ABSTRACT
This study developed a causal model for the explanation of the achievement of students in physics based on eight selected teacher and student variables. A correlational survey research design was adopted for the study. The study was carried out in both Obollo-Afor and Nsukka Education zones of Enugu state. Five thousand nine hundred and thirty five (5935) senior secondary two (SS2) physics students for 2015/2016 and two hundred and sixty two (262) physics teachers in all the one hundred and nine (109) government owned senior secondary schools in Obollo-Afor and Nsukka Education Zones of Enugu State formed the target population for the study. A sample of six hundred and thirty (630) respondents comprising of five hundred and eight five (585) SSII physics students and forty five (45) physics teachers obtained through multi-stage sampling procedure was used for the study. The first stage involved the use of purposive sampling technique to select two education zones from the six education zones in Enugu State. The second stage involved the use of proportionate stratified random sampling technique to draw 20 schools from a population of 50 schools in Obollo-Afor Education zone and 25 schools from a population of 59 schools in Nsukka Education Zone. In each of the schools, one SS 3 physics teacher was purposively selected for the study. Finally, disproportionate stratified sampling technique was used to draw 13 physics students from each of the 45 senior secondary schools that were used for the study making a total of 585 physics students. Data were collected using Teacher Variable Questionnaire (TVQ), Students’ Attitude to Physics Inventory and Students score proforma (SAPI). The instruments were appropriately validated by two experts in measurement and evaluation, and one expert in physics education all from the department of Science Education University of Nigeria, Nsukka. Reliability indices of TVQ and SAPI were estimated to be 0.948 and .958 using Cronbach Alpha. Data collected were analysed using path analysis and multiple re gression analysis. The findings of the study showed that the most meaningful causal model for providing an explanation of the achievement of students in physics is the recursive model involving, family background of students, qualification of teachers, students’ attitude to physics, professional development and classroom practices. Besides, family background of students, qualification of teachers and students’ attitude to physics significantly influenced students’ achievement in physics. It was found also that there is no significant model fit between the empirically observed model and theoretical model proposed for the study. One of the implications of these findings is that if the family background of the students, qualification of teachers and students’ attitude to physics are not considered in designing an instruction for the physics students, their achievement in the subject may not be enhanced. Based on that, it was recommended among others that physics teachers should take into consideration the students’ attitudes and family background characteristics during teaching and learning process.
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
Background of the Study
Physics is a natural science that is based on experiments, measurements and mathematical analysis with the purpose of finding quantitative physical laws for everything within and outside the environment. According to Ojediran, Oludipe, and Ehindero (2014), physics is the study of matter and natural events, based mostly on empirical observations and quantitative measurements. Many technical or basic tools and equipment surrounding us work according to the laws of physics. There are several applications of the principles of physics such as in the fields of medicine, nursing, pharmacy, agriculture, engineering and related disciplines. Physics is a subject that requires the processes of science to understand the theoretical concepts and their applications in solving practical problems encountered in everyday life.
In Nigerian secondary schools, students study physics as a subject for three years, i.e. senior secondary school one to three as stipulated in the National Policy on Education (Federal Republic of Nigeria (FRN), 2013). According to Ojediran, Oludipe, and Ehindero (2014:1),
teachers at secondary school level are required to engage students in practical works involving conducting experiments, with the aims of developing their scientific knowledge and experimental skills, and at the same time arousing, sustaining interest and cultivating their attitude positively to physics and physics related phenomena.
The above quotation is in line with the curriculum designed for secondary school physics. The curriculum has it that the objectives of studying physics include, among others, to provide basic literacy in physics for functional living in the society and to acquire essential scientific skills and attitudes as a preparation for the technological application of physics. Thus, for national development in technology, basic concepts and principles of physics are indispensable.
