THE INFLUENCE OF TEACHER-STUDENT RELATIONSHIP ON STUDENT’S

ACADEMICPERFORMANCE IN CHEMISTRY IN KUMO METROPOLITANT

SECONDARY SCHOOLS

BY

AL’AMIN ABUBAKAR TSOHO

12/28985/D/6

A PROJECT SUBMITTED TO THE FACULTY OF TECHNOLOGY EDUCATION,

DEPERTMENT OF VOCATIONAL AND TECHNOLOGY EDUCATION,

ABUBAKAR TAFAWA BALEWA UNIVERSITY, BAUCHI.

IN PATIAL FULFILMENT OF THE REQUIREMENT FOR THE AWARD OF

DEGREE OF BACHELOR OF TECHNOLOGY EDUCATION

(B.TECH) BUSINESS EDUCATION (MANAGEMENT

JANUARY,2017

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 DECLARATION

I here by declare that this project was written by me and it is a record own research work. It has not

been presented before in any previous application for a degree.

References made to published literatures have been duly acknowledged.

---------------------------------------- --------- ----------------------

Al’amin Abubakar Tsoho Date

(Student)

The above declaration is confirmed by

------------------------------------- -------------------------------

Mal. Sadiq Abubakar Adamu Date

(Supervisor)

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 APPROVAL PAGE

The research project entitled ‘THE INFLUENCE OF TEACHER-STUDENT RELATIONSHIP

ON STUDENT’S ACADEMICPERFORMANCE IN ACCOUTING IN BAUCHI STATE

SECONDARY SCHOOLS’.BY Al’amin Abubakar Tsoho has been read and approved as having meet

the requirement for the award of degree in B.Tech.(Edu) business education of ATBU Bauchi.

………………………….. …………………..

Malam. Sadiq Abubakar Adamu Date

(Project supervisor

........................................... …………………..

Malam Umar Abdulhamid Date

(Head of Department)

Vocational Technology Education

.............................................. ……………………

Prof. I.M. Danjuma Date

(Dean) Faculty of Technology Education

…………………………….. …………………….

External Examiner Date

3
 DIDICATION

This project work is dedicated to my beloved parents, my family and the entire Muslim umma.

4
 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I will like to sincerely acknowledge with thanks, the unreserved assistance and counseling been received from

my supervisor, malam sadiq Abubakar Adamu whose subtle source of encouragement, suggestions and

corrections leading to the success of my project.

I will also thank all my lectures, especially Dr ShehuGaloji whose encouragement and good human relations

have immensely helped to make the course more interesting.

My special acknowledgment goes to my parents, guardians, and friends mentioning Ashiru Garba Sani, Ibrahim

Bello Abubakar though which their encouragement, financial and other logistics contributed greatly towards my

success of this course and also pray that almighty Allah will reword them abundantly.

Finally, I acknowledge my fellow course mate and those who may have contributed in one way or the

other to the success of my programme of which their individual names could not be mention, all your

efforts is recognized and may the almighty continue to bless them all.

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 ABSTRACT

The study THE influence of teacher-student relationship on student’s academic performance In

accounting in bauchi state secondary schools. As a descriptive survey, the study population comprises of all the

teachers and students of the selected secondary schools in Bauchi metropolis. Out of this population, a sample of

five(5) teachers and twenty (20) students in each of the selected secondary schools through a simple random

technique. The instrument used to collect data for the study was a structured questionnaire: while data collected

were analyzed using descriptive statistics. The findings of the study revealed that the relationship that exist

between teacher and student in Bauchi metropolis secondary schools is not cordial. It was also found that Gender

difference and leadership style influences teacher-student relationship in Bauchi metropolis secondary school.

On the basis of the findings, it was concluded that fear that exist by the students on their teacher, and strictness

limit teacher-student interaction. The issue of leadership style among the teachers and students influence

student’s academic achievement. Considering the findings, it was recommended that government should

organize workshops and seminars so that teachers will be trained on good teacher-student relationship and

theteacher should use the best type of leadership style for a greater academic achievement.

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 TABLE OF CONTENTS

Cover page - - - - - - - - - - - i

Declaration - - - - - - - - - - ii

Certification - - - - - - - - - - iii

Dedication - - - - - - - - - - iv

Acknowledgement - - - - - - - - - v

Abstract - - - - - - - - - - vi

Table of content - - - - - - - - - vii

List of Table - - - - - - - - - -

CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background of the Study - - - - - - - -1

1.2 Statement of the Problem - - - - - - 2

1.3 Purpose of study -- - - - - - - 2

1.4 Research questions - - - - - - - - 3

1.5 Significant of Study - - - - - - - - 3

1.6 Scope of Study - - - - - - - - 3

1.7 Limitation of Study - - - - - - - - 3

CHAPTER TWO : REVIEW OF LITERATURE

2.0 Introduction -- - - - - - - - - 4

2.1 Theoretical Framework - - - - - - - 6

2.2 Historical Context on Teachers quality - - - - - 8

2.3 Perspective on teacher- Student Relationships -- - - - 10

2.3.1 Educators Perspective - - - - - - - - 10

2.3.2 psychologists perspective - - - - - - - 12

2.3.3 Sociologist perspective - - - - - - - 15

2.3.4 Student Perspective -- - - - - - - - 15

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2.4 Instructional Implication - - - - - - - - 16

CHAPTER THREE

3.0 Methodology - - - - - - - - - 18

3.1 Research Designed -- - - - - - - - 18

3.2 Population of the Study - - - -- - - - 18

3.3 Area of the Study - - - - - - - - 18

3.4 Sample and Sample Techniques - -- - - - - 18

3.5 Instrument for Data collection - - - - - - 19

3.6 Method of Data Collection - - - - - - - 19

3.7 Validation of Instrument - - - - - - - 20

3.8 Method of Data Analysis - - -- - - - - - 20

CHAPTER FOUR

4.1 Data Presentation -- - - - - - - - 21

4.2 Major Findings of Study - - - - - - - 24

4.3 Discussion of findings - - - - - - - 25

CHAPTER FIVE: SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION

5.1 Introduction - - - - - - - - - 27

5.2 Summary - - - - - - - - - -27

5.3 Conclusion -- - - - - - - - - 28

5.4 Recommendation - - - - - - - - 28

5.5 Educational Implication of the Study -- - - - - 29

5.6 Limitation - - - - - - - - - 30

Reference - - - - - - - - 31

Appendices -- - - - - - - - -33

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 CHAPTER ONE

1.0 INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background of the Study

Students’ performance has always been important among the students and the Secondary schools as a form of

measuring their progress in education. It reflects their ability to demonstrate the knowledge that they have learnt

throughout the education process (Barkley, 2004) and this knowledge demonstration applies to all levels of

education from the primary to the university level. The quality of the relationship between a student and the

teacher will result in a greater degree of learning in the classroom according to Downey (2008).

