CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background to the Study

It is an understatement to say that education is the single most crucial building element for a nation's progress. It is, after all, the fulcrum around which all of the nation's endeavors and businesses spin. The extent to which these industries are effective and meaningful endeavors is mainly determined by the level of education provided by a nation's people through the arch-man known as the teacher (Abroampa and Wilson, 2013).

Though attempts to provide high-quality education need participation from a variety of stakeholders, teachers are the frontrunners and final implementers of the curriculum. As a result, the quality of learners produced by an educational system is determined by the quality of instructors; to a greater extent, the quality of teaching determines learners' accomplishment. Without equivocation, it can be stated that no nation can go above the level of its professors (Hallack cited in Abroampa and Wilson, 2013).

According to Nelson (2007), the quality of a student's educational experience is determined by what instructors bring into the classroom. Teacher characteristics associated to student interest must be examined in order to understand how to build optimal learning settings that enhance academic interest. Teachers, without a doubt, do a variety of responsibilities, including but not limited to managing classrooms, planning and delivering classes, evaluating student work, and increasing student desire for performance. A high feeling of effectiveness is perhaps one of the most well-documented characteristics of good instructors.

Teachers' efficacy refers to their conviction in their abilities to make a difference in students' learning, especially when dealing with tough or unmotivated classmates. Positive student results and motivation have been related to teacher efficacy. Teachers that have a strong feeling of self-efficacy come up with new techniques to make sure their kids learn. Efficacious instructors aren't pleased with underachievers, and they work hard with their pupils to increase their self-efficacy (Pollock, 2007; Poulou, 2007; Knoblauch & Woolfolk-Hoy, 2008 and Chong, Klassen, Huan, Wong, and Kates, 2010).

Teachers' attitudes and beliefs have been found to have a significant impact not just on their teaching techniques and classroom behavior, but also on their students' accomplishment (Adeyemi, 2013).

Public debates in Nigeria typically center on educational standards. Following the annual announcement of the West African Senior School Certificate Examination results, the public's dissatisfaction grows. Student results do not equal the amount of money invested by the government and parents. All stakeholders are worried about why the system produces pupils with poor academic performance. "No Education system can rise beyond the quality of instructors in the system," according to the National Policy on Education (FGN, 2006).

The researcher intends to explore the impact of teacher self-efficacy on junior secondary school students' academic progress in Mathematics based on this basis.

1.2 Statement of the Problem

The problem of students' poor academic performance in Mathematics in junior secondary schools in Lagos State has piqued everyone's interest. The situation is so severe that it has resulted in a generally acknowledged drop in educational standards in Lagos and Nigeria as a whole. As a result, observers believe that the quality of education is determined by the instructors' self-efficacy as expressed in their work.

Secondary education is a prerequisite for admission to university institutions and further education (MOE, 2005). Poor performance in mathematics and other subjects by secondary school students in the country jeopardizes students' chances of enrolling in higher education institutions, jeopardizes job placement opportunities, and, in most cases, reduces an individual's active participation in national development.

Given the importance of instructors in the teaching and learning process, it is necessary to investigate teacher-related aspects such as beliefs, confidence, effectiveness, experience, qualification, and gender, all of which are likely to impact students' academic progress. This study aims to investigate the impact of teacher self-efficacy on junior secondary school students' academic success in Mathematics in Edo State.

1.3 Purpose of the Study

The study is was conducted with the following objectives:

i.  to examine the effect of teacher’s self-efficacy on junior secondary school students’ academic achievement in Mathematics.

ii. to investigate the influence of gender on teachers’ self-efficacy in students’ academic performance.

iii. to explore the relationship between experienced, less experienced, teachers’ self-efficacy and academic achievement of secondary school students in Mathematics.

1.4 Research Questions

The research project is being guided by the following research questions;

1. What is the effect of teacher’s self-efficacy on junior secondary school students’ academic achievement in Mathematics

2. Does teachers’ gender have any influence on teachers’ self-efficacy and students’ academic performance?

3. What is the relationship between teachers’ experience, self-efficacy and academic achievement of secondary school students in Mathematics?

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