CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background of the Study
The teacher has a very great influence on the school curriculum, without the teacher, the curriculum cannot be successful. The objectives which are formulated for the different levels of education in the National Policy on Education are open-ended objectives. The same is true of objectives formulated for the different subjects in the curriculum blue-prints. All those objectives are sent to schools, and teachers are made to translate the open-ended and broad objectives into specific objectives. They relate the systems’ objectives with those in their different subject areas. Teachers are those who are directly involved with the learners. By virtue of their training, they can identify the societal needs through the pupils they teach, for onward transmission to the curriculum planners. They can modify the curriculum planned at the national and state levels to suit local needs. The hidden curriculum is partly under their control. They select the learning opportunities and the material resources used in implementing the curriculum. They help to evaluate both the learning programme and the students. No doubt, teachers are major stakeholders in the educational system and their impacts however are felt in terms of students’ achievement.
Indeed, Skillbeck (1973) referred to the teacher as the change agent. Byrne (1987) equates the teacher with the engine of a car, without which the car cannot move; and the National Teachers’ Institute (NTI, 1990) equated the teacher with the hub of a wheel. How successful the curriculum is, depends very much on what teachers do with the learners under them, within the confines of the classroom. The teacher is the pivot around which the curriculum rotates Etuk and Afangide (2008). What the students learn from the curriculum is what is presented to them by the teacher, irrespective of that the curriculum developer intended. The curriculum materials must be clearly communicated to the teachers to enable them transmit correctly to learners.
Since teachers have such great influences on the curriculum, they should be very conscientious with the work of teaching. They should demonstrate teaching effectiveness.
Although many researches’ have been conducted on the concept of teaching effectiveness, a universal theoretical conceptualization of the phenomenon is generally lacking. The general tendency is for researchers to employ operational definitions probably to avoid being entangled in the intricacies of clarifying the concept of teaching effectiveness. Nevertheless, Blase (1982) attempted a definition of teaching effectiveness as “the achievement of instructional, moral and counseling outcomes with students”. It is a regenerative interaction between the teacher and students, in contrast with teacher ineffectiveness which is a degenerative interaction. Obanya and Onocha (1984) on the other hand, saw teaching effectiveness as “the change which takes place in knowledge, attitudes and behaviours of individuals and communities as a result of teacher involvement”. Thus, while Blase (1982) saw teaching effectiveness as an interaction between the process variable and the product variables (output) of teaching, Obanya and Onocha (1984) confined the concept to output or product variables of teaching.
In the opinion of Avalos (1985) and of Ali (1992), the concept of teaching effectiveness means different things in different situations. Any attempt to define the concept theoretically is a futile exercise. It would be much more fruitful to identify behaviours which constitute effective teaching than to attempt to define teaching effectiveness, because activities which are embodied in teaching effectiveness are evident in behaviours of teachers and students.
Three kinds of teacher behaviours which are usually stressed in the conceptualization of teaching effectiveness, according to Avalos (1985) include “measurable observed behaviours, non-quantifiable modes of communicating to others or interacting in the classroom, and present or transferable actions, skills, beliefs and commitment”. Asking of higher order questions and tackling problems in teaching-learning situations in a given manner constitute more qualities of an effective teacher (Ali, 1992). As a corollary, students’ behaviours which constitute evidence of teaching effectiveness include the acquisition of basic cognitive skills, the development of higher order intellectual activities and the awareness of the social world or evidence of social skills (Avalos, 1985).
As evident in the above discussion, the concept of teaching effectiveness is fluid, global and complex. It cannot be satisfactorily explained theoretically. The meaning of the concept of teaching effectiveness is generally deduced from the context in which the term is used. In other words, teaching effectiveness is best conceptualized operationally. Indeed, Byrne (1987) admonished that “we should hesitate to speak of teaching effectiveness except in relation to particular situations”. The reason is that teachers are not uniformly effective across all teaching situations. As a teacher moves from one topic to another, from one age group of children to another, the demands upon the teacher vary and teacher effectiveness can be expected to vary also. Ali (1992) who proffered that the concept of teaching effectiveness is complex, highly dynamic and multidimensional often subscribed to the same idea: “there are different kinds of effectiveness for different kinds of teachers, pupils, situations, programmes, objectives and contents”.