The importance of students’ performance is also attributed by the objective of the Secondary

schools to provide quality education to their students and this led the Secondary schools to strive in

finding ways to improve students’ performance by identifying possible factors that led students to

either excel or not excel in their performance.

Several notable factors have been identified in the education literature on the factors influencing

students’ performance. These factors include socio-economic, psychological and environmental factors

(Hijazi &Naqvi, 2006).

Flander, A. (2004), in his study about the teacher student relationship noted that one of the skillful

teacher ingredient is his/her capacity to genuinely empower students, to questions and finding their own

way to solving problems, being teaching involve transmission of information, academic skill and

understanding to other s being the learners.

In this research, it involve the examining the relationship between personality of the teachers and their

observable behaviour rated by their students in terms of being caring understanding and sympathetic

toward the students.

On the other hand, Hijazi and Naqvi (2006) and Antecol et al. (2012) identified academics’

attributes such as their qualification and gender may also influence students’ performance.

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1.2 Statement of the Problem

Accounting course is required in secondary schools, colleges and universities and in Business

Administration bachelor degree or degree in business education programs. Most students take this

course as an optional from their SSI up to their SSIII, but the students do not feel comfortable taking

this course (HerminioRodraguezprincipe 2005). As a result of this situation, many Secondary schools

are experiencing a high number of failure and low academic performance in first accounting course

(HerminioRodraguezprincipe 2005). Comment from accounting practitioners, employers, and

academics led the researcher to question if a problem exists with this course.

1.3 Purpose of the Study

The purpose of this research project is to explore the influence of teacher-student relationship

on the academic performance of the students.Specifically the study will examine:-

i. The influence of teacher-student relationship on student academic performance in Bauchi state.

ii. How teacher commitment and availability to student affect student academic performance.

iii.How does students’ perception of their teachers affect their academic performance.

iv.Specific components of the teacher-student interactionsthat is essential to a learning environment.

1.5 Research Question

This study aim to answer the following questions among others.

i. To what extend does the teacher-student relationship affect student’s academic performance?

ii.How does teacher dedication & commitment to teaching activities affect student academic

performance?

iii. How does student perception of their teachers affect their academic performance?

iv. What specific components of the teacher-student interactions are essential to a learning

environment?

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1.6 Significance of the Study

The current research focuses broadly on teacher-student relationships. This study will describe

purposeful affective strategies and interactions with students that a teacher uses to effectively engage

students in the learning process. This study will contribute to the field of education by providing

teachers and administrators with guidance on relationship-building strategies that a highly effective

teacher utilizes in a real world, authentic setting – the classroom.

This study will focus on actual practices and deliberate steps teachers needs to take to build

relationships with their students in order to effectively deliver the instruction necessary for learning.

The importance of teachers’ relationships with their students cannot be overstated because this study

will help teachers to have ideas on what they need to be incorporated into instruction for effective

learning

1.7 Scope of the study

The study will cover the entire secondary schools in Bauchi state.

1.8 Limitations of the study

The study is limited to the teacher-student relationship.

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 CHAPTER TWO

2.0 LITERATURE REVIEW

This chapter will provide a review of the literature on the topic of building strong interpersonal

relationships with students and the effect that has on the learning environment. The perspectives of a

variety of disciplines will be discussed from an historical viewpoint to current thinking on this topic.

There is a great deal of literature that provides substantial evidence that strong relationships

between teachers and students are essential components to the healthy academic development of all

students in schools (Birch & Ladd, 1998; Hamre &Pianta, 2001; Pianta, 1999; Eccles &Wigfield,

2002). This body of literature involves several genres of research that have been conducted over the

past three decades investigating the interactions between teachers and their students and what effect

those interactions have on students academic performance. There is credible evidence that the nature

and quality of teachers’ interactions with students has a significant effect on their learning (Brophy-

Herb, Lee, Nievar, &Stollak, 2007; Curby, LoCasale Crouch, Konold, Pianta, Howes, Burchinal, …

Oscar 2009; Dickinson & Brady, 2006; Guo, Piasta, Justice, &Kaderavek, 2010; Howes, Burchinal,

Pianta, Bryant, Early, Clifford, & Oscar, 2008; Jackson, Larzelere, St. Clair, Corr, Fichter, &Egertson ,

2006; Mashburn, Pianta, Hamre, Downer, Barbarin, Bryant, … Howes, 2008; McCartney, Dearing,

Taylor, & Bub, 2007; Pianta, Barnett, Burchinal, & Thornburg, 2009). Educators, psychologists, social

constructivists, and sociologists have all contributed to the growing interest in targeting interventions

toward improvements in the quality of teachers’ relationship with students. Hamre, Pianta, Burchinal,

Field, Crouch, Downer, Howes, LaParo, & little, (2012) posit that “teachers need to be actively

engaged in interactions with students in order for learning to occur”.

However, in 2001 President Bush signed into law the No

Child Left Behind Act(NCLB) that began the intense focus on standardized testing as the measure of,

not only student success, but teacher performance as well. It mandated that every child would perform

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at grade level and achieve high academic standards (U.S. Department of Education, 2007). NCLB was

intended as a means

of supervision for public schools in the United States with the guarantee of success for all students

regardless of race, gender, or ability. High stakes testing is the vehicle through which student

achievement is measured according to NCLB and does not take into account any other means for

measuring student or teacher success.

