GASPRO International Journal of Eminent Scholars

ABSTRACT

The study was to assess the “influence of teachers‟ on-the-job training and pre-service training on teacher effectiveness in public secondary schools in Abia State Nigeria,” the study adopted a descriptive design with a total population of 3,970 teachers and principals in the selected public secondary schools in Abia State. A sample size of 769 respondents consisting of 746 teachers and 23 principals drawn from 23 public secondary schools were selected through multi stage sampling. The figure 769 represents 20% of the population. The researchers‟ self-developed instrument titled „‟Teachers‟ On-the-Job-Training, Pre-Service Training and Teachers‟ Effectiveness Questionnaire‟‟ (TOJTPSTTEQ) was used for data collection. The instrument was validity by two experts from the Department of Education Management and one expert from Department of Science Education. The reliability of the instrument was determined using Cronbach alpha coefficient which yielded a reliability index of 0.82. The data collected for the study were computed using descriptive statistics such as mean scores and standard deviation to answer the research while t-test was used as a statistical tool to test the stated null hypotheses at 0.05 level of significance. The result of the findings indicates On-the-job training programmes influence teachers‟ effectiveness to high extent and Pre-service professional development programmes influence teacher effectiveness to a high extent. The researchers‟ thus recommends that Government as well as her agencies and school proprietors should organize regular conferences, seminars and workshops to all the teachers in each session; irrespective of the class and subject each teacher teaches to ensure teacher‟s instructional effectiveness. Fees charged for sandwich and other part-time programmes for in-service teachers should be very low to enable more teachers with low teaching qualifications, acquire higher teaching certificates for effective instructional delivery.

KEYWORDS: Job, pre-service, training, teachers’, public secondary schools, Abia State