However, the atmosphere of a school has a major impact on the organisational behaviour and since school administrators can have a significant influences on the development of the personality of its schools, it is important to highlight organisational climate of a school. More so, as it is assumed that a favourable school climate would bring out the best in the teachers and consequently, the best in students.
There have been many attempts at explaining what organisational climate is. For this research work, the explanation by Litwin and Stringes in Hoy and Miskel (2005, p. 185) will be adhered to. The said authors viewed an organisational climate as “a set of measurable properties of a work environment based on the collective perceptions of the people who live and work in the environment and demonstrated to influence their behaviours”. Nevertheless, authorities like Bossert, Dowyer, Rowan and Lee (1982) and Etuk (2005) respectively, referred to organisational climate as work milieu or the prevailing atmosphere surrounding the organisation.
School climate is a broad term that refers to teacher perception of the general work environment of the school. These include perception of the formal organisation, the informal organisation, personalities and participants, and how organisational leadership influences them. Perception of the school climate influence the behaviour of the organisational participants based on their collective behaviour of behaviours in schools.
Schools, like other organisations, exist for the purpose of accomplishing predetermined goals. They have participants who interact and relate with one another in a way that will ensure the successful realization of the set goals. The interaction pattern and the attitudes of the participants greatly affect the internal functioning of the organisations resulting in the development of a culture which is peculiar to it. Attitudes are shaped by the prevailing work conditions and attainment of goals, while negative attitude tend to negate efforts geared towards goal attainment. This makes it important that members of any group should develop positive attitudes towards one another in order to enhance the realization of the organisational goals (Michael, 2010).
Hoy and Miskel (2005, p. 185) presented a modern conceptualization of organisations’ climate as consisting of two dimensions: openness of the climate and organisational health. Indices of organisational openness include co-opeation, collaboration, love, justice, fair-play, trust, support, care and respect, while indices of organisational health are further broken into three levels. These are health at the institutional, at the managerial and health at the technical/teacher level. Health at the managerial level has four sub-categories comprising principals’ influence, concern for the system (initiating structure), concern for people (consideration behaviour) and resource support. Indices of organisational health at the technical have two sub-categories as being the morale of teachers and academic emphasis.
Halpin and Croft (1963) suggested that openness might be a better criterion for measuring a school’s effectiveness than any other criterion. In an open organisational climate is expected to demonstrate co-operation, respect, justice and fair-play before members of the organisation. In this type of climate the teachers and the principal work collaboratively and cooperatively together. The teacher is happy and is not inhibited to put in the best. Such climates make teachers to love, care and also assist students in their learning (Hoy and Miskel, 2005, p.187).
Institutional integrity is an organisational climate index at the institutional level. It is the measure of the ability of a school to adapt to its environment and copes in such a way that maintains sound programmes without undue interruptions. She is protected from unreasonable parental and community demands (Hoy and Miskel, 2005). Institutional integrity is essential to the success of an organisation. It is to be noted that whether or not a person (teacher) is going to give his/her services wholeheartedly to the school as an organisation depends on how he/she feels about the job, his/her fellow workers and what is happening around him/her. The social influences are indicators of the prevailing climate of the school which is predicated along the lines of how one feels and peacefulness of the school. If a school is noted for exam malpractices or cultism, some teachers may not feel safe working in such schools. But if a teacher on the other hand is not threatened by what is happening around him/her in a school, he/she is likely to perform better and this will go a long way in ensuring teaching effectiveness (Hoy and Miskel, 2005).
Principal’s influence is the ability of the principal to affect the decisions of superiors at the board or ministry level. Principal’s influence is a factor of organisational health at the managerial level. The principal should affect in such a way that stakeholders regularly take interest in the affairs of the school. Through this means, he/she hopes to sustain teaching effectiveness in the teachers because he/she has things easy from his/her superiors.
