Global Journal of Education and Allied Research | ISSN: 2837-3707 Volume. 6, Number 8; August - 2021 https://zapjournals.com/Journals/index.php/gjear Pg | 33 ASSESSMENT OF WORK BEHAVIOUR OF TEACHERS UNDER THE ADMINISTRATION OF FEMALE HEAD TEACHERS IN PRIMARY SCHOOLS IN ENUGU STATE Rev.Fr. Barr Onubuleze Franklin kelechi (Ph.D) and Onyia Basil C. Ph.D. Department of Educational Management, Faculty of Education, Enugu State University of Science and Technology (ESUT) Enugu, Nigeria Keywords: Primary School, Teacher Work Behaviour, Female Head Teachers, Administration, Decision making, Discipline ABSTRACT The study assessed work behaviour of teachers under the administration of female head teachers in primary schools in Enugu State. Two research questions guided the study while two null hypotheses were tested at 0.05 level of significance. A descriptive survey research design was adopted for this study. The population for the study was 160 respondents which comprised 36 female head teachers and 124 teachers. The researcher did not sample the population because it is manageable. The instrument for data collection was a researcher-developed questionnaire titled “Work Behaviour of Teachers under the Administration of Female Head Teachers’ Questionnaire (WBTAFHTQ)”. The questionnaire was validated by three research experts. The reliability of the instrument was determined using Cronbach Alpha in which .79 was gotten for cluster A and .10 for cluster B with an overall reliability index of .80 which made the instrument highly reliable. Mean and standard deviation were used for answering the research questions. t-test statistic was used for testing the hypotheses at .05 level of significance. The findings of the study revealed among others that teachers are involved in the decision-making process under the administration of female head teachers in primary schools in Enugu State. Based on the findings of the study, the researcher recommended among others that workshops and seminars should be organized by the Ministry of Education for the female head teachers in order to avail them other critical areas in which teachers can be involved in decision making process. Introduction Education is the key instrument for human capital development as well as the basic tool for national development. It is the key upon which all aspects of national life rest. No nation can develop more than the quality of education it can provide (Federal Republic of Nigeria (FRN), 2013). Aguba in Agugu and Bua (2019), defined https://zapjournals.com/Journals/index.php/gjear Global Journal of Education and Allied Research | ISSN: 2837-3707 Volume. 6, Number 8; August - 2021 https://zapjournals.com/Journals/index.php/gjear Pg | 34 education as a virtue and the purpose of education is morality and usefulness to one’s society. Whether it is traditional or western education, the purpose is the same; to equip the individual to progressively control his own affairs positively and contribute to societal development (Agugu and Bua, 2019). Education is seen as an instrument for achieving socioeconomic and technological growth and development of any nation. It is said to be the most important weapon to produce a total person with the appropriate skills, knowledge, attitude and values required to live a fulfilled life (Arogundade and Belo, 2019). Education at the primary school level which is the focus of this study is the education given to children aged 6-12 years (FRN, 2013). Primary education provides learning and educational activities typically designed to provide students with fundamental skills in reading, writing and mathematics (i.e. literacy and numeracy) and establish a solid foundation for learning and understanding core areas of knowledge (Eze, 2016). The Federal Republic of Nigeria in her national Policy on Education stated the objectives of primary education to include: a. Inculcate permanent literary, numeracy and the ability to communicate effectively; b. Lay a sound basis for scientific, critical and reflective thinking; c. Promote patriotism, fairness, understanding and national unity; d. Instill social, moral norms and values in the child; e. Develop in the child the ability to adapt to the changing environment; and f. Provide opportunities for the child to develop life manipulative skills that will enable the child function effectively in the society within the limits of the child’s capability. In pursuance of the above goals, FRN (2013) posed that primary education shall be tuition free, universal and compulsory. However, the primary education in Nigeria is riddled with crises of various dimensions and magnitude such as indiscipline among the teachers, lateness to school by some teachers, not adhering to school rules and regulations (Omoregie, 2015). The above mentioned challenges facing the primary education have affected the quality of instructional delivery and pupils’ academic performance (Ajayi, 2015). Ajayi (2015), further stated that these problems could be attributed to several factors including work behaviour of the teachers. The teachers are in charge of making sure that quality instruction is delivered to the students. Teachers are those who take care of the educational needs of children in general classrooms, and provide instruction to the children in the schools (Okeke in Oluka, 2014). Teachers are the most fundamental and crucial resources in education system at any level, this is because the strength of an educational system largely depends upon the quality and quantity of its teachers (Agboola and Offong, 2018). Oyetunde (2012), stated that a teacher is a person who has undergone approved professional training in education at appropriate level capable of imparting knowledge, attitudes and skills to the learners. All these are geared towards achieving the stated objectives of the school, and primary education in general. The work of the teacher is of course very vital for the success of any educational enterprise. Idowu (2017), opined that apart from the https://zapjournals.com/Journals/index.php/gjear Global Journal of Education and Allied Research | ISSN: 2837-3707 Volume. 