As a result, the current educational climate emphasizes school accountability through

standardized test scores as the primary method for determining an effective learning environment.

Federal, state, and local educational policy requires that schools and classrooms should be held more

responsible for the outcomes they produce (e.g., student achievement). However, the process for

ensuring accountability rests on standardized testing of children, typically starting in third grade (La

Paro, Pianta, &Stuhlman, 2004). The focus on accountability and standardized testing should not

confuse the contribution that the social quality of teacher – student relationships has on academic

development (Hamre &Pianta, 2006). Hamre &Pianta contend that strong student- teacher relationships

“provide a unique entry point for educators working to improve the social and learning environments of

schools and classrooms”.

I, too, believe there is an important role that the quality of teacher and student relationship plays

regarding student academic performance Hamre et al. (2012) hypothesized that “it was not sufficient

for teachers to be able to gain knowledge about effective teacher-child interactions; they needed actual

skills involving identification of effective interactions with a high degree of specificity in order to be

most likely to transfer the coursework into changes in their practice”.

While researching the impact of teacher students relationship have on student academic

performance, Good, Biddle, & Brophy (1976) determined that teachers do make a difference. A large

contribution to what brought about that difference was the affective component to teaching that the

teachers used. Good et al. found that students who held a sense of futility toward school had the worst

achievement record. These students needed teachers who believed in them and were willing to work
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with them. Good et al. cite several studies by Aspy (1973) that demonstrate the importance of teachers’

affective behavior. What Good et al. found was that teachers who showed an interest in their students

by indicating they were listening to them and understood students’ need completely and accurately, had

students who obtained higher scores on a standardized test of learning -- “the evidence was

impressive”. The following review of the literature will further reveal impressive evidence of the

impact of teacher-student relationships have on the student’s academic performance.

2.1TheoreticalFramework

Constructivism is a theory of learning. As such, a constructivist approach to learning sees the

learning environment as a “mini-society, a community of learners engaged in activity, discourse,

interpretation, justification, and reflection” (Fosnot, 2005; p. ix).

While constructivist theory of education indicates that knowledge is constructed individually by the

student that learning occurs in a social environment (classroom) with experiences that have been

carefully constructed by the teacher. In biological theorists’ terms, there is “an active interplay of the

surround (environment) to evolution and to learning”. The constructivist teacher encourages a

consideration of others’ points of views and a mutual respect, allowing the development of independent

and creative thinking. From a constructivist perspective, meaning is understood to be the result of

individuals (in this case, teachers) “setting up relationships, reflecting on their actions, and modeling

and constructing explanations” (Fosnot, p. 280).

Contemporary theorists and researchers’ beliefs have shifted from isolated student mastery of

concepts to ideas that real learning is about interaction, growth, and development (Fosnot, 2005). New

information from the realm of cognitive science tells us that students learn through progressive

structuring and restructuring of knowledge experience, “that deep conceptual learning is about

structural shifts in cognition; without exchange with the environment, entropy would result”. That

knowledge is actively constructed is a pervasive tenet of constructivist thinking. The way a teacher

listens and talks to students helps they become learners who think critically and deeply about what they

read and write (Fosnot, p. 102). By frequently engaging with the student collaboratively, a teacher
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increases his/her understanding of how a particular learner acquires knowledge and therefore becomes

responsive to the learner’s needs.

Constructivist theorists DeVries &Zan (2005) write “the preoccupation in most schools with

subject matter content has led to a situation in which affective development is negatively influenced”.

Ironically, they say this one-sided preoccupation has created a situation in which intellectual

development does not flourish either – they contend that “in order to foster intellectual development, a

certain kind of interpersonal framework must be created”. It is their opinion that a primary focus of a

constructivist education is the development of a network of interpersonal relations that will dominate

the student’s school experience. They contend “interpersonal relations are the context for the student’s

construction of the self, of others, and of subject-matter knowledge”.

Bruner (1977) writes that the process of education requires that “schools must also contribute to

the social and emotional development of the student if they are to fulfill their function of education”.

Bruner develops four themes he considers essential to the process of learning – one of them relates to

stimulating the desire to learn, creating interest in the subject being taught, and what he terms

“intellectual excitement”. He suggests studying the methods used by ‘successful’ teachers as a way of

determining effective practices. Constructivism provides a natural and best frame for this study because

a major tenet of a constructivist researcher is to look at the processes of interaction among individuals

in the context of where they live and work.

2.2 Historical Context on teachers quality

In 1840, Mann said “the aptness to teach involves the power of perceiving how far a scholar

understands the subject matter to be learned and what, in the natural order is the next step to take”.

According to him, the teacher must be intuitive and lead the minds of his pupils to discover what they

need to know and then supply them with what they require.

Dewey (1938) said that as an educator, you need to be able to discern what attitudes are

conducive to continued growth and what are detrimental, and use that relational knowledge to build

worthwhile educational experiences for students. He writes that “teachers are the agents through which
15
knowledge and skills are communicated and rules of conduct enforced” and, as such, it is the duty of

the teacher to know how to “utilize the surroundings, physical and social, so as to extract from them all

that they have to contribute” to building up worthwhile educational experiences. He says that “all

human experience is ultimately social: that it involves contact and communication”.

Dewey believed the goal of educators is to create lifelong learners. This is accomplished

through the knowledge the educator has of individuals that leads to social organizations providing all

students with the opportunity to contribute to something. Dewey says: “The principle that development

of experience comes about through interaction means that education is essentially a social process”.

