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NZEKWE, CAROL IJEOMA
PG/M.ED/09/50948
INFLUENCE OF TEACHERS’ COMMUNICATION STYLES ON PUPILS’ SELF-
ESTEEM AND ACDEMIC ACHIEVEMENT IN ENUGU STATE NIGERIA
FACULTY OF EDUCATION
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATIONS
(EDUCATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY)
Ameh Joseph Jnr
Digitally Signed by: Content manager’s Name
DN : CN = Webmaster’s name
O= University of Nigeria, Nsukka
OU = Innovation Centre
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INFLUENCE OF TEACHERS’ COMMUNICATION
STYLES ON PUPILS’ SELF-ESTEEM
AND ACDEMIC ACHIEVEMENT
IN ENUGU STATE NIGERIA
BY
NZEKWE, CAROL IJEOMA
PG/M.ED/09/50948
M.ED PROJECT SUBMITTED TO THE
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATIONS
(EDUCATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY)
UNIVERSITY OF NIGERIA
NSUKKA
DECEMBER, 2013
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TITLE PAGE
INFLUENCE OF TEACHERS’ COMMUNICATION STYLES ON
PUPILS’ SELF-ESTEEM AND ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT
IN ENUGU STATE NIGERIA
BY
NZEKWE CAROL IJEOMA
PG/M.ED/09/50948
A PROJECT SUBMITTED TO THE DEPARTMENT OF
EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATIONS, FACULTY OF
EDUCATION, UNIVERSITY OF NIGERIA,
NSUKKA.
IN FULFILMENT OF THE REQUIREMENT FOR THE
DEGREE OF MASTER IN EDUCATION (M.ED)
IN EDUCATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY
DECEMBER, 2013.
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APPROVAL PAGE
THIS PROJECT HAS BEEN APPROVED FOR THE DEPARTMENT OF
EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATIONS, FACULTY OF EDUCATION, UNIVERSITY OF
NIGERIA, NSUKKA.
BY
---------------------------------------- -----------------------------------
PROF. E.C UMEANO
SUPERVISOR INTERNAL EXAMINER
--------------------------------------- ------------------------------------
DR. D.U NGWOKE
EXTERNAL EXAMINER HEAD OF DEPARTMENT
-----------------------------------------------
PROF. I.C.S IFELUNNI
DEAN OF FACULTY
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CERTIFICATION
I, Nzekwe Carol Ijeoma, a Postgraduate student in the Department of Educational
Foundations with registration number PG/M.ED/09/50948 has satisfactorily completed
the requirements for the course and research work for the degree of Master in Education
(M.ED) in Educational Psychology.
The work embodied in this thesis is original and has not been submitted in part or
full for any other diploma or degree of this University or any other University.
----------------------------------------- -------------------------------------
Nzekwe Carol Prof. E.C. Umeano
Student Supervisor
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DEDICATION
To the Holy Trinity and our Blessed Mother Mary, Mother of Perpetual Help.
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
My profound gratitude goes to God Almighty who in His infinite mercy saw me
through this programme.
I am indebted to my supervisor Prof. E.C Umeano who all these while patiently
read, corrected and guided me through this work.
My special thanks go to Dr. D. U Ngwoke, Prof. U.N Ezeh, Prof. T. Ama
Nwachukwu, Prof. Anthony Ali, Dr. J .J Ezeugwu, Dr. A. N Okolo, Dr. T. O Oforka, Dr.
L. N. Onuigbo, Rev. Dr. L. K. Ejionueme, Dr. D.E. Adimora, Dr. Immaculata Akaneme,
and Chukwumeka Okoye for their immense contribution to the success of this work
I am particularly indebted to my mother, Theresa and my brothers and sisters
Ferdinand, Nneka, Chizoba, Okechukwu, UcheGod and Chidiebere, my sister- in - law
Lucy, and my little nieces; Mmasichukwu, Gerald and Somtochukwu whose prayers,
encouragement and financial support made this work a possibility.
I will never forget to acknowledge Rev. Sr. Martina Obi and Rev. Sr. Scholastica
Ezeh for their prayers and support, also Mr. G. Inyiama, Dr. Andrew Evbuomwan, Engr.
J.C Inyiama, Mrs K. Udeabo for their financial support.
