CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1             Background to the Study

Nigeria views education as the ideal tool for promoting national development. As a result, high-quality education is expected in order to produce reliable and high-quality goods that can aid in the development of the country's economy. The calibre of Nigeria's instructors may be used to evaluate the nation's educational system. Employing experienced, qualified instructors in all schools is the most crucial step in raising students' learning outcomes (Abe & Adu, 2013). Professionally qualified teachers are those who received professional training that provided them with professional knowledge, abilities, methodologies, and aptitudes as distinct from the general education. Academically qualified teachers are those who received educational credentials as a result of enrolling in educational institutions and obtained certifications in various fields of endeavour, such as HND, B.Sc., B.A., and Master of Art (M.A.). They possess degrees such as the B.Ed, B.Sc. Ed, B.A. Ed, and M.Ed, among others. Parents and other education stakeholders, as well as the general public, are now demanding quality from the educational system, maybe in response to the institutions' allegedly low-quality annual output. One aspect of that accountability is the standard of the learning outcome (Oladokun, Adebanjo & Charles-Owaba, 2018).

Getting an education through great instruction is important for more than just getting good grades; it also helps students develop the morals, knowledge, and abilities that will make them contributing members of society. For learning to be effective, it must be of a high standard, which should not only include passing exams (which are typically given top priority), but also the development of skills (in the cognitive, affective, and psychomotor domains) through enhanced school systems' capacity to support and promote the efforts of both teachers and students.

The school can only accomplish this lofty goal by hiring experienced and quality instructors who have what it takes to interact with students in a teaching-learning environment and provide quality instruction..

Owolabi (2017) who discovered that the quality of instructors in schools with better learning outcomes . However, Daso (2013) (in a study) discovered a substantial correlation between teachers' teaching style, attitudes, and students' academic success.

The secondary school years are a particularly important part of a child's education since they lay the groundwork for future academic success and are the cornerstone upon which higher education is built. Sad to say, academic performance at this level among students in Nigeria is quite subpar nationwide (Owolabi 2017). In the 2014 Senior School Certificate Examination (SSCE) administered by the West African Examinations Council (WAEC), only 31.28% of the applicants who appeared for the examination had 5 credits in five subjects and above, which include English Language and Mathematics. This shows how the quality of secondary school graduates has continued to decline each year which has negatively impacted the learning outcomes(academic performance) (WAEC, 2014). Students who cheat on exams do so out of a desire to succeed and a desire to avoid the stress and embarrassment that come with failure, which has undermined the fundamental foundation of our educational system. This might not be unrelated to the calibre of educators working in our educational system. Since no educational system can surpass the calibre of its teachers, this has a negative impact on the quality of learning outcomes (Federal Republic of Nigeria (FRN), 2011). The instructor is the most significant individual in a school setting and the centre of the educational process. The teacher is the most significant individual in the entire educational process, and he or she has the power to make or break the best educational endeavour on earth. Hence, education is what the teachers can make of it. As a result, the foundation of an effective educational system includes teachers who are capable, committed, and professionally qualified. To put it another way, effective teachers play a critical role in achieving national goals for students' proper preparation for exams and educational goals.

 Uche (2018) In a study, it was found that while students gave the academic staff high marks for professionalism and quality, they gave them lower marks for monitoring. Given the foregoing, it is imperative that efforts be made to offer teachers with suitable and useful educational services in order to raise the calibre of teachers. Providing e-library services, distant learning programmes, in-service training, teachers' information center services, and promoting information and communication technology should all be part of these facilities . These services typically make it easier to carry out educational policies, achieve policy objectives, and boost educational system effectiveness. A close examination of the secondary schools in the Eti-osa local government area reveals that the lack of these amenities has had a negative impact on the calibre of the teachers there which has led to poor learning outcomes over the years. Many scholars and other educational stakeholders have expressed serious concern about the staffing situation and learning outcomes in many secondary schools in the study area. Researchers have shown that the secondary school teachers in Nigeria are not only insufficient, but also academically unqualified. This might be fairly comparable to the secondary education offered in other regions of Lagos State. This work, meanwhile, was only of teacher-quality and as well learning outcomes. Also According to numerous researchers, secondary school instructors who work in public rather than private institutions are more highly educated. For those who can afford the fees, parents continue to send their wards to private schools. The justification given most frequently is that both the learning outcomes of students in private schools and the quality of instruction in private schools are superior to that of their counterparts in public secondary schools.

