ABSTRACT
The study at investigating the management factors influencing students’ academic performance in Colleges of Education in Ilorin, Kwara State. It examined the influence of human resources on students’ academic performance; the influence of financial resources on students’ academic performance; established the influence of physical facilities on students’ academic performance and how staff motivation influence the students’ academic performance in Colleges of Education. Descriptive design method was used. One hundred and two (102) teachers was used out of five hundred twenty two teachers in Ilorin Local Government which represents 20% of the total population. Questionnaire was used as the instrument which was tagged “Management Factors Influencing Academic Performance of Students (MFIAPS)”. Simple percentage was used to analyse the demographic data while mean statistics was used to analyse the research questions. It was revealed that human resources as influence on students’ academic performance in Colleges of Education as the respondents are of the opinion that with adequate non-academic staff in the schools to handle other activities in the school. It can be concluded from the study that the work commitment affects students’ academic achievement and the relationship is mediated by teacher’s performance. This shows that teacher’s performance can mediate the effect of work commitment on students’ academic achievement. The researcher recommends that the State Teaching Service Commission and private investors in education should ensure effectiveness and transparency when recruiting teachers into the teaching service in order to absorb the right and qualified teachers in the profession.
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background to the Study
Schools, colleges and universities have no worth without students. Students are most essential asset for any educational institution. The social and economic development of the country is directly linked with students’ performance. The students’ performance (academic achievement) plays an important role in producing the best quality graduates who will become great leader and manpower for the country thus responsible for the country’s economic and social development (Ali, 2009).
The issue of management at the secondary school level is very vital for effective teaching-learning and improvement of academic performance among students. Management has been described by Onuka&Durowoju (2012) as the act of getting things done using people and material resources. Management can also be seen as the process or structure through which the school managers such as principles, vice principals and classroom teachers can effectively plan, direct, control and manage the available school resources in order to enable the students perform well academically (Kemenanabo, 2019). The debate about the role of school management in contributing to a school’s academic performance has been in the public domain for some time now (Oandah, 2008). According to Babatunde (2015), academic performance is the behaviours exhibited by an individual (student) which is noticeable after undergoing a programme in a secondary school or a school.
Students’ academic performance is the final grade which students get after a systematic and comprehensive measurement and evaluation of the individual student in a school setting for the purpose of making decision or judgment on his/her cognitive, affective and psychomotor domains (Ahmodu, Adaramaja&Adeyemi, 2018). However, despite the fact that students’ academic performance is very important for decision making, especially on the admission of students into institutions of higher learning, observations and studies in recent times have shown that the academic performance of secondary school students in public examinations like West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) and Senior School Certificate Examinations (SSCE) conducted by the National Examinations Council (NECO) in Nigeria generally has not been encouraging. For instance, in 2001, the Federal Ministry of Education (FMOE) conducted a survey on the performance of the educational sector in different geo-political zones and states in Nigeria and the study revealed that there were gaps in the performance of students (FMOE, 2001).
Also, the WAEC Chief Examiner’s report (2018) shows that there is a decline in academic performance of students. Studies have investigated several factors influencing students’ academic performance in various areas, but it seems that not much empirical research have been conducted on management factors and students’ academic performance, especially in Kwara State in recent times. This makes this study imperative. Management factors are factors that can cause changes in strategic management, which could be internal or external to an organization (Meibrer, 2016). Kalimu (2014) defined management factors as those internal and external issues or factors that can influence the performance and growth of an organisation. Academic performance of students can be influenced by a number of management factors (Carnoy, 2006).
Students’ poor academic performance in Colleges of Education was mainly influenced by school management factors, which include unequal distribution of school working staff, both teaching and non-teaching, poor planning, organizing, and controlling by school management (Nghonoli, 2017). Payment of staff, especially the teaching staff is very important for teachers’ effectiveness. This is because the rate at which the teaching staff receives their salary can go a long way in affecting their willingness and ability to perform their teaching job effectively. Salary is the amount of money which workers in any organization such as school receive at the end of the month from their employers for services rendered. Akinwumi (2008) noted that salary is instrumental in satisfying every need from hunger to self–actualization. In the school system, regular payment of salary could enable the teachers to effectively draw their budgets and meet some of their basic financial obligations and responsibilities at ease without much borrowing. But where the salary payment is usually delayed or irregular, there is every tendency that the job performance of the teaching staff will be affected with its negative implication of poor students’ academic performance.
