ABSTRACTS

This study investigates teachers competence and students academic performance in Accounting. A case study of Obafemi Owode Local Government Area of Ogun State. The study examined whether teachers’ competences, teachers qualification and so on contribute to the academic performance of students in Financial Accounting. In views of these, four research questions were formulated. This study was a description research survey type.130 students and 20 Accounting teachers were selected for the study using simple random sampling. A well-structured questionnaire was used for data collection and the data were analyzed using simple percentage and mean. The study revealed that among others that teachers competence and teacher qualification, working experience influence students academic performance in financial accounting in the sample local government.  The study therefore recommended that, teachers’ with high qualification, good experience of teaching and qualify attitude should be recruited and allowed to teach financial accounting in secondary schools. There should be room and opportunities for teachers to attend seminars, conference and workshop on proper ways of utilizing teaching instructional facilities in order to foster learning and good performance among Financial Accounting  students.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Title page                                                                                                    i

Certification                                                                                                ii

Dedication                                                                                                  iii

Acknowledgement                                                                                      iv

Abstract                                                                                                      vi

Table of contents                                                                                       vii

CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION

Background of the study

Statement of the problem

Purpose of the study

Research Questions

Significances of the study

Delimitation of the study

CHAPTER TWO: LITRATURE REVIEW

Conceptual Framework

Teachers competence and students’ performance

Leadership Style of Teachers and Students Performance

Teacher Students Relationship and Students’ Academic Performance

Causes of Poor Academic Performance of Students

Teachers’ Qualification and Students’ Academic Performance in Secondary Schools

Teaching Experience and Students’ Academic Performance in Secondary School

Relationship between Teachers’ Characteristics and Performance in Financial Accounting

CHAPTER THREE: METHODOLOGY

Research Design

Population of the study                                                                             34

Sampling and sampling techniques

Research Instrument

Validation and Reliability of the Instrument

Administration of the Instrument

Data analysis Techniques

CHAPTER FOUR

Result and Discussion

 CHAPTER FIVE

Discussion of Result, Summary, Conclusion, and Recommendation

Discussion of findings

Summary

Conclusion

Recommendations

References

Appendix Questionnaire

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

Background to the Study

Competence is the ability of an individual to do a job properly. A competency is a set of defined behaviors that provide a structured guide enabling the identification, evaluation and development of the behaviors in individual employees. The term “competence” first appeared in an article authored by  White in 1959 as a concept for performance motivation.  Some scholars see “competence” as a combination of practical and theoretical knowledge, cognitive skills, behavior and values used to improve performance; or as the state or quality of being adequately or well qualified, having the ability to perform a specific role. For instance, life, management competency might include systems thinking and emotional intelligence, and skills in influence and negotiation. Online Wikipedia  (2015). Competency is also used as a more general description of the requirements of human beings in organizations and communities.

Competency is sometimes thought of as being shown in action in a situation and context that might be different the next time a person has to act. In emergencies, competent people may react to a situation following behaviors they have previously found to succeed. To be competent a person would need to be able to interpret the situation in the context and to have a repertoire of possible actions to take and have trained in the possible actions in the repertoire, if this is relevant. Regardless of training, competency would grow through experience and the extent of an individual to learn and adapt.

The issue of this poor academic performance of students in Nigeria has been of much concern to all and sundry. The quality of education depends on the teachers as reflected in the performance of their duties.

            The word competence is taken by two common meanings, first is the ability to do a task. The narrow conception of competency standards is lists of particular, discrete vocation task of a teacher.

But according to the integrated conception, competence is conceptualized in terms of knowledge, abilities skills and attitudes display in the context of a carefully chosen set of realistic professional tasks. With the passage of time changes in every field of life are seen due to technology usage so teaching and learning process also has been changing and needs to benefits the inventions. A teacher’s competency in 21^st century according to UNESCO (2008) is that a competent teacher should have firm knowledge of the curriculum of his/her subjects and to use technology into the curriculum. Formal system of education depends on three components that are curriculum, students and teacher.

Teacher’s role is to impact education and education builds societies. An individual is units of a society. Individual makes society and societies make nations. That nation is taken as to be civilized that has some rules and regulations to pass a peaceful life. These are called traditional values and cultures, a set of values. Every society has an established set of values called virtues and vices that takes conscious measures at various level to promote the virtues and eliminate the vices. These sets of values transfer from generation to generation by education either informal or formal education. Education is impartially and acquisition of knowledge and getting awareness. So, it is the only education that gives awareness about the traditions and these rules to pass life in the society and doubt these value changes with the passage of time. Education develops the personality and character. It is the development of all these capabilities in the individual which enable a person to control its environment and fulfill ones possibilities. According to Curzon (2003) education is a human activity has largely on the related process: known as learning and teaching process. It nurture of human personality.

