Teaching Competence and Academic Achievement on Higher Secondary Students in Satkhira District

Teaching Competence and Academic Achievement on Higher Secondary Students in Satkhira District

Karimun Nessa^1*, Shahinur Akter², Md. Golam Faruk³, & Md. Firoz Raihan⁴

¹Lecturer, Department of Sociology and Rural Development, Khulna Agricultural University, Bangladesh-9100

²Associate Professor, Sociology Discipline, Khulna University, Bangladesh-9208

³Lecturer, Sociology, Khulna Islamia College, Khulna, Bangladesh-9000.

⁴MSS in Sociology, Sociology Discipline, Khulna University, Bangladesh-9208

DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.47772/IJRISS.2024.803030S

Received: 29 March 2024; Accepted: 12 April 2024; Published: 15 May 2024

ABSTRACT

Teaching competence is the primary indicator for better academic achievement. Without providing quality education, a nation can’t be developed with knowledge. This research tried to assess the effect of teaching competence on academic achievements of higher secondary level students in Satkhira District of Bangladesh. The study was in explanatory in nature in which survey method was followed to collect data. A sample of 246 students of class twelve were randomly selected from four renowned colleges under Satkhira District. Data were collected through a structured interview schedule. The study revealed that the mean Grade Point Average (GPA) of the student was 3.69 in English and they studied 5.78 hours on an average in a day. An index was developed to measure students’ perception with 7 indices (subject knowledge, cooperative teaching method, classroom management, punctuality, students’ evaluation, motivation of the students and teacher-student relationship) and the mean value of all the components were around 4 which indicates students agreed about effective teaching competence of their teacher. Furthermore, the results of ANOVA and Independent Sample t-test depicted that variations in students’ perception about teaching competence were significant with reference to age, religion, place of residence and study time. Moreover, the result of regression analysis revealed that overall teaching competence was not significantly associated with students’ academic achievement. On the contrary, sex, place of residence, area of study and study time per day were significantly related with students’ academic achievement. Teachers should concentrate on enhancing their competence so that the students can achieve a better academic performance respectively.

Key Word: Teaching competence, Academic achievement, Student, Perception, Performance

INTRODUCTION

Quality education is a dominant concern not only in Bangladesh but also on a global scale. The prerequisite for achieving quality education lies in ensuring the proficiency of teachers within educational institutions.  So, teachers and their teaching competence have been identified as the single most influential factor affecting students’ academic success (Cochran-Smith, 2002; Kaplan & Owings, 2002; Lasley, Siedentop, &Yinger, 2006). Competent teachers are the most significant component that work in bridging academic gaps and improve student achievement, with some scholars’ emphasizing the role of text books.

Teachers play the most significant role in improving students’ academic performance, with their behavior, attitudes, knowledge, skills, and leadership capacity directly impacting students’ progress. The quality of teaching plays a dominant role in determining students’ learning experiences, yet the definition of good quality of teaching remains a challenge for many educational institutions. But it is seen mostly teachers have an authoritative role in prompting the academic performance of the students. It is vital for the teachers to possess the traits of professionalism and conscientiousness with proper knowledge and information regarding the subjects that they are teaching, usage of technology, modern and innovative methods of teaching in teaching and learning processes. The teachers in some cases are strict, but strictness should be maintained within limits. The main objective of the teachers should only be to enhance the academic performance of the students and lead to their effective development (Maina, 2010). The authoritative role of teachers can play simultaneously positive impact on student achievement and also may be challenges, especially if teachers fail to provide opportunities for the improvement of practice and irregularity of attendance, or lack effective leadership and competency may affect students’ academic achievement negatively (Blazar, 2016).

Competent teachers are pivotal in bridging academic gaps and elevating student achievement, with some scholars emphasizing the role of textbooks, while others underscore the centrality of teacher competence (Grauwe and Varghese, 2000; Westera, 2001; Medley and Shannon, 1994; Shulman, 1986). A good teacher is also a good motivator for achieving best academic achievement of their students (Lawrence &Hanitha, 2017). Teachers sincerity and time management is another indicator of quality teacher that positively impact on students’ academic achievement (Zafarullah et al., 2016).

Bangladesh is one of the least developed countries in the world. Despite being one of the least developed countries globally, Bangladesh has made extension in education sector, twice number of institutions. However, this growth in physical infrastructure and the availability of teachers has not explained uniformly into the development of educational quality. To address this gap, it becomes imperative to enhance the quality of teachers through organized training, seminars, and workshops (Huq & Rahman, 2008). These initiatives aim to train teachers with the necessary knowledge and skills related to their subjects, technology integration, modern teaching methodologies, and effective classroom management.

