EVALUATIVE ASSESSMENT OF POSITIVE DISCIPLINE COMPETENCES AMONG BEGINNING PROFESSIONAL TEACHERS IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS IN LAGOS
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EVALUATIVE ASSESSMENT OF POSITIVE DISCIPLINE COMPETENCES AMONG BEGINNING PROFESSIONAL TEACHERS IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS IN LAGOS
Abstract:
The process for human capital formation in Nigeria seems abysmal; the required technical, managerial and professional skills to run successful organization are becoming alien to our people. Education system in Nigeria today, needs a total overhauling and reengineering. The nation seems to have entered the 21st century insufficiently prepared to cope or compete in the global economy, where growth will be based even more heavily on technical and scientific knowledge
The maxim that no educational system can rise above the quality of its teachers clearly demonstrates the position of teachers in the Nigerian educational development. This insight enforces the drives to make vigorous efforts towards producing competent teachers, as teaching profession is a versatile field that requires at all times the correct identification of indices of developments in the society. There is also a need to move away from regarding everyone who possesses a paper qualification as a competent teacher. The importance of teachers’ competence therefore cannot be overemphasized and this is sustained by a growing consensus among researchers and educators that the single most important factor in determining student performance is the quality of his or her teachers.
This study aims to conduct an evaluative assessment of positive discipline competences among beginning professional teachers in public schools in Lagos, Nigeria. Positive discipline practices are essential for creating conducive learning environments and promoting positive behavior among students. However, little attention has been given to assessing the competences of beginning teachers in implementing positive discipline strategies effectively. Using a mixed-methods research approach, this study will employ surveys, interviews, and classroom observations to evaluate the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of beginning professional teachers regarding positive discipline. The study will also explore the challenges faced by these teachers in implementing positive discipline strategies and identify areas for improvement. The findings of this research will provide valuable insights into the current state of positive discipline competences among beginning teachers in Lagos public schools and inform strategies for enhancing teacher training programs and professional development initiatives.
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
Teachers’ competence or quality is very necessary for functionality, relevancy, efficiency and fulfillment of educational aims and goals as stated in the National Policy on Education. This is in congruence with the National teacher education policy (2009), Section 7.1 -2 states thus:
Produce quality, highly skilled, knowledgeable and creative teachers based on explicit performance standards through pre-service and in-service programmes who are able to raise
a generation of students who can compete globally. (Section 7.2): To ensure that teachers are trained and recruited to teach world class standards and to continue to develop their competencies in their entire career.
Teachers’ competence is a non-negotiable factor in the pursuit of any meaningful development and this lies majorly on their interest in self-improvement and re-training programme. Adebile (2009) noted that these could only be achieved by creating avenues for and interest in academic self-improvement, self-actualization and self-fulfillment for teacher’s productivity, value-aided ideas and effective usability of resources that are relevant and could bring quality to the teaching-learning process.
The delivery of quality instruction in the classroom in any education system depends largely on the quality and competence of the teachers. This is so because the teachers are expected to perform the important functions of guiding, directing, evaluating, imparting, asking and answering questions among others for maximum benefits of the learners. The implication is that the teacher is the stronghold on which the business of education rests upon the world over (Abolarin & Orji-uzo, 2012).
Teachers’ competence is pivotal to modern-life dynamics and transformation. According to Danmole (2011), traditional societies were relatively stable, maintaining the same ways of life over centuries. The teachers in such societies could afford to restrain themselves to the conservative role of preparing pupils to fit into societies into which they could simply adapt. Modern society, on the other hand, is witnessing an acceleration of history in which rapid and neck-breaking change is the norm. For this reason, a teacher must go beyond educating pupils to fit into a world of uncertainty.
Value re-orientation and capacity development of the mass populated generation (Nigerian youths) towards self-reliance and entrepreneurial economy hinges on functional education. Education of the 21st century is the ability to learn cutting-edge skills, unlearn unproductive principles, and relearn distinctive capabilities. Okubanjo (2012) supported this, that education is the direct means through which people seek to sharpen their own destinies and transform themselves into what it hopes to become. The human capital to power the desired economy development is a product of the educational system.
