Teachers

Correlation between Instructional Leadership and Students’ Academic Achievement in Public Secondary Schools in Baringo County, Kenya (Published)

The significance of instructional leadership as it relates to students academic performance has assumed greater importance in education today as stakeholders demand for greater accountability. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between instructional leadership and student achievement, considering the dismal academic performances of students in public secondary schools in Baringo County. The study adopted the cross sectional survey   research design. The target population of the study was 1070 secondary school teachers from 122 public secondary schools. A sample size of 291 teachers was selected using stratified and simple random sampling techniques. Data was collected by use of questionnaire and Document analysis. Frequencies and percentages were used to summarize and describe data whereas the Spearman correlation analysis was used to establish relationship of the variables in the study.    

Keywords: : Academic Performance, Instructional Leadership, Secondary Schools, Students, Teachers

Attitudes of Teachers Towards Application of Item Response Theory in Technical Colleges in Rivers State (Published)

This study investigated attitudes of teachers towards the application of item response theory (IRT) in the technical colleges in Rivers State. It is intended to ascertain the influence of these teacher-related factors on testing processes using IRT in these institutions. Five research questions were asked to guide this study and five null hypotheses were formulated and tested. Cross-sectional survey research design was adopted in this study. The population of this study comprised all the 424 technical teachers in the 15 technical colleges in Rivers State. The study used stratified random sampling technique to draw the sample of size of 212 out of the population. The instrument for data collection was a self-designed Likert type (five response level) questionnaire titled,“Survey of Teacher’s Attitudes Towards Application of Item Response Theory (STATA-IRT), with a reliability coefficient of .86. Correlation analysis was used to answer the research questions and multiple regressions, R, was used to test the null hypotheses at 0.05 alpha level. It was found from the overall result, that strong linear relationship exists between attitudes of teachers and the application of Item Response Theory in Technical colleges Rivers State. It was also found from the multiple regression results that the attitudes of teachers are predictors of effective application of item response theory in the technical colleges in Rivers state.

Keywords: Application of Item, Attitudes, Response Theory, Rivers State, Teachers, Technical Colleges

Students from Different Cultural Backgrounds, Their Difficulties upon Elementary School Entry in Greece and Teachers’ Intercultural Educational Practices (Published)

The present research aims to explore intercultural practices that are adopted by primary school teachers so as to address the difficulties faced by students from multicultural backgrounds upon their school entry. Moreover, it aims to explore teachers’ perceptions regarding the counselling dimension of their role. For that purpose, a questionnaire was used including open and close type questions. The sample was composed of 106 teachers from Primary Schools of Achaia in South West Greece (86 women and 20 men, 25-55 years old). The results indicate that intercultural activities adopted by teachers as long as their pedagogical suggestions are mainly stereotypical. They also refer to an early conception of intercultural pedagogy based more on acceptance than in coexistence / inclusion. Moreover, teachers do not seek further counselling to address students’ difficulties, although they acknowledge the major problems faced by students coming from different cultural and linguistic backgrounds.

Keywords: Counselling, Intercultural education, Teachers, educational practices

Attitudes of Pupils and Teachers Towards Life Skills Education in Public Primary Schools in Eldoret Municipality, Kenya (Published)

In the year 2009, the government of Kenya introduced Life Skills Education to help the students in coping with the challenges and demands for everyday life. It is important to understand how performed since then. As such, the study was conducted to find out the preparedness of public primary schools in the implementation of Life Skills Education (LSE) curriculum in Eldoret Municipality. Based on the study, this paper examines the attitudes of pupils and teachers towards Life Skills Education in public primary schools in Eldoret Municipality. The study was based on the 1997 Functionalist theory by Kinsley Davis. The study employed a survey design. Out of the total 42 public primary schools in Eldoret Municipality 13 of them were selected through simple random sampling. A sample size of 13 head teachers was purposively selected, from the 13 schools; 39 teachers, 3 from each school, were purposively selected. These comprised teachers of LSE. Stratified sampling was used to select one teacher from lower primary, mid-upper and upper primary. Pupils in Classes Six and Seven were purposively selected. The study, therefore, sampled was 299 respondents comprising of teachers and pupils. The data collection instruments used were: questionnaires and interview schedules for head teachers. Descriptive methods were employed in data analysis and data were presented in the form of frequency distribution tables, graphs and pie charts. Data from the interview schedules was analysed qualitatively. The study findings revealed that majority (69.1%) of the students in public primary schools in Eldoret Municipality enjoyed learning Life Skills Education. This shows that students had a positive attitude towards learning of life skills education. In addition, it emerged that majority of the teachers believed that Life Skill Education was necessary for primary school children. It was therefore recommended that there is need to make its teaching and learning compulsory to all students as it contributes to personal and social development of a child at an early stage. Similarly, for teachers to develop an interest in teaching of LSE, there is need for them to be trained on LSE.

