Investigate Teacher’s Effectiveness With Regards To Student’s Psychomotor Skills Development Among Agricultural Science In Secondary Schools

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1           Background to the Study 

Education is the basic foundation and development of every nation. A good education does not happen by chance it is a product of effective teaching and learning couple with personal study. It enhances the growth and development of a nation.

According to advanced learner’s dictionary, Education is defined as the process through which an individual is taught better ways of doing things or better ways of doing something.  The teacher has been shown to have an important influence on students academic achievement and also play a crucial role in their educational attainment because the teacher is ultimately responsible for translating policy into action and principles based on practice during interaction with the students.

According to Uchefuna (2001) asserted that the effective teacher as one who produces the desired outcome in the course of the duty. The teacher has seemed the overall pivot of learning in a school environment as his/her ability to impart in terms of the quality result.

Psychomotor skill development is the skill development that contains the dexterity of motor skills. It is also the relationship between or a combination of cognitive functions and physical movement. However, teacher one not uniformly effective across all teacher situations. There are different kinds of teacher behavior which are usually stressed in the conceptualization of teacher effectiveness.

Agricultural science is a very important course that has to do with the cultivation of land to grow food and cash crops, farmers, produce many more things for human consumption.

It is also the science and practice of growing crops and keeping animals to produce food and other material for everyday use by man.

One of the essential of Agricultural science is that of the provision of shelter.

The teacher competence determines the psychomotor skill development in a particular field, hence the teacher or instruction must be effective machine and dexterity of motor skill in order to impart the ideas or knowledge to a greater extent, determine the student's overall output in terms of the quality result.

According to Addision (2008),  the major purpose of hiring a teacher is instructional effectiveness, teacher evaluation should concern itself primarily with this good fulfillment. Based on such fact, certain variables stand out clearly as the criteria for judging teacher effectiveness.  They include teachers learning and value teacher enthusiasm, workload, organizational ability, interaction, communication with the students, knowledge of the subject, interpersonal relationship, teacher personality, teachers age and gender, the way and manner he/she sets and marks examinations and the freedom and autonomy he/she gives to the students.

Levine (2010)

The national policy of education is of the view that an effective teacher equips students in this modern age of science and technology. Measurable observed behaviors non-quantifiable modes of communication to others interacting in the classroom present or transferable action, beliefs, commitment, skill, developing knowledge of a given subject, tackling the problem in teaching/learning situation and interpersonal relationship with its students. In other words, Bowey, Torpe, and Hellier (1985) Indicate that teacher effectiveness include student’s acquisition of basic cognitive skills, the development of higher order intellectual activities, awareness of the social work and development of psychomotor skills.

Psychomotor learning is demonstrated by physical skills such as movement, coordination, manipulation, dexterity, grace, strength, speed, actions which demonstrate the fine motor skills such as the use of precision instruments or tools. According to Addison (1990), the major purpose of hiring a teacher is instructional effectiveness, teacher evaluation should concern itself primarily with this goal fulfillment.   Based on such fact, certain variables stand out dearly as the criteria for judging teacher effectiveness. They include the teachers learning and value teacher enthusiasm, workload, organizational ability, into action, communication with the students, knowledge of the subject, interpersonal relationship, teacher personality, teachers age and gender, the way and manner he/she sets and marks examinations and the freedom and autonomy he/she gives to the students. Levine and Wright, (1987; Marsh 1994).

A psychomotor development skill is the individual’s progress through the cognitive stages, the associative stage, and the autonomic stage. The cognitive stage is marked by awkward slow and choppy movements that the learner tries to control. The learner has to think about each movement before attempting it. In the associative stage of psychomotor, the learner spends less time thinking about every detail, however, the movements are still not a permanent part of the brain. The autonomic stage of psychomotor, the learner can refine the skills through practice, but no longer needs to think about the movement. The national policy of education is of the view that, an effective teacher equips students in this modern age of science and technology.

1.2           Statement of the problem      

Despite efforts from educationists in the country for students to lay a solid foundation in Agricultural science, the situation has not improved. The process of which the subject is taught and learn in schools is rather slow. Some students look at Agricultural science as a very difficult subject, especially when it involves practical work while others get scared by its volume of contents and concepts.