In life, education is a constant process. It is the process of educating and moulding individuals' knowledge, abilities, minds, and characters. Moreover, it is the process through which people's latent abilities are developed so they can benefit both themselves and society. Basic education is centred on the value of teachers and the responsibilities they play in the educational process. Without a question, educators continue to be the knowledge managers. Hence, the foundation of the quality and relevance of education at all levels in Nigeria is, and ought to be, teacher education. Hence, a teacher is seen as a skilled professional who use his knowledge, abilities, and competence to trigger behavioural change in the students. He directs the learners' perspective, competency, information, and abilities towards a constructive learning behaviour that is desired and accepted in society by using his understanding of child psychology.

A vital component of the educational system is qualified teachers. Teachers with extensive training and experience are the true development indicators in the teaching profession. Hence, the instructor is the most significant single aspect in the process of instruction and learning. An educator must first be taught and trained since no educational system can surpass the calibre of its teachers. So, it is not unexpected that there is a great deal of interest in creating a practical and better fit between teacher-training programmes and the difficulties and expectations of teaching in other to improve learning outcomes.

 In addition, Izundu (2016) In a study, it was discovered that teachers' training had a considerable impact on the learning outcomes of the pupils. Any educational system's secondary level is extremely important. This is due to the fact that it serves as the cornerstone upon which higher education is built, as it lays the academic groundwork for all future endeavours. Hence, persons charged with educating students at this level of the educational system must possess a certain set of qualities.. Knowledge is among the most crucial characteristics for a teacher to possess. A good teacher should be able to exhibit extensive knowledge of the subject matter, understand the fundamental ideas, and have a comprehension of the subject he teaches. Teachers may address the topics at hand with confidence and use their gifts when they are well-informed. Even internationally, the word "teacher quality" has an underlying connotation.

Few have tried to explain what it means. While some see teacher quality as being made up of the instructor's qualifications and personality traits, others have a more comprehensive perspective. The latter group views teacher quality as encompassing the educator's preparation and ongoing professional development, student outcomes, the environment in which the educator works, including the availability of learning resources, and other forms of support the educator receives, such as school administration and leadership, as well as teacher compensation. While there may be disagreements over the term, there are some points of agreement regarding what qualifies as a good teacher and what makes for efficient classroom management, as will be covered in more detail. Daniel in Daso (2013) stated that quality teachers have a larger influence on students' achievement than any other school-based factor, and further recommended that how each nation educates its teachers will play a significant role in how successful it is in the experience and understanding economy of the twenty-first century.

The classroom serves as a means of getting pupils from where they are when they first arrive at school to where they need to be progressively. In order for teachers and students to engage as successfully as possible during the teaching and learning process, the furniture, supplies, displays, and other fixed elements in the classroom must be carefully arranged. The rules set forth for how it will function, who will use it, and its physical components will all have an impact on the environment in the classroom. The classroom is carefully managed and organised by qualified professors, who demand that their pupils contribute in a constructive and fruitful way. Information sharing between two or more people is known as communication. Information is shared by both sides during communication, which is a "two-way process of convergence," and connections between individuals or organisations are formed that are mutually beneficial all these are  attribute to define a qualified teacher.

Any educational system depends on excellent teachers to survive and develop. In addition to verbal and written communication, a competent teacher should be aware of various forms of communication with their students. With or without vocal communication, gestures can be employed. A pupil can be prevented from acting inappropriately by a teacher's fixed gaze, just as a grin or wink might be used to acknowledge a successful performance (Sng Bee, 2018).