The National policy on education recognizes education as “an instrument for national development…” The document says “education shall continue to be highly rated in the national development plans because education is the most important instrument of change; any fundamental change in intellectual or social outlook of any society has to be preceded by an educational revolution” (Alani, 2004).
Education is the aggregate of all the processes by which a child or adult develops the abilities, attitudes and other forms of behaviour which are of positive value to the society in which he lives (Odia & Omofonmwan, 2007). The Wikipedia conceptualized it as “an act or process of developing and cultivating (whether physically or mentally or morally) ones mental activity or senses; the expansion, strengthening, and discipline of one’s mind, faculty, etc; the forming and regulation of principles and character in order to prepare and fit for any calling or business by systematic instruction”. Asikha and Williams (2012) quoting Sule (2004) opined that education is a sure pathway to the liberation of mind and the improvement of socio-economic status of people.
Competence refers to effectiveness or ability of anyone concerned to apply the acquired knowledge and skill to achieve desired results. According to Urevbu (2006) cited in Abolarin & Orji-uzor (2012), teacher competencies are the knowledge, skills and values which a teacher possesses. He further stated that they are tools of teaching. To him only teachers who possess all the skills, knowledge and values needed to function effectively in a classroom situation are competent to teach in that situation. This implies that competence is relative because since there different learning or teaching conditions, the level of competence needed for effective teaching will equally be based on conditions. Quality is associated with the issue of relevance, validity, functionalism and efficacy of a system or individual in the attaining the set goals and priorities. It is the desired or derived levels of attainment expressed in terms of products of teaching/ instruction. Quality in relation to teaching is a multifaceted issue which takes into cognizance all that takes place within the teaching-learning process and how they are managed so as to produce the desired outcome (Abolarin & Orji-uzo, 2012). In essence, there is no water-tight separation between quality and competence and they are used interchangeably in this.
Incontrovertibly, the quality of Nigerian education is worrisome and the gulf between the
“town and gown” is becoming a national disaster. Adah, Osam & Okey (2012) opined that most of the teachers in our secondary schools today are nothing to write home about. Many of them can hardly make simple and correct sentences not to talk of preparing good lesson plans in their areas of specialization. The quality of an average teacher seems exasperating despite the efforts of governments and concerned stakeholders to improve it. The effort might not be enough but informed efforts and methods in the context of their jobs as in-locoparentis to the coming generation. 21st century teachers should be people with empires in their brains, armed with cutting-edge skills. They must be positioned in a mode to continuously re-invent themselves with a deliberate attempt to stay valuable within the school system.
Globally, there are over 54 million teachers (UNESCO, 2006), that just to meet the quantitative aspects of the international goal of achieving the education for all by 2015; there was a need to add 10.3 million more teachers between 2007 and 2015 (Zeichner, 2010c). This projection does not put into consideration the issue of teachers’ quality. In preparing teachers to meet the demands of universal basic education in Nigeria, there is a need to arrest a worrisome trend of incompetent teachers and establish the indispensability of creating highquality teaching force in the pursuit of access to universal basic education.
It is in this context that this paper focuses on the review of:
1. Teachers’ competence towards educational and national development.
2. Contemporary challenges that have contributed to the distasteful quality of the Nigerian teachers.
3. The comparative investigation of teachers’ competence among nations of the world.
4. Strategic approaches to arrest the malady and revitalize the Nigerian education sector with measures against resurgence of the pandemic that almost reduced our school certificates to mere papers.
Occupational and geographical attrition rate of teachers have reduced teaching to be the most vulnerable and nomadic profession. Europe and North America are actively recruiting graduate level teachers from a range of African countries. The best and most experienced teaches are often the first to go, and investment in training reaps benefits elsewhere. Emeagwali (2012) asserted that we are operating one third of African universities to satisfy the manpower needs of Great Britain and the United States. The African governments budgets nothing but a supplement to the American education budget. In essence, Africa is giving developmental assistance to the wealthier western nations which make the rich nations richer and the poor nations poorer. The emergent knowledge economies that offer alternative employment opportunities for those who provided the traditional pool of classroom teachers is providing a window of escape (Colclough, et al., 2003 cited in Moon, 2007).
