CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1       BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY

There have been many investigations into the cause of the poor performance, and some results indicated shows the importance of attitude, skills, and competence in the teaching and learning of chemistry in senior secondary schools in Lagos State as a notable factor. This level of performance in senior secondary school chemistry has been a thing of worry for the stakeholders in the educational sector. There have been various investigations into the cause of the poor performance.

According to Erimosho (2020), expanding one's access to scientific education is one of the most important factors in contributing to a nation's overall growth. For instance, the advancement of science and technology has helped nations to improve and promote efficiency, self reliance, and overall well being of humankind through the invention and innovation in telecommunication, transportation, health, agriculture, and other fields; consequently, there is justification for science in the school curriculum, particularly that of chemistry. Without a shadow of a doubt, students in the senior classes of secondary education in Nigeria study physics, chemistry, and biology, while those in the junior classes study integrated science. The goals of each of these courses, which are spelled out in detail in the curriculum, imply that there should be an emphasis placed on creating an atmosphere that is conducive to both teaching and learning at the school level. To accomplish this goal, it will be necessary to properly structure the pedagogy that teachers use and come up with ideas about how science materials, particularly those related to chemistry, can be utilized in such a way that students engage in meaningful learning while also having fun discovering the world around them (Ajayi , 2019).

According to Nkemdirim (2021), the majority of chemistry instructors do not have the requisite capabilities or competence to carry out effective teaching and learning of the subject matter in their classrooms. This is the case because many schools have chemistry instructors who approach the topic in the classroom in the same manner as if they were teaching languages or any of the other art-related courses. For example, the majority of chemistry teachers do not have the necessary skills that are required for the efficient delivery of the subject in the classroom. Coupled with their negative behaviors both toward the handling of the subject and the student, this results in an inefficient delivery of the subject. The teaching and learning process in chemistry is hampered in schools, particularly at the secondary school level of our school system, mostly as a result of inadequate skills towards attitude and medium or lack of competency in the topic.

Kempa and Ayob (2019) made the observation that in order for chemistry to be taught and learned properly, it will be handled by experienced and well-trained instructors who have a substantial amount of subject-specific expertise. According to them, there have been many instances in which chemistry has been taught by individuals who either do not have an acceptable command of the subject matter or do not possess the necessary teaching expertise (methodology). They emphasized that in order to be competent and have strong ability in teaching chemistry, one has to have a good understanding of the topic as well as an effective use of the scientific teaching technique, which together make learning highly efficient and provide good outcomes. It is crucial that the topic of chemistry be handled by professionals or specialists who are knowledgeable and skilled in it because of the fact that chemistry is one of the main scientific disciplines that is taught in schools. However, in many secondary schools in Nigeria today, there are occasions in which scientific disciplines such as chemistry are not taught by people with the necessary level of expertise. In the majority of secondary schools, students learn chemistry outside of the lab and without access to any practical equipment. Not only this, but Onwu (2021) has the opinion that the majority of chemistry teachers develop a "I-don't-care" attitude when it comes to handling the subjects in schools. For instance, the majority of them do not care to attend classes in most times, and some of the teachers who do attend classes do not teach with interest and skill. As a consequence of this, you should not instruct with interest and competence. As a consequence of this, the vast majority of students who take chemistry in secondary schools do not feel motivated to pursue the subject further into postsecondary education, where it is often required for graduation. This has resulted in the country producing a large number of scientists, particularly in the field of chemistry, which a rising nation like Nigeria need for the fast expansion and development of its industrial sector.

1.2       STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

It has come to our attention that the teaching of chemistry and the learning process in our educational system are not being managed in an appropriate manner. For example, the teaching of chemistry is often done by people who are not sufficiently knowledgeable in the subject, do not have the necessary management abilities, and have a negative attitude toward the topic. Some chemistry instructors have been teaching their students without the proper training, which means that they do not have an in-depth understanding of the material they are teaching, and that's not even mentioning how ineffectively they are presenting the material to their students in the classroom. Onwu (2021) .

The majority of chemistry instructors approach the topic with a series of negative attitudes, such as avoiding attending courses because they are unsure of what to teach and how to teach it. As a knock-on consequence of these chemistry professors' ineptitude, poor teaching abilities, and bad attitudes, the spill over impact is poor performance or the part of the students, as well as low interest in the topic owing to poor on lack of desire in learn. Due to the aforementioned factors, an investigation into the impact of teachers' levels of expertise and abilities on students' academic achievement in secondary schools has been initiated.

1.3       PURPOSE OF THE STUDY

The main purpose of this study is to examine teachers competence, skills, on the academic performance of  secondary school students. Objective of the study include to:

i.          To examine the impact of teachers competence on students’ academic performance of secondary school students.

ii.        To find out the influence of teachers skills on the academic performance of secondary school students.

iii.      To determine the influence of teachers’ attitude on the academic performance of secondary school students.                         

1.4       RESEARCH QUESTIONS

The following questions have been prepared for the study

i.          What is the impact of teachers competence on students’ academic performance of secondary school students?

ii.        What is the influence of teachers skills on the academic performance of secondary school students?

iii.      What is the influence of teachers’ attitude on the academic performance of secondary school students?

1.5       SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

The significance of the study will be relevant to the following individuals:

Teachers: Teachers in school  would have enriched knowledge about the effect of teaching and learning on students academic performance. This study will enable teachers to change their perception on their approaches to the teaching in schools.

Student: students would be able to benefit from the findings, and the recommendations of this study, because it will help them to have a fair knowledge of the effect of teaching on the students  in school. Beside this, students would see this study as a reference material for forever studies.

The school Authorities: The school authorities would benefit from the findings and recommendations of this study because it will help them to gather some important knowledge on how to solve the problem of incompetence, lack of skill, and poor attitude in teaching and learning.

Researchers: Researcher would see this study as an important material to assist them in their future work. This is because this researcher’s work will add to a new body of knowledge in the academic circle.

1.6       SCOPE OF THE STUDY

This study will examine the impact of teachers competence on students’ academic performance of secondary school students.  The study will also find out the influence of teachers skills on the academic performance of secondary school students.  Lastly, the study will determine the influence of teachers’ attitude on the academic performance of secondary school students. Hence this study will be delimited to Bauchi State.

1.7       LIMITATION OF THE STUDY

Like in every human endeavour, the researchers encountered slight constraints while carrying out the study. Insufficient funds tend to impede the efficiency of the researcher in sourcing for the relevant materials, literature, or information and in the process of data collection (internet, questionnaire, and interview), which is why the researcher resorted to a moderate choice of sample size. More so, the researcher will simultaneously engage in this study with other academic work. As a result, the amount of time spent on research will be reduced.

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