Keywords: Attitudes, Eldoret Kenya, Life Skills Education, Public Primary Schools, Pupils., Teachers

Methods Followed By the Southern Ghor District Teachers to Increase the Motivation among Secondary Stage Student in English Language (Published)

This study aims at identifying the methods followed by the Southern Ghor District teachers to increase the motivation among secondary stage students in English language, as well as identifying the most modern methods that can be followed to provoke the students’ motivation in this sensitive phase of the student’s age. The present study also focused on the importance of learning motivation and the factors that influence this motivation. The researcher has chosen the study sample from the English language teachers in the southern Ghor District, specifically the secondary stage teachers who have long experience in teaching this age group for no less than two successive years. The study produced a number of significant results and recommendations, and most importantly the presence of disparity in the rates of using the methods of provoking motivation by the secondary stage students and that there are no statistically significant difference in using those methods due to the variables of the study sample (gender, experience, academic degree). The researcher also recommends the necessity of activating the role of the governmental entities through the Ministry of Education in supporting teachers to increase the motivation of their students by the provision of the required material and tools, in addition to holding training courses and workshops for teachers to raise their efficiency is increasing the learning motivation of the students through the available material and tools at schools.

Keywords: English Language, Motivation, Southern Ghor District, Student, Teachers

Principals’ Instructional Supervision and Teachers’ Effectiveness (Published)

The study examined the differences in teachers’ effectiveness based on principals’ instructional supervision in public secondary schools in Uyo Local Education Committee in Akwa Ibom State. Four objectives and their corresponding research questions and hypotheses were formulated to guide the study. The ex-post facto design was used in carrying out this study. Two hundred and one teachers and 14 principals were drawn from the population of 1,105 teachers and 14 principals respectively to participate in the study. Two researchers-developed instruments, “Principals’ Instructional Supervision Interview (PIS1)” and “Teachers’ Teaching Effectiveness Questionnaire (TTEQ)” were used to gather data. Data collected were analyzed using the mean and independent t-test statistics was used. The findings were that there is a significant difference in teachers’ effectiveness based on classroom observation, analysis/strategy, post-conference analysis and post-analysis conference. Teachers in schools where instructional supervision was adequate were more effective than those that had inadequate instructional supervision. It is, therefore, recommended among others that, the principals should carry out an adequate instructional supervision of teachers so as to enhance their teaching effectiveness.

Keywords: Effectiveness, Instruction, Principals, Supervision, Teachers

Teaching of Listening Skills in Kiswahili Language: Instructional Strategies Used By Secondary Schools Teachers in Wareng Sub-County, Kenya (Published)

This study investigated the influence of the instructional process on the teaching and acquisition of listening skills in Kiswahili language. Based on the study, this paper examines the type of instructional strategies used by secondary school teachers in the teaching of listening skills in Kiswahili language. The study was based on two theories, the theory of Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) as advanced by Widdowson in 1978 and the Top-down theory propounded by Mendelsohn in 1995. A sample of 13 secondary schools was purposively selected from a total of 41 secondary schools in Wareng’ Sub-County. Thirteen (13) teachers and 130 Form Two learners of Kiswahili formed the study sample. The study was a descriptive survey since it set out to discover, describe and interpret existing conditions focusing on secondary school teachers of Kiswahili and Form Two learners. The research instruments used to collect data were two sets of interview schedules and an observation schedule. The 13 teachers were interviewed whereas the 130 learners participated in Focus Group Discussions (FGDs). Moreover, 13 Kiswahili lessons were observed and tape-recorded. Tape-recording was used to record data during observations while note taking was used during the focus group discussions and one-on-one interviews. Analyzed data was presented using frequency tables, percentages, graphs and charts. The study revealed that poor teaching strategies used in the teaching process contribute heavily to poor levels of acquisition of listening skills. In view of the findings, the study recommends that teachers of Kiswahili should build into their classrooms listening activities that have as much of the characteristics of real life listening as possible. In particular, there should be a purpose for listening that should be known before the listening activity commences. This paper is significant in that it seeks to provide impetus for Kiswahili language educators, teacher trainers, curriculum designers and the Kenya National Examination Council (KNEC) to re-examine their policies on teaching listening skills.