Vygotsky (1978) believed that higher mental functioning’s are socially formed and culturally

transmitted. Cognitive development is mediated through language dialogues between one who knows

(teacher) and one who is learning (student). Vygotsky posits that the instructional message gradually

moves from teacher-student dialogue to inner speech where it organizes the student’s thought and

becomes an internal mental function. A skillful teacher could shape a student’s thinking process

through purposeful interaction – Vygotsky’s concept of mediated development. According to

Vygotsky, “learning awakens a variety of internal development processes that are able to operate only

when a child is interacting with people in his environment and in cooperation with his peers”. Vygotsky

viewed tests as an inadequate measurement of a child’s learning capability; he thought the progress in

concept formation achieved by a child through interaction with an adult was a much more viable way to

determine the capabilities of learners. His theory of the zone of proximal development required this

type of interaction between child and adult in order for the child to come to terms with and understand

the logic of adult reasoning in order to learn new concepts. Vygotsky describes the zone of proximal

development as “the distance between the actual developmental level and the level of potential

development as determined through problem solving under adult guidance”.

In his seminal study, Jackson (1968) studied life in classrooms and determined that “there is a

social intimacy in schools that is unmatched elsewhere in our society”. According to Jackson, the

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teacher is charged with managing the flow of the classroom dialogue. In elementary classrooms, he

writes, “teachers can engage in as many as one thousand interpersonal exchanges a day”.

That being the case, the study of those interpersonal exchanges could yield important information

regarding the learning that results from those interactions.

2.3 Perspectives on Teacher-Student Relationships

There is a diverse range of perspectives in the area of interactions between teachers and students

that have been researched over the past few decades; however, they share several core principles. What

follows in this literature review is a sampling of those perspectives as they relate to the impact of

teacher-student relationship has on the student’s academic performance including findings and

implications, organized by categories of researchers.

2.3.1 Educators perspective: “What do positive teacher-student relationships look like in the

classroom?”

Downey (2008) conducted a study synthesizing educational research on factors that affect

academic success. The rationale for the study was to examine classroom practices that made a

difference for all students, but in particular, for students at risk for academic failure. What was

determined was that a teacher’s personal interaction with his/her students made a significant difference.

The recommendations from Downey’s analysis were that “students need teachers to build strong

interpersonal relationships with them, focusing on strengths of the students while maintaining high and

realistic expectations for success”. These interactive relationships should be based on respect, trust,

caring, and cohesiveness. A sense of belonging is another important byproduct of a strong teacher-

student relationship that is critical to a student’s success in school. Downey concludes by saying “the

study served as a powerful reminder that everyday teacher-student interactions in the classroom

matter”.

Ravitch (2010) writes that “the goal of education is not to produce higher test scores, but to

educate children to become responsible people with well-developed minds and good character”. She

says that “accountability as it is now is not helping our schools because its measures are too narrow and
17
imprecise, and its consequences too severe. NCLB assumes that accountability based solely on test

scores will reform American education. This is a mistake”. Overemphasis on test scores to the omission

of other important goals of education may actually weaken the love of learning and the desire to acquire

knowledge (Ravitch, 2010). The significance of the affective domain in determining effective teachers

and teaching practices is a component that the current teacher evaluation system does not give enough

credence to. Student learning outcomes (measured by test scores) are considered, overwhelmingly, to

be the deciding determinant of a highly effective teacher and a highly effective school.

Langer (1997) writes “if the source of information is someone we respect, we are more likely to

be influenced and retain the information than if we view the source as untrustworthy”. Initial gathering

of information relies on the source of the information. “When we have learned information mindfully,

we remain open to ways in which information may differ in various situations”. In effect, by building

solid relationships with students, teachers are creating discriminating, as well as lifelong learners.

Although, over time, the source of the information may be forgotten, the information received is

retained (Langer, 1997).

As Cazden(2001) writes, “What counts are relationships between the teacher and each student,

as an individual, both in whole class lessons and in individual seat work assignments? Now each

student becomes a significant part of the official learning environment”.

Marzano (2003) suggests a useful question for anyone wishing to understand factors that

improve student achievement is to ask “What influence does an individual teacher have on a student

apart from what the school does?” He indicates that all researchers agree that the impact of decisions

made by an individual teacher is far greater than the impact of decisions made at the school level.

Marzano writes “the core of effective teacher-student relationships is a healthy balance between

dominance and cooperation”. Showing interest in students as individuals has a positive impact on their

learning according to Marzano. McCombs &Whisler (1997) posit that the need for the teacher to show

a personal interest in their students is vital to their learning.

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 All agree that the relationship between teacher and student has a significant impact on student

academic performance.

2.3.2 Psychologists perspective: “What do good teacher-student relationships look like and why do

these relationships matter?”

“What effect does a positive relationship with teachers have on a student?”

Sarason (1999) looks at teaching as a performing art, and discusses the “art of teaching” and the

role that teacher interaction plays in creating a “productive learning” environment. He posits that, post -

World War II, when training teachers, education has increasingly focused on subject matter to the

detriment of pedagogy

– “the obligation of the teacher to know who the learner is and make the subject matter interesting,

motivating, and compelling for their students”. He asks “are there not characteristics of a good teacher

which can be observed in which the teacher interacts with children?” Such a candidate would be

someone capable of understanding, motivating, and guiding the intellectual, as well as the social-

personal development of children. Sarason contends “If you do not know the minds and hearts of

learners, you subvert productive learning”– that this is the starting point of all learning.

Sarason contends that there are three overarching features for productive learning; the first is

recognizing and respecting the individuality of the learner. The second is for the teacher to know the

subject matter sufficiently to be able to determine when the learner may have difficulty and be able to

intercede to prevent the difficulty from happening. The third tenet is that the teacher is constantly

looking for ways to engage and stimulate the learner so he/she wants to learn. By building relationships

with students, teachers can fulfill what Sarason contends is the overarching purpose of schooling –

motivate learners to experience personal and cognitive growth. It is Sarason’s position that not having a

system in place that assesses how teachers interact with children is a major problem in the field of

education, one that will continue to short change future generations of students and teachers.

Teachers need to establish a relationship with their students which engender trust, respect, and an

understanding of them as learners.

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He considers it an essential component to teaching and learning – he asks that teachers be “both

accomplished performers and astute psychologist”.