Some studies focused on only teaching method, subject knowledge and other studies focused on continuous assessment, classroom management and motivational capability of the teachers for better academic performances of the students. But teaching competence is a broader concept that includes many other dimensions. So the current study covered seven dimensions of teaching competence (subject knowledge, cooperative teaching method, classroom management, punctuality, students’ evaluation, motivation of the students and teacher-student relationship).

Focusing specifically on Satkhira, one of the least developed areas in Bangladesh, this research seeks to explore students’ perceptions of their teachers’ competence across four renowned colleges in the district. Furthermore, the study aims to investigate the impact of teaching competence on students’ academic achievement within these selected institutions. Through this research, we seek to contribute valuable insights into the complex dynamics between teaching competence and academic success in the context of Satkhira, thus the way forward for targeted interventions to uplift the quality of education in the region.

FORMULATION OF HYPOTHESIS

Several articles on teaching competence and its effect on students’ academic achievement were reviewed carefully to get a better idea and to formulate the hypothesis of the study.

Cubukcu (2010) in his study found that that teacher’s quality which is defined as ability to make understandable academic terms e to students is an important educational issue and it is also found that quality teachers must embrace the vision of caring for students and their learning. Mehdipour and Balaramulu (2013) in their study showed that there is a significant correlation between the teachers’ behavior and academic achievement of the students. Guimaraes et al. (2014) in their study indicated that the teachers with higher content knowledge have a positive impact on the standardized mathematics test scores of students. Kosir and Tement (2014) in their study identified that students with higher perceptions of teacher personal support at the beginning of the school year have better achievements at the end of the school year. Fong-Yee and Normore (2003) in their study showed that factors, such as teachers’ cognitive ability, subject matter knowledge, knowledge of teaching and learning, licensure, and teaching behaviors in the classroom are related to teacher quality and increased student achievement.

So based on the above findings, it can be assumed that “There is a relationship between teaching competence and student’s academic achievement. 

Variables of the Study

METHODS AND MATERIALS

The study was explanatory in nature as it tried to explain the relationship between teaching competence and students’ academic achievement. The study aimed to assess students’ perception about English teachers’ teaching competence and its effect on their academic achievement in the study area. As Satkhira is one of the least developed districts in Bangladesh. Here, educational institutions are not occupied with all modern facilities of teaching methods as well as teacher quality is not in standard level for better academic achievement. Traditional teaching method is conducted here mostly that may be hinder for the improvement of students’ better outcome in this competitive world. Survey method was followed to conduct the study through a structured interview schedule during January 2020. To perceive the effect of teaching competence on students’ academic achievement, four renowned colleges of this area were purposively selected. 682 Students of class twelve were the respondents of the study and the population table is given below. 

Table 1: Population of the Study

Source: Authors’ Compilation, 2020

Simple random sampling technique was followed to select a representative portion of the population. Following the formula of simple random sampling, a sample of 246 (36% of the population) was taken from the population of 682 students considering 95% significance level and confidence interval of 5. After calculating the sample size, students were randomly selected from the list for final data collection with replacement.

Table 2: Determination of Sample Size

In this research, ethical consideration was met through seeking consent from the teachers of four colleges of Satkhira District in Bangladesh. The participants were prioritized for the dignity of research and full consent was obtained from the participants prior to the study. Researchers ensured the protection of the privacy of research participants and adequate level of confidentiality of the research data. Respondents participated on the basis of informed consent. Researchers gathered information from the participants with honesty and transparency.

RESULT OF THE STUDY

Table 3: Educational Information of the Respondents

Data presented in table 3 reveal that around three-fifth portion of the respondent studied in Humanities group, followed by, science group (22.8%) and Business studies group (16.7%) respectively. More than half of the respondent (52.8%) studied less than or equal to 5 hours in a day and only 6.1 percent of them studied more than or equal to 9 hours in a day. The average study time of the respondent was 5.78 hours per day. About 90 percent of the respondent took shadow education for their development in English subject whereas only 10.2 percent of them did not take any shadow education. The average time spent on receiving shadow education was 1.43 hours per day. Regarding academic achievement, majority of the respondent (30.5%) got grade ‘B’ in English in their first-year final examination, followed by, grade ‘A−’ (29.3%), grade ‘A’ (25.6%), grade ‘A+’ (11%) grade ‘C’ (3.3%) and grade ‘D’ (0.4%) respectively. The mean GPA of the respondent was 3.69.

