Abstract
This study was carried out to investigate Effective Classroom management and discipline on Students’ Academic Performance in Secondary schools in Enagi Edati Local Government. Four research questions and four null hypotheses were formulated to guide the study. The survey design was adopted for the study. The population of 2044 Senior Secondary School One students with a sample of 200 students selected from 5 public secondary schools in 4 clans within the study area. A researcher – made questionnaire was used to elicit data from respondents. The research instrument has a 4‐point rating scale and 25 items based on the study variables. The Pearson Product Moment (PPM) Correlation Coefficient of 0.94 ascertained the reliability of instrument for use in the study. After the administration, scoring and collation of the instrument, the data obtained were subjected to the chi‐square (X2) analysis. All the null hypotheses were tested at 0.05 level of significance. Based on the result of this study, it is concluded that students in the public Secondary Schools in Enagi Edati Local Government differ significantly in terms of academic performance based on verbal instruction, corporal punishment, instructional supervision, delegation of authority to learners. It is recommended that teachers should be skilled in classroom management so as to influence students’ academic performance positively.
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background To The Study
Education is seen as the back born of development in any nation. It improves the quality of life of a society through refinement of its potentials. Education further enhances the application of man‟s achievement towards improvement of his environment. In every known nation, therefore, national development was preceded and accomplished by educational advancement. Thus according to Nwosu (2013) Education is the acquisition of knowledge, skill, habit and attitude of positive values which make an individual function positively in his/her environment. Education is a social process in which one achieves societal competence and individual growth. Education is the art of learning about one-self and ones environment for the purpose of self-development.
Secondary education covers two phases on the international standard classification of education scale. Level 2 or lower secondary education (less common junior secondary education) is considered the second and final phase of basic education, and level 3 (upper) secondary education is the stage before tertiary education. Secondary education typically takes place after six years of primary education and is followed by higher education, vocational education or employment. Like primary education, in most countries secondary education is compulsory, at least till the age of 16. Children typically enter the lower secondary phase around age 11. Compulsory education sometimes extends to age 19. It recognizes that there is no single model that will suit all countries, or even all communities in a given country. Secondary-level education policy should be under continuous review to keep in step with scientific and technological, economic and societal change.
The teacher has been defined differently by many scholars. Although all scholars refer to the teaching profession, the Academics Dictionary of Education (2009), defines a teacher as “a person engaged by an educational institution to instruct „others”. He is a person who has completed a minimum programme of professional teacher education and met other requirement to qualify for state certification as a teacher.
According to Nwosu (2013) the teacher is the greatest asset of the school. He/She is the one who translates and reduces the curriculum and the educational objectives to meaningful and observable terms. A teacher is a catalyst that makes things happen in the school. Without the teacher, school objectives, school building and curriculum programmes will make little or no impact on student‟s academic achievements. The teacher plays an important role in molding and shaping the attitudes, habits, manners and above all, the character and personality of the students hence, install discipline.
The roles of teacher in management of indiscipline and enhancement of discipline among secondary school students cannot be over emphasized as they play the most vital roles. Among which are.
- Participate in the drafting of the code of conduct and disciplinary policy
- Develop in collaboration with learners, written classroom rule and sanctions
- Accept responsibility for maintaining discipline and other within and outside of the school.
- Implement class, and school rules and regulation in a firm, consistent and prompt manner.
- Adhere to the guidelines adumbrated in the disciplinary policy.
- Include peace education, self-concept, conflict resolution, and social skills in the regular instructional programme.
- Respond to learners in a caring and respectful manner
- Display impartial behaviour to all learners-regardless of ethnicity, religion, social or economic standing.
- Use rewards for acceptable behaviours demonstrated by learners and punishment for unacceptable once.
- The teacher should be able to establish a happy personal conduct with the pupils as well excise a civilizing and liberating influence upon their lives. This is because pupils or students at all ages need friendship, sympathy and encouragement.
- He/She should earn the respect of his/ her students, colleagues and the general public. Students responses is even more readily assured when their teachers live an upright and worthy life. Society expects of teachers a high degree of respect. Hence, Onwuka (1990) posted that teachers are dignified by both pupils and the general public if I their language, appearance and gait, they depict no vulgarity. The dignity of teachers give pupils a sense of pride and something to look forward to.
- In order to maintain discipline in senior secondary school, the teacher should treat student with respect.
- The teacher should help students work on their social-emotional skills.
- The teacher is shouldered with the responsibility of getting the students engaged and involved in all activities of the school.