Despite these laudable objectives of physics in secondary schools, students’ achievement in West African Senior School Certificate physics has been poor from 2005 to 2014 (Ojediran, Oludipe, & Ehindero, 2014). This fact was further buttressed by the trend in the students’ achievement in West African Senior School Certificate physics from 2005-2014 as shown in Table 1
Table 1: Trend of performance of student in physics in the West African School Certificate
Examination May/June 2005-2014
| YEAR | NO | %CREDIT | % FAIL |
| 2005 | 15970 | 5047(31.60%) | 68.40% |
| 2006 | 15947 | 6705(39.57%) | 60.43% |
| 2007 | 17308 | 4865(28.10%) | 71.90% |
| 2008 | 18239 | 5761(31.58%) | 68.42% |
| 2009 | 18546 | 4877(26.30%) | 73.70% |
| 2010 | 19440 | 5886(30.28%) | 69.72% |
| 2011 | 18770 | 5327(28.38%) | 71.62% |
| 2012 | 20182 | 7832(38.81%) | 61.19% |
| 2013 | 19860 | 7205(36.28%) | 63.72% |
| 2014 | 21680 | 6781(31.28%) | 68.72% |
Source: West African Examination’s Council, 2014.
Figure 1: graph of students’ performance in physics from 2005-2014
Table 1 shows that the percentage of failure in the WASSCE from 2005-2014 was higher than the percentage of credit pass. However, figure 1 shows that there has been an increase and decrease over the years as indicated in the percentage of credit pass and failure in physics. This depicts an ugly trend in the students’ achievement in secondary school physics. This situation cannot necessarily produce the ingredients for the actualization of the achievement of the objectives of teaching physics in secondary school.
Poor performance of students in physics WASSCE can be attributed to several factors including students’, teachers’, parents’ and environmental related factors. According to Agba, Ushie, Ushie, Bassey and Agba, (2009), government’s inability to effectively sponsor education and motivate teachers to enhance their productivity contributes to the poor performance of students in physics. Adodo (2005) argued that one factor for the success of students’ academic achievement in a given subject is the teacher. Thus, the ugly trend in the students’ achievement in WASSCE physics could also be attributed to teachers’ classroom variables such as teachers’ classroom practices, professional development and characteristics external to classroom practices. In the same vein, the National Centre for Education Standards (2000) found that teacher factor stands as a major pivot in students’ general achievement and physics in particular.
Literature shows that most researchers in physics education concentrate on the effect of teaching methods on the achievement of students in physics paying little attention to other variables such as teacher variables (Gbore, 2013). In line with that, Lee, Bryk, and Smith (1993) contended that school characteristics can have a greater influence on students’ learning outcomes than would be expected based upon students’ background. But while the research in support of this contention does find significant influence of school characteristics, the magnitude of these influences tend to be overshadowed by the influence of students’ background characteristics. Despite that studies have been carried out on the influence of teacher variables on students’
achievement in physics, few of such considered the teacher characteristics which literature had confirmed to have potential influence. Buttressing this, Gbore (2013) found that the interaction that occurs between teachers and students in the classroom is greater than the sum of its parts. Thus, students can leave the classroom with their knowledge and attitudes dramatically altered from what they were before they entered.
Hence, this study unlike other studies used quantitative method of multiple correlation to study the link between students’academic achievement and teacher classroom practices, as well as other aspects of teaching, such as the professional development teachers receive in support of their classroom practices and teacher background characteristics. Teachers’ classroom practices imply the ways in which teachers interact with students and the teaching strategies they use to accomplish specific teaching tasks. Goe (2007) defines teachers’ classroom practices as including practices both in and out of the classroom such as, planning, instructional delivery, classroom management, and interactions with students. This includes aligning instruction with assessment, communicating clear learning objectives and expectations for students’ achievement, providing intellectual challenge, allowing students to explain what they are actually learning, using formative assessment to understand what and the degree to which students are actually learning, offering learning experiences, subscribing to cohesive sets of best teaching practices.
Other aspects of classroom practices include; individualization, collaboration, and authentic assessment. Individualization involves that teachers instructing each student by drawing upon the knowledge and experience that the particular student already possess. Collaborative learning is a situation in which teachers allow students to work together in groups. Finally, authentic assessment is one that occurs as an artifact of learning activities. Authentic assessment can be accomplished, for instance, through individual and group projects that occur on an ongoing basis rather than at a single point in time (Graves & Sunstein,1992; McLaughlin & Talbert, 1993).
Qualitative research suggests that individualization, collaboration, and authentic assessment can produce qualitative improvements in the academic performance of all students, regardless of their backgrounds. Thus, there is a need to empirically determine whether classroom practices, in concert with other teacher characteristics, have an impact on student achievement in physics.
