TEACHERS’ CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT PRACTICES AS CORRELATE OF STUDENTS’ ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE IN PUBLIC SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN ANAMBRA STATE

Abstract

This study examined teachers’ classroom management practices as correlates of students’ academic achievement in public secondary schools in Anambra State. Three research questions and three null hypotheses guided the study. A correlational research design was adopted for the study, and the null hypotheses were tested at the 0.05 level of significance. The population of the study consisted of 21,667 SS2 students in 267 public secondary schools across the six education zones of Anambra State. Proportionate stratified and simple random sampling techniques were used to select a sample of 650 students from the study population. Two instruments developed by the researcher, namely the Teachers’ Classroom Management Practices Questionnaire (TCMPQ) and the Mathematics Test Questions (MTQ), were used for data collection. The face validity of the instruments was established by three experts, while construct validity was determined using the Principal Component Analysis approach. The Cronbach Alpha procedure was used to determine the reliability of the instruments, yielding an average reliability coefficient of 0.765, which indicated that the instruments were reliable for the study. The collected data were analyzed using the Pearson Product Moment Correlation Coefficient (PPMC). The findings revealed a significant relationship between teachers’ communication, discipline, and students’ academic achievement, whereas no significant relationship was found between motivation and students’ academic achievement. Based on the findings, it was recommended that teachers should employ effective communication skills in the classroom to enhance classroom management and learning outcomes. Classroom rules should be clearly stated and displayed at strategic locations in the classroom to promote discipline and effective teaching and learning. Principals should also organize periodic training programmes on effective classroom management practices for teachers. The results of this study have added to the existing body of knowledge by affirming the existence of a positive and significant relationship between teachers’ classroom management practices and students’ academic achievement in public secondary schools in Anambra State.