The resultant effect of the attrition rate is the influx of charlatans and circumstantial teachers. Adebile (2009) affirms that the erroneous notion of teachers as people who stand in front of the classroom and teach children has been at odds for many years now. In reality, teaching in Nigerian context involves the task of assisting students to make worthwhile and satisfying adjustments to school work, to social groups, and to their occupations. If these areas are not taken care of by the Nigerian teachers, efficient learning cannot take place and in fact, it will be difficult for learners to appreciate progress towards his or her learning (Ololube, 2008).
Most of the teachers being recruited are para-professionals. The Global Campaign for Education (2006) sees this as in part a consequence of financial restrictions. The education system in West Africa is increasingly the domain of para-teachers, with pre-service training of only a few months or even weeks. This is a direct attack on the quality education which all aspires and is entitled to. With the teacher crisis, quality has often been a hostage of quantity. The trend is to recruit as many teachers as possible, even if they do not have the necessary qualifications in order to respond to expanding enrolment.
Unequivocally, with the growing desire of Nigeria to actualize the vision 2020 in relative to the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), it is obvious that only well trained and competent teachers can translate the objectives and philosophy of this vision into reality; but the appalling condition of the teachers’ education might render this to mere wishes. Given the laudable objectives of teachers’ education as spelt out in the policy document, it would be expected that the products from teacher education should demonstrate reasonable degree of competence as they practice their profession; unfortunately the contrary remains the case as much lapses and inadequacies have plagued the process of teachers’ education in the nation that desires economic transformation.
Zeichner (2011), argued that professional teachers’ education goes beyond providing teachers with teaching and management skills but also seek to ensure that teachers have extensive knowledge about the socio-economic and political landscapes in which they work including the ‘funds of knowledge’ in the communities in which their students live, and of many elements connected to teaching such as assessment, learning and development theories. This reinforces the position of Ngada (2005), that functional teachers’ education is tailored towards developing the individual to his full potential by contributing meaningfully to the needs and aspirations of his society. It must be practical, usable and instill confidence in the student-teachers.
Curriculum of teachers’ education programs has been found to be narrow, stifling and out-of tune with societal needs (Obioma, 2006, and Nwachuku, 2006). Such curriculum only offers prospective teachers a little opportunity to confront the discrepancy between conceived and operative values, between what is sincerely believed to be desirable and what actually is in the society. Madueweei (2005) noted that with the emergent issues such as peace education, gender education, environmental education, HIV/AIDs and entrepreneurial education in the school curricula, it becomes difficult for the present teachers to cope with their teaching responsibilities. This is partly because their initial training may not have equipped them with the knowledge and skills to teach these new concepts.
Low morale of teachers had been a negative impact on the quality of teachers. Teacher’s zeal and prowess to teaching has been lowered as their profession is generally perceived as the most impoverished. Teacher educators have also had to compete for status and prestige against the very different expectations of the academic world. This debate has also reflected the ambiguous status that teacher and teachers’ education hold in Nigeria and many countries.
The system for the recruitment of candidates into teachers’ training programme should ensure that there is a large-enough pool of qualified graduates to meet the needs of the professions and attracting enough qualified applicants to enter teaching in competition with the other professions.
Raising the status of teaching profession to a level at which it attracts the best qualified applicants should be embraced. Teaching profession must be made lucrative to attract best brains. The moment teachers’ condition of service and income are comparable to workers in banks, telecoms and oil companies, it will no longer be the business as usual. Labour turnover will be drastically reduced, teaching job will not only be for self-fulfilment and rewards in heaven, but a profession with prestige and material gains on earth. Abolarin & Orji-uzo, (2012) concur that the status of the teacher and the teaching profession need to be seriously enhanced by providing the teachers with suitable and good accommodation, in-service training with full pay, job security, good working condition and better pay packages that are comparable to what obtain in most admired professions.
