AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHERS' QUALIFICATIONSAND SENIOR SECONDARY STUDENTS' ACHIEVEMENT IN COMPOSITION WRITING IN JOS NORTH LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA OF PLATEAU STATE, NIGERIA

Abstract

This study investigated the relationship between English Language teachers' qualifications and senior secondary students' performance in composition writing in Jos North Local Government area of Plateau State, Nigeria. Survey research design was adopted for the study.The population of the study consisted all the SS2 students in the 21 public schools in Jos North Local Government Area of Plateau State. These were 740 female students and 694 male students giving a total of 1434 SS2 students from which a sample of 105 students was selected using simple random sampling technique. The sample comprised 100 students and 5 teachers. Three research questions and two null hypotheses guided the study. Data were collected using a questionnaire tagged Questionnaire on Teachers' Qualification and Students' Achievement in Writing (QTQSAW).The data collected were analysed using simple percentage to answer the research questions and Pearson's Product Moment Correlation and ANOVA (Analysis of Variance)to test the null hypotheses at 0.05 level of significance. Findings revealed that students' performance in composition writing was generally poor. The results also revealed that there was a significant relationship between teachers' qualifications and the performance of SS2 students in writing, and that female students performed better in writing than male students. It was, therefore, recommended among others that teachers of English should patronise necessary material resources, such as textbooks, technology, and writing software, to support effective composition teaching and learning; Government should ensure that teachers hired to teach composition writing have the necessary qualifications, such as degree in English or a related field; and Federal and State Ministries of Education should offer regular professional development opportunities for teachers of English to improve their skills and knowledge in teaching composition writing.