Furthermore One important issue affecting educational system in Nigeria and secondary education in Eti-osa particular is inadequate teacher professional development and motivation; this calls for certain questions among which are to what extent does Teachers’ Quality of Classroom Organization enhance Students Academic Performance in Secondary Schools in Eti-osa, Lagos state? Also  How does Teachers’ Quality of Communication Skills enhance Students Academic Performance in Secondary Schools in Eti-osa, Lagos state?  Again To what extent does teachers knowledge of subject matter and students academic performance in Eti-osa?  There is a need for forceful responses because these questions have not yet received sufficient solutions. One does not contest the fact that many secondary schools in Nigeria employ teachers who hold the Nigeria Certificate in Education (NCE) when answering the question. However, many NCE instructors today are utterly unqualified to teach even the areas they assert to be specialists in. It was determined through a critical examination of the group of teachers working in secondary schools in Lagos, in conjunction with interactions the researchers had with some of them and other key players, that among other issues, there are issues with classroom management and teachers' weak communication skills. The aforementioned factors contribute to teacher quality and are also used to evaluate how well teachers are able to impart knowledge to their students. Regrettably, this situation affects the majority of the instructors in Eti-osa. This has had a negative impact on students' academic achievement in a big way..

The educational outcomes of students fall short of what parents and the government have invested. All parties involved are concerned about the reasons the system is producing graduates with subpar achievements. According to them, it is debatable if secondary school instructors, who are among the most crucial components of a school's success and the calibre of a student's education, are qualified to do so. According to the Federal Republic of Nigeria (2004) no education system may rise above the quality of instructors”.

Blumende (2001) confirmed this belief when he stated that anyone who is aware of the vital role that education plays as a tool for societal transformation and growth cannot overlook the reduction in the quality of education. Focus should be placed on instructors' competence and appropriateness with regard to their pedagogical methods and techniques, as well as their command of the curriculum and subject matter (Chall & Popp, 2015). In support of the above scholars, Ekwesili (2016) Since the success of students depends on the level of learning that occurs in the classroom and how effectively and efficiently teachers perform in schools, the management of secondary education and the promotion of school effectiveness institutionalised the Private Public Partnership (PPP) and School Based Management Committee (SBMC).

Ijaiya (2018) argued that increasing student accomplishment depends on boosting the calibre of the teaching staff in classrooms. As a result, improving educational standards ought to be the government's top priority. Similarly, Guga (2018) asserted that a teacher is required to offer lessons or instructions in a way that allows goals to be met; education cannot be provided by just anyone. Students cannot be prepared for WASCE/GCE by an uncertified teacher because it is doubtful that they will pass. Corroborating this view, Owolabi (2017) said that in order for seasoned and experienced instructors who are still eager to work to improve the system, the government should use all available methods to keep them on staff. The common view that teachers are the primary determinants of educational quality was also expressed in the Baguada Seminar Reports on Quantity and Quality in Nigerian Education, which was quoted in Education Sector Analysis (ESA), (2015): The entire country will perish if they are immoral, irresponsible, uninspired, lethargic, unmotivated, and anti-social. If they lack knowledge in their fields and spread false information, they pose a threat in addition to being ineffective. Hence, the kind of instructors who are taught and appointed to schools may very well shape the character of the following generation. Abraham and Morrison (2016) created an index of school effectiveness assessing and focusing on internal circumstances for schools in the Free State of South Africa using a questionnaire as the foundation. Their studies showed that teachers were the primary influencers of internal school dynamics for efficiency, growth, and institutional change. Oshodi (2015) a questionnaire was used to examine resource use and student academic achievement in secondary schools in Kwara State. To ascertain the element that has the greatest impact on students' academic achievement, the Spearman rank correlation coefficient was utilized. He discovered that in secondary schools, the most significant factor affecting pupils' academic success was the quality of their teachers.