Keywords: Instructional Strategies, Kenya, Kiswahili language, Listening Skills, Teachers, Teaching

Factors Contributing To the Performance of Music Students in Secondary Schools in Nairobi County, Kenya (Published)

In teaching music, the teachers ought to strive to transform the students in terms of the cognitive, psychomotor and affective domains. Therefore, the teacher’s task is to create or influence desirable changes in behavior or tendencies towards behavior in his or her student. This paper is an exploration into the factors that contribute to the performance of music students in secondary schools. Focus is on Nairobi County which was the study area. The study used a descriptive approach. The target population constituted teachers and students teaching and learning music respectively. Purposive sampling was used to select 23 schools that offer music and 23 music teachers who teach music in Nairobi County. Music students were selected using simple random sampling. A total number of 180 out of 360 form three music students and 23 teachers participated in the study. Data was collected using questionnaires, classroom observation schedule and focus group discussions. For validity in data analysis, triangulation was used in data collection and presentation. Data was coded considering the interrelatedness of responses. Data was analyzed using descriptive statistics and presented in tabular form containing the number of responses per item (frequency) and the percentage of each response via graphs

Keywords: Music Curriculum, Secondary Schools, Student Performance, Teachers

An Assessment of Basic School Teachers’ Perception of the Impact of Motivation on Their Productivity in Ghana (Published)

This study aimed at examining basic school teachers’ perception of the impact of motivation on JHS teacher productivity in the Asante Akim South district of Ghana. The descriptive survey design was used in conducting the study and the population was all the JHS teachers in the district with a sample size of 217, made up of 179 males and 38 females. A questionnaire with a reliability coefficient of 0.74 was used for data collection. Key findings indicated that majority (97.2%) of teachers admitted that government’s study leave with pay policy was necessary for teacher productivity, eighty five percent (85%) of teachers were of the opinion that promotion was a necessary condition for teacher productivity, and there was a strong positive correlation between teachers’ salaries and teacher productivity. It was recommended that the quota system introduced into the study leave with pay policy should be removed to enable many teachers benefit from the facility. The district best teacher award scheme should cover at least 50% of teachers in the district, and promotion in the Ghana Education Service (GES) should be based on hard work rather than long service and further education.

Keywords: Basic School, Motivation, Perception, Productivity, Teachers

An Evaluation of Classroom Experiences of Basic Science Teachers in Secondary Schools in Ebonyi State of Nigeria (Published)

The aim of this study was to evaluate the Classroom Experiences of Basic Science Teachers in Context of Competencies and Opinions. Two instruments were developed and used for the study, the instructional skills performance level (ISPL) based on five-point performance scale and questionnaire. The two instruments were developed by the researcher and validated by 3 specialists in Science Education, one from measurement and evaluation and two from biology and Chemistry. The questionnaire was administered on 200 Basic Science Teachers randomly selected from Ebonyi State Junior Secondary schools. The questionnaire was divided into 2 sections. Section I contains all the variables. Section II contains a 10-point item scale constructed by the researcher seeking the opinions of basic Science Teachers. It also contains a list of 76 instructional materials used in teaching Basic Science. The Results showed that Basic Science teachers seem to have a title performance level in classroom management and students participations and in evaluation/summary. They performed averagely in the remaining 3 instructional skills; it was also found that most teachers who teach Basic Science used lecture and demonstration method in teaching. Based on the findings, recommendations were made.

Keywords: Classroom Experience, Education, Nigeria, Secondary, Teachers