Concern for the system (initiating structure) is another critical element in organisational health at the managerial level. It refers to the extent to which the principal clearly defines work expectations, standards and procedures and also is visionary in his/her management of the school and his/her ability to cause things to happen in the system. He/she should not live any stone unturned in his/her quest to attract good teachers to the school. Also, it is necessary to ensure that adequate learning facilities are in place to enhance teaching effectiveness in the school.
Concern for people (consideration behaviour) of the principal is another climate factor at the managerial level. It describes how the principal is friendly, open and supportive. Teachers are human beings and do have their need dispositions. It is expected that principals who desire to have good results in the school should take out time to take interest in matters affecting his/her teachers. Sometimes, if a teacher is sick, he/she needs a listening ear of his/her principal and the principal in turn should not let him down. Of course in some schools, they can offer prayers on behalf of such a teacher or at best, the principal can send a team to pay him/her a visit as a way of encouraging him/her to recover quickly. This consideration behaviour of the principal goes a long way to contribute immensely to the teacher’s teaching effectiveness.
Resource support is another climate factor at the managerial level. Teachers cannot be effective without adequate funding to provide the necessary materials and environment. Facilities have to be provided, libraries equipped, researches sponsored and teachers motivated. This should not be neglected by the principal, therefore; the provision of facilities is a veritable tool in enhancing teaching effectiveness in our schools.
Morale of teachers is very crucial as it is from the technical level of the climate factor in the organisation. Morale is the enthusiasm, confidence and sense of accomplishment that pervade the teachers. A school administrator who desires to develop and stimulate need for achievement will want to design an internal organisation environment that will both attract and maintain high achievers. Recognition, praise and other allied matters could boost the morale of teachers. It needs not necessarily be monetary, if a teacher is commended openly for achieving a great feat in the school, it can keep the fire in him/her burning for greater achievements. His/her achievements can also spur other teachers in the school to follow suit in order to receive recognition or commendation from the principal. No doubt, such things as ordinary they may look may go a long way in boosting the morale of teachers and directly contribute to teaching effectiveness.
Academic emphasis is a climate health factor at the teacher level. The focus of the teacher is expected to the academic success of his/her students and not other interests. A teacher who does his/her work well is happy when the students perform well both in internal and external examinations. The expression that ‘I taught this or that student’ especially the one that performed gives teachers special satisfaction and feeling of joy. That is why teachers should leave no stone un-turned in guiding their students well academically because they know that the students’ success is also their success.
The healthy school is protected from unreasonable community and parental pressures. The board successfully resists all narrow efforts of vested interest groups to influence policy. The principal of a healthy school provides dynamic leadership – leadership that is both task oriented and relations oriented. Such behaviour is supportive of teachers and yet provides direction and maintains high standards of performance. Moreover, the principal has influence with his or her superiors as well as the ability to exercise independent thought and action. Teachers in a healthy school are committed to teaching and learning. They set high, but achievable goals for students; they maintain high standards of performance; and the learning environment is orderly and serious. Furthermore, students work hard on academic matters, are highly motivated, and respect other students who achieve academically. Classroom supplies and instructional materials are accessible. Finally, in a healthy school teachers like each other, trust each other, are enthusiastic about the work, and are proud of their school.
The unhealthy school is vulnerable to destructive outside forces. Teachers and administrators are bombarded with unreasonable demands from parental and community groups. The school is buffered by the whims of the public. The principal does not provide leadership: there is little direction, limited consideration and support for teachers, and virtually no influence with superiors. Morale of teachers is low. Teachers feel good neither about each other nor about their jobs. They act aloof, suspicious, and defensive. Finally, the press for academic excellence is limited. Everyone is simply “putting in time” (Hoy and Miskel, 1987).
Etuk and Eyo (2008) investigated leadership related organisational climate variables and effective curriculum implementation by teachers. It was established that leadership related organisational climate variable have a high influence of effective curriculum implementation behaviours of teachers and that 57 percent of effective curriculum implementation behaviours emitted by teachers was accounted for by leadership related organisational climate variable. Michael (2010) made similar findings.