Table 4: Student’s Perception on Teaching Competences

This table represents the perception of the students about their teachers’ teaching competence. Majority of the respondent (52.8%) perceived that satisfaction about their English teachers’ teaching competence level was high, followed by, moderate and low level (32.5% and 14.6% respectively). In specific cases, majority of the respondent recognized that their teachers have a high level of subject knowledge, they highly follow cooperative teaching method, they have a high level of classroom management capability, the teachers are highly punctual, they maintain fair evaluation of the students, they have a high level of motivating capability and the teacher-student relationship was in a higher level.

Table 5:  Variations in Student’s Perception on Teaching Competence

**1% significance level    *5% significance level

Table 5 shows the variation in students’ perception about teaching competence. One-way ANOVA and Independent Sample t-test were applied to examine the variation in students’ perception about teaching competence. The variation in students’ perception about teaching competence were statistically significant with reference to the age of the respondent (F=10.685, p<0.05), religion (t=1.508, p<0.05), place of residence (F=4.578, p<0.05) and average study time (F=4.850, p<0.05) of the respondent. On the contrary, the variation in the perception of the students were not significant in terms of respondents’ sex composition (t=0.220, p>0.05), marital status (t=-0.840, p>0.05), place of origin (t=1.376, p>0.05), area of study (F= 0.716, p>0.05), receiving shadow education (t=.147, p>0.05) and academic achievement (F=2.061, p>0.05) of the respondent.

Hypothesis Testing

Table 6: Effect of Teaching Competence on Students’ Academic Achievement

**1% significance level    *5% significance level

A Multiple Linear Regression model was applied to assess the relationship between teaching competence (independent variable) and students’ academic achievement (dependent variable). In this model, other variables were included as control variable such as, age, sex, religion, marital status, place of origin and place of residence, area of study, study time and receiving shadow education of the respondent. Results from table 5 reveal that overall teaching competence was not significantly associated with students’ academic achievement. On the contrary, students’ sex composition, place of residence, area of study and study time were significantly related with their academic outcome. The negative relationship between sex composition and academic achievement reveals that female students’ academic achievement was 0.188 units higher than male pupils. Similarly, the negative relationship between place of residence and academic achievement shows that the academic achievement of the students who were living in mess and their relative’s house was 0.055 units higher in comparison to those who were residing in their own house. Moreover, the negative relationship between area of study and the academic achievement reveals that the students of humanities group had lower academic achievement (0.138) than the students of science and business studies groups. However, the positive relationship between average study time per day and academic achievement of the respondents reveals that 1 hour increase in study time in a day leads to 0.439 units increase in academic achievement. Overall, the model explained 30.6 percent variance in students’ academic achievement (Adjusted R²=.306). As there is no significant relationship between teaching competence and academic achievement, so alternative hypothesis is rejected and null hypothesis is accepted.

DISCUSSION

Education is the most important component which leads a nation on the way to development. With the advancement of science and technology, the human civilization so far has travelled a long way with so many success stories of development in its hand. Today, we have education on every aspects of life which paves the way for the holistic development of the individual, society and the nation as well (Bhardwaj, 2016).

In this study, the results revealed the perception of the students about their teachers’ teaching competence. Majority of the respondent perceived that satisfaction about their English teachers’ teaching competence level was high. In specific cases, majority of the respondent recognized that their teachers have a high level of subject knowledge, they highly follow cooperative teaching method, they have a high level of classroom management capability, the teachers are highly punctual, they maintain fair evaluation of the students, they have a high level of motivating capability and the teacher-student relationship was in a higher level.In another research, showed that pedagogical and subject content knowledge of teachers were found to be significant predictors of students’ academic achievement (Olasehinde-Williams et al. (2018).Obot (2014) analyzedin a study that teachers’ competence in subject matter has much influence on students’ interest in learning with particular reference to Social Studies Education.

Results of ANOVA and independent sample t test revealed that there were significant variations in students’ perception about teaching competence based on their age, religion, residence, and study time. Muzenda (2013) found in a research that subject knowledge, teaching skills, lecturer attendance and lecturer attitude have significant positive influence on students’ academic performance. Fong-Yee and Normore (2003) identified some factors such as teachers’ cognitive ability, subject matter knowledge, knowledge of teaching and learning, licensure, and teaching behaviors in the classroom, are related to teacher quality and increased student achievement.