            But Wrag (2004) views about education that it partly rectifies what a learner already knows and for these skills are needed. It is a work of harmony. Learners are ignorant how and what to learn but a proficient and skilled teacher can guide them. Education rectifies any unfairness and for this a teacher needs competency in its profession. Rectification can only be done if the teacher has passion and profession. Because education is teaching learning process whereas teacher is teaching and a learner is learning in a formal system of education. So, with respect to learning and teaching a teacher’s role is central based.

The quality of education depends upon the provision of education that education depends upon the provision of education that is being provided by two sources that are teacher and curriculum. In formal system of education a students has to depends on teacher who transmits, interpret, and facilities subject matters knowledge. Education of the highest quality requires teachers of the highest quality and highly skilled and professional teaching can do this. Teacher prepare citizens for future, citizens  make a nation and high level of knowledge, competencies and skills are the very basic conditions for active citizenship, employment and several conversion. These builds one’s future on professional and personal level and high-quality education is essential for this purpose. But different subject need different techniques, skills for effectives teaching and learning process and its outcome. All these (sujathamalinia, 2007) techniques, abilities and skills combine and make a teacher competent. The reliability of a work depends upon its competency and competency depends on consistency of the work. A teacher needs different kind of skills in different competencies in the subject. Goals are fixed that teacher and learners have to achieve in that subject so is the case in English subject.

Overtime students’ academic performance in both external and internal examinations had been used to determine excellence in teacher teaching (Ajao, 2001). Teachers have been shown to have an important influence on students’ academic achievements and they also play crucial role in educational attainment because the teacher is ultimately responsible for translating policy into action and principles based on practices during interaction with the student ( Afe, 2001). Both teachers and learners depends on teachers, no wonder  an effective teacher has been conceptualized as one of  who produce desired result in the course of his duty as a teacher (Uchefona, 2001). Many studies have revealed that students academics achievements is enhanced where the teachers possess adequate knowledge of the subject matter and a good command of pedagogical skill have a strong positive effect on students’ academic achievement in regular classroom teaching (Olarewaju, 1995, Lockhead, & Verspoor 1991).

Owolabi (2003) described a teacher as an instructor responsible to teach, direct control, interpret and instruct the learner for better attainment. Records have shown that student’s performance in senior secondary certificate of education (SSCE) is quits, below average (Ikoh, 2007). This performance is blamed on teachers (Ashibi2005) and government inability to effectively sponsor education and motivate teachers to enhance their productivity (Agba eta , 2009). The mixed feelings about the cause of poor academic performance of student in secondary school, especially in financial accounting at SSCE make this research more imperative even as it focuses on the competency level of the financial accounting teachers.

Statement of the Problem

It has been observed recently that most student in the senior secondary schools in Obafemi-Owode Local Government Area of Ogun State, out of the few many students often record poor performance especially in financial accounting SSCE.

For instance in Orile-Igbore grammar school, Ajura, one of the schools selected for this study eighteen (18) students were presented for 2015 West Africa senior school certificate examination for financial accounting , unfortunately all the eighteen students failed.

Also in Egba-owode grammar school, Owode-egba, forty seven (47) candidates were presented for WASSCE 2015 for financial accounting. Out of this forty seven student, twenty five of them failed while the remaining twenty two of them passed had ordinary passes. The situation was worse for the same school. WASSCE result for the ears (2014) where out of fifty five candidates that were registered for financial accounting 52 of them failed while the remaining three had the result withhold. Equally, in another school selected for this study, Sapade Grammar school , Sapade nine (9) candidate were presented for WASSCE, apart from the student who was absent from the examination, the remaining eight (8)  failed. The situation was not different in 2014 where out of eighteen candidates presented for the same examination, ten failed, while four had ordinary passes, two credit passes and the remaining two students either had their result withheld or canceled.

            The above record had shown that student performance in senior secondary certificate examination (SSCE) is quite below average. One may inquire whether the incompetence of teachers could be responsible for the observed poor performance of student particularly in financial accounting, and the widely acclaimed fallen standard of education in Obefemi-owode Local Government Area of Ogun state Nigeria.

Purpose of The Study

            The study sets out clearly to investigate teacher competence and students academic performance in financial accounting, a case study of Obafemi Owode Local government area of Ogun State.

Also the specific objective is;

1. To determine teacher competencies on student academic performance
2. To determine the impact of working experience on teaching and learning of financial accounting
3. To determine the attitude of teacher towards teaching and learning of  financial accounting.
4. To investigate the impact of teachers method of teaching on students academic performance in financial accounting