Total Overhauling of the teaching profession is germane at this moment. It is not enough to professionalise teaching but regulatory bodies such as Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria (TRCN), Nigerian Union of Teachers (NUT) and Associations of Private School Owners (APSO) should be bold enough to carry-out performance audit in order to fetch-out bad eggs and incompetent teachers in this noble profession. Attention to quality assurance mechanisms than has traditionally been the case should be reinforced. Rigorous quality assurance processes, operating at every level and dimension of practice.
Education and training of teachers should become the prerogative of universities while colleges of education should be scrapped having outlived its relevance in producing world class teachers who will not only teach at primary level and relax at the benchmark qualification but move along the career ladder to become a university don. The truth is that most of these NCE graduates are employed by private school owners to teach at secondary level without requisite competence. Strengthening the roles of universities in the preparation of professional career teachers is germane. Universities can potentially make important and unique contribution to the education of professional teachers to help them learn how to use research-based teaching assessment practices, to situate their teaching in relation to historical, political and institutional contexts in which they work (Tucker, 2011).
Legislation should be put in place to compel all Nigerian universities (private and public) to run teachers’ education programs. Even specialist universities like universities of technology and agriculture should run teachers’ education program in their specialties. This will not only add to the quantity of the teachers needed to achieve the universal basic education, but also ameliorate the quality deficiency in the teaching profession.
There is an urgent need for a dynamic and result-oriented teachers’ education curriculum transformation. The curriculum should be responsive to the needs of the society and changes within the global community. New knowledge, technologies, social issues should be addressed in appropriate ways as part of the curriculum change. The transformed curriculum will have to consider the availability of teaching and learning resources as well as the support facilities such as libraries, laboratories and ICT facilities. Kazaure & Muhammad (2011) suggested that there is a need to revise and update the curricula for the Technical Colleges, Technical Teacher Education and Polytechnics, having observed that the curricula for vocational education were last reviewed in 1985 while a radical and regular review is well over-due. This confirms the assertion of Moreno (2007) that pre-service teachers’ education is almost everywhere, one of the most obsolete pieces of educational systems.
Fostering Partnership between teachers’ training institutions, schools and communities (town and gown) should be considered. There is a shift towards emphasizing the central role of practice and the importance of making didactic and pedagogical studies relevant to that practice. Moon (2007), opined that partnerships between teachers’ education and schools (often represented as the equivalent to a relationship between a medical faculty and teaching hospitals) has been significantly extended and in some experimental contexts extended to embrace a wider community involvement than just the school. This approach, for the first time, ensures that the way the education system is situated within the broader society and local community is given the same attention as the traditional axes that underpin teacher education courses, disciplinary knowledge and classroom apprenticeship. The ability to work with partners in this way is one of the professional competencies that must be acquired. The teaching profession does not operate exclusively within the classroom. It also requires collaborative work with a large number of partners; first of all, with the parents of pupils with whom it is important that the teacher establish a regular and genuine dialogue; then with associations and partners with connections with the socio-cultural environment. Teachers at all levels, but particularly those in the technical sector, have to be familiar with the world of economics and be prepared to establish and manage relationships with industry or the professional sectors (Zay, 1994 cited in Moon, 2007).
Continuing teachers’ education should be made compulsory as teacher qualifications and knowledge impacts directly on quality. Attempts should be made to improve the level of qualification among teachers. Staff development programs should be a priority of private and public employers of teachers while adequate professional support should be given to the teachers in the system. Oyenike, et.al (2009) agued that if the goal of teachers’ education must be achieved, teacher trainees must be provided with both intellectual and professional background adequate for their assignment and to make them adaptable to any changing situation, not only in the life of their country but in the wider world. These are in consonance with the position of Kazaure & Muhammad (2011) that there is and urgent need to train and upgrade the skills and competency of the existing teaching staff in vocational and technical institutions. Technical Colleges in particular suffer from both shortages and low quality of technical teachers and instructors.