A Multiple Linear Regression model was applied to assess the relationship between teaching competence (independent variable) and students’ academic achievement (dependent variable). In this model, other variables were included as control variable such as, age, sex, religion, marital status, place of origin and place of residence, area of study, study time and receiving shadow education of the respondent. Yildiz conducted a study in 2017showing that teachers tended to place the special needs students at the back rows of the classroom and that they did not provide individualized teaching opportunities in line with the needs of special needs students. Results revealed that overall teaching competence was not significantly associated with students’ academic achievement. Adeyemo et al. (2013) showed that the academic performance is high if the teachers have more motivational capability. On the contrary, students’ sex composition, place of residence, area of study and study time were significantly related with their academic outcome. As there is no significant relationship between teaching competence and academic achievement, so alternative hypothesis is rejected and null hypothesis is accepted. Christiansen (2002) carried a study and found that majority of the students responded that teachers are very important to their success and the influences of those relationships are long lasting.

The results of regression analysis revealed that there was no significant relationship between teaching competence and academic achievement. On the contrary, numerous studies found significant relationship between teaching competence and students’ academic achievement (Nbina, 2012; Peklaj, 2015; Obot, 2014; McRae, 2012; Myrberg and Rosen, 2001). Furthermore, Metzler and Woessmann (2012) in their study found a significant positive effect of teachers’ subject knowledge on students’ achievement. Olasehinde-Williams et al. (2018) identified that the pedagogical and subject content knowledge of teachers were significantly associated with the Students’ Academic Achievement. Regarding teaching method. Similarly Obinna-Akakuru et al. (2015) indicated that cooperative learning method plays a significant role in students’ academic achievement in English Language. On the other hand, Sowell (2013) showed a significant relationship between teachers’ classroom management capability and students’ academic achievement in this study. Akiri and Ugborugbo (2009) concluded that effective teachers’ produce better performing students. Regarding teacher student relationship, Ayaz et al. (2013) found a positive and significant correlation between teacher-student relationship and the academic achievement. Kosir and Tement (2014) identified that teacher acceptance was positively related to teacher personal support and academic achievement of the student.

Finally, the current study found that there was no significant relationship between teaching competence and academic achievement. That is contrast with many former studies which agreed that teaching competence is a multidimensional aspect that includes subject knowledge, classroom management, teaching methods and student teacher relationship and all of the aspects are indicator of better academic achievement of the students. (Adeyemi, 2008; Guimaraes et al., 2014; Mehdipour and Balaramulu, 2013; Obot, 2014; Olasehinde-Williams et al., 2018).

CONCLUSION

Quality education is the most important element for the development of any country. At present the government of Bangladesh has taken many initiatives to enhance the quality of education at all levels. Among them enhancing quality of the teacher is the most important because the quality of education mostly depends on the quality of teacher. For this, the study was conducted to assess the effect of teaching competence on students’ academic achievement. Teaching competence includes subject knowledge, teaching method, classroom management, punctuality, fair evaluation of the students, motivation of the students and teacher-student relationship. Findings of the current study revealed that overall teaching competence was not significantly associated with students’ academic achievement. The sample size and the area of the study was not wealthy enough to generalize that there is no effect of teaching competence on students’ academic achievement. Further research can be carried out including some other factors that may influence students’ academic performance such as peer influence, effect of multimedia class and so on.

RECOMMENDATIONS

Though the teaching competence was not significantly associated with the academic achievement of the students in this study, the following recommendations are suggested based on the findings of the study:

1. As the academic achievement of female students was higher than the male students in this study, so male students should concentrate more on their study.
2. The students who were living in mess and relatives house comparatively achieving a better academic achievement than those who were living in their own home. So, parental guidance should be enhanced in order to monitor children’s activities as well as parents should motivate them for better achievement.
3. Academic achievement of the students of science and business studies group was better than humanities group. So, the students of humanities group should concentrate more on their studies.
4. In this study, the academic performance of the students was higher who studied more time than their counterparts. So, students should allocate more time for study purposes.
5. In addition, the teachers should increase their competency as quality education mostly depends on the quality of teachers particularly, enhancing subject knowledge, conducive learning environment at classroom, punctuality, motivation of the students for better academic achievement and so on.

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