Teacher characteristic is comprised of teacher effectiveness and teachers’ pedagogical content knowledge. Teacher effectiveness refers to the teacher’s ability to produce student learning. Usually, gains in students’ test scores that can be attributed to the teacher are assumed to provide evidence of teachers’ effectiveness. For example, continuous assessment scores of students enable researchers to track students’ progress from year to year and to show that individual teachers are remarkably varied in their effectiveness (Sanders & Horn, 1994).
Another factor that determines teacher’s effectiveness is the pedagogical content knowledge. Pedagogical Content knowledge (PCK) is defined as the distinctive body of knowledge required for teaching. It represents the blending of content and pedagogy into an understanding of how particular topics, problems or issues are organised, represented and adapted to diverse interests and abilities of learners. Pedagogical content knowledge is the category most likely to distinguish the understanding of the subject matter from that of the method of instruction (Shulman, 1987). From the foregoing, these aspects of teachers’ characteristics determine to a large extent how classrooms can be managed.
According to Gbore (2013) classroom management is the term used by teachers to describe the process of ensuring that classroom lessons run smoothly despite disruptive behaviour by students. For effective teaching and learning to take place, it is important to recognize and arrange the classroom environment to suit the learners who can only learn when conditions that encourage learning are provided. Given the above situation, it beholds on the teacher to effectively control and manage the classroom in a way that gives room for effective learning to
take place. In most Nigerian schools, there are inadequate classrooms which may lead to poor classroom condition and therefore calls for proper management and control of the available classes to promote and ensure effective teaching and learning process.
According to Adodo (2005), the success of classroom teaching and learning interaction depends to a large extent on the teacher’s skills and abilities in classroom management. This implies that if the teacher is lacking in management of the classroom, control and order that enhance teaching and learning process are inhibited. Thus, the goals or objectives of quality education cannot be achieved in the school system without effective classroom management. Therefore, physics teachers must be responsible for ensuring effective management of the classroom so as to achieve sound climate or environment for effective teaching and learning of physics. Hence, classroom management is an essential ingredient in the school system without which it will be difficult to ensure peace and stability. Classroom management should be seen and used as a tool that could be meaningfully utilized to sharpen the quality of the output (students’ achievement) in teaching and learning. Further, it could be used as a factor in the process of quality education implementation. Teacher’s classroom practices and management can be improved through professional development.
Professional development is defined as activities that develop an individual’s skills, knowledge, expertise and other characteristics as a teacher. The definition recognises that development can be provided in many ways, ranging from the formal to the informal. It can be made available through external expertise in the form of courses, workshops or formal qualification programmes, through collaboration between schools or teachers across schools ( e.g. observational visits to other schools or teacher networks) or within the schools in which teachers work. Evidence in literature on the relationship between teachers’ participation in professional development activities and student outcomes are mixed. Some studies on in-service professional
development have found no relationship with student achievement (Jacob & Lefgren, 2004). Other studies have found higher levels of student achievement linked to teachers’ participation in professional development activities directly related to the area in which they are teaching (Brown, Smith, & Stein, 1995; Cohen & Hill, 1977; Wiley & Yoon, 1995; and Angrist & Lavy, 2001). Ogunwuyi (2000) found a positive correlation between professional development activities aimed at the needs of special education students, and students’ higher-order skills and laboratory skills in science. Yoon (2007) examined nine research studies that looked at the influence of teacher professional development on student achievement and found that the students of teachers who had, on average, 49 hours of professional development had greater achievement. The findings of these studies were limited only to the magnitude of the direct influence of professional development without due consideration of the magnitude of the indirect influence of it. In line with this, Goe and Stickler (2007: 57) found that the;
identification of teacher characteristics and practices that contribute most towards improving students’ achievement has often eluded researchers, even though the most effective means of improving school quality may be through addressing weak teaching and teacher quality.
