CHAPTER
ONE
INTRODUCTION
Background to
the Study
The
school is a place where human beings are gathered for the purpose of teaching
and learning. The school grooms and socializes students. This is in addition to
its custodial role of cultural perpetuation. The school is the only social
institution where formal education is given to the young of the society and
where they also learn about the ways of the society. Central to the
actualization of the goals of the school system is the human factor. The human
factor cannot be under played in any organization such as the school system.
The absence of the right quality and quantity of the human resource in the
school system goes a long way in affecting the educational services provided in
the school system. In the secondary school system, for example, there are two
categories of the human factor that render educational services. These are the
teaching and the non-teaching staff. The job performance of these two
categories of staff, to a large extent, is influenced by the nature of
leadership exhibited by the principal, who is the school administrator. The
achievement of secondary school goals depends on the ability of the principal
to provide purposeful and directional leadership.
The
principal is the chief executive officer of a secondary school. Generally, the
principal commands respect, dignity, honour and wisdom. The nature of
leadership exhibited by the principal is vital to the realization of the goals
of secondary education. As a leader, the principal is saddled with the
responsibility of harmonizing the activities of teachers, students and the
non-teaching staff in order to improve the learning situation and to actualize
the goals of the school. The type of leadership exhibited by a principal is a
function of a principal’s training and attitude to work; and this impact
positively or negatively on the way the teachers perform their duties.
Generally, teachers expect principals to be knowledgeable about all aspects of
the school system, and so they look up to him to provide the necessary impetus
for the effective performance of their jobs. Teachers like a good and visionary
leader who can make clear and consistent decisions, while earnestly considering
all shades of opinions. They also like a leader with sound moral character
whose integrity and intellect they respect (Spring, 2012).
Attitudes
are evaluative statements, favourable or unfavourable, related to a person,
object, and event or habitual ways of reacting to situations. Attitude could
also be negative, positive or neutral. It reflects how one feels about something.
For instance, the reactions or action of the principal towards teachers’ job
performance are determinant of his/her attitude which could either be
favourable or unfavourable. This expresses his/her attitude towards his job.
Afolabi and Aigbodion (2006) asserted that there are three components of
attitudes, which include the affective, the behavioural and the cognitive,
which is known as ABC components. The affective component is related to the
statement which affects another person or emotional component of attitude that
consists of feelings, pleasure or displeasure, ambivalence that the attitude
object elicits. The behavioural component refers to that part of attitude which
reflects the intention of a person in a short run or in a long run. The cognitive
component is the intellectual aspect of attitude, it refers to the beliefs, the
perceptions and information one has about the attitude object; it consists of
what the attitude holder sees, thinks, knows or reasons about persons, ideas or
things which go a long way to influence the overall impression formed and
perception of the attitude of objects subsequently. Attitude refers to the
consistent tendency to react in a particular way often positively or
negatively, toward any matter. Therefore, attitude is a person’s inner thought
and feelings. The primary attribute of a principal is the ability to create a
warm and friendly atmosphere for teachers to function. This helps to create
harmonious working relationship which can improve the job performance of the
teachers; thereby creating effectiveness and efficiency in the school system.
Attitude of principals towards work
may have positive or negative effects on teachers’ efforts and job performance.
The attitude of the principal would be positive if he shows commitment to his
supervisory functions as a school head. But if he is negligent to his
supervisory role performance or helping the teachers to accomplish their
teaching task through effective supervision, he could be deemed as having
negative attitude to work. One of the components of a principal’s attitude
toward work is the type of leadership adopted by the principal. Leadership as a
concept is the process of directing others (teachers and students) towards the
accomplishment of goals and involves elements such as influencing and
motivating people, either as individuals or groups, managing conflict and
communicating with subordinates (Botha, 2012). The leadership styles adopted by
principals could be democratic, autocratic or laissez-faire. As the leader of a
school, the principal has the power to influence activities in the school
because the principal is the pivot of reforms and changes within the school.
This can only happen when the principal has a positive attitude towards his job
and the teachers. Positive attitude entails being a social architect, a
community servant, an ethical, fair and morally just leader, and a good
listener that exercises foresight in decision making.
The
attitude of the principal equally entails his fairness to issues, leadership
styles, personal relationships with teachers and visionary outlook as they
affect the job performance in secondary schools. Over the years, it has been
observed that some principals are not fair to issues affecting teachers and
students as well. Some principals seem to be influenced in their judgments by
immediate actions of teachers especially in the Annual Performance Evaluation
Report (APER). The principal could score a teacher who has always been absent
from school high either because of personal relationship or because of a favour
received prior the period of evaluation. When such happens, the principal can
be said to be unfair. Likewise, the visionary lifestyle of the principal can
influence the job performance of the teachers either positively or negatively.