However, over time, teachers who are custodians of qualitative education at the secondary school level are paid out a stipend; thereby forcing some teachers to engage themselves in other activities that generate income at the expense of disseminating quality education to the up-coming generations (Akinwumi, 2008). A teacher who is regularly and adequately paid is bound to be highly dedicated and committed to his/her work, which would bring about the needed learning outcomes in students. Provision of physical facilities also play important role in the school. School physical facilities covers infrastructure in the school compound, audio-visual equipment, library (Fuller, 2016) and laboratories, playground and sports equipment, teaching and learning aids, first aid box, etc that helps to make the students to stay in the school environment safe and motivated as well as add value to their learning ability and academic performance. Physical facilities are such important in the education system that the Ministry of Education and Examining bodies like WAEC, NECO and JAMB have made it compulsory that for schools to be approved and accredited as external examinations centre, such schools must have adequate physical facilities on ground. This is to say that the nature and quality of physical facilities available in a school can speak loud about the quality of the product of the school in terms of learning opportunities and academic performance. Good school facilities support the educational enterprise (Cotton, 2001; Schneider, 2002). Yusuf (2005) emphasized that in order to ensure quality education, government at all levels must ensure that there is adequate provision of quality infrastructure within the school environment.
Staff Motivation is another important school management factor which could affect students’ performance academically. Tella (2007) noted that off all the personal and psychological variables that have attracted researchers in the area of educational achievement, motivation seems to have gained more popularity and leading other variables. Motivation explains why one individual dodges work, another height normally satisfactorily enough to reach the height, while yet others resort to illegal and unconventional means such as stealing, cheating and political recognition (Onuka&Durowoju, 2008). Kadzamira (2006) reported that in Malawi, teachers are highly dissatisfied with their remuneration and other conditions of service like poor incentives and conditions of service which have resulted to low morale and thus poor performance. Akinwumi (2011) opined that effective motivation demands that teachers will be engineered to devote themselves to achieving objectives of education, and meeting the goals and needs of individual teachers. Gitonga (2012) concluded that working conditions provided conducive learning atmosphere in which teachers perform better hence good students’ performance in the examinations. Tella (2003) remarked that off all the personal and psychological variables that have attracted researchers in the area of educational achievement, motivation seems to have gained more popularity and leading other variables.
From the foregoing, there is no doubt that management factors can influence students’ academic performance in Colleges of Education to some extent. However, it seems that adequate attention has not been given to the influence of management factors on students’ academic performance in Colleges of Education in IlorinKwara State, hence the need for this study. This study will therefore, examines some management factors (financial resources, physical facilities, staff motivation and human resources) and it influence on students’ academic performance in Colleges of Education in Ilorin, Kwara State. Some of these factors are militating against the effectiveness of public schools in Nigeria which has continued to have negative effects on the student’s academic performance.
1.2 Statement of the Problem
Over the years, observations and studies have been carried out on various factors influencing students’ academic performance in Nigeria. However, it seems that not much empirical studies have investigated the influence of management factors on students’ academic performance in Colleges of Education in recent times. The study will therefore, investigate management factors influencing academic performance of students in Colleges of Education in Ilorin, Kwara State.
1.3 Purpose of the Study
The primary intent of this study will cover the activities of Colleges of Education in Ilorin Local Government Area with emphasis on the management factors as to how it affects the performance of the students in their examinations and hence suggest the possible solution to the existing problems.
The study intended to achieve the following specific objectives:
1. To examine the influence of human resources on students’ academic performance in Colleges of Education.
2. To determine the influence of financial resources on students’ academic performance in Colleges of Education.
3. To establish the influence of physical facilities on students’ academic performance in Colleges of Education.
4. To determine how staff motivation influence the students’ academic performance in Colleges of Education.
1.4 Research Questions
The study sought to answer the following questions:
1. What is the influence of human resources on students’ academic performance in Colleges of Education?
2. How does financial resources influence the students’ academic performance in Colleges of Education?
3. To what extent does physical facilities influence students’ academic performance in Colleges of Education?
4. To what extent does staff motivation influence the students’ academic performance in Colleges of Education?
1.5 Significance of the Study
The outcome of this study will educate the general public and the government on the quality of management of public schools in Nigeria with a view of identifying the shortfalls and proffering solutions to them. It will also contribute to the body of existing literature on management factors influencing student’s academic performance in Colleges of Education. The study will investigate on the factors influencing student’s academic performance in Colleges of Education in Ilorin, Kwara state. The study will reveal the importance of school management to managers of Colleges of Education. This research will be of immense benefit to other researchers that wishes to carry out similar research on the above topic. This research will help educational planners to be able to formulate policy on education as well as monitoring them.
1.6 Scope of the Study
This study will cover the activities of Colleges of Education in Ilorin Local Government Area with emphasis on the management factor as to how it affects the performance of the students in their examinations.
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