These studies were both concerned with leadership-related organisational climate variable. The studies are more embracive by investigating into organisational climate variable contributed by all three levels of the organisation, namely the institution itself, leadership/management and variable contributed by perception of the work behaviour of the technical core – being the teachers. This study is therefore a lot wider that than those cited. Moreover, these other studies were both conducted in Akwa Ibom State. The present study will be conducted in schools in Imo State of Nigeria.
It is based on this background that the study was designed to determine the relationship between organisational climate and teaching effectiveness in public secondary schools in Imo State.
1.2. Statement of the Problem
The participation of students in national and international competitive examinations such as the Senior School Certificate Examinations (SSCE) conducted by the West African Examinations Council (WAEC), National Examinations Council (NECO) and Universities Matriculation Examination (UME) conducted by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has been a thing of regret (Adamolekun, 2013). The researcher speculates that teachers negative attitudes such as lateness to work, non-writing of lessons notes, poor class attendance, poor classroom management, poor students’ evaluation, lack of involvement in school discipline by teachers, poor record keeping, teacher absenteeism and lack of commitment in school activities all of which are indices of ineffectiveness might have been contributory factors.
Added to that is truancy by students which maybe partly contributed by teachers not being effective in their teaching and class control.
It is therefore necessary for stakeholders in education to look into avenues for improving performances in our secondary schools. Hence, the fundamental problem of the study is teaching effectiveness in public secondary schools in Imo State in relation with the organisational climate in schools.
1.3 Purpose of the Study
The study was designed to investigate into organisational climate and teaching effectiveness in public secondary schools in Imo State.
Specifically, the study sought to achieve the following objectives:
1. determine the relationship between openness of the school climate and teaching effectiveness in public secondary schools in Imo State.
2. establish the relationship between institutional integrity and teaching effectiveness in public secondary schools in Imo State.
3. assess the relationship between principals’ influence and teaching effectiveness in public secondary schools in Imo State.
4. determine the relationship between principals’ concern for the system (initiating structure)and teaching effectiveness in public secondary schools in Imo State.
5. determine the relationship between principals’ concern for the people (consideration behaviours)and teaching effectiveness in public secondary schools in Imo State.
6. determine the relationship between principals’ resource support behaviours and teaching effectiveness in public secondary schools in Imo State.
7. determine the relationship between morale of teachers and teaching effectiveness in public secondary school.
8. determine the relationship between academic emphasis by teachers and teaching effectiveness in public secondary schools in Imo State.
1.4 Significance of the Study
The incursion into the concept of organisational climate and teaching effectiveness in our secondary education will be of immense benefit to all stakeholders of secondary education – State education management board of ministry of education, parents, principals, teachers, students and the larger society who establish the schools and also are employers of labour.
For the school administrators practically, the study will help them to know the rules and principles underlying roles so as to be held accountable to their actions and activities. On the side of State education management board of ministry of education, it will help them in designing the curriculum and instructional teaching aids, policies formulation, implementation and supervision which are to be carried out to ensure attainment of educational goals and the desired standards.
The study will further enable parents to help the school administration to enforce discipline. It will also help the teachers to change their perceptions and to motivate them in putting their best which invariably will contribute in the reduction of students’ failure rate in both internal and external examinations. More so, students will benefit by applying themselves to serious academic studies for high performances in and out of school.
Moreover, the study will go a long way to provide information to researchers thus contributing to an existing body of knowledge in the areas of organisational behaviour, quality of work life and work climate in our secondary schools.
1.5 Research Questions
The following research questions were formulated to guide this study.
1. What is the relationship between openness of school climate and teaching effectiveness in public secondary schools in Imo State and?
2. What is the relationship between institutional integrity and teaching effectiveness in public secondary schools in Imo State?
3. What is the relationship between principals’ influence and teaching effectiveness in public secondary schools in Imo State?
4. What is the relationship between principals’concern for the system (initiating structure) and teaching effectiveness in public secondary schools in Imo State?
5. What is the relationship between principals’ concern for the people (consideration behaviours)and teaching effectiveness in public secondary schools in Imo State?
6. What is the relationship between principals’ resource support behaviours and teaching effectiveness in public secondary schools in Imo State?
7. What is the relationship between morale of teachers and teaching effectiveness in public secondary schools in Imo State?