6, Number 8; August - 2021 https://zapjournals.com/Journals/index.php/gjear Pg | 35 learner, the teacher remains the most important single factor in any educational system. Teachers are in charge of making sure that quality instruction is delivered to the students, hence the need for effective administration of primary education. Administration is a social process concerned with identifying, maintaining, motivating, controlling and unifying formally and informally organized human and material resources within an integrate system designed specifically to achieve predetermined objectives. Administration is generally defined as the process of working with and through others to efficiently accomplish organizational goals (Aguba in Okenwa and Igbo, 2013). According to Unachukwu (2014), administration is the process of mobilizing all factor resources for the achievement of pre-determined goals and objectives of education. School administration according to Ukpong (2016), is the ability of teachers to utilize the scarce factor resources to influence students positively towards learning. In addition, school administration involves managing, administering the curriculum and teaching, discipline, examination and evaluation. Nwankwo (2010), defined educational administration as the arrangement of human, material resources and programmes available for education and carefully using them systematically for the achievement of articulated educational objectives. The head of administration in primary schools is the head teacher. A head teacher is a teacher who is in charge of a school. Head teachers are internal supervisors who help to guide the teachers towards effective teaching and learning which occur in each classroom (Fisher in Nwogbo, 2012). According to Nwaham in Chime (2015), a head teacher is viewed as the position occupied as well as task and responsibilities performed in the primary schools. Head teachers develop and implement school development plan, keeps records both statutory and non-statutory in addition to leading teaching and learning in schools. The head teacher plays the role of an administrative and professional leader making her directly responsible for the control primary schools. In Nigeria, leadership in almost every arena has been male dominated. According to Momoh and Obiweluzor (2015), women have to balance work and family responsibilities yet they have the same amount of time as their male counterparts. These have led to series of challenges which include poor instructional delivery, bad leadership style and indiscipline. However, the female head teacher as an administrator leads the primary school towards achieving its aims and objectives. The female head teachers’ administrative style might be significant factor of work behaviour of the teachers (Ajayi, 2015). Behaviour is the activity of living organisms. According to Arguris and Schon in Asiegbu (2011), work behaviour is defined as all the actions, activities and reactions of members of organizations towards achievements of the organizational goals. Human behaviour is the entire gamut of what people do including thinking and feeling (Skinner in Cautilli, 2015). Human behaviour refers to the ranges of behaviour exhibited by humans and which are influenced by a culture, attitudes, emotions, values, ethics, authority, rapport, hypnosis, persuasion, coercion and/or genetics (Mcinerney, 2015). Nwachukwu and Anyanwu (2016), posited that behaviour is any activity of an organism which is either overt or covert. They described overt behaviour as observable https://zapjournals.com/Journals/index.php/gjear Global Journal of Education and Allied Research | ISSN: 2837-3707 Volume. 6, Number 8; August - 2021 https://zapjournals.com/Journals/index.php/gjear Pg | 36 behaviour while covert behaviour include human activities such as thinking, feeling and mental processes that can bring about reactions such as laughing and crying amongst others. In the context of this study a teacher’s work behaviour is referred to the behaviour of the teacher in the work place. Teacher work behaviour under female head teachers’ administration will focus on commitment to school functions, discipline, adherence to school rules and regulations and instructional delivery. Teacher commitment is an essential component for quality education. Mowday (2015) defined commitment to school as teachers' belief and acceptance of the goals and values of the school and their strong desire to keep up involvement in the school. Teacher commitment is defined as teachers' psychological attachment to the teaching profession, to professional institutions, and to colleagues, parents, and students (Firestone and Pennell, 2013). Commitment provides teachers the love, desire and energy they need to perform better. Committed teachers are thought to be more satisfied with teaching and always strive for accomplishing a good instruction (Somech and Bogler, 2014). A committed teacher is also one who is disciplined