A principal that is not able to articulate and forecast probable future
occurrence may not be able to direct the school resources towards achieving
educational goals.
As
a social architect, the principal must possess the skills and abilities to
transform the school into a high performing organization focused on improving
teaching and learning outcomes. As a community servant the principal must be
ready to serve. Serving has to do with service to humanity and respect for
others. As an ethical, fair and moral leader, the principal has to create a
moral order that bonds both principal and teachers (Sergiovanni, 2001).
Furthermore, a principal needs to be fair and consistent in his judgment
whatever the case may be; his judgment must be credible and reliable. A
principal should be a good listener, irrespective of how unpalatable the
circumstance might be. The school principal should be a visionary leader. There
is always something bigger and better available to forge a new vision for a
school and such a vision should be firmly grounded in a transformational view
of education.
Teachers
as partners in progress are expected to complement the efforts of the
principals through effective teaching and learning in the classroom. They are
expected to impart knowledge in the most interesting manner, that is, teachers
must work their students into such a state of interest in what the teachers are
going to teach them that every other object of attention is banished from their
minds. According to Ejiogu (1999), since teachers are the greatest determinants
of quality in any educational system, it is of great importance for them to be
of good conduct. The effective job performance of teachers, which may be
aroused from internal satisfaction, can be propelled by the attitude and
encouragement from the school principal. The principal plays a vital role in
the job performance of not too good teachers who need some support and little
guidance. Blasé and Blasé (1994) stated that praise by the principal provides
teachers with an increased efficacy, self-esteem, and creates greater
motivation.
Teachers’
job performance is the ability of the teacher to combine relevant inputs for
the enhancement of teaching and learning processes (Adeyemi, 2010). Principals
can therefore encourage performance of their teachers by identifying their
needs and trying to satisfy or meet them. Performance is the ability to combine
skillfully the right attitude towards the achievement of educational objectives
and goals. Owoeye (1999) asserted that variables of job performance such as
effective teaching, lesson note preparation, effective use of scheme of work,
effective supervision, monitoring of students’ work and disciplinary ability
are virtues which teachers should uphold effectively in the school system. In
this regard, teachers’ performance could be measured through annual
performance/evaluation report on staff of teachers’ activities in terms of
performance in teaching, lesson preparation, lesson presentation, mastery of
subject matter, competence, teachers’ commitment to job and extra-curricular
activities. The influence of principals’ attitude to work on job performance of
teachers therefore, cannot be over emphasized.
Statement of
the Problem
Observations
in recent times tend to reveal that some secondary school principals in Edo
State display lackadaisical attitude towards their job. This, to some extent,
may have negatively affected the job performance of secondary school teachers
in the Edo State, which has become a subject of concern to stakeholders in the
educational sector. The manifestation of this is the recent sacking of teachers
by the Edo State government on offences ranging from lateness, absenteeism,
trading during school hours, among others, as reported in the Punch Newspaper
of October 16, 2012. Many reasons are being advanced for these ugly
developments that now characterize the education sector. Among these reasons
include non availability of instructional materials, poor classroom conditions,
gross shortage of teaching and non-teaching personnel, poor conditions of
service, incessant harassment of teachers by government, general decadence in
the society, the attitude of principals to work, poor job performance of
teachers among others. The attitude of principals to work and its influence on
job performance of teachers has been a subject of controversy by researchers
(Nwandiani, 1998; Adeyemi & Bolarinwa, 2013). The controversy is centred on
whether or not the attitude of the principals influences the job performance of
teachers. While some researchers opined that principals’ attitude to work
influences teachers’ job performance, others feel otherwise (Riketta, 2002).
Common observation in the school system shows that principals’ attitude could
have impact on job performance of teachers. Therefore, this study investigates
whether any relationship exists between principals’ attitude to work and the
job performance of teachers in Junior Secondary Schools (JSS) in Central
Senatorial District of Edo State, Nigeria.
Research Questions
The
following questions were raised to guide this study:
1.
What is the attitude of
secondary school principals to work in Central Senatorial District of Edo
State?
2.
Does principals’ attitude to
work have any relationship with teachers’ job performance?
3.
Is there any relationship
between principals’ leadership styles and teachers’ job performance?
4.
Is there any relationship
between principals’ personal relationship with teachers and teachers’ job
performance?
5.
Does principals’ fairness to
issues have any relationship with teachers’ job performance?
6.
Does principals’ visionary outlook
have any relationship with teachers’ job performance?
Hypotheses
The
following hypotheses were formulated and tested at 0.05 level of significance.
1)
Principals’ attitude
to work does not have any significant relationship with teachers’ job
performance.
2)
There is no significant relationship
between principals’ leadership styles and teachers’ job performance.
3)
There is no significant relationship between
principals’ personal relationship with teachers and teachers’ job performance.