I am also thankful to Tony Ajah, Rev. Fr. Linus Okwu, Rev. Fr. Okwy Ndulue,
Rev. Fr. Celestine and Rev. Fr. Chukwuemeka for their prayers, and also Mrs. Ijeoma
Okpukpara, Mrs .J. Inyiama, Collins Aniamalu, Ndidiamaka Obayi, Jovita Iroka, Ugochi
Obagha, and all those who contributed in one way or the other to the success of this
work.
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LIST OF TABLES
Table 1: Research Question 1: What is the influence of assertive, passive and
aggressive teachers’ communication styles on pupils’ self- esteem? 1
Table 2: Research Question 2: What is the influence of assertive, passive and
aggressive teachers’ communication style on pupils’ academic achievement? 2
Table 3: Hypothesis 1: There is no significant difference in the influence of teachers’
communication styles on pupils’ self-esteem. 3
Table 4: Hypothesis 2: There is no significant difference in the influence of teachers’
communication styles on pupils’ academic achievement. 4
Figure 1: A Schematic Representation of Influence of Teachers’ Communication Styles
on Pupils’ Self-esteem and Academic Achievement 5
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Title Page i
Approval Page ii
Certification Page iii
Dedication iv
Acknowledgement v
List of Tables vi
Table of Contents vii
Abstract viii
CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION
Background of the study 1
Statement of the Problem 7
Purpose of the Study 9
Significance of the Study 9
Scope of the Study 11
Research Questions 11
Hypotheses 11
CHAPTER TWO: REVIEW OF LITERATURE
Conceptual Framework 12
Concept of Communication 13
Concept of Teacher Communication Style 17
Concept of Self-esteem 20
Concept of Academic Achievement 22
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Relationship among Teachers’ Communication styles, Self-esteem and Academic
Achievement 25
Theoretical Framework 26
Classroom Management Theory 26
Socio-meter Theory 28
Labeling Theory 30
Empirical Studies 31
Summary of Literature 37
CHAPTER THREE: RESEARCH METHOD
Research Design 39
Area of the Study 39
Population of the Study 40
Sample and Sampling Techniques 40
Instruments for Data Collection 41
Validation of Instrument 42
Reliability of the Instruments 42
Method of Data Collection 42
Method of Data Analysis 43
CHAPTER FOUR: PRESENTATION OF DATA
CHAPTER FIVE: DISCUSSION OF THE FINDINGS, CONCLUSION,
RECOMMENDATIONS AND SUMMARY
Discussion of Findings 48
Conclusion 51
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Educational Implications of the Findings of the Study 52
Recommendations 53
Limitations of the Study 54
Suggestions for Further Research 54
Summary of the Study 55
REFERENCES
APPENDICES
Appendix A
Appendix B
Appendix C
Appendix D
Appendix E
Appendix F
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ABSTRACT
The study investigated the influence of teachers’ communication styles on pupils’ self-
esteem and academic achievement in government primary schools in Enugu state,
Nigeria. The sample for this study consist (300) three hundred pupils who are under
passive, assertive and aggressive teachers respectively, representing the entire population
of (5,992) five thousand, nine hundred and ninety-two used for the study. Three
instruments were used for data collection namely; Pupils’ perception of Teachers’
Communication Styles Questionnaire (PPTCSQ), Pupils’ Self-esteem Questionnaire
(PSEQ) and Pupils’ Achievement Test Proforma (PATP). For the two questionnaires,
Cronbach Alpha method was used to establish their internal consistency. Using SPSS
version 16.0, a coefficient value of the internal consistency reliability of PPTCSQ was
.78, .81 and .73 respectively, and that of PSEQ was .83. The data was analyzed using
mean and standard deviation, while the null hypotheses were tested using Analyses of
Variance (ANOVA) at 0.05 level of significant. The findings of the study show that; (1)
Assertive and passive teachers’ communication styles influence on pupils’ self-esteem is
positive while aggressive teachers’ influence is negative. (2) Assertive teachers’
communication styles influence on pupils’ academic achievement is positive while
passive and aggressive teachers’ influences are negative. (3) There is no significant
difference in the influence of teachers’ communication styles on pupils’ self-esteem and
(4) there is a significant difference in the mean influence of the three teachers’
communication styles on pupils’ academic achievement. Base on these findings, the
conclusion is that assertive teachers’ communication style is superior to passive and
aggressive teachers’ communication styles. Finally a number of ways by which teachers
can improve their communication styles that will enhance pupils’ academic achievement
as well as their self-esteem were mentioned. Implications were equally highlighted and
recommendations made.
