, knowledge and attitude in operation. It is the teacher’s responsibility to inculcate these required domains in the students.
Taken together, the school factors discussed in the preceding paragraphs may influence the job performance of computer science teachers in public secondary schools. The study is therefore, organised to determine the influence of school facNtors as school location, instructional facilities, the leadership style of the principal, and computer resource centre on job performance of computer science teachers in Akwa Ibom North West Senatorial District.
SCHOOL FACTORS AND TEACHING JOB PERFORMANCE OF COMPUTER SCIENCE TEACHERS IN SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN AKWA IBOM NORTH WEST SENATORIAL DISTRICT