There has been growing dissatisfaction over the years with poor psychomotor skills development among Agricultural science students.

Students’ achievement, on the other hand, is usually determined by some factors as, how rich or poor the parents are? How educated are the parents?  What about the types of peer group they belong? And other environmental influences.

The fundamental problem, therefore, is to determine whether there is any difference between teacher effectiveness and the student’s psychomotor skills development among Agricultural science in secondary schools in Esit Eket Local Government Area. It is against this background that the researcher would embark on this study.

1.3           Significance of the Study

This work would be of much significance for a number of reasons. The beneficiaries will include: Teachers, Students, Educational Administrators and Government

The study would be of theoretical and practical benefit to the teachers and students, educational administrators and managers, Government of Akwa Ibom state and other stakeholders in education on issues related to teachers’ effectiveness and psychomotor skills development. It would also be of much help to these groups of persons and others in quest to bring innovations into the teaching and learning of Agricultural science study the result of this study would assist in exposing both the teachers and students to important variables in teachers’ effectiveness, in teacher education concomitantly they will be exposes to the impotence of students’ interest in the learning of agricultural science study.

Finally, it will help in guiding the views of the public in matters related to teachers’ effectiveness with regards to students’ psychomotor skills in agricultural science.

1.4           Objective of the Study

The objective of the study is to investigate teacher’s effectiveness with regards to student’s psychomotor skills development among Agricultural science in secondary schools in Esit Eket Local Government Area.

To examine the difference between teacher’s knowledge of the subject and students psychomotor skills development among Agricultural science in secondary schools.

To assess the differences between gender of the teacher and students’ psychomotor skills development among Agricultural science in secondary schools.

To find out the differences between the age of the teacher and psychomotor skills development among Agricultural science student in secondary schools.

To ascertain the difference between the interpersonal relationship of the teacher and students’ psychomotor skills development among Agricultural science in secondary schools. 

1.4           Research Question

The following research question asked to what extent does knowledge of teacher influence the students' psychomotor skill development in Agricultural science.

To what extent does teacher gender influence the student’s psychomotor skill development in Agricultural science? How does the age of the teacher influence the student’s psychomotor skill development in Agricultural science?

How does interpersonal relationship of the teacher influence the student’s psychomotor skill development in Agricultural science?

1.6           Research Hypotheses

The following hypotheses were formulated to guide this research study.

There is no significant difference in the psychomotor skills development of students among Agricultural science based on teachers’ knowledge of the subject.

There is no significance in the psychomotor skills development of the students among Agricultural science based on teachers’ gender.

There is no significant difference in the psychomotor skills development of the students among Agricultural science on teachers’ age.

There is no significant difference in the psychomotor skill development among Agricultural science based on teachers’ interpersonal relationship.

1.7           Delimitation (Scope)

The study was restricted to teachers’ effectiveness and psychomotor skill development among Agricultural science students in secondary schools in Esit Eket Local Government Area. The study concentrated only senior secondary school two students (SSS2) to examine the influence of teacher gender teacher age, teacher interpersonal relationship and the knowledge of the teacher and psychomotor skill development.

1.8           Limitation of the Study

This study is limited to inadequate finance, time, constraint limited materials on the topic area and reticence on the parts of the respondents.

1.9           Definition of terms

(i)            Teacher Effectiveness: This is defined as a body of knowledge a teacher has, which describes his or her patterns of action that are associated with high students’ achievements.

(ii)           Students’ psychomotor skill Development Scores:

This is a test score obtained to measure the psychomotor skill developmental level of students among Agricultural science.

(iii)         Gender:  This can be described as either male or female teachers.

(iv) Interpersonal Relationship: It is a relationship between teacher and students and how it enhances effective teaching and learning processes.

(V)          Knowledge of the subject:  This is defined as a high or low body of knowledge a teacher has in impacting teaching to students in learning Agricultural science.

(Vi)         DEVELOPMENT: The act of developing a new stage, event or situation.