Eccles &Wigfield (2002) investigated motivational beliefs and values that guide a student’s

learning process. They define motivation as the study of action; in particular, they focus on

achievement motivation. They posit that people have expectations about success as well as values and

reasons for doing an activity.

There is an expectation for success and a sense of control over outcomes that are related beliefs that

motivate individuals when completing tasks – especially challenging tasks. This sense of self efficacy is

strong in some people but weak in others.

As reported by Eccles and Wigfield, “not knowing the cause of one’s successes and failures

undermines one’s motivation to work on associated tasks”. They determine that having a strong sense

of control and confidence over your outcomes leads to success. Eccles and Wigfield refer to a 1998

study by Skinner, Zimmer-Gembeck, & Connell where the development of students’ beliefs was

charted over a number of school years. They compared the children’s perceived control to the

perception children had of how the teachers treated them. He determined that “children who believed

teachers were warm and supportive developed a more positive sense of their own control over

outcomes”.

Hamre and Pianta (2006) also investigated the importance of teacher – student relationships.

They posit that positive relationships between teacher and student serve as a resource to students as it

helps maintain their engagement in academic pursuits.

This extended engagement leads to better grades. Hamre &Pianta cite a study by Gregory & Weinstein

(2004) that indicated that student-perceived teacher connection was the factor most closely associated

with growth in achievement from 8th to 12th grade. For younger children, Birch & Ladd (1998)

concluded that kindergarten children who did not have a good relationship with their teacher exhibited

less classroom participation and achievement. These negative relationships continued to affect the

quality of the students’ relationships in first and second grade (Pianta& Hamre, 2006). Poor teacher-
20
student relationships were considered a predictor of “sustained academic problems” and an indicator of

future school difficulties. These findings indicated the importance of teachers building solid

relationships as they have a direct impact on academic achievement for years to come.

Hamre &Pianta (2006) suggest that schools actively encourage staff members to engage with

their students and learn about students’ outside interests so staff can connect with them on a more

personal level. Hamre &Pianta’s contention is that a strong teacher-student relationship is essential for

success in school and because of this, “ways to build good solid teacher- student relationships should

be explicitly targeted in school intervention plans”. These strong and supportive relationships allow

students to feel competent to make greater academic gains.

Hamre &Pianta (2006) acknowledge the growing research that supports the efficacy of building

teacher-student relationships and recommend that more empirical evidence is needed to develop how to

go to scale with efforts targeting student-teacher relationships and how to sustain these efforts over

time. Their position is that this will ultimately help make schools more responsive to the diverse

learning needs in classrooms.

2.3.3 Sociologists perspective: “What is the contribution that social aspects of school make to a child’s

education?”

Crosnoe, Johnson, & Elder (2004) researched the effect ‘alienation’ of youths from the school

community had on their academic and behavioral performance in school. Alienation is defined as

feelings of disconnectedness from others. They contend that “students’ alienation contributes to

academic problems which lead to problems on a societal level”. They stress the need to consider more

social aspects of schooling such as the relationship that teachers build with their students. They studied

whether an affective dimension of teacher-student relationships predicts academic progress and

behavior problems. In a longitudinal study of adolescents in grades 7 – 12 it was revealed that positive

teacher-student relationships were associated with better student outcomes both academically and

behaviorally.

21
Crosnoe et al. concluded that “students who had more positive views of their teachers did better and

had fewer problems in school”. Their recommendation, based on these conclusions, is that research

should delve more deeply into teacher student relationships; in particular, exploring the connection

between the affective dimensions of these relationships. They consider good student-teacher

relationships to be a resource to schools and the students and should be promoted as such.

Facilitating interpersonal relations, from a sociological viewpoint, is important to keeping students

committed to the educational process.

2.3.4 Student Perspective: “How do students perceive their relationships with teachers? What effect

does that perception have on their learning?”

Baker (1999) conducted a study of “at risk students.” These at risk students were defined as students

designated as having a high probability of poor developmental or school outcomes. Baker reports that

at risk students often report feeling alienated and disenfranchised from the culture of school. When

asked, students reported that they were satisfied with school if they perceived their relationship with

their teacher as a caring and supportive one.

The current emphasis on instructional methodology and curriculum has usurped the importance

of the relationship teachers create with their students. Baker (1999) posits that because elementary

students spend such significant amounts of time with one teacher, the opportunity to build relationships

between students and teachers is enhanced at this level.

Baker surmises that students who have dropped out of school “seem not to have the social

connectedness with adults at school that could function as a protective factor in the face of academic or

life stressors”. She concludes that students’ interactions with teachers and the quality of the interactions

are potential influences on school performance.

Although Baker’s study focused on students who were “at risk” for failure or behavior problems, her

findings could also transfer to the school performance of any student.

Brekelmans&Wubbels, (2005) also conducted a study that showed that students’ perceptions of

teacher influence were related to cognitive outcomes. The higher a teacher was perceived on the
22
influence dimension, (an interpersonal perception profile), the higher the outcomes of students on a

physics test. In their study, teacher influence was the most important variable at the class level. They

report that the more teachers were perceived by their students as cooperative, the higher the students’

scores were on cognitive tests.

2.4 Instructional Implications

Instructional material has a vital role to play in the academic performance of students,

According to Flood et al. (2003) there is a consensus among researchers that good readers have a plan

for comprehending and they use their met a cognitive knowledge in an orderly way to implement their

plan -- they use a process of thinking that can be taught. The thinking process that is used to

comprehend reading is very similar to the process involved in writing, that of synthesizing and

analyzing. An effective teacher’s ability to teach these thinking strategies successfully could result in a

student with knowledge transferability skills that will prepare them for a lifetime of learning.

Knowledge transferability, as discussed by Spiro et al. (1987), is a necessary skill if one is to acquire

complex knowledge and mastery beyond superficial understanding of preliminary learning.

Spiro et al. indicate that knowledge cannot just be handed over to the learner, active involvement in

knowledge acquisition is necessary along with “opportunistic guidance by expert mentors” (p. 614).