in the course of doing his job. Discipline is another aspect of teacher work behaviour. Onyali (2014) viewed discipline as the sum of educative efforts, including the teaching process, the process of character shaping, submission to rules and authority as well as the development of trust. Discipline is an important component of human behaviour. Discipline helps not only to regulate people’s reactions to various situations but also regulates human conducts and relations with others (Ajibola and Ali, 2014). A disciplined teacher is one that has established a goal and is willing to achieve that goal at the expense of his/her individuality. It is the assertion of will power over more base desires, and is usually understood to be synonymous with self-control (Ajayi, 2015). When teachers are involved in decision making in the schools, they might be disciplined. Decisions, according to Duze (2011) are made towards solving immediate and remote problems all aimed at achieving set goals and objectives effectively and efficiently. Effective schools do not come about magically. They are the result of careful planning and strategic decision-making. Decision making is an essential element in the administration of educational organizations worldwide existing in most of the activities done by administrators, such as planning, constructing, and mentoring. The worries of the researcher in this study are based on the academic performance of primary school students and poor moral of teachers in the course of performing their duties. In Enugu State, the work behaviour of teachers under the administration of female head teachers is uncertain, hence the need for this study. Primary education sector in Enugu State as observed by the researcher has been faced with numerous challenges ranging from poor instructional delivery and indiscipline among others. These challenges have led to poor academic performance of students in primary education sector. Stakeholders have blamed the teachers for not doing their jobs efficiently which has hampered the realization of the objectives of primary education in Enugu State, Nigeria. Based on the above discourse, the researcher assessed the work behaviour of teachers under the administration of female https://zapjournals.com/Journals/index.php/gjear Global Journal of Education and Allied Research | ISSN: 2837-3707 Volume. 6, Number 8; August - 2021 https://zapjournals.com/Journals/index.php/gjear Pg | 37 head teachers in primary schools in Enugu State. Statement of the Problem One of the most serious problems tending to undermine the quality of primary education in Nigeria is the unethical behaviour of teachers. Over the years, there have been some influxes of ethical violations with administrators in the primary schools. The unethical behaviours of some teachers include lateness to school, poor instructional delivery, involvement in examination practice, indiscipline and becoming so erratic to school administrators and pupils. These problems could be attributed to several factors including of course the work behaviour of the teachers and leadership behaviour of the head teachers in schools. Most teachers engage in act of indiscipline because they do not adhere to the school rules and regulations under the administration of female head teachers. Head teachers are appointed to ensure quality, unity of purpose and efficiency in primary schools. Female head teachers most of the times are unapproachable, autocratic, bossy, aggressive, rigid, too strict, harsh, easily irritated among others. It is not known how the teachers under such female head teachers react to these attributes, hence the need for this study. The problem of this study when put in a question form is therefore, “What is the nature of work behaviour of teachers under the administration of female head teachers in primary schools in Enugu State? Purpose of the Study The general purpose of the study is to assess the work behaviour of teachers under the administration of female head teachers in primary schools in Enugu State. Specifically, the study seeks to: 1. determine the work behaviour of teachers under the administration of female head teachers in primary schools in Enugu State in the aspect of discipline; 2. ascertain the work behaviour of teachers under the administration of female head teachers in primary schools in Enugu State in the aspect of decision making. Research Questions The following research questions guided the study: 1. What is the nature of work behaviour of teachers under the administration of female head teachers in primary schools in Enugu State in the aspect of discipline? 2. What is the nature of work behaviour of teachers under the administration of female head teachers in primary schools in Enugu State in the aspect of decision making? Hypotheses The following null hypotheses were formulated and tested at .05 level of significance: HO1: There is no significant difference in the mean ratings of head teachers and teachers on the nature of work behaviour of teachers under the administration of female head teachers in primary schools in Enugu State in the aspect of discipline. HO2: There is no significant difference in the mean ratings of head teachers and teachers on the nature of work behaviour of teachers under the administration of female head teachers in primary schools in Enugu State in the aspect of decision making. Research Method A descriptive survey research design was adopted for this study. According to Nworgu https://zapjournals.com/Journals/index.php/gjear Global Journal of Education and Allied Research | ISSN: 2837-3707 Volume. 