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CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
Background of the Study
In any academic pursuit, the expectation of every learner is to achieve success.
Academic achievement according to Anyanwu and Anyakoha (2006) is gain or success in
an academic context. Academic achievement is the outcome of education, the extent to
which a student, teacher or institution has achieved their educational goals or made the
best of their academic aptitude (Psychology Wiki, 2011). In the context of this study,
academic achievement is the ability of an individual to achieve the best of academic goal
from some educational experiences.
Academic achievement indicates an individual’s ability to attain the academic
goals and objectives which are reflected in the school curriculum. Individuals strive to
achieve success in their academic pursuits for obvious reasons which may include; the
longing to be self-reliant, to earn good certificate, to become an authority in one’s field of
specialization and most importantly to secure a good job.
Over time, pupils’ performances in both internal and external examinations have
been a yard stick for determining their academic excellence or failure. Recently, there
have been frequent reports in the mass media about the decline in pupils’ academic
achievement in Nigeria. This has become an issue of worry to many due to the great role
of education in national development. The Federal Republic of Nigeria (FRN) (2004)
describes primary education as key to success or failure of the whole system. Primary
education according to Lota (2008) provides the necessary foundation upon which the
rest of educational system is built.
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The report from Ministry of Education Development Center (EDC) Enugu
justified the problematic nature of pupils’ poor achievements in Common Entrance
Examination in Enugu Education zone from the year 2008 to 2012;
In 2008 9800 candidates sat for the Common Entrance Examination. Out of this number,
48% scored high while 52% scored low. In 2009 6,107 candidates sat for the
examination. Out of this number, 49% scored high while 51% scored low. In 2010 5,969
candidates sat for the examination. Out of this number, 47% scored high while 53%
scored low. In 2011 5,920 candidates sat for the examination, out of this number, 49%
scored high while 51% scored low. In 2012 5,050 candidates sat for the examination, out
of this number, 47% scored high while 53% scored low. So out of the total number of
32,846 candidates that took common entrance examination in Enugu Education zone
from 2008 to 2012, only 15,320 pupils scored high while 17,526 scored low.
In view of this, a lot of questions are being asked as to what could be the cause of
these poor achievements of most pupils in examinations. Many have blamed the parents,
some people lay the blame on the pupils while others blame the teachers.
Researchers over the years have tried to find out the causes of pupils’ poor
academic achievement. For instance Etsey (2005) came up with the following factors as
the major causes of pupils’ poor academic achievement: lack of professional teacher
qualification, ineffective supervision of instruction, lack of motivation and professional
commitment, the unavailability and use of teaching and learning materials, irregular
assigning of homework and class sizes. Ofoegbu (2004) asserts that poor academic
achievement of pupils in Nigeria has been linked to poor teachers’ performance in terms
of accomplishing the teaching task, negative attitude to work and poor teaching habits.
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In the same vein, Asikhia (2010) believes that the falling level of academic
achievement is attributable to teachers’ non-use of verbal reinforcement strategy,
unpleasant comments about pupil’s performances which could damage their ego, also
attitude of some teachers to their job which is reflected in their poor attendance to
lessons, lateness to school and poor method of teaching. From the above assertions, it is
obvious that the various attitudes which some teachers display in the classroom betray
their commitment, which according to Olatunde (2009) negatively affects pupils’ attitude
towards learning and consequently their self-esteem.
Self-esteem, according to Harris (2009) refers to an individual’s sense of his or
her value or worth, or the extent to which a person values, approves of, appreciates,
prizes, or likes him or herself. Baumeister, Campbell, Krueger, and Vohs (2003) view
self-esteem as how much value people place on them, the evaluative component of self-
knowledge. In the context of this study, self-esteem refers to the degree of value and self-
importance which an individual has for oneself, and the extent to which the individual
likes and appreciates him or herself.
Pupils behave, interact and associate with others base on how they perceive
themselves, and how they see others accept, love and care for them. When they feel
unloved, uncared for or unaccepted by others, they form low self-esteem, but when they
feel accepted, loved, and cared for by others, they form high self-esteem. The self-esteem
formed however determines their world out look and their academic achievement in
school.
