Teachers’ Attitude as a Correlate of Students’ Academic Performance

International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS) | Volume III, Issue I, January 2019 | ISSN 2454–6186

Teachers’ Attitude as a Correlate of Students’ Academic Performance

Ekperi, Paul Madukwe^*1, Ude Onwuka², Wike Young Nyejirime³

¹Institute for Development Studies, University of Nigeria, Enugu Campus, Nigeria
²Center for Environmental Management & Control, University of Nigeria, Enugu Campus, Nigeria
³Department of Human Physiology, University of Nigeria, Enugu Campus, Nigeria
^*Corresponding Author

Abstract: – The classroom climate which is often times set by the teacher is determined by the teacher’s attitude. Attitude as a major determinant of a person’s behavior influences the way a teacher relates with the students and thus affects students’ academic performance. The study examined teacher’s attitude as a correlate of students’ academic performance in geography. Descriptive survey design was adopted and a sample size of four hundred selected from a population of nine hundred and sixty-eight using the Taro Yamane sample size formula. Two research questions and a research hypothesis were proposed in line with the study objectives. Average Mean Score was used to analyze responses for the research questions while Multiple Regression Analysis was used to test the research hypotheses. The findings show that attitude of teachers correlated positively and significantly with students’ academic performance. Poor government attitude to teachers, lack of job satisfaction, poor remuneration and delayed salary, students’ learning interest and absence of teaching materials/instructional aid were found to influence the attitude of teachers. The paper strongly recommends among others that salaries and remuneration of teachers should be paid as at when due; teachers should go beyond Instruction and focus on the interpersonal aspects of teaching; constant in-service training should be provided for teachers and also provision should be made for teachers to attend educational conferences both locally and internationally as this would help them grow on the job.

I. INTRODUCTION

According to Keith Harrell (1998), “attitude is everything”. It affects and influences a person’s behaviour which in turn affects performance. It often involves feelings, opinions and dispositions which affects behaviour. How successful a person is in achieving his or her set goals is a function of the person’s attitude. A teacher’s attitude to teaching will certainly affect his or her performance in the classroom. Attitude is about emotions and feelings, and effective teachers willingly share emotions and feelings (i.e., enthusiasm, affection, patience, sadness, disapproval) as well as a sincere interest and care about their students.

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