8. What is the relationship between schools’ academic emphasis and teaching effectiveness in public secondary schools in Imo State?
1.6 Research Hypotheses
The following null hypotheses were formulated to direct this study.
1. There is no significant relationship between openness of school climate and teaching effectiveness in public secondary schools in Imo State and?
2. There is no significant relationship between institutional integrity and teaching effectiveness in public secondary schools in Imo State?
3. There is no significant relationship between principals’ influence and teaching effectiveness in public secondary schools in Imo State?
4. There is no significant relationship between principals’concern for the system (initiating structure) and teaching effectiveness in public secondary schools in Imo State?
5. There is no significant relationship between principals’ concern for the people (consideration behaviours)and teaching effectiveness in public secondary schools in Imo State?
6. There is no significant relationship between principals’ resource support behaviours and teaching effectiveness in public secondary schools in Imo State?
7. There is no significant relationship between morale of teachers and teaching effectiveness in public secondary schools in Imo State?
8. There is no significant relationship between schools’ academic emphasis and teaching effectiveness in public secondary schools in Imo State?
1.7 Delimitations of the Study
The present study was designed to use only the basic internal indices of organisational climate that influence the day-to-day work in the public secondary school system: openness of the school climate, institutional integrity, principal’s influence, initiating structure, consideration behaviour, resource support, moral of teachers and academic emphasis by the teachers.
For teaching effectiveness, the variables used were delimited to teacher personality with students, teaching commitment, teachercertification/qualification/knowledge of subject matter, teacher’s classroom management and teacher’s teaching procedure.
The study was delimited to public secondary schools in Imo State comprising all principals and teachers for 2013/2014 school year.
1.8 Limitations of the Study
Life is full of challenges and as such research works are not exempt from such. In course of this study, the researcher encountered some challenges. Therefore, it is the view of the researcher that this work is limited by the typical characteristic of the survey data through the use of questionnaires. It is not enough depending on survey data because sometimes information gathered could be incomplete and peripheral in nature and subject to what the Educational Research Network for West Africa and Central Africa (ERNWACA, 2006) termed “scoring” (p.6 ) a situation where respondent may just close their eyes and tick. That limitation was however reduced by stating the items in both the positive and negative formats.
Another constraint is dearth of adequate literature as it relates to organisational climate in teaching effectiveness in public secondary schools particularly as it applied to Imo State. To take off this limitation, the researcher fell back on literature on related subject matters in other states of Nigeria and overseas through the use of the Internet.
Also the issue of bias was not completely ruled out particularly by respondents. It is true, the respondents were literate and it was clearly stated that the exercise was not for promotional or suspension but just for academic purposes. However, this now made the researcher not to request for names of the respondents in the questionnaire that was used.
1.9 Definition of Terms
For the purpose of this study;
Organisational Climate refers to a set of properties of the secondary school environment, perceived directly or indirectly by the teachers that is assumed to be a major force in influencing teachers’ behaviour.
Teaching Effectiveness: is the level of commitment and results achieved by secondary school teachers in the performance of their duties.
Openness of School Climate: is the extent to which the school is operating an open door policy to staff, students and other stakeholders.
Institutional Integrity: refers to the level of confidence that stakeholders in the school system have in the school.
Principal’s Influence: refers to the ability of the principal to get what he/she wants from a higher authority and to make members of the school behave in a desired manner.
Principal’s concern for the system (Initiating Behaviour): is the extent to which the principal is visionary in his management of the school and his ability to cause things to happen in the system.
Concern for the people (Consideration Behaviour):refers to the principals’ behaviour that is open, friendly and supportive.
Principal’s resource support behaviour: is the ability of the principal to provide the necessary resources for effective job performance in the school.
Morale of teachers: refers to the extent to which the teachers identify themselves with the school system.
Academic Emphasis: is the extent to which teachers are interested and are involved in the academic activities in the school as opposed to other interest which are private to the individual teacher.
Can't find what you are looking for? Hire A Researchproject Writer To Work On Your Topic or Call 0806-703-7559.
Proceed to Hire a Writer »