To Establish the Influence of Teacher Professional Development on Academic Performance in Public Primary Schools in Nyaribari Masaba Constituency, Kisii County, Kenya

To Establish the Influence of Teacher Professional Development on Academic Performance in Public Primary Schools in Nyaribari Masaba Constituency, Kisii County, Kenya

*Dr. Naftal Michira Nyang’ara

School of Education, Laikipia University, P.O. Box 1100-20300, Nyahururu- Kenya

Department of Psychology, Laikipia University, P.O Box 1100-20300, Nyahururu-Kenya

*Corresponding Author

DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.47772/IJRISS.2024.8120351

Received: 18 December 2024; Accepted: 23 December 2024; Published: 23 January 2025

ABSTRACT

The three biggest challenges facing Kenya since independence are ignorance, illness, and poverty. The most crucial vehicle for eradicating ignorance is education. And for this to be realized teacher motivation is therefore a very important the key components that can be utilized to achieve educational goals in academic performance. Teachers’ lack of motivation may be linked to students’ subpar academic performance. The study’s objective was to establish the influence of teacher professional development on academic performance in public primary schools in Nyaribari Masaba Constituency, kisii County, Kenya.  In order to realize this objective the study utilized ex-post facto research design. The study was guided by the attribution theory and affective events theory theories.  A sample of 245 participants was chosen through simple random sampling from a target population of 845. Prior to the study, a pilot study was conducted to test the questionnaire’s validity and reliability and address any potential weaknesses and gaps. Data was collected by use of quantitative methods, Teachers Testing Questionnaire Instrument (TTQI) was therefore utilized to collect data. Primary data was collected through instruments which were self-administered.  The Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS v 24.0) software was utilized in the study to analyze the data collected. The results of the study were displayed in table format as percentages and frequencies. The findings of the study revealed that; teacher professional development had a positive impact on academic performance in public primary schools in Nyaribari Masaba Constituency, Kisii County, Kenya. In order to improve the academic performance of students in public primary schools in Kisii County. The study therefore recommends on the escalation of teacher motivation.  In order to improve the academic performance of primary school students, it is hoped that schools will use the study’s findings to establish a supportive environment for teachers to develop better habits among learners and teachers. The findings of this study may be of help to the ministry of Education and other stakeholder’s specific educational interventions.

Keywords: teacher professional development and academic performance of students.

INTRODUCTION

Education’s main aim is to provide the economy with human capital that can successfully and competently convert various assets to yield high productivity, it plays a crucial role in a country’s economic development. Education is viewed by majority as the cornerstone of social and economic progress and a standard approach to addressing people’s well-being (Orodho, 2004). The purpose of schools therefore is to help students acquire knowledge, skills, attitudes and at the same time improvement on the acquired knowledge (Dornyei, 2001).

The provision of high-quality education is essential for the efficient and successful accomplishment of school performance or outcome goals in a primary school context (Okumbe, 2001). It now demands high-quality instruction and learning, a fact supported by Dornyei (2001), who emphasized that successful schooling is largely dependent on the caliber of the teaching staff. When teachers give high-quality instruction, students’ performance will be used to gauge how well they are doing (Adair, 2009). In elementary schools, teacher motivation is one of the numerous factors that lead to improved student performance. According to the Kenya Education Sector Support Program (KESSP) and Session Paper No. 1 of 2005, a teacher is one of the most crucial components of the educational system. Therefore, effective management and use of this resource are essential for high-quality learning outcomes in the educational system.

According to Alarm and Farid (2011), teacher motivation is essential due to its direct impact on the students. Marques (2010) supports this reality by concluding that performance, motivation, and satisfaction are interconnected. Additionally, Dornyei (2001) has indicated that teacher efficacy has a direct impact on students because there is a strong correlation between the two and that students’ achievement may be achieved with the teacher’s help. This suggests that low teacher motivation significantly contributes to students’ subpar performance.

Globally, teachers in China, especially at high school and college level reported that they enjoy high public esteem, respect and recognition for their professionalism and expertise. Pre-school and primary school teachers in China were less recognized in the past but have been gaining higher esteem as the certification standards have been raised and competition for jobs has been increasing in China (Bishop, 2008). In the US teachers are being paid moderately low pay rates. Teachers with additional encounter and advanced education acquire more than those with a standard bachelor’s degree and certificate while secondary teachers have the most noteworthy median salary earning. Merit pay systems are on the rise for teachers, paying teachers extra money based on excellent classroom evaluations, high test scores and for high success at their overall school (Karuga, 2004).