Teacher quality in the context of this study includes teachers’ qualification, years of experience and area of specialization. According to Ibrahim (2000) teachers’ qualifications and exposure can go a long way to bring about students’ high academic achievement. Asikhia (2010) found that there is a perfect positive relationship between teachers’ qualification and students’ academic achievement in chemistry while Dahar (2011) observed there is no significant relationship between teacher quality and student academic achievement in school subjects. Some studies showed positive influence of advanced degrees on students’ achievement. For example, Betts, Zau, & Rice, (2003) found that there is a significant positive relationship between physics
teachers’ qualification and students’ achievement in physics. Similarly, Ferguson & Ladd, (1996) and Goldhaber & Brewer, (2000) found that qualification of teachers positively influenced students’ achievement in chemistry. On the contrary, Ehrenberg & Brewer, (1994) and Adodo (2005) showed that qualification of teachers negatively influenced students’ achievement in physics. Ademulegun (2001) argued that students taught by more qualified and experienced teachers perform better than those taught by less qualified but experienced teachers. The foregoing has shown that findings related to influence of teachers’ academic degrees (Bachelor, Masters, doctorate and others) on students’ achievement in physics are inconclusive. These contradictory findings necessitated this study which was aimed at determining the causal relationships among teachers’ qualification, experience and students’ achievement in physics using multiple correlation approach.
According to Mohamed, Mustafa, Lazim and Hamdan (2012), teachers’ experience and behaviours in the classroom contribute to the educational environment of the school, which in turn will have an impact on students’ achievement. There is a common assumption, with regard to the association among teacher experience and student achievement, that students who are taught by the most experienced teachers achieved higher levels. This is because such teachers had mastered the content and obtained classroom management skills to deal with different types of classroom problems. However, findings of the studies on the relationship between the teachers’ experience and student’s achievement are not consistent. For instance, Darling-Hammond (2000); Fetler (2001) and Chhinh and Tabata (2003) found a positive relationship between teachers’ experiences and students’ achievement while Ikechukwu (2009) found that there is no significant relationship between students’ achievement and their teachers’ years of teaching. Darling–Hammond (2000) found that teacher quality characteristics such as, certification status and degree in subject to be taught are very significant and positively correlated with subject outcomes in science and
mathematics. These findings were drawn based on the simple correlation analysis such as Pearson’s product moment correlation or simple linear regression. These correlational analyses are not capable of establishing both direct and indirect effects of the independent variables on the dependent variables. More so, the output of such analysis can only show the magnitude of the direction of a relationship among variables without indicating the strength of such relationship. In the light of these conflicting findings, there is need to empirically study the relationship between teachers’ experience and students’ achievement in physics using path analysis. Thus, this study adopted a multivariate analysis that is capable of establishing a causal model of the relationship of selected student and teacher variables on students’ achievement in physics.
Quantitative research shows that students’ achievement in physics can be influenced by both school variables and students’ background variables. According to Jacob and Lefgren, (2004) students’ background variables include; attitude of students, study habits, family background, emotional intelligence, self-efficacy, among others. Among these variables, students’ attitude and family background variables have been found to be influence students’ achievement in other science subjects like Chemistry and Biology (Francis, 2012 and Osuafor & Okonkwo, 2013). The present study equally looked at the influence of students’ attitude and background variables on their achievement in physics.
Attitude could be learnt or formed and acquired from members of the family, teacher and peer group. According to Gbore (2013), attitude as a factor could be viewed as the totality of an individual’s inclination towards an object, institution or idea. The learner acquires from the teacher’s disposition attitude towards learning which could positively or negatively affect his/her performance. Ali and Aigbomian (1990) and Adodo (2007) revealed that academic achievement may be dependent upon positive attitude of the teachers and the students in the teaching and learning processes. In line with that, Yara (2009) reported that students’ attitude towards science
has strong relationship with students science achievement as well as the students’ attitude towards science. Ogunwuyi (2000) showed that students’ attitude towards integrated science is a potent predictor of students’ academic achievement in physics and attitude towards physics learning. Adodo (2007) identified some factors that are related to students’ attitude in integrated science to include: teachers’ teaching method, teachers’ attitude, age, students’ cognitive style, interest of students and students’ family background among others.
The family background is seen as the attributes present in the family which contribute greatly to the academic performance of the students. Among these are: parents’ socio-economic status, parental educational background, exposure, parental relationship with each other, religion, sex differentiation, occupation etc. Socioeconomic status of the parents is determined by the level of income of the parents, educational status of the parents. It can be low, moderate or high. Osuafor and Okonkwo (2013) observed that children from low-income parents usually face the problem of competing with those from wealthy homes especially in schools. The socio-economic status of parents can determine their level of education which in turns influences the students’ achievement in school.