High self-esteem leads to good school work and may foster in the pupils
confidence to tackle difficult problems and enable them to derive satisfaction from
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progress and success. High self-esteem refers to highly favourable global evaluation of
self, while low self-esteem refers to unfavourable evaluation of the self (Irish National
Teachers’ Organization (INTO) 1995). Pupils with high self-esteem may be more willing
to persist in the face of initial failure and less likely to succumb to paralyzing feelings of
incompetence and self-doubt (Baumeister et al, 2003.
Low self-esteem on the other hand leads to learning disabilities and disciplinary
problems because pupils with low self-esteem feel unwanted, unloved and unaccepted,
resulting to difficulty in mixing up, interaction and making friends easily. Moreover,
they feel shy of standing up in the class to ask or answer question due to lack of
confidence in self, or because of fear that the teacher and other pupils might make fun of
them.
Base on past research findings, it has been observed that self-esteem and
academic achievement are correlated (Harris, 2009). The author noted that a history of
success in an educational setting was found to be one of four major social antecedents of
self-esteem. However, pupils’ lack of confidence in their abilities attributes to the
persistent decline in pupils’ academic achievement in the country. Harris went on to state
that level of self-esteem increases as level of academic achievement scores increases and
vice versa. Moreover the study of Kimberly, Richard, and Luc (1999) indicates that
pupils’ self-esteem and academic achievement could be enhanced or frustrated by
teachers’ communication styles.
Communication is the process of creating or sharing meaning in informal
conversation, group interaction or public speaking (Verderber & Verderber, 2008).
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According to Chandler (2011), communication is a process by which meaning is assigned
and conveyed in an attempt to create shared understanding.
Teachers’ communication styles as defined by Norton in Chory & Mccroskey
(1999) refers to how a teacher verbally and nonverbally interacts to signal how literal
meaning should be taken, interpreted, filtered, or understood. In the context of this study,
teachers’ communication styles refers to the various strategies including verbal,
nonverbal and caring approach which teachers employ to make the learners understand
their instructions effectively.
Teachers are highly essential for successful operation of the educational system
and they are important tools for the educational development (Obadara, 2008). Both
teaching and learning depends on teachers, so an effective teacher has been
conceptualized as one who produces desired results in the course of his duty by adopting
the styles of communication that will enhance the clarity of his or her instruction in the
classroom, thus Uchefuna (2001) noted that teachers’ communication styles have an
influence on classroom climate which affect pupils in their academic achievement.
Research over the years have shown that teachers’ communication styles
influences pupils in terms of how they perceive themselves and their performances in the
class. Ginott (1922) in his classroom management theory demonstrated that the teacher
has a tremendous power to make a child’s life joyous or miserable, humanize or
dehumanized. Some pupils come with great expectations and willingness to learn, only to
end up developing a negative feeling about themselves because the teacher either through
verbal or nonverbal communication tell them that they are not very good at what they are
doing or that they are not good persons. This negative feeling after several years of
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accumulation will automatically lead to a low self-esteem and poor academic
achievement, hence INTO (1995) noted that the formation of children’s self-concept to a
large extent is influenced by verbal and nonverbal communication.
Some teachers tend to deal badly intentionally or unintentionally through the way
they communicate with the pupils. These teachers generally communicate more with
some pupils and being less communicative with other pupils. They like, and talk with
brighter pupils more often, give emotional and social support to them, spend more time
with them, and integrate them into school activities more often while low self-esteem
pupils are often left to themselves in the classroom, thus Wrench, Richmond, and
Gorham, (2009) assert that teachers should communicate and give equal attention to all
the pupils in the classroom.
The authors further described three communication behaviours which teachers
should adopt to build affect in the classroom as clarity, immediacy, and teacher humour.
Clarity has to do with teachers’ ability to communicate to the pupils’ in simple language
to enable them to understand the learning content easily. Teacher immediacy refers to the
psychological or physical closeness between two people especially closeness between the
teacher and the pupils. Teacher humour according to Wrench, Richmond, and Gorham is
important in the classroom teaching and learning because it reduces test and classroom
anxiety.
Heffiner, (1989) suggested three communication styles; (i) Passive
communication style (ii) Assertive communication style and (iii) Aggressive
communication style. Passive communication style according to Heffner is the type of
communication in which the communicator finds it difficult to express their thoughts and
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feelings because of their minimized self-worth and a feeling of being inferior to others.
Assertive communicator is described as that person who stands for his/her right, and at
the same time maintains the respect and right of others. Aggressive communicators are
characterized by an authoritative style of communication with a monopolizing attitude.