 Ijaiya (2018) Investigation into the issues with teacher staffing in secondary schools in Kwara State revealed a severe teacher shortage that contributes to both poor instruction and astronomical failure rates. In a study of the connections between school size, resource use, and academic achievement in the Ilorin Local Government Areas, Ibitoye (2013) discovered that there is a strong correlation between student enrolment, instructor classroom use, teacher quality, the delivery of learning activities, and academic success.. A similar study by Owolabi (2017) , on Those who studied the factors influencing kids' academic achievement found that a student's home environment, teacher quality, self-esteem, self-concept, study habits, and motivation all have an impact.. Contrary to this, Uche (2018) contended that the provision of all these factors may not have significant impact on successful learning if the learners are not exposed to competent principals, teachers and other school teams.

The Total quality management theory and critical theory serve as the study's theoretical pillars. The relationship between teachers and students is one particular feature of TQM theory that is the focus of this study. Consequently, the two levels can be constrained for the narrow scope of this investigation. In this analysis, the first level makes the assumption that the organisational structure on this connection is systematically captured through standardised test scores and the employment processes. This level is proxied by the standardisation procedure, which is uniform across all educational institutions. The educational background and certifications of the teachers would reflect the hiring procedures.

Critical theory was used to understand the nature of problems attributed to the students’ low performance. With the careful application of the research methodology and theories to carry out the study, the study is aimed at bridging the gap and provide answers to research questions.

1.2 STATEMENT OF PROBLEM

Education standards are a topic that is constantly discussed in public in Nigeria. Following the annual release of the West African Senior School Certificate Examination results, the public's discontent is more obvious. For instance, the most recent results—2008, 2009, and 2010—released by the commission were unfavourable for the majority of applicants, with much less than 22% of them receiving credit in five subjects, such as English and Mathematics. This is according to the Head of the National Office of the West African Examination Council23% of students passed in 2008, 21% in 2009, and 20% in 2010, although many had their results seized because they had engaged in misconduct (Iheonunekwu, 2012). Many reasons have been given for the candidates' poor performance, but it is lamentable that none of the solutions put out by the government, WAEC, teachers, and students to remedy this widespread failure have been successful. The West African Examination Council recognised a lack of qualified teachers, inadequate and dilapidated classrooms, and insufficient learning facilities in the majority of secondary schools in the nation as contributory factors to students' poor performance before the discharge of the November/December 2010 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (West African Examination Council, 2010). Researchers have worked to determine the causes of the poor performance because it has caused concern. They have identified a number of causes, including inadequate school facilities, a lack of teachers, and students' drive to succeed.

Furthermore The rising number of failures and subsequent dropouts in Nigerian secondary schools in recent years has raised alarm among those involved in education. The yearly fall in pupils' performance on the external  examination is a sign of the rising failure rate (Alka 2018). One of the main reasons why students fail is because they are generally not prepared to learn, according to stakeholders in the education system. Instructors are frequently criticised for not being committed to their work, which unintentionally has a negative impact on pupils' academic achievement. The common consensus is that the best resources and assets in education are high-quality teachers, regardless of who or what is to blame.

In order to identify long-term solutions to the issue and to advance knowledge and research, these observations by stakeholders highlight the necessity of examining the impact of instructors' quality on students' learning outcomes in Eti osa, Nigeria. Knowledge and expertise in the subject area are factors that determine teachers' effectiveness and have an impact on students' success.

 When a lesson is delivered by a teacher who thoroughly understands the subject area, students learn the lesson more effectively and with greater interest. A teacher who is an expert in their field is a great teacher. He or she is competent to carry out his or her duties effectively and efficiently, as well as to design and implement the necessary curricula (Amadi, 2011) Years of experience are recognised by many professions as an important consideration in human resource policy, such as remuneration structures, benefit packages, and promotion decisions. The premise is that experience and qualification improves knowledge, abilities, and productivity of workers as it is accumulated through time. The cornerstone of traditional single-salary schedules, teacher experience is perhaps the most important aspect in personnel rules that affect current employees in the field of education.. The issue of teachers' credentials, their knowledge of the subject matter, their personalities, their motivation, and their experience compelled the researcher to conduct this study.. The study intends to examine the Impact of Teacher Quality on Learning Outcomes in Secondary School in Eti-Osa Local Government Area Lagos Nigeria.