Osuafor and Okonkwo (2013) found a slight difference in the achievement scores of students belonging to parents with different levels of education. This slight difference may be due to the fact that the highly educated parents belong to the upper and middle classes and are therefore economically buoyant. Consequently, the highly educated parents can afford to provide all necessary textbooks, workbooks and arrange for extra tutorials for their children. In addition, these parents would normally send their children to the best schools where there are well-qualified teachers, well-equipped laboratories and libraries and other necessary things that facilitate success in science subjects (Emejulu, 2006). These school infrastructures according to Ikechukwu (2009) positively influence students’ academic achievement. However, Osuafor and Okonkwo (2013)
revealed that there was no significant influence of parents’ education levels on the achievement of students in science subjects. On the contrary, Nwachukwu (2002) revealed a significant relationship between the academic achievement of students and parents educational attainment.
Some studies have found no school influence at all, while other researches have found influences that are at best, modest. Specifically in terms of teaching, such research has found that most characteristics of teachers do not matter, and the few that do are not as important as student background. Yet such studies ignore qualitative work that suggests that certain classroom practices are highly conducive to student achievement. If this is the case, then classroom practices may indeed explain a substantial portion of the variance in student achievement. This study explored this possibility through the use of structural equation modelling (SEM).
According to Grace (2008), SEM is an alternative method for testing understanding of complex relationships. SEM is a collection of procedures that tests hypothesized relationships among observed variables. In SEM, complex interactions are first translated into a network of directional paths linking variables and are then evaluated against multivariate data. These paths postulate direct and indirect effects among variables as well as spurious associations between variables that may be attributed to common causes. Structural equation modelling (SEM) is a statistical approach that establishes causal relationships between variables. These variables are both endogenous (dependent) and exogenous (independent) variables. Structural equation modelling is a very general, very powerful multivariate analysis technique that includes specialized versions of a number of other analysis methods as special cases.
According to Bryne (1994) major applications of structural equation modelling include: causal modelling, or path analysis, confirmatory factor analysis, second order factor analysis, regression models, covariance structure models and correlation structure models. This approach of multivariate analysis is different from other simple analysis like analysis of variance (ANOVA)
and multiple regression analysis. These parametric statistics are not capable of establishing both direct and indirect effects of independent variables on students’ achievement in physics.
ANOVA has the potential for making causal inference, but lacks the capability to uncover much of the information about underlying process of response mechanisms (Bryne, 2001). However, ANOVA is useful for discovering underlying trends and for supplementing the process of model building and hypothesis formulation. Similarly, multiple regression cannot draw causal conclusions from a test (Grace, 2008). Regression models ignore the possibility that a predictor may indirectly influence response through other predictors. Thus, multiple regression allows us to predict but not to explain the causal relationship but structural equation modelling does both.
Bev, Martin, Jeff and Heather (2002) studied the relations among school environment variables and student achievement. The researchers employed structural equation modelling (SEM) to examine the relationships among school and teaching attributes and student achievement in reading, writing and mathematics as measured by the Washington Assessment of Student Learning (WASL). Their analyses showed a strong positive relationship between school attributes and learning outcomes. The analyses also showed that school environment and partnerships affect student achievement indirectly through constructivist teaching.
Another of such study was carried out by Ertuğrul (2003) on the factors affecting science achievement of eighth grade Turkish students based on the third international mathematics and science study. One of the largest relationships in the model was found between science achievement and socioeconomic status (SES) of students.
Minkee and Jinwoong (2010) carried out a confirmatory structural equation model of achievement in science estimated by dichotomous attitudes, interest, and conceptual understanding. The multiple-group SEM analysis in AMOS7 revealed that student’s intrinsic attitude to science stimulates their school achievement in both graders
Francis (2007) carried out a study that constructed and tested a model for providing a causal explanation of secondary school achievements in chemistry in terms of student variables – gender, study habit, mathematical ability and teacher’s variables – gender, age, qualification and years of experience. It was revealed that only four of the variables-teacher age, teacher gender, qualification and experience had direct causal effect on students’ achievement in chemistry. However, the study did not establish the strength of such direct causal effect on the students’achievement.
