Evaluation of teachers’ effectiveness in art teaching in junior secondary schools of Enugu state, Nigeria

Abstract

This study was designed to evaluate teacher effectiveness in Art teaching in Junior Secondary Schools in Enugu State. Five research questions and three hypotheses were formulated to guide the study. A questionnaire (Standard Art Teachers’ Evaluation Model) was structured with 53 items addressing the research questions. The entire 126 Art teachers in Enugu State Junior Secondary Schools and their 77 supervisors in the positions of deans of studies, vice principals (academic) or principals responded to the same items on the questionnaires to balance the responses. The reliability of the instrument was established by the use of Cronbach Alpha reliability method. The reliability index of 0.84 for the first cluster (items 1-25), 0.76 for the second cluster (items 26-35), 0.67 for the third cluster (items 36-44), 0.66 for the fourth cluster (items 45-49) and 0.77 for the fifth cluster (items 50-53) were got. The overall cluster yielded an index of 0.745 indicating a high reliability and judging the instrument as consistent in measuring what it is intended for. The researcher and 5 trained research assistants distributed the instrument while Mean and Standard Deviation were used to analyze the data. The three hypotheses were analyzed using t-test statistics at 0.05 level of significance. The study revealed that (i) many of the Art teachers used in the study possess minimum qualifications (NCE). Of the entire one hundred and eighteen Art teachers in the study, sixty-eight of them possess NCE, while eighteen possess HND. Out of the eighteen that have HND, only seven have teaching qualifications and thirty-two have BA degrees in Fine and Applied Arts and possess teaching qualifications, (ii) these Art teachers possess the needed competencies for effective Art teaching, (iii) the teachers are competent in the improvisation of Art teaching materials, (iv) the teachers are competent in the application of Art teaching methods, (v) they also possess the needed evaluation competencies and (vi) the Art teachers often attend in-service activities. On the three hypotheses used, the findings show that (i) there is no significant difference in the mean ratings of specialist and non specialist Art teachers on competencies possessed, (ii) there is no significant difference in the mean ratings of urban and rural Art teachers on the improvisation of Art teaching materials, and that (iii) gender is not a significant factor in the mean ratings of male and female Art teachers on the application of teaching methodology competencies possessed for effective Art teaching. Based on the findings of this study, it is recommended that (i) efforts should be made by Enugu State Post Primary School Management Board to grant in-service training to Art teachers as a way of upgrading themselves. (ii) workshop, conferences and exhibitions should regularly organized for these Art teachers to enable them improve on their skills for effective Art teaching (iii) the frequency of supervision of Art teachers should be increased to make sure the teachers always utilize the necessary skills and increase their preparedness for effective Art teaching (iv) adequate provision of art materials for teachers’ demonstrations and students’ practice (v) more graduate Art teachers should be employed to spread Art teaching to more Junior Secondary Schools and (vi) government should encourage effective Art teaching through the provision of incentives for Art teachers.