1.2             purpose of the study

The major aim of the study is to examine the impact of teacher quality on learning outcomes in secondary school in eti-osa local government area Lagos Nigeria. Other specific objectives of the study will include;

1. To examine how Teachers’ Quality of Classroom Organization enhance Students Academic Performance in Secondary Schools in Eti-osa, Lagos state

2. To examine how Teachers’ Quality of Communication Skills enhance Students Academic Performance in Secondary Schools in Eti-osa, Lagos state

3. To determine how teachers knowledge of subject matter impacts students academic achievement in Secondary Schools in Eti-osa, Lagos state

1.4 RESEARCH QUESTIONS

1. To what extent does Teachers’ Quality of Classroom Organization enhance Students Academic Performance in Secondary Schools in Eti-osa, Lagos state?

2. How does Teachers’ Quality of Communication Skills enhance Students Academic Performance in Secondary Schools in Eti-osa, Lagos state?

3.To what extent does teachers knowledge of subject matter and students academic achievement in Secondary Schools in Eti-osa, Lagos state?

1.5 Significance Of The Study

A major concern in schools is to increase student achievement and performance. One way to do this is to focus on teacher quality at the centre which will influence student achievement, performance and create the best environment in which to facilitate learning and engage students. The study is therefore significant for the following reasons:

• This study will be useful to both teachers and students who want to know the factors that could make or mar student’s academic performance.

• Understanding classroom climate variables will allow for professional development for teachers to focus on areas to increase student achievement.

• Lastly, understanding the importance of teachers and their impact on student performance will help school administrators at secondary schools retrain teachers to make their teachings student centered.

1.6 Nature Of The Study

This presents a description of the research design, the instrument of data collection, the methods for data analysis and limitation of the study.

  In this study, the research adopts systematic qualitative content analysis as its method. Therefore, the documents such as newspapers, textbooks, journals, articles and other written records based on the impact of teacher quality on learning outcomes in secondary school

In this study, the researcher used analytical induction analysis of secondary data acquired in order to draw conclusions from it. The process of creating causal explanations for study phenomena is referred to as analytical induction analysis. It entails the practice of looking for commonalities that may indicate to common factors. The researcher also conducted a systematic reading of texts and other articles with the goal of obtaining explicit and implicit information on the content of the aforementioned publications.

1.7 ASSUMPTIONS, LIMITATIONS, DELIMITATIONS ASSUMPTION The following assumption were present in the study:

It is assumed that this study is an accurate representation of the current situation in Eti-osa. This is because the secondary used in the study is based on already established fact and also used to confirm prior results

Delimitation

The study is delimited to the impact of teacher quality on learning outcomes in secondary school in eti-osa local government area Lagos

Limitations

Financial constraint- Insufficient fund tends to impede the efficiency of the researcher in sourcing for the relevant materials, literature or information and in the process of data collection (internet, journals etc).

Time constraint- The researcher will simultaneously engage in this study with other academic work. This consequently will cut down on the time devoted for the research work.

1.8 ORGANIZATION OF THE STUDY

The study will be divided into five chapters. The first chapter will contain the introduction, back ground to the study, statement of the research problem, research questions, and purpose of the study, , and significance of the study, scope of the study and organization of the study

The second chapter will deal with relevant studies found in the literature and that are related to the study which includes the conceptual review, review of studies and theoretical framework of the study.

The third chapter will highlight the history of ECOWAS in relation to Economic development of Nigeria and West Africa region.

Fourth chapter will deal with the analysis of the impact of teacher quality on learning outcomes in secondary school in eti-osa local government area lagos Nigeria

Finally, chapters five will contain the summary, conclusions and recommendations which are derived from this study