The foregoing showed that most of the studies on SEM were done outside Nigeria. Only few of SEM studies were found in Nigeria and those studies adopted multiple regression analysis rather than path analysis. Besides, most of such studies were centred either on few teacher variables or student variables. The works done outside Nigeria are similar to the present study for the fact that the studies examined the influence of teacher variables on students’ achievement which is one of the aims of the present study. However, none of those studies was done in physics rather most of them centred on mathematics and science generally. The present study studied the influence of both teacher and student variables on the achievement of students in senior secondary school physics in Obollo-Afor and Nsukka Education Zones of Enugu State using path analysis. People of these education zones are of different occupations. While some are civil servants, some are either farmers or business men and women. Besides, most of the schools in these zones are located in the rural areas where most of the teachers may combine business and their teaching jobs. This must have accounted for the poor performance of students in physics in the study area. Thus, the zones were chosen by the researcher for the fact that the students’ achievement in physics in the schools within the zones has been poor.
Statement of the Problem
In spite of the relevance of physics to the development of science and technology, the achievement of students in the subject has been persistently poor from 2005 to 2014 with a greater percentage scoring below credit pass. Researchers have made concerted efforts towards finding solutions to the causes of students’ poor achievement in the subject but students’ achievement in the subject continues to be poor yearly as indicated in the background. Literature showed that most of the researchers concentrated on pedagogical approaches used by physics teachers giving little attention to other variables such as the school and home variables.
Although studies have equally being carried out on the influence of teachers’ variables on the achievement of students in physics, most of these studies were done based on simple correlation or multiple linear regression. These approaches are not capable of determining both direct and indirect effects of the independent variables on the students’ achievement in physics.
Also, qualitative research has noted that the interaction that occurs between teachers and students in the classroom is greater than the sum of its parts. Students can leave the classroom with their knowledge and attitudes dramatically altered from what they were before they entered. Most quantitative research neglects this dimension of schooling by treating them as variables not worthy of study. Often teaching is not studied at all, and when it is, only the characteristics of teachers that are easily measured but far removed from the classroom (such as their level of educational attainment) are included.
Thus, the problem of this study put in question form is; what is the causal model of the influence of selected teacher and student variables on students’ achievement in Physics using Path analysis?
Purpose of the Study
The main purpose of this study was to develop a causal model for the influence of selected teacher and student variables on students’ achievement in Physics using Path analysis. Specifically, the study;
1. developed the causal model for providing an explanation of the achievement of students in physics based on the selected teacher and student variables.
2. determined the influences of the parameter estimates of the decomposed variables on the achievement of students in physics.
3. determined the composite influence of the exogenous variables in the model on the students’ achievement in physics.
4. determined the directions and estimates of the strengths of causation (path coefficients) of the variables in the model.
5. determined the direct and indirect influences of the variables on the students’ achievement in physics.
6. determined the proportion (%) of the total influence that is direct and indirect.
Significance of the Study
The findings of this study had both theoretical and practical significances. Theoretically, the results of this study strengthened the regularity theory of causation by David Hume and counterfactual theory of causation by David Lewis. The basic tenet of regularity theory of causation is the establishment of cause and effect relationship between observable events or variables. However, counterfactual theory of causation seeks to establish cause and effect relationship between both observable and unobservable variables. Specifically, these theories
postulate that there is a causal relationship between observable variables and unobservable variables. Observable variables in this study include; teacher classroom practices, pedagogical content knowledge, teacher characteristics and students’ family background. The unobservable variable is the students’ attitude to physics. The results of this study show that students’ achievement in physics is influenced by observables such as those mentioned above thereby strengthening the tenets of the regularity theory of causation. The findings also validated the counterfactual theory of causation by establishing a causal relationship between family background of students which is an observed variable and students’ attitude to physics which is unobserved variable.
The findings of the study revealed the following; directions and estimates of the strengths of causation (path coefficients) of the variables in the model; direct and indirect influences of the variables on the students’ achievement in Physics; and proportion (%) of the total influence that is direct and indirect. Practically, the following groups of people would benefit from the findings of the study; teachers, school administrators, students, policy makers and future researchers.