Teachers who have built strong relationships with their students would be able to provide opportunistic

guidance to their students because they have intimate knowledge of how their students learn.

Downey (2008), too, recommends the use of reciprocal teaching as an effective instructional strategy;

one that requires the building of strong interaction between teacher and students as they “develop an

inquiry oriented approach to learning”.

Building strong affective relationships with students would give teachers additional

instructional capacity that could promote learning from a range of student interests and strengths.

According to Hallinan (2008), learning is a cognitive as well as social psychological process. He

reports “research has shown that students who like school have higher academic achievement”.

23
 CHAPTER THREE

3.0 METHODOLOGY

This chapter described the research design, Area of the Study, Population of the Study, Sample

and Sampling Techniques, Instrument for Data Collection, Reliability and Validity of the instrument,

Method of Data Collection and Method of Data Analysis.

3.1 Research Design

The research design for this study is a survey research design. In this research design relevant

data from a group of individual teachers and student will be collected and analyzed using a structured

questionnaire.

According to Nwargu, U. (2000) a survey design is a design that described the nature of an

event by collecting and analyzing data from a sampled group or items considered to be the

representatives of the entire group.

3.2 Population of the study

The target population for the study will comprise of all secondary schools students of accounting in

Bauchi state of Nigeria and the accessible populations that will be use for the researcher to make his

generalization are five selected secondary schools in Bauchi state that include four public secondary

schools and one private school.

3.3 Area of the Study

The area of the study is Bauchi state where the schools to be involved in the study are located.

3.4 Sample and sampling technique

The study’s participants will be 100 secondary school students and 25 teachers drawn from 5 schools in

Bauchi state. The sample of the study will consist of 15 students drawn randomly from each of the 5

schools and 5 teachers are also to be drawn from these schools. The schoolsinclude:-

i. Federal Government girls collage Bauchi (FGGC BAUCHI).

24
ii.Jibril Aminu Model Secondary SchoolBauchi..

iii.Government secondary school Ningi.

iv.Government Comprehensive Day secondary school Bauchi.

v.General Hassan Usman Unity college Bauchi.

3.5 Instrument for Data Collection

A Questionnaire to be design by the researcher will be use to gather data on the study. Items in the

instrument will be a structured questionnaire. The instrument will be divided into two parts. The first

part require the participants demographic information like sex, age, class, name of school etc; while the

second part contains a 24 items Questionnaire and it is a 4 point likert scale format with response

ranged from strongly agreed, to strongly disagree.

3.6Method of Data Collection

All the 125 respondents will be administered the Questionnaire. The researcher will administer

the questionnaire with the help of accounting teachers in the participating schools will respond to the

questionnaire during the administration of the instrument.

Instruction on how to respond to the questionnaire will be read to the respondents. This is to

ensure its proper filling.

Data will be collected immediately after the administration and all the questionnaires will be retrieved

from the respondents in sha Allah.

3.7 Validation of Instrument

The of the study will be validated by three experts in the Depertment of Vocational and

Technology Education, Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Bauchi, for content validation.

3.8 Method of Data Analysis

The data collected will be analyzed by using descriptive statistical method that includes mean

and standard deviation.

25
 CHAPTER FOUR

RESULT AND DISCUSSION OF FINDINGS

This chapteraimed at analyzing the data collected based on the research question stated. In collecting

the data from five Secondary Schools selected where a total number of one hundred (100)

Questionnaireswere distributed to respondents and retrieved for analysis.

4.1 DATA PRESENTATION

The responses provided for the purpose of this study have been analyzed and presented in the following

ways:

1. Research Question One:

To what extend does the teacher-student relationship affect student’s academic performance in

accounting in your school?

Table 1: Relationship that exist between Teacher and Student

S/N Question items X Remark Grand mean

1. Hostile nature of the Teacher-Student Relationship in 3.3 Agreed 3.28
this school cause more problems than solution
2. Free interaction between teachers and students has a 2.9 Agreed
vital role to play in student’s academic performance.
3. Friendly Teacher-Student Relationship encourages 3.7 Agreed
teacher’s innovation and flexibility in planning and
effective instructional delivery.
4. The poor academic performance of students in this 3.3 Agreed
school is linked with the nature of teacher-student
relationship.
5. Lack of teacher-student relationship discourages 3.2 Agreed
student’s participation in the class which causes slow
learning.

26
Table 1 shows that the respondents agreed with all items in respect to research question one. A grand

mean score of 3.28 revealed that a relationship exists between the teachers and the students of

accounting in Bauchi state secondary school is not cordial.

2. Research Question Two:

How does teacher dedication & commitment to teaching activities affect student academic performance

in accounting?

Table 2: The teacher dedication & commitment on student academic performance

S/N Question items X Remark Grand mean

1. Teachers in this school do not teach for a complete 3.1 Agreed 3.35

period most of the times.

2. The fear exhibited by the students on their teachers due 4.2 Agreed

to the level of maturity has adverse effect on their

academic performance in this school.

3. There is good commitment in teaching by the teachers in 3.6 Agreed

this school which enhances effective instructional

process.

4. Teachers in this school usually comes let to the class for 2.5 Disagreed

the lesson.

Table 2 above shows that the respondents agreed with items number 1,2 and 3 and disagreed with item

number 4. A grand mean score of 3.35 indicate that teacher dedication and commitment to teaching of

accountingaffect students-academic achievement in Bauchi State Secondary School.

3. Research Question Three:

27
How does student perception of their teachers affect their academic performance in accounting?

Table 3: The perception of students of their teachers, on their performance

S/No Question Items X Remark Grand Mean

1. Fear of harassment by opposite sex (teacher) affect 3.0 Agreed 3.03

student’s academic achievement

2. Teacher gender as regards to teacher-student 3.0 Agreed

relationship has no significance on student’s academic

achievement in this school.

3. Student’s gender regarding teacher-student relationship 3.1 Agreed

has no negative effect on their academic achievement in

this school.

