Impact of Educational Qualifications on English as a Second Language Teachers' Rating of a New Curriculum Content Items in Niger State, Nigeria

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of educational qualification level on teachers' rating of English language curriculum content items of the new Senior Secondary School English Language curriculum in Niger State, Nigeria. The researcher sought answers to two research questions and tested one formulated hypothesis to guide the study. A survey research method was used and a questionnaire designed and patterned on Likeert's five-point scale was used for data collection. The content validity of the questionnaire was established through critical examination by experienced teachers. The reliability of the questionnaire was established on the analyses of result of its administration using test-retest method on ten randomly selected experienced secondary school English language teachers. The reliability coefficient value of 0.843 was arrived at using the Pearson product moment correlation co-efficient statistical technique. The 0.843 r value is above the reliability coefficient acceptable level. The population in this study was two hundred and fifty English Language teachers and sixty were selected for use through the simple balloting and stratified random sampling techniques. The respondents were visited in their schools by the researcher and they responded to the questionnaire there and then, except for some few copies that had to be left with H.O.D., Language for administration and collected on the second visit. The data was analysed using the frequency counts, simple percentile and mean statistical techniques to answer the research questions; and the t-test statistical technique was used in testing the hypothesis. The results revealed that both degree and National Certificate of Education graduate teachers  and did not differ significantly in their rating of the curriculum content items. The two groups unanimously rated this aspect of the curriculum favourably highly except for the inadequacy of time for its coverage by teachers. The researcher recommends that the curriculum items be trimmed to ensure its coverage within the allotted time; and that difference of educational qualifications should not be an impediment during recruitment of English teachers.