It has been observed by the researcher that some teachers in Enugu Education
Zone public primary schools exhibit communication styles that are akin to that of Heffner
(1989) assertive, passive and aggressive communication styles.
Passive teachers develop pattern of avoiding expressing opinions or feelings,
protecting their rights, identifying and meeting their needs. According to Maximo et al
(2011), the typical reasons for this in the classroom include wanting to please or not
wanting to upset their pupils and being afraid of confrontation or not confident about
managing confrontation that disruptive pupils’ behaviour may result to.
Such passive teachers keep away from conflict at all cost to avoid negative
criticism and strive to elude the notice of pupils’ misbehaviour. Thus, in such classroom
the pupils are always ignored even when they are fighting or come to the teacher with a
complaint. The teacher does not ensure that the pupils understand the content of learning
and does not show love and care to the pupils.
In the same vein, others adopt aggressive approach in their interactions with the
pupils in the sense that they use abusive words, humiliate, insult and embarrass pupils
before the class. Consequent upon these, some pupils are always hesitant and scared to
interact or communicate with the teachers for fear of being embarrassed. In line with this
assertion, Wrench, Richmond, and Gorham (2009) opined that teachers should establish
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the tone for the classroom and eliminate all harsh statements because it can keep the
lower self-esteem pupils from interacting, participate and exchange ideas in class project.
In as much as primary education in this country is vital, teachers’ communication
style needs to be investigated since it could be significant in frustrating or enhancing the
academic achievement and self-esteem of pupils. The researcher therefore seeks to find
out the influence of assertive, passive and aggressive teachers’ communication styles on
pupils’ self-esteem and academic achievement.
Statement of Problem
The poor achievement of primary school pupils in examinations in recent times
have become a thing of worry to parents, educators, researchers and the government. This
ugly incident of pupils’ poor academic achievement is lingering, despite all the efforts of
the government in ensuring that qualitative education is provided at the primary school
level, for instance,
The minimum qualification for primary school teachers has been upgraded
by the government to National Certificate in Education (NCE), school facilities and
infrastructure has equally been improved as well as funding, such that free education has
been provided to public primary schools through Universal Basic Education (UBE)
programme. Despite these efforts, pupils’ achievement continues to decline.
Moreover, it has been observed that in recent times, most pupils are having
low self-esteem, resulting to learning disability and disciplinary problems. These pupils
lack confidence in them and in their ability to perform well in the examinations. This
could be attributable to the rampant examination malpractices in the country.
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In the bid to finding possible solution to this issue of pupils’ poor academic
achievement and low self-esteem, researchers have embarked on series of studies.
Evidence from some of the literature suggests that one of the essential determinants of
success or failure in education is the style of communication which a teacher adopts in
the classroom teaching and learning.
Research in western nations like Britain and America seem to be conclusive that
teachers’ communication styles influence self-esteem and academic achievement.
However, the extent to which such teachers’ communication styles (assertive, passive and
aggressive) influence Nigerian pupils’ self-esteem and academic achievement is not very
clear. Therefore, the problem of this study posed as a question is: what is the influence of
teachers’ communication styles on the self-esteem and academic achievement of primary
school pupils?
Purpose of the Study
The main purpose of this study was to determine the influence of teachers’
communication styles on pupils’ self-esteem and academic achievement in government
primary schools in Enugu Education zone. Specifically the study intends to;
1. determine the influence of assertive, passive, and aggressive teachers’
communication styles on primary school pupils’ self-esteem
2. ascertain the influence of assertive, passive and aggressive teachers’
communication styles on primary school pupils’ academic achievement
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Significance of the Study
The findings of this study will be theoretically significant if the findings of this
study indicate that teachers’ communication styles enhance pupils’ self-esteem and
academic achievement, as data provided will hopefully throw more light on the
understanding of Haim Ginott’s Classroom Management Theory which states that in the
classroom, teachers should be facilitators, allowing the full participation of the pupils in
the learning activities, also that the pupils interests should be accepted and respected.
It will also illuminate Leary Mark’s Socio-meter Theory which explains the
importance of self-esteem in monitoring how desirable one would be to other people, and
this enable people to know how well their behaviours are integrating them to the society.
Finally, it will explain Hargreaves, Keddie and Ball’s Labeling Theory which
states that labeling a child makes them to change their perception about themselves either
negatively or positively towards the label.
However, if the findings of this study show that self-esteem and academic
achievement are not influenced by teachers’ communication styles, then it will help for
further investigation and possible review of the theories.