Education as the key to development has the capacity to upgrade teaching effectiveness as well as learning efficiency among learners. Effort have been made by school administrators to improve the performance of public secondary school students. The school environment, which include the classrooms, libraries, technical workshops, laboratories, teachers quality, school management, teaching methods, peers etc are variables that affect students‟ academic achievement (Ajayi, 2001 and Oludiukwu,2000)
According to Jam (2009) academic performance is the ability to study and remember facts and being able to communicate your knowledge verbally or on paper. In other words academic performance refers to student‟s activities, interactions, and learning functions in terms of asking and answering questions.
Academic performance generally refers to how well a student‟s is accomplishing his or her tasks or studies.
Societies allover theworld used education asaninstrument forthe achievementoftheir national interests and objectives. Education isaninstrument parexcellence foreffecting national development. Itfosters the worth and development ofthe individual,for the individual‟s sake andforthegeneral development ofthesociety (Federal Republic ofNigeria, 2014). Allthesecall forfunctional education forthepromotion ofaprogressive andunited country. Therefore, school programs need to berelevant,practical and comprehensive, while interest and ability should determine theindividual‟s direction ineducation. InNigeria, forexample, inorder toachievethe goals and objectives of education, the government set up 3 levels of education: primary education, secondary education and tertiary education (Federal Republic ofNigeria, 2013). For thepurpose ofthisresearch, thediscussion islimitedtopublic secondary education.
Researchers appreciate that discipline isanimportant component ofhuman behavior andassert thatwithout itanorganization cannot function welltowards theachievement ofitsgoals(Ouma, Simatwa, & Serem, 2013)”.Inthecontext ofaschool system, adisciplined s t u d e n t isthatstudent whose behaviors, actions and inactions conform tothe predetermined rules andregulations of theschool. However, discipline ideally means more than adhering torules and regulations and entailsthelearner‟s ability to discernwhatisrightorwrong. Discipline iswidely acknowledged tobeessential forcreating apositive school climateconducive tosound academic performance (Masitsa, 2008). Itisabasic requirement forsuccessful teaching andlearning inschools anda subject ofconcern forteachers. Lack ofdiscipline iscalled indiscipline.
Societies all over the world have used education as an instrument for the achievement of their national interests and objectives. Education is an instrument par excellence for effecting national development. It fosters the worth and development of the individual, for the individual‟s sake and for the general development of the society (Federal Republic of Nigeria, 2014). All these call for functional education for the promotion of a progressive and united country. Therefore, school programs need to be relevant, practical and comprehensive, while interest and ability should determine the individual‟s direction in education. In Nigeria, for example, in order to achieve the goals and objectives of education, the government set up 3 levels of education: primary education, secondary education and tertiary education (Federal Republic of Nigeria, 2013). For the purpose of this research, the discussion is limited to public secondary education.
Researchers appreciate that discipline is an important component of human behaviour and assert that without it an organization cannot function well towards the achievement of its goals (Ouma, Simatwa, & Serem, 2013). In the context of a school system, a disciplined student is that student whose behaviours, actions and inactions conform to the predetermined rules and regulations of the school. However, discipline ideally means more than adhering to rules and regulations and entails the learner‟s ability to discern what is right or wrong. Discipline is widely acknowledged to be essential for creating a positive school climate conducive to sound academic performance (Masitsa, 2008). It is a basic requirement for successful teaching and learning in schools and a subject of concern for teachers. Lack of discipline is called indiscipline. Therefore, indiscipline can be seen as any action considered to be wrong and not generally accepted as proper in a set up or society (Omote, Thinguri, & Moenga, 2015). Among students, according to authors, it is any form of misbehaviour which a student can display in several ways (e.g., disobedience, destruction of school property, poor attitude to learning, immoral behaviour, drug abuse, stealing, lateness, truancy, dirtiness, being quarrelsome, use of abusive or foul languages, rudeness, gangstarism or cultism).
Griffin (2014), points that the paramount aim of student‟s discipline should be to endow each learner with habits such as self respect and proper pride in his own integrity that he will observe the norms of good conduct when not under compulsion or supervision and will carry them eventually into adult life. Sound discipline is an essential ingredient in the creation of a happy and industrious school community. Learners learn to the best of their abilities in an orderly and safe environment. The environment should not be intimidating and threatening to the learner. Mayowa (2011) state that if discipline is not taken into consideration, the school environment will be dangerous and the educational process may be disrupted. This may also affect the educational performance of the learners and the overall educational attainment. Similarly Adewale (2011) states that in addition to the obvious impact on the teaching and learning environment, disruptive behaviour can also affect the learners‟ safety, readiness to learn as well as future behaviour. It can destroy the possibility of a safe and orderly environment and thereby hamper the core purpose of the school. It is therefore necessary that students‟ discipline is maintained in a school for the welfare and safety of learners and educators and for the success of the educational process.