Across the African continent, schools in Nigeria are rapidly deteriorating and the damage to the system ranges from inadequate teaching and learning facilities to ineffective leadership and teacher motivation. Ankabi (2010) drew attention to the fact that teachers in Nigeria are dissatisfied, frustrated and demotivated. The state of schools is marked by dilapidated buildings with outdated facilities and equipment. Teachers are sometimes forced to work under the most unfavourable conditions. This has inevitably led to poor performance of students in external examinations, which is linked to cheating in examinations, factionalism and other negative practices (Ankabi, 2010).

In Kenya, teacher motivation and occupation fulfillment is not any better. For pay and recompenses to the teachers is comparatively low than in the other alternate callings. Teaching profession is considered as ‘calling of the final resort’ where people end up failing to secure better proficient courses. In a few schools, teachers are not involved in decision making as staff meetings are merely used as directive forums. There is poor housing and working conditions. Remuneration of teachers, giving chance to teachers to advance their careers, provision of teaching and learning materials and equipment to the teachers is sometimes not prioritized (Ogw’ori, 2012). These demotivate teachers hence affecting the performance of the learners in primary schools.

Mutiso (2005) found that teachers in rural areas are more negatively impacted because of the ongoing lack of basic amenities like libraries, banking services, housing, clean water, telephone services, and electricity. These teachers may find their jobs unpleasant, he adds, especially in comparison to their urban counterparts who have easier access to these facilities.

According to (Olando, 2003) teaching is a hard work and therefore makes recommendations for compensation in order to draw and maintain teachers. By doing this, educators will be less likely to flee for better opportunities elsewhere. Olando also emphasizes that favorable conditions are an important motivation necessary for improved performance. Therefore, it is important to create an environment that allows an individual to perform and achieve the intended outcomes. According to Okemwa (2003), because of the underdevelopment in their schools, teachers in rural areas face greater disadvantages than their urban counterparts. This is relevant to schools in Nyaribari Masaba constituency.

Theoretical Framework

The study was informed by the attribution and affective events theory, the attribution theory articulates various reasons for either failure or success. Success or failure could be due to either internal or external factors. Failure or success may happen due to environmental factors or because of internal issues believed by individuals (Weiner, 1986). This theory was useful to the study because it shade more light with regard to success or failure of students while in school. By looking at the elements that are ascribed to teachers’ motivation, the attribution theory was used to explain how teacher motivation affected academic achievement in Nyaribari Masaba Constituenty’s public primary schools.

METHODS

The study used quantitative research method. This study adopted an ex-post facto research design. This is a quasi-experimental design where the effect of given predictor variable (s) on the dependent variable is examined without altering the subjects being investigated. Data was collected from 245 primary schools who were selected from a randomly sampled set of primary schools (n=4, N=12) Nyaribari Masaba constituency, Kisii county in Kenya. The county was chosen because it has a high population of primary schools representing nearly all public primary schools operating in Kenya. A sample size of 245 primary schools was chosen from a population of 845 primary schools. The choice of using the research design was based on the fact that the study examined the influence of teacher professional development on academic performance in public primary schools in Nyaribari Masaba Constituency, Kisii County, Kenya without altering the respondents in the study. In line with this, the variable of teacher professional development on academic performance was central to this study was an event that had already occurred by the time the study was conducted.

RESULTS

Professional Qualification of Respondents

The study sought to determine the professional qualification of teachers at Nyaribari Masaba Constituency, Kisii County. Teachers qualification in the profession of teaching was measured as either being a P1 teacher, diploma, degree or master’s qualification. Results for this parameter are indicated in Table 1

Table 1: Professional Qualification of Teachers

From Table 4.1, it can be seen that a simple majority of  (44.4%) of the teachers were P1 teachers, 26.6% of the teachers had diploma qualification, 23.9% had bachelor’s degree level of professional qualification while 5.4% had master’s degree. This results shows that all the teachers had qualified professional qualification to teach pupils in primary schools.