Table 3: above shows that all the respondents agreed with all items in respect to research question

three. A grand mean score of 3.03 implies that student perception of their teachers has an influence on

teachers-students of accounting in Bauchi state secondary schools.

Research Question four:

What specific components of teacher-student interactions are essential to a learning environment in

your school?

Table 4: The specific components of teacher-student interactions are essential to a learning

environment.

28
S/No Question Items X Remark Grand Mean

1. The teachers in this school allow their students to talk 2.7 Disagre 3.36

with them on their personal issue. ed

2. Teachers in this school do sit together with their students 4. Agreed

during class andinteract freely with them which

encourage student’s participation and performance

3. Students in this school are encouraged by their teachers 3.5 Agreed

to do better when their performance is poor rather than

abusing them.

4. Students in this school do not respect the teachers that 3.3 Agreed

interact freely with them.

Table 4 above indicate that the respondent disagreed with the Item 1 and agree with items 2, 3 and 4 in

respect research question four. A grand mean score of 3.36 revealed that the components of teacher-

student interactions has influence on student’s academic achievement in accounting in Bauchi state

secondary schools.

4.2 MAJOR FINDINGS OF THE STUDY

The following are the major findings of this study:

1. The relationship that exists between teacher of accounting and students of accounting in Bauchi

state secondary schools is not cordial.

2. Teacher-Student relationship influence student’s academic performance in accounting in Bauchi

state secondary schools.

3. The perception of students of their teachers has an effect onstudent’s academic performance in

accounting in Bauchi state secondary schools.

29
 4. Some components (leadership) of the teachers have an influence on the student’s academic

performance in accounting in Bauchi state secondary schools.

4.3 DISCUSSION OF FINDINGS

The findings in this research work have been able to depict a scenario that in all secondary schools

selected for the purpose of the study. Teacher-Student relationship has a significant negative impact on

student’s academic performance in accounting in Bauchi state. From the analysis, the findings shows

that a grand mean score of 3.38 all respondents agreed with all the items. Therefore, it implies that a

relationship that exists between teacher and student of accounting in Bauchi state secondary schools is

not cordial.

The findings in respect to research question two revealed on item 4 has an average mean score of 2.5

less than the accepted value in respect to research question one. This implies that the respondent

disagreed with item 4 and agrees with 1, 2 and 3 a grand mean score of 3.35 revealed that the

relationship between teachers and students of accounting has an influence on student’s academic

performance in Bauchi state secondary schools.

In respect to research question three, the finding also shows that all items have an average mean score

above the accepted value. A grand mean score of 3.03 shows that the respondents agreed with the

items. This revealed that the student perception on their teachers has an influence on student’s

academic performance in accounting in Bauchi state secondary schools.

Finally, the findings in respect to research question four revealed that a grand mean score of 3.36 all

respondents agreed with all the items. Therefore, it implies that components(leadership style) of

teachers have an influence on student’s academic performance in accountingin Bauchi state secondary

schools.

30
 CHAPTER FIVE

SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION

5.1 INTRODUCTION

The purpose of the study is to assess the influence of Teacher-Student Relationship on Student’s

Academic performance in accounting in Bauchi state Secondary Schools. The study assessed the

attitude and actions of the students and teachers of Bauchi state secondary schools with respect to

teacher student relationship in the academic performance of the students in accounting. Research

questions were formulated and tested. Review of existing body of knowledge on the topic was related.

This chapter presents the Summary; Conclusion and Recommendation about the study, Educational

Implication of the Study ware also highlighted.

5.2 SUMMARY

The study was conducted in Bauchi state on the assessment of the impact of teacher-student

relationship on student’s academic performance in accounting and involves the study of five (5)

teachers and twenty (20) students which ware randomly selected from five (5) secondary schools in

Bauchi state. Research question were developed for the study and instrument for the date collection is a

structure questionnaire which was validated by three experts in the department of vocational and

technology education of Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Bauchi.

The questionnaire was administered and receives back by the researcher through the research assistance

at the five secondary schools in Bauchi state.

However, the findings also revealed that a number of factors are needed such as qualify teachers, more

classrooms and other instructional materials.

31
5.3 CONCLUSION
The study was conducted to assess the influence of teacher-student relationship on student academic

achievement in accounting in Bauchi state secondary schools.

The study revealed that the relationship exists between teacher and student has a significant negative

impact on student’s academic achievement. It was obvious that the fear that exists by the student on

their teachers and strictness limits teacher-student interaction which brings about poor student’s

academic performance in accounting subject.

The Gender difference on other hand contributes to the poor student’s academic achievement. i.e. the

fear of harassment by opposite sex (teacher) affect student’s academic achievement in accounting

subject in Bauchi state secondary schools.

The study has also highlighted the issue of leadership style among the teachers and how it affects

student’s academic performance in accounting. As a result of the finding from the research, it is

revealed that democratic leadership style is by far better than autocratic and laissez faire leadership

style, even though all the three leadership style have its contribution to the class room management

toward the student’s academic achievement in accounting.

5.4 RECOMMENDATIONS:
In view of the findings from the research the following recommendation are hereby proffered:

Bauchi state ministry of education should organize workshops and seminars so that teachers will be

trained on good teacher-student relationship especially on accounting subject. This will help them

understanding their students and knowing how to relate cordially with them. Thus bringing about

improvements on student’s academic performance and achievement in accounting.

The student’s on the other hand should respect their teachers and recognize them as those who are more

knowledgeable than them who ware paid to train them so that they can become good leaders of

tomorrow.
32
The teachers in Bauchi state secondary schools should have a modification and be knowledgeable about

the leadership style, since success in learning depend greatly on the nature of teacher-student

interactions.

A good study of the students in the class will help the teachers to use the best type of leadership style

for a greater academic achievement in accounting, not forgetting that situation determine the interaction

between the teachers and the students.

Finally, parents should inculcate good moral upbringing on their children so that, they can respect their

teacher in the school.