4)
There is no significant
relationship between principals’ fairness to issues and teachers’ job
performance.
5)
There is no significant
relationship between principals’ visionary outlook and teachers’ job
performance.
Purpose of
the Study
The
main purpose of this study was to examine the influence of principals’ attitude
to work on job performance of secondary school teachers in Central Senatorial
District of Edo State. Specifically, the study sought to:
Ø find out principals’ attitude to work in secondary schools in Edo
Central Senatorial District.
Ø determine if principals’ attitude to work has any relationship
with teachers’ job performance.
Ø determine whether principals’ leadership styles have any
relationship with teachers’ job performance.
Ø determine whether principals’ personal relationship with teachers
have any relationship with teachers’ job performance.
Ø determine whether principals’ fairness to issues has any
relationship with teachers’ job performance.
Ø determine
whether any relationship exists between principals’ visionary outlook and teachers’
job performance of teachers.
Significance
of the Study
This
study would be of benefit to principals, teachers, students, parents, policy
makers and government. The principals would benefit from this study because the
findings would expose them to attitudinal change and reveal the importance of
cultivating good attitude which is vital to creating good working relationship
with teachers. In the area of school commitment, the study would help the
school principal to realize the need for dedication to work and to identify the
needs of the teachers in the school especially as it relates to supervision of
instruction and thereby influencing their job performance.
The teachers would benefit from this
work because the findings of this study would help them to know the various
attitudinal behaviours the principals are likely to exhibit and be prepared to
deal with them accordingly. It will also encourage them to put in their best
irrespective of the principals’ attitude to work and his leadership style. It
would also help the teachers to deal with internal conflict especially conflict
of interest and opinion emanating from their instructional task performance so
that they can help improve the classroom situation and help students academic
performance.
The
implementation of the recommendations of the study would help to create a
better teaching and learning atmosphere that would be beneficial to students.
The parents would benefit from the findings of this work because through
improved method of teaching, better future for their children may be
assured. The policy makers would
through the findings of this study make better policies for the education
system. This can help to create favourable attitude to work which may help in
improving productivity of teachers. The government through the findings of this
work would be made aware of principals’ attitudinal disposition that can either
make or mar the progress of the school system. By this awareness, government
would know what to put in place to enhance favourable attitudinal disposition
of principals towards their job, may invariably helping to improve job
performance of teachers in schools.
The
study would contribute immensely to existing literature in the areas of
principals’ attitude to work that promote teachers’ job performance. Future
researchers may find the work very useful in carrying out researchers in this
area.
Scope of the
Study
The
study covered all public junior secondary schools in Central Senatorial
District of Edo State. There are five local governments in the District,
namely: Esan West, Esan Central, Esan North East, Esan South East and Igueben
Local Government Areas. Undoubtedly, there are many factors that contribute to
the principal attitudinal disposition but this study is concerned with the
following: principals’ attitude to work, principals’ leadership styles,
principals’ personal relationship with teachers, principals’ fairness to issues
and principals’ visionary outlook.
Operational
Definition of Terms
The
following terms are defined according to their use in this study.
Attitude: Attitude
as used in this study relates to principals’ personality and disposition in
school as it pertains to the discharge of his official responsibilities.
Attitude as measured in this study were fairness to issues, leadership style,
personal relationship with teachers and visionary outlook. This was rated as
favourable and unfavourable.
Principals’
Attitude: This is concerned with the behaviour of secondary school principals
especially towards work. This can either be favourable or unfavourable.
Principal attitude is favourable when his personality and disposition in the
discharge of his official duties encourages high job performance in school.
Principal attitude is unfavourable when his disposition to work does not
promote good environment that enhance productivity in school.
Teachers’ Job performance: This is
the ability of teachers to perform effectively in their assigned teaching
responsibility such as effective teaching, lesson note preparation, effective
use of scheme of work, effective supervision and monitoring of students’ work
and classroom discipline. Job performance in the context of this work was rated
High, Average and Low. A teacher who scored 60% and above, 40% to 59% and below
40% in the Annual Performance Evaluation Report Scale were rated as High,
Average and Low job performance respectively.
Leadership
style: This refers to the principal’s manner and approach of providing
direction, implementing plans and motivating teachers in the school system to
enhance job performance. Such style could be democratic or participatory,
autocratic and laissez-fair.
Personal relationship: This relates to the
interpersonal relationship that exists between the principal and the teachers
in the school. This relationship could be positive or negative.
Fairness to issues: This is related to
principal’s truthfulness in his judgment of issues in the school, especially as
it has to do with handling matters concerning teachers and others within the
school.
Visionary
outlook of Principal: The ability of the principal to use his initiative to
make good plans and policies and strategize for the growth and development of
the school especially in the implementation of the goals of the education
system.
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