TEACHERS COMMUNICATION PATTERN AS PREDICTOR OF STUDENTS ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE IN PUBLIC SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN ANAMBRA STATE

Abstract

The study investigated teachers’ communication pattern as predictor of students’ academic performance in public secondary schools in Anambra State. Two research questions guided the study and two hypotheses were tested at 0.05 level of significance. The correlational research design was adopted for the study. The population of the study comprised 21,272 SS2 students in the 2023/2024 academic session in the 267 public secondary schools in Anambra State.  The sample of the study comprised 361 SS2 students in public secondary schools in Anambra State. The instrument for data collection were three instruments: Teachers Communication Patterns Questionnaire (TCPQ) and Students’ Academic Performance Scores (SAPS). The instrument was validated by three experts. The reliability of the instruments were ascertained through a pilot test. Cronbach Alpha reliability method was used to analyze the data collected. The reliability coefficient values of 0.80 and 0.82 were obtained for clusters B1 and B2 respectively with an overall reliability co-efficient value of 0.81 for Teachers Communication Patterns Questionnaire (TCPQ).  Simple regression was used to analyze data for the study. Findings of the study revealed that teachers’ verbal communication, teachers’ non-verbal communication positively predicts students’ academic performance in public secondary schools in Anambra State. The finding further showed that teachers’ verbal communication, teachers’ non-verbal communication significantly predicts students’ academic performance in public secondary schools in Anambra State. Based on these findings, the researcher concluded that teachers communication pattern predict students’ academic performance in public secondary schools in Anambra State. Based on these findings, the researcher concludes among others, that the Post Primary Schools Service Commission (PPSSC) should organize regular training on effective verbal communication strategies, focusing on clarity, tone and engagement for teachers.