BACKGROUND OF STUDY
The capacity of the principal to favorably influence teachers, students, and other members of society in the achievement of educational goals is a core necessity for efficient school management. The ability to transform educational policies into programs and activities in the school is also part of the duty of the school management (also known as the principal in Nigeria's secondary school system) (Brown, 2000). The school's aptitude and capability to influence intended educational goals determines whether it succeeds or fails. As a result, his responsibility as the school's executive head is huge, posing several problems in terms of managing not just instructional programs but also instructors and students in order to effect good change. In terms of the principal's specific responsibilities, (Ocho, 2010) stated that the principal's work is "huge and convoluted, requiring a great deal of time, energy, devotion, and sacrifice." He went on to list some of the principal's responsibilities, including overseeing instructional programs, staff and student personnel administration, financial and physical resource management, and school-community connection management. In summation, the principal is seen as a tone-setter, a model, and, above all, a leader whose actions, to a considerable extent, define the school's success (Aja-Okorie, 2010). The academic success of students may also be used to evaluate a competent secondary school administrator.
Academic performance refers to the rate at which students in a school system fulfill their educational goals (Owan, 2012). As a result, academic performance may be viewed as a measure of how well students are meeting educational goals and objectives. According to Erum and Zahoor (2011), researchers have been interested in students' academic performance and graduation rates, and the examination of elements connected to secondary students' academic success has been a hot issue. This might be because the school was founded for the students, and their performance can be used to assess the efficacy of the entire school system.
Secondary school pupils' academic performance appears to be low, declining, or unstable throughout the Calabar Education zone. Many students are having academic difficulties, as evidenced by their low performance in classroom or external assessments. This has alarmed parents, teachers, and policymakers, who have questioned the efficiency of the secondary school system not just in the zone, but also throughout Cross River State and Nigeria as a whole. In the past, poor academic performance among secondary school students was attributed to a lack of infrastructure, insufficient parental participation, and students' study habits, among other factors. However, with recent government, non-governmental organizations, and other interested parties improvements in the raising and supply of buildings and other infrastructures, as well as improved parental involvement in their children's education, one can expect to see a corresponding improvement in secondary school students' academic performance. When this is not clearly achieved, it suggests that there are additional issues inside or beyond the school system that are leading to poor academic achievement (Uche, 2020). In this regard, the researcher believes that school administration issues are linked to secondary school pupils' academic performance. School management issues relate to roadblocks that obstruct the proper design, control, and smooth operation of a school system in order to meet predefined goals. The bad administration of schools in Nigeria is due to a variety of issues. Leadership styles, communication patterns, teacher behavior, infrastructure provision, teacher adequacy, external oversight, and community interference are all examples (Uche, 2020). However, the focus of this research was on examining school management issues and their impact on secondary school students' academic performance.
1.2 STATEMENT OF PROBLEM
Increased academic performance of students in the secondary school system is required to meet the aims of secondary education in Nigeria. In an ideal circumstance, all parties involved would work together to improve kids' academic achievement. The government is responsible for providing the necessary supplies, infrastructure, incentives, and other services to encourage students to excel academically. The school administrators were required to apply their knowledge and professionalism to create a positive learning environment for teachers and students in order to increase teacher effectiveness and raise student academic achievement. Unfortunately, the quality of pupils' academic achievement has been a source of heated discussion, particularly in the Calabar Education Zone of Cross River State. Many students in the neighborhood appear to be struggling intellectually, as seen by their results on internal and external exams. Aside from low academic achievement, many secondary school students in the Calabar Education Zone are unable to read or write. As a result, in order to pass their exams, they indulge in major test malpractices. This tendency has not only impacted secondary schools, but it has also had a significant impact on the quality of graduates generated at the postsecondary level. The government has attempted to deploy quality supervisors to schools for routine inspections and reviews. They've increased their consistency in paying teachers' wages, building more infrastructure, and even supplying schools with supplies, among other things. Many parents are now actively involved in their children's education by paying fees on time, supervising their children at home, and ensuring that students are not at home during school hours. All of these new measures were absent in the past, yet despite the government's, teachers', and parents' attempts to enhance kids' academic performance, there has been no discernible change in secondary school students' performance within the education zone. These ongoing concerns have led the researcher to ask if issues with school administration, including as disciplinary control, classroom management, and teacher motivation, are contributing to secondary school students' academic performance in Calabar education. The study's key topic is how school administration issues, such as disciplinary control, classroom management, and teacher motivation, impact secondary school students' academic performance. The study was required in order to explore and offer an answer to this topic.
1.3 OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY
The general purpose of this study was to investigate problems of school management and secondary school students’ academic performance. The specific objectives include;
1. Identify school factors which affect students' academic performance in the study area.
2. Investigate the extent to which those factors affect secondary students’ academic performance in Calabar.
3. Examine the impact of disciplinary control, classroom management, and teacher motivation on the academic performance of secondary students.
1.4 RESEARCH QUESTIONS
The following questions were developed to guide this study.
1. What are the school factors which affect students' academic performance in Calabar?
2. To what extent do those factors affect secondary students’ academic performance in Calabar?
3. Does disciplinary control, classroom management, and teachers’ motivation influence secondary students’ academic performance?
1.5 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY
The following are the significance of this study:
1. The outcome of this study will educate the general public and the government on the quality of management of secondary schools in Nigeria with a view of identifying the shortfalls and preferring solutions to them.
2. This research will be a contribution to the body of literature in the area of the effect of personality traits on students’ academic performance, thereby constituting the empirical literature for future research in the subject area.
1.6 SCOPE OF THE STUDY
This study is limited and channeled to the identification of school factors which affect students' academic performance in the study area, investigation into the extent to which those factors affect secondary students’ academic performance in Calabar and assess the influence of disciplinary control, classroom management, and teachers’ motivation on secondary students’ academic performance. Upon this background, this study is therefore delimited to Calabar, Cross Rivers State.
1.7LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY
Financial constraint-Insufficient funds tend to impede the efficiency of the researcher in sourcing the relevant materials, literature or information and in the process of data collection (internet, questionnaire and interview).
Time constraint-The researcher will simultaneously engage in this study with other academic work. This consequently will cut down on the time devoted to research work..
1.8 DEFINITIONS OF TERMS
School Management: School management is a process of leading the school towards development through not only the optimum use of the human resources, physical sources, principles and concepts that help in achieving all the objectives of the school but also the proper coordination and adjustment among all of them.
Academic performance: Academic performance is the measurement of student achievement across various academic subjects. Teachers and education officials typically measure achievement using classroom performance, graduation rates and results from standardized tests
Secondary School: Secondary school is an educational institution where the second stage of the three schooling periods, known as secondary education and usually compulsory up to a specified age takes place. It follows elementary or primary education, and is sometimes followed by university education.
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