This study will be useful to curriculum developers and policy makers, teachers,
primary school pupils and researchers.
Findings of this study when published will give curriculum developers and policy
makers the insight on the influence of teachers’ communication styles on pupils’ self-
esteem and academic achievement. Hence, the study will enable them to see the need to
include communication styles in teaching methodology and curriculum modules in
various teacher training institutions.
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This study will also enable primary school teachers and other people concerned with
instructional activities to understand how their pupils’ self-esteem and academic
achievement can be influenced by their styles of communication in the classroom. And so
teachers should be able to assist the pupils to develop high self-esteem which will in turn
boost their academic achievement, by using the right communication styles that will
sustain the interest of the learners in classroom teaching and learning.
Findings of this study will help primary school pupils especially the slow learners
to understand the teaching, participate in the learning activities, and acquire more
knowledge, and also to enjoy good relationship with their teachers.
This study will equally serve as a reference for further researchers who would
carry out research on this topic, as well as those that will use the empirical information of
this study for further studies.
Scope of the Study
This study was carried out among all the primary five pupils in public primary
schools in Enugu Education zone. Heffner classification of Teachers’ communication
styles- passive, assertive and aggressive communication styles was also looked at in
relation to its influence on pupils’ self-esteem and academic achievement. The pupils’
academic achievement was determined using a standardized achievement test adopted
from Common Entrance Examination past question paper.
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Research Questions
In an attempt to meet the objectives of this study, the following research questions guided
this study.
1. What is the influence of assertive, passive and aggressive teachers’ communication
styles on pupils’ self- esteem?
2. What is the influence of assertive, passive and aggressive teachers’ communication
styles on pupils’ academic achievement?
Hypotheses
The following null hypotheses were formulated for the study.
Ho1 There is no significant difference in the influence of teachers’ communication styles
on pupils’ self-esteem.
Ho2 There is no significant difference in the influence of teachers’ communication styles
on pupils’ academic achievement.
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CHAPTER TWO
REVIEW OF LITERATURE
The review of literature for this study is organized under the following sub themes:
A. Conceptual Framework
� Concept of Communication
� Concept of Teacher Communication style
� Concept of Self-esteem
� Concept of Academic Achievement
� Relationship among Teachers’ Communication styles, Self-esteem and Academic
Achievement.
B. Theoretical Framework
� Classroom Management Theory
� Socio-meter Theory
� Labeling Theory
C. Empirical Studies
� Related Studies on Teachers’ Communication Styles and Pupils’ Self-esteem
� Related Studies on Teachers’ Communication Styles and Pupils’ Academic
Achievement
D. Summary of Literature Review
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Concept of Communication
The term communication is as old as man. This is because communication as a
process is one of the basic requirements of human existence used in relating with others
at home, in school, workplace, and in all spheres of life, thus Norton in Agbo (2006)
asserts that communication is not merely passing out of information or thoughts and
feelings, but also involves the accurate transfer of thoughts and feelings from the sender
of message to the receiver. Hybels & Weaver (2004) defined communication as any
process in which people share information, ideas, and feelings, personal mannerisms and
style, anything that adds meaning to a message. Bertram (2002) perceive communication
as involving listening and speaking through which the participants learn and understand
themselves.
Two types of communication process were identified by Cooper in Agbo (2006)
as verbal and non-verbal communication. Cooper explained verbal communication as the
act of speaking by using words, example is the use of different forms of languages
(written, voice, sign language), while non-verbal communication on the other hand is the
act of speaking without using words. In this type of communication, the use of facial
gestures, smiling, frowning, body language and the impression given to others with one’s
appearance (dress, body image, body odor). In classroom teaching and learning, if
teachers really attend to the body language of their students, they will know when they
are bored or confused (Prozesky, 2000). From the body language of teachers, students
can equally pick up whether or not they are confident and enthusiastic.
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There are various elements of every communication process, which according to
Hybels and Weaver (2004), include; sender- receiver, messages, channels, noise,
feedback and setting.
Hybels and Weaver (2004) explained that the “Sender-Receiver” element implies
that people engage in communication because they have information, ideas, and feelings
they want to share. This element (sender-receiver) features when a person sends a
message and the other receives them, and the process is reversed. For instance giving a
listening ear to someone’s complaints and showing concern, as a result the sent message
is received back. Message as the second element comprises of the ideas and feelings that
a sender wants to share. Channel is the route traveled by a message, which is the means it
uses to reach the receiver. For instance, in face to face communication, the primary
channels are sound and sight. Feedback is the response of the receiver-sender to each
other which enables the participants in the communication to know whether ideas and
feelings have been shared in the way they were intended.