6, Number 8; August - 2021 https://zapjournals.com/Journals/index.php/gjear Pg | 38 (2015) descriptive survey research design is used in preliminary and exploratory studies because it allows researcher(s) to gather information, summarize, present and interpret for the purpose of clarification. This study was conducted in Enugu East Local Government Authority. The population for the study was 160 respondents which comprised 36 female head teachers and 124 teachers. The researcher did not sample the population because it is manageable. The instrument for data collection was a researcher-developed questionnaire titled “Work Behaviour of Teachers under the Administration of Female Head Teachers’ Questionnaire (WBTAFHTQ)”. The questionnaire consisted of 10 items. The questionnaire was validated by three research experts. Two of the experts were from the Department of Educational Management, and one from Measurement and Evaluation Unit, Department of Mathematics and Computer Education, all from Faculty of Education, Enugu State University of Science and Technology (ESUT). The reliability of the instrument was determined using Cronbach Alpha in which .79 was gotten for cluster A and .10 for cluster B with an overall reliability index of .80 which made the instrument highly reliable. A 4 point rating scale of Strongly Agree (SA), Agree (A), Disagree (D) and Strongly Disagree (SD) was used. The researcher was assisted by two research assistants in the administration and collection of data. In rating the computed mean, any mean scores from 2.50 and above was regarded to as “agree” while items that fell below 2.50 were regarded as “disagree”. The criterion mean of 2.50 was gotten by summing up the weighted options (4+3+2+1=10) and dividing it by total number of response options (4) as follows; 10/4=2.50. -test statistic method was used for testing the hypothesis at .05 level of significance. The decision rule for the hypothesis was that hypothesis was not significant when the t-calculated value was less than the critical table value, but significant when the t-calculated value was greater than or equal to the critical table value. Data Analysis and Results Presentation Research Question 1: What is the nature of work behaviour of teachers under the administration of female head teachers in primary schools in Enugu State in the aspect of discipline? https://zapjournals.com/Journals/index.php/gjear Global Journal of Education and Allied Research | ISSN: 2837-3707 Volume. 6, Number 8; August - 2021 https://zapjournals.com/Journals/index.php/gjear Pg | 39 Table 1: Mean ratings of female head teachers and teachers on work behaviour of teachers under the administration of female head teachers as regards discipline ITEMS Female Head Teachers 36 Teachers 124 S/N Under the female teachers’ administration: Mea n SD Dec . Mea n SD Dec . 1. some teachers come to school late. 2.36 0.89 D 2.32 0.96 D 2. some teachers abuse alcohol and other drugs and substances in school. 2.36 0.96 D 2.31 0.90 D 3. some teachers disrespect fellow teachers and school administration. 2.31 0.90 D 2.34 0.84 D 4. some teachers lack lesson notes. 2.30 0.96 D 2.33 0.99 D 5. some teachers fail to mark students’ exercise books and tests. 2.31 0.95 D 2.33 0.89 D Cluster Mean 2.33 0.9 3 D 2.33 0.9 2 D Table 1 shows the mean ratings and standard deviation of female head teachers and teachers on the work behaviour of teachers under the administration of female head teachers as regards discipline. The female head teachers’ mean range from 2.30 to 2.36, while their teachers’ mean range from 2.31 to 2.34. They have cluster means of 2.33 and 2.33 as well as standard deviations of 0.93 and 0.92 respectively. The responses from both female head teachers and teachers revealed that teachers are not disciplined under the administration of female head teachers in primary schools in Enugu State. https://zapjournals.com/Journals/index.php/gjear Global Journal of Education and Allied Research | ISSN: 2837-3707 Volume. 6, Number 8; August - 2021 https://zapjournals.com/Journals/index.php/gjear Pg | 40 Research Question 2: What is the nature of work behaviour of teachers under the administration of female head teachers in primary schools in Enugu State in the aspect of decision making? Table 2: Mean ratings of female head teachers and teachers on work behaviour of teachers under the administration of female head teachers in the aspect of decision making ITEMS Female Head Teachers 36 Teachers 124 S/N Under the female head teachers, teachers are involved in: Mean SD Dec. Mean SD Dec. 6. planning of school curriculum. 2.66 1.01 A 2.61 0.88 A 7. school budgeting. 2.58 0.95 A 2.66 0.91 A 8. students’ personnel administration. 2.77 0.89 A 2.50 1.01 A 9. procurement of school facilities. 2.51 0.91 A 2.59 0.85 A 10. admission process of students. 