However, since the crux of education in Nigeria is the quality of teachers to implement the policy as development in education often take a lot of inputs and investments. It presupposes that advancing teachers’ competence and quality be the priority of any nation wishing to develop in all fields of human endeavour. In this age of unpredictable scenery in the global community where revolutionary impact of technology is breath-taking; the place of competent teachers is pivotal to our educational and national development.
Methods of Positive Discipline
Positive discipline in school teachers in Nigeria encompasses a range of proactive strategies aimed at fostering a conducive learning environment, promoting student engagement, and managing behavior effectively. Some common methods of positive discipline include:
Clear Expectations and Rules: Establishing clear expectations and classroom rules helps set the tone for behavior and creates a structured learning environment. Teachers can involve students in the process of developing these expectations, fostering a sense of ownership and accountability.
Positive Reinforcement: Recognizing and reinforcing desired behaviors through praise, rewards, or privileges can motivate students to continue exhibiting positive conduct. This approach emphasizes encouragement and affirmation rather than solely focusing on corrective measures.
Modeling Positive Behavior: Teachers serve as role models for their students, and modeling positive behavior sets a powerful example. Demonstrating respect, empathy, and patience in interactions with students reinforces the values of positive discipline and promotes a culture of mutual respect.
Effective Communication: Open and respectful communication between teachers and students is essential for building trust and resolving conflicts constructively. Teachers can use active listening techniques, provide constructive feedback, and encourage dialogue to address behavioral issues and concerns.
Conflict Resolution Strategies: Teaching students conflict resolution skills empowers them to resolve disagreements peacefully and respectfully. Teachers can facilitate discussions, role-play scenarios, and teach problem-solving techniques to help students navigate conflicts and develop empathy and understanding.
Restorative Practices: Restorative practices focus on repairing harm and restoring relationships when conflicts occur. This approach emphasizes dialogue, accountability, and reconciliation, promoting a sense of community and belonging within the classroom.
Challenges of Positive Discipline
Despite the potential benefits of positive discipline practices, teachers in Nigeria encounter various challenges in effectively implementing these strategies:
Limited Training and Resources: Many teachers receive insufficient training in positive discipline strategies during their pre-service education. Additionally, resource constraints, such as large class sizes, inadequate facilities, and limited access to professional development opportunities, hinder their ability to implement effective discipline techniques.
Cultural and Societal Norms: Cultural norms and societal attitudes towards discipline may influence teacher practices and student behavior. In some cases, authoritarian approaches to discipline may be prevalent, making it challenging for teachers to adopt more collaborative and student-centered methods.
Student Diversity and Special Needs: Nigeria’s diverse student population, including learners with varying abilities, backgrounds, and learning styles, presents challenges for teachers in tailoring discipline approaches to meet individual needs. Teachers may struggle to address behavioral issues effectively while accommodating diverse learners in inclusive classrooms.
Parental Involvement and Support: Limited parental involvement and support can impact the effectiveness of positive discipline efforts. Teachers may face challenges in fostering collaboration with parents and caregivers, which is essential for reinforcing consistent expectations and promoting positive behavior both at school and at home.
Discipline Policy Implementation: Inconsistent or unclear discipline policies at the school or government level can undermine teachers’ efforts to maintain a positive learning environment. Lack of support from school administrators or inadequate enforcement of disciplinary measures may lead to frustration and disengagement among teachers.
Teacher Well-being: Managing classroom behavior and implementing positive discipline strategies can be emotionally demanding for teachers, particularly in high-stress environments. Burnout, fatigue, and lack of self-care practices may compromise teachers’ ability to maintain a positive and supportive classroom climate over time.
Addressing these challenges requires a multifaceted approach that involves investing in teacher training and professional development, providing adequate resources and support structures, fostering collaboration among stakeholders, and promoting a cultural shift towards more inclusive and student-centered approaches to discipline. By overcoming these barriers, teachers can create nurturing learning environments where all students feel valued, respected, and empowered to succeed.
STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
A major problems in Nigerian teaching profession today is the low-brook of candidates into the teachers training programme. The criteria and procedures by which candidates are selected or recruited for entry to programs and institutions is a major undoing to the profession. Unlike some other professions, teaching often suffers from a shortage of qualified candidates for admission as it does not enjoy the privilege of being able to select the best qualified from among a large pool of applicants. This is largely influenced by the status of the teaching profession and the economic resources of the system (Siddiqui, 2010). Public perception is that those students that are academically deficient for university education settles for colleges of education while their counterparts in universities could not meet the admission cut-off point into their preferred programs. The present Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) is more of disservice to the teaching profession as this will definitely attract the least qualified and frustrated candidates into the teachers’ training program.
Absence of career management skills and motivation is a major contributor the quality deficiency. Most Nigerian teachers do not know how to navigate their career mileage. Unlike other professionals, teachers rarely go for regular training to up-date their knowledge. The reality is that many Nigerian graduates lack the skills, knowledge and attitude to survive in the ever-challenging and dynamic global economy. It might be said that what we have in Nigeria presently is mere schooling and not education.
OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY
1.To understand the relationship between positive discipline among professional beginning teachers and students academic performance
2. To classify the impact of positive discipline among professional beginning teachers on students educational productivity.
RESEARCH HYPOTHESIS
H0: There is no relationship between positive discipline among professional beginning teachers and students academic performance
H1: There is no relationship between positive discipline among professional beginning teachers and students academic performance
H0: Positive discipline among professional beginning teachers does not have a significant impact on students educational productivity.
H1: Positive discipline among professional beginning teachers have a significant impact on students educational productivity.
SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY
This study holds significance for several stakeholders in the education sector. Firstly, it provides valuable insights into the current state of positive discipline competences among beginning professional teachers, helping educational policymakers, teacher training institutions, and school administrators to identify areas for improvement in teacher preparation and support. Additionally, the findings of this study can inform the development of targeted interventions and professional development programs aimed at enhancing positive discipline practices in public schools. Ultimately, improving the competences of beginning teachers in positive discipline is crucial for creating inclusive, supportive learning environments that foster student success and well-being.
SCOPE OF THE STUDY
This study focuses specifically on beginning professional teachers in public schools within the Lagos State education system in Nigeria. The assessment of positive discipline competences will encompass various aspects, including teachers’ knowledge of positive discipline principles, their attitudes toward implementing positive discipline strategies, and their actual practices in the classroom. The study will also explore contextual factors that may influence the effectiveness of positive discipline implementation, such as school culture, support structures, and resource availability.
DEFINITION OF TERMS
Positive Discipline: Positive discipline refers to an approach to classroom management and behavior modification that focuses on reinforcing desirable behaviors through encouragement, support, and positive reinforcement rather than relying solely on punitive measures.
Competences: Competences refer to the knowledge, skills, and abilities that individuals possess and demonstrate in a particular area of practice or profession. In the context of this study, competences specifically pertain to the ability of beginning professional teachers to effectively implement positive discipline strategies in the classroom.
Beginning Professional Teachers: Beginning professional teachers are educators who are in the early stages of their teaching careers and have recently completed their teacher training or are in the process of gaining practical teaching experience. In this study, beginning professional teachers specifically refer to educators who are employed in public schools in Lagos State and are within the first few years of their teaching practice.
Public Schools: Public schools are educational institutions that are funded and operated by government authorities, typically at the local or state level. In the context of this study, public schools specifically refer to educational institutions in Lagos State that are overseen by the Lagos State Ministry of Education and cater to students from diverse socio-economic backgrounds.
Evaluative Assessment: Evaluative assessment involves the systematic gathering and analysis of data to evaluate the effectiveness, quality, or performance of a particular aspect of education or practice. In this study, evaluative assessment refers to the process of assessing the positive discipline competences of beginning professional teachers in public schools in Lagos State through various methods, such as surveys, interviews, and classroom observations.
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