Class Management Strategies and Academic Achievement of Students in Agricultural Science
Abstract
This study examined Class Management Strategies and Academic Achievement of Students in Agricultural Science in Etim Ekpo Local Government Area. Three null hypotheses were formulated to guide the study in line with the specific objectives. The correlational research design was adopted for the study. The population of the study comprised 278 SS1 students offering Agricultural Science in the study area. A sample size of 110 respondents was used for the study. The major instruments for data collection were “Class Management Strategies and Students’ Academic Performance Questionnaire (CMSSAPQ)” and “Agricultural Science Achievement Test (ASAT)”. The data collected were analyzed using Pearson Product Moment Correlation (PPMC). The results showed that a significant relationship exists between class control and students’ academic achievement in Agricultural Science. It was found that a significant relationship exists between classroom supervision and students’ academic achievement in Agricultural Science. Furthermore, the findings revealed that a significant relationship exists between classroom arrangement and students’ academic achievement in Agricultural Science. It was concluded that class control, class supervision and class arrangement have significant influence on students’ academic achievement in Agricultural Science. It was recommended among others that adequate class control measures should be put in place by teachers to facilitate smooth transmission of knowledge to the students for improved academic performance.
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background to the Study
Education in Nigeria is as old as the Nigerian society itself. The Western Education practiced in Nigeria begins in a formal classroom situation. Therefore curriculum planning and lesson preparation for any level of education must take into consideration, the classroom environment, availability of facilities and the age of the learners. According to Ekukinam (2010), management in any organization has to do with coordinating the effort of the component sub-units, towards the achievement of organizational goals. it involves the ability to coordinate the numerous and often conflicting social energies within a single organization.
So that they can operate as a single entity. In the school system generally and in a classroom situation in particular, the organizational goal are” concerned with teaching and learning. The main purpose of classroom management in schools is to ensure that the classroom functions effectively to be able to promote teaching and learning.
However, inspite of the emergence of innovations in the instructional processes in education, teachers are still at the centre of the instructional processes as they occupy a position that is pivotal in ensuring a smooth running of the system. For teachers to maintain this position, they must be guided accordingly , No educational system can rise above the quality of its teachers. Consequently the success or otherwise of the teaching-learning process in school depends on the teacher.
The teacher is the manager of the classroom, hence his/her management strategies determines to a large extent the success of the class he/ she manages (Peters, 2007).Management in the classroom has to be done in a systematic and orderly manner. It needs to be well handled by teachers. The essence of classroom management is to control factors within the learning environment which may affect the quality and quantity of learning such as the teachers, the learners and the instructional facilities.
In identifying the factors, the teacher, which is the first factor, is the pivot on which the learning process evolves (Ekah, 2008 ). He also can impede or enhance learning. The teacher must always be conscious that he is not only teaching the content of the subject but he is moulding characters and at the same time preparing his pupils / students for life-long tasks. He, therefore has a very intricate and difficult task at hand, especially in the primary school when the children are very fragile and at the verge of life. Classroom management is therefore a composite of physical and physiological factors.
Akpan (2008) stated that poor management of the classroom such as improper arrangement of seats, lack of control and supervision by teachers and unruly behaviour among students can affect students academic performance negatively. A classroom houses students and learning materials (resources) which have to be properly arranged for the realization of set objectives. Learning cannot take place in a rowdy atmosphere.
It calls for a conducive and controlled environment in order to facilitate effective teaching and learning for improved academic performance among learners. Therefore, the importance of classroom management need not be over-emphasized.
1.2 Statement of the Problem
One of the challenges facing our educational system today is how functional education could be provided to the teeming population of school children. The alarming increase in school enrolment does not commiserate with the available teaching-learning facilities. Available teaching-learning facilities can no longer cater for the influx of school children. Most school children have been subjected to learning in an over-crowded and unconducive classroom environment.
This development has attendant consequences on the academic achievement of the students. The poor academic performance of students in Agricultural Science in schools especially in external examinations has become a recurring decimal and has generated concerns among the major stake-holders in the educational sector. The blame has been put on teachers whose roles are pivotal in the teaching-learning process.
Apart, from the teacher’s mastery of the subject matter and his/her teaching methods and strategies, the teachers classroom management strategies, could possibility influence the realization of the objectives of the teaching-learning process vis-à-vis students academic achievement.
However, it is on this premise that this study “Class Management Strategies and Academic Achievement of students in Agricultural Science in Etim Ekpo Local Government Area” become imperative.
1.3 Objectives of the Study.
The main objectives of this study were to examine Class Management Strategies and Academic Achievement of students in Agricultural Science in Etim Ekpo Local Government Area. the specific objectives include to;
- examine class control and students’ academic achievement in Agricultural Science in Etim Ekpo Local Government Area.
- examine class supervision and students’ academic achievement in Agricultural Science in Etim Ekpo Local Government Area.
iii. examine classroom arrangement and students’ academic achievement in Agricultural Science in Etim Ekpo Local Government Area.