2.55 0.99 A 2.55 0.99 A Cluster Mean 2.61 0.95 A 2.58 0.93 A Table 2 shows the mean ratings and standard deviation of female head teachers and teachers on the work behaviour of teachers under the administration of female head teachers in the aspect of decision making. The female head teachers’ mean range from 2.51 to 2.77, while their teachers’ mean range from 2.50 to 2.66. They have cluster means of 2.61 and 2.58 as well as standard deviations of 0.95 and 0.93 respectively. The responses from both female head teachers and their teachers revealed that teachers are involved in the decision making process under the female head teachers’ administration in primary schools in Enugu State. Hypotheses HO1: There is no significant difference in the mean ratings of head teachers and teachers on the nature of work behaviour of teachers under the administration of female head teachers in primary schools in Enugu State in the aspect of discipline. Table 3: Summary of t-test Analysis of the Mean Ratings of Female Head Teachers and their Teachers on the Work Behaviour of Teachers under the administration of Female Head Teachers in the aspect of discipline Group n Mean SD df t-cal t-crit Decision Female Head teachers 36 2.33 0.93 158 0.00 1.96 Ho1 is not rejected Teachers 124 2.33 0.92 https://zapjournals.com/Journals/index.php/gjear Global Journal of Education and Allied Research | ISSN: 2837-3707 Volume. 6, Number 8; August - 2021 https://zapjournals.com/Journals/index.php/gjear Pg | 41 Table 3 shows that t-cal of 0.00 is less than the t-crit of 1.96 at .05 alpha level of significance with 158 degree of freedom. This means that there is no significance difference between the mean ratings of female head teachers and their teachers on the work behaviour of teachers under the administration of female head teachers in the aspect of discipline. HO2: There is no significant difference in the mean ratings of head teachers and teachers on the nature of work behaviour of teachers under the administration of female head teachers in primary schools in Enugu State in the aspect of decision making. Table 4: Summary of t-test Analysis of the Mean Ratings of Female Head Teachers and their Teachers on the Work Behaviour of Teachers under the administration of Female Head Teachers in the aspect of Decision Making Group n Mean SD df t-cal t-crit Decision Female Head teachers 36 2.61 0.95 158 0.09 1.96 Ho2 is not rejected Teachers 124 2.58 0.93 Table 4 shows that t-cal of 0.09 is less than the t-crit of 1.96 at .05 alpha level of significance with 158 degree of freedom. This means that there is no significance difference between the mean ratings of female head teachers and their teachers on the work behaviour of teachers under the administration of female head teachers in the aspect of decision making. Summary of Data Analyses From the results of data analyses, the following were found: 1. The responses from both female head teachers and teachers revealed that teachers are not disciplined under the administration of female head teachers in primary schools in Enugu State. 2. Both female head teachers and their teachers revealed that teachers are involved in the decision making process under the female head teachers’ administration in primary schools in Enugu State. 3. There was no significance difference between the mean ratings of female head teachers and their teachers on the work behaviour of teachers under the administration of female head teachers in the aspect of discipline. 4. There was no significance difference between the mean ratings of female head teachers and their teachers on the work behaviour of teachers under the administration of female head teachers in the aspect of decision making. Discussion of Findings The finding of the study revealed that teachers are not well disciplined under the administration of female head teachers in primary schools in Enugu State. The respondents stated that teachers under the female head teachers do not adhere to the laid https://zapjournals.com/Journals/index.php/gjear Global Journal of Education and Allied Research | ISSN: 2837-3707 Volume. 6, Number 8; August - 2021 https://zapjournals.com/Journals/index.php/gjear Pg | 42 down rules the schools system. The finding is in line with Oziambo (2013), who stated that teachers working under female head teachers tend not to be disciplined because most female head teachers tolerate any form of indiscipline. The null hypothesis tested revealed that there was no significance difference between the mean ratings of female head teachers and their teachers on the work behaviour of teachers under the administration of female head teachers in the aspect of discipline. It was found in this study that the teachers under the female head teachers administration are involved in the decision making process in primary schools in Enugu State. The findings revealed that teachers are involved in planning of school curriculum, school budgeting, students’ personnel administration, procurement of school facilities and admission process of students. This finding is in agreement with Duze (2011) who stated that, the involvement of teachers in decision-making is very important because of their direct relationship with the students. This is an important aspect in that teachers, who are always with the students’ need to have a personal assessment in order to identify their areas of challenges and make proper recommendations to the head teachers. Further finding revealed that there was no significance difference between the mean ratings of female head teachers and their teachers on the work behaviour of teachers under the administration of female head teachers in the aspect of decision making. Conclusions The study centered on the assessment of work behaviour of teachers under the administration of female head teachers in primary schools in Enugu State. From the findings of the study, it is clear that female head teachers involve teachers in decision making process in the school. Also, teachers were not well disciplined in the course of performing their duties. Recommendations Based on the findings of the study, the following recommendations were made by the researcher: 1. 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