For the teachers, this study is timely in the light of recent concern about teacher quality and its influence on students’ academic achievement. Many of these concerns draw attention to such issues as the professional training teachers receive and the qualifications of teachers who teach a specific subject such as physics. The causal model of the relationships between selected teacher variables and students’ achievement would be beneficial to the teachers. Since the findings of this study had established the magnitude of the influence of teacher certification, pedagogical content knowledge and subject knowledge on students’ achievement, the teachers would stand to benefit. The teachers would know from the outcome of the study the direction of the influence of their inputs and processes on the students’ achievement in physics. Such would
help the teachers to be better prepared for their work in order to have quality output (students’
achievement).
The school administrators would know from the findings of the study the current status of teachers’ professional development, pedagogical content knowledge and qualifications in their main teaching assignment field as well as in each subject field they teach. This is for the fact that the results of the study gave a clear picture of the magnitude of the influence of each of those variables on the students’ achievement in physics. The results also can help keep track of trends in teacher preparation. For example, policymakers can compare the findings of this study with previous studies and subsequent studies regarding teachers’ professional development, pedagogical content knowledge, and qualifications. This would help the policymakers to monitor or regulate future teacher preparation programmes.
This study departs from the more traditional teacher quality studies that focus on describing each indicator of teacher quality separately. This study combined the indicators of teachers’ qualifications, their majors in the subjects taught, professional development, pedagogical skills, curriculum knowledge and their influence on students’ achievement in physics. By so doing, the finding of the study would contribute to the existing knowledge of teacher quality, but it would provide a new dimension to the understanding of influence of teacher quality and inputs on students’ achievement. This would be beneficial to the students for they would be better prepared by their teachers who through the findings of this study will update their classroom practices for external examinations. The students would benefit from the findings of the study by understanding that their attitudes and family background influence their achievement in physics. Such findings would enable the students develop the right attitude to the study of physics.
Researchers would understand from the findings of this study the connection between the content knowledge and pedagogical content knowledge of physics and how professional development can influence growth in both of these types of knowledge. In addition, the findings of this study would shed light on the influence of professional development and pedagogical content knowledge of physics teachers on students’ achievement in physics.
Scope of the Study
This study was delimited to the influence of teacher and student variables such as, teacher quality (qualification, years of experience), classroom practices and management, pedagogical content knowledge, professional development, students’ attitude and family background on students’ achievement in physics. Relevant data for the study were collected from secondary schools in both Obollo Afor and Nsukka Education Zones of Enugu State. Physics teachers in secondary schools in the said zones participated in the study. Senior secondary three (SS 3) students were used for the study. SS 3 students are chosen for the fact that they must have acquired good knowledge of physics at that level as they are getting ready for external examination. Students’ achievement was measured based on their general knowledge of physics at SS 3. The study concentrated on the development of the best model for the variables; the direction and magnitude of the influence of the variables; the variables that have direct and those that have indirect influence and the proportion of the total influence that is direct and indirect.
Research Questions
The following research questions guided the study;
1. What is the causal model for providing an explanation of the achievement of students in physics based on the selected teacher and student variables?
2. What are the influences of the parameter estimates of the decomposed variables on the achievement of students in physics?
3. What is the composite influence of the exogenous variables in the model on the students’
achievement in physics?
4. What are the directions and estimates of the strengths of causation (path coefficients) of the variables in the model?
5. What are the direct and indirect influences of the variables on the students’ achievement in physics?
6. What proportion (%) of the total influence is direct and indirect?
Hypotheses
The following hypotheses which were formulated and tested at .05 level of significance guided the study.
Hypothesis One: There is no significant model fit between the empirically observed data and theoretical model proposed for the study
Hypothesis Two: There is no significant influence of the parameter estimates of the decomposed variables on the achievement of students in physics.
Hypothesis Three: There is no significant influence of the parameter estimate of the composite variables on the achievement of students in physics
This material content is developed to serve as a GUIDE for students to conduct academic research
PATH ANALYSIS OF THE INFLUENCE OF TEACHER AND STUDENT VARIABLES ON SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS’ ACHIEVEMENT IN PHYSICS
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