5.5 EDUCATIONAL IMPLICATION OF THE STUDY

The research work carried out to asses the influence of Teacher-Student Relationship on Student’s

Academic performance in accounting in Bauchi state Secondary Schools, have been presented,

analyzed, concluded and recommended. The recommendations are made in order to improve or correct

the problems facing student’s academic achievement in accounting in Bauchi state.

Implementation of the corrections proposed can improve the effectiveness in ensuring the acquisition of

the appropriate levels of literacy numeracy, manipulative, communicative and life skills as well as the

ethical, moral and civic value needed for effective implementation on student’s academic achievement

in accounting, while neglecting the recommendation in the research can lead to the following

implications:

1. Hostile nature of teacher-student relationship cause more problems in secondary schools in

Bauchi state.

2. Teacher strictness limits teacher-student interaction thereby making learning of accounting

subject to be too difficult to the students of accounting in Bauchi state secondary schools.

3. Fear of harassment by teachers will surely affect student’s academic performance in accounting

in Bauchi state secondary schools.

33
 4. Little freedom of speech and strict rules and regulation exist on student by the autocratic teachers

which reduced interaction between the teacher and student during accounting class.

5.6 LIMITATIONS

This section identifies the limitations of the study which has affected the quality and generalization of

the findings of the study, these include:

1. In ability of the researcher to employ oral interview which could have generated hidden opinions

of the students on the subject matter

2. In ability of the researcher to use sufficient samples in the study.

3. In Ability of the Bauchi state ministry of education to provide the needed information that the

researcher will use to carry out more effective and accepted research.

4. Time constraint has also been a problem to the researcher which does not allowed the researcher

to cover more areas.

5. The current economic recession has contributed negatively to the research work.

34
 REFERENCES

6. Amaefule, A, A (1998): The effects of three teaching methods on students Achievement.

Unpublished M. Ed thesis, Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University, Bauchi Nigeria PP. 40-47.

7. Bajah, S.T (2000): STAN president’s Address: stating the obvious in science Education

Proceedings of 27thAnnal conference of STAN, pp 1-8.

8. Bello, J.Y (2001): Basis principles of teaching Education in Africa – a Wiley series.

9. Cochran, W.G (2003): Experiment: Encyclopedia Americana Vol. 10: international edition. P.

767 USA, Grolier International.

10. Daniel, D (2001): Applied psychology problem in living and work.Carriegie Tata Micrawhill Inc.

New York p. 6, 8.

11. Egbokhan, (2004): executive stress and inoculation: A lecture note in industrial Psychology The

Federal Polyphonic Bauchi.

12. Flander, A, (2004) Analyzing teaching Behaviour

13. Getzels and Jack (1997): The teacher’s personality and characteristic in N.L Gage Ed Hand book.

14. Ivowi, U, (1991): Improving Verbal Communication in Schools. Presidential Address. 32 nd

Annual Conference Proceedings of the Science Teacher’s Association of Nigeria PP xvii.

15. Jiboyewa, D.A (2000): The profile of school development.

16. Marshall, ST (1999): Educational Psychology for the Teacher in Africa.Rdward Arnold publisher

limited, London.

17. National policy on Education (1981): federal Republic of Nigeria (Revised) Lagos, Federal

Government press.

18. Okories J.U (1996) Educational psychology.

19. Oloyede, O.I and Aliyu, M.B, (2001): Alternative sources of funding Higher Education in

Nigeria. A paper presented at the 12 th national conference of the Association for promoting

quality Education in Nigeria (APQEN) held at FCE (T) Gombe 5th – 8th June.

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20. Oyedela, (1991): The role of Teachers Education in Educational progress of Nigeria Youth.

Education Today’s. A quarterly journal of the federal ministry of Education 3 (3) P 27.

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Federal Polytechnic Bauchi.

36
 APPENDIX

SECTION ‘A’ PERSONAL DATA:

1. Sex: Male Female

2. Age:
3. School: ……………………………………………………………………
4. Educational level ND NCE HND B.sc B.Edu

SECTION ‘B’ RESPONDENT’S OPINION

Please respond by simply ticking the appropriate column from the following options:

I. Strongly Agreed - SA (4)

II. Agreed - A (3)
III. Disagreed - D (2)
IV. Strongly Disagreed - SD (1)

Research Question 1. To what extend does teacher-student relationship affect student’s

academic performance in your Schools?

SA A D SD
4 3 2 1
4 Hostile nature of the Teacher-Student Relationship in this school
cause more problems than solution
5 Free interaction between teachers and students has a vital role to play
in student’s academic performance.
6 Friendly Teacher-Student Relationship encourages teacher’s
innovation and flexibility in planning and effective instructional
delivery.
7 The poor academic performance of students in this school is linked
with the nature of teacher-student relationship.
8 Lack of teacher-student relationship discourages student’s
participation in the class which causes slow learning.

Research Question 2 How does teacher dedication & commitment to the students affect student

academic performance?

SA A D SD
4 3 2 1
9 Teachers in this school do not interact with their students freely.
10 The fear exhibited by the students on their teachers due to the level of
37
 maturity has adverse effect on their academic performance in this
school.
11 There is good commitment in teacher-student relationship which
enhances effective instructional process.
12 Teacher strictness limits teacher-student interaction thereby making
learning too difficult.

Research Question 3 How does student perception of their teachers affect academic performance?

SA A D SD
4 3 2 1
14 Teacher gender as regard to teacher-students relationship has no
significance on student’s academic performance.
15 Fear of harassment by opposite sex (teacher) affects student’s
academic performance in teacher-student relationship.
16 Student’s gender regarding teacher-student relationship has no
negative effect on their academic performance in this school.

Research Question 4 What specific components of teacher-student interactions are essential to a

learning environment in your school?

SA A D SD
4 3 2 1
17 The teachers in this school allow their students to chart on their
personal issue with them.
18 Teachers in this school do sit together with their students during class
and interact freely with them which encourage student’s participation
and performance.
19 Students in this school are encouraged by their teachers to do better
when their performance is poor rather than abusing them.
20 Teachers discourage student’s participation in the class due to their
inability to motivate them.

38