Academic performance in this study is perceived as the degree of achievement by students in their class assessment tests, beginning of term exams, mid-term exams, terminal and national examinations. Thomas (2009), described performance as action of a person or a group when given a learning task. In education, performance looks at the total gain or benefit one derives after school which is always measurable in results grades like the results of the West Africa Examination Council (WEAC) or National Examination Council (NECO).
Tayo (2014) observes that schools rules and regulation are among the strategies designed to instil good conduct of students. This implies self-control, orderliness, good behavior and obedience to school authority. Also on admission, schools especially at secondary level, students are given prospectuses, which spell out some of the expectations. These rules and regulations specify in most cases what school members should do and what they should not do. Maxwell (2007) state that if discipline is not taken into consideration, the school environment will be dangerous and the educational process may be disrupted. This may also affect the educational performance of the learners and the overall educational attainment. Similarly Levi (2011) state that, in addition to the obvious impact on the teaching and learning environment, disruptive behaviour can also affect the learners‟ safety, readiness to learn as well as future behaviour. In the opinion of Tayo (2014) ill- discipline can destroy the possibility of a safe and orderly environment and thereby hamper the core purpose of the school. This seems to be the situation in public secondary schools in Enagi Edati Local Government Area where the environment is not well conducive for discipline to be the hallmark of students. Most times, students are seen within the school environments roving about, smoking, gambling and even fornicating during lesson hours. These acts of indiscipline persist because the principals and teachers are either reluctant of enforcing discipline or the students seems to be more powerful and violent in nature which makes them to be afraid of the students.
Lack of learner discipline in many public schools throughout the world has been a matter of great concern for school management and educators and to a lesser extent for learners themselves, parents and the general public (Wayson & Pinnell, 2014). Charles (2016) notes that lack of discipline and safety in schools has been one of the challenges facing Nigerian schools during the past number of years. Despite the commitment of the government to provide resources and improve school conditions, and minimize school strikes, cases of students‟ indiscipline continue to be a major problem in the learning institutions and have hampered the education progress of affected learning institution. Students‟ indiscipline is manifested in various ways and takes different form in various schools such as commotions, disturbances, class boycotts, neglecting to do assignments, mass indiscipline, riots and violent strikes that may lead to rape, death, and destruction of school property. This above situation relates to secondary schools in Enagi Edati Local Government Area where most times students engage in drug abuse, truancy and vandalism of properties in and outside the school thereby causing environmental upheavals and disturbing the peace of community members. This is as a result of poor disciplinary attitudes by the students which the school fails to in-still in the students.
Discipline at school plays a vital role in the achievement of expectations and goals. It also plays a vital role in the acquisition of sense of responsibility in learners as well as educators. Educator‟s ability to exercise effective discipline as suggested by Dunham (2015) is essential. According to the author, this kind of discipline involves students‟ behaviours, actions and inactions that conform to the predetermined rules and regulations of the school which in turn will reflect in the students‟ academic achievement as trained and disciplined students in their various learning interest. A school that has a high level of disciplinary students‟ creates a good image of the school and prepares learners for the future. It is believed that, students‟ indiscipline unavoidable leads to poor academic achievement of students (Adeyemi, 2016). This seems to be the situation in most public secondary schools in Enagi Edati Local Government Area where they is drop in the academic performance of students in most basic subjects like Mathematics and English Language; this can be attributed to indiscipline because some students with defiant behaviour do not stay and learn during class lessons rather they are always seen within the school environment exhibiting their defiant behaviour like smoking and gambling; leaving them with practically nothing in their head to bring out during examination whether internal or external, hence, they do have consistent failure. Below is an example of academic poor performance of students in some schools in Enagi Edati Local Government Area (LGA).
The result above cannot be said to have satisfied the aspiration of the government and that of the nation. Some blamed the school administrators (principals) and the teachers while some blamed the students themselves and the parents. Whoever to be blamed, the fact remains that, lack of students‟ discipline such as poor attitude to learning, drug abuse, lateness, truancy, gangstarism or cultism of secondary schools unavoidably leads to poor academic achievement of the students. It is against this backdrop that the researcher is examining the influence of students‟ discipline on their academic performance of public secondary schools inEnagi Edati Local Government Area.
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