Respondents Length of Service

This study sought to establish the length of service as determined by the number of years a respondent had been employed as a teacher. Accordingly, a respondent’s teaching experience was classified as less than five years, five to ten years, eleven to fifteen years, and more than fifteen years, as shown descriptively in Table 2.

Table 2 Length of Services of Teachers

Table 2 shows that the majority of teachers (53.6%) had less than five years of teaching experience, followed by those with five to ten years (24%), and those with more than fifteen years (17%). Just 10 teachers, or roughly 5% of the 210 teachers who responded, had 11–15 years of teaching experience. This finding revealed that majority of the teachers had adequate teaching experience towards improved classroom performance.

Duration of Service in Current School

The duration of service in the current school was set for the teachers, just like the length of service in teaching experience. Less than one year, one to five years, six to ten years, and more than ten years were the categories used to determine the number of years of service in the current school. In light of this factor, the data was examined and shown in Table 3.

Table 3: Length of Stay in Current School

As shown in Table 3, the majority of the teachers (75.5%) had been employed by the respective schools for one to five years, while roughly 20% had been there for one year or less. Just 5% of the teachers had been at the current school for more than ten years, and none of them had been there for six to ten years.

This study sought to establish the influence of teacher professional development on academic performance in public primary schools in Nyaribari Masaba Constiyuency, Kisii County;

Respondents were asked to answer four statements about the effect of teachers’ professional development on student’s academic perfomance. Responses to this variable were rated on a 5-point Likert scale, where 1 represented strongly disagree and 5 represented strongly agree. The results are shown in Table 4.

Table 4.7: Influence of Teachers Professional Development on Academic Performance

Notably, one-third of the teachers disagreed and strongly disagreed with the statement, while 55.5% agreed and strongly agreed that the school management provides support to allow them to take part in in-service courses, seminars, and workshops in respective subject area. majority of teachers (56%) concurred that school management provided chances and incentives for additional education, but 22% of participants strongly disagreed. Additionally, it was demonstrated that, as agreed upon by 56% of the participants, the school administration keeps teachers informed about curriculum changes more particularly Competence Based Curriculum (CBC). A vast majority of respondents (55%) agreed and strongly agreed that professional development helps teachers better serve students and consequently improvement of performance standards.

Looking at the mean values, all the statements concerning teachers’ professional development scored a mean of above 3. This means that majority of the respondents agreed with all statements. Therefore, the findings showed that teacher professional development had an influence on academic performance of pupils in public primary schools in Nyaribari Masaba Constituency, Kisii county, kenya.

The findings of this study are in tandem with a study  done by Sukru (2016) on the effects of teacher professional development activities on students’ academic performance in Turkey. The study findings revealed that professional training for teachers affected students’ performance because these teachers made better use of their learned skills and abilities towards student’s academic performance. The results also concurred with those of Oparanya, Kisiangani, and Okiya (2015), who studied the factors influencing the academic performance of standard eight girls in national examinations in public primary schools in Kenya’s Matungu Division. They discovered that professional development for teachers had an impact on the performance of the girls.

A correlation of 0.443 indicates a moderately positive relationship between teacher professional development and academic performance, according to the correlation analysis used to ascertain the relationship between these two variables in public primary schools.  Since the p-Value of 0.004 is below the acceptable significance level (α), it can be said that academic performance and teachers’ professional development are related.

DISCUSSION

The purpose of this study was to establish as to what extent does a teacher’s professional development influence academic performance in public primary schools in Nyaribari Masaba Constituency, Kisii County, Kenya. The study findings revealed that student academic performance was positively impacted by teacher professional development. The academic performance of students in public primary schools in Nyaribari Masaba Constituency was positively and significantly impacted by teacher professional development. The results also showed that teachers were given support and opportunities by the school management, which affected students’ academic achievement. This observation was made because majority (56%) of the participants agreed with the following statements: the employer provides opportunities and incentives for further education; the school administration keeps teachers informed about curriculum changes; professional development helps teachers serve students better and raises performance standards; and the employer provides assistance to enable them to participate in in-service courses, seminars, and workshops in their subject area.

CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS

According to the study’s findings, the academic performance of students in public primary schools in Nyaribari Masaba Constituency was positively impacted by teacher professional development. The academic achievement of students in public primary schools in Nyaribari Masaba Constituency, Kisii County, Kenya was positively and significantly impacted by teacher professional development.

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