The implication of feedback in the classroom is that the teacher will be able to see
by a child’s face whether he understands the teaching. Prozesky (2000) states that
communication is a complex process at which any thing may go wrong by making the
communication less effective. For instance, the sender may not express what she/he
wants to say clearly; or the room may be noisy; or the receiver may not understand the
words the sender is using.
The author described noise as an interference channel that keeps a message from
being understood or accurately interpreted. According to Berko (2011), there are many
examples of noise which include: Environmental noise, Physiological-impairment noise,
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Semantic noise, Syntactical noise, Organizational noise, Cultural noise, and
Psychological noise.
Environmental noise is the noise that physically disrupts communication, such as
standing next to loud speakers at a party, or the noise from a construction site next to a
classroom making it difficult to hear the teacher. Physiological-impairment noise is as a
result of physical maladies that prevent effective communication, such as actual deafness
or blindness preventing messages from being received as they were intended.
Semantic noise results when different interpretations of the meanings of certain
words can prevent the receiver from understanding very well. For example, the word
"weed" can be interpreted as an undesirable plant in your yard, or as a euphemism for
marijuana.
Syntactic noise occurs when the communicator’s mistakes in grammar disrupts
communication, such as abrupt changes in verb tense during a sentence. Organizational
noise according to Berko occurs when poorly structured communication can prevent the
receiver from accurate interpretation. For example, unclear and badly stated directions
can make the receiver even more lost.
Cultural noise results when stereotypical assumptions can cause
misunderstandings, such as unintentionally offending a non-Christian by wishing her/him
a Merry Christmas. Psychological Noise has to do with certain attitudes that can make
communication difficult. For instance, great anger or sadness may cause someone to lose
focus. Prozesky (2000) observed that to be effective, teachers have to try to minimize
these barriers to communication by making sure that the room is quiet and well lit, by
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speaking slowly and clearly, by only using words which the pupils should be able to
understand.
Setting is one of the elements of communication process which, according to
Hybels & Weaver (2004) is very important because it influences communication, since
the nature of every communication process determines the environment in which the
communication occurs. For example, formal presentations and speeches are done in an
auditorium. There are different kinds of communication, these include: intrapersonal
communication, interpersonal communication, Small-group communication, Public
communication, mass communication (Hybels & Weaver, 2004)
The authors further explained intrapersonal communication as the type of
communication that occurs within an individual, which involves thoughts, feelings and
the way one looks at oneself. In this type of communication, the message is made up of
the individual’s thoughts and feelings. The brain is the channel which processes the
thoughts and feelings. The feedback occurs when after much thought, one discards
certain ideas and replaces them with others.
Interpersonal communication according to Hybels & Weaver is conversation
between two people, and each of these two people functions as sender-receiver. Their
messages consist of both verbal and nonverbal symbols and the channels they use most
are sight and sound. Opportunity for feedback is greatest in this type of communication
when compared with others because the chances of internal noise are likely to be minimal
since each person can see whether the other is distracted or not. Besides, the persons
involved in the conversation have many chances to check that the message is being
30
perceived correctly since the conversation usually take place in an informal and
comfortable place.
The authors explain that small-group communication occurs when for instance, a
small group of people meet to solve a problem. The communication process is more
complicated here than in interpersonal communication due to the fact that the small
groups are made up of several sender-receivers with so many people sending messages.
For this reason, there are more chances for confusion in this kind of communication.
Further, messages are more structured in small groups because the group has a specific
purpose for the communication, they use same channels as in interpersonal
communication, and there is also a good opportunity for feedback.
Hybels & Weaver, 2004 asserts that public communication involves sending
message to audience, which usually comprises of highly structured message with more
exaggerated channels. The speaker might use additional visual channels like PowerPoint
slides any other computer program. The opportunity for verbal feedback here is limited.
Concept of Teachers’ Communication styles
Teacher’s Communication style according to Chory and McCroskey, (1999) is an
individual’s habitual pattern of communication. To improve communication in the
classroom, pupils’ needs must be fulfilled because when pupils’ needs are met, teacher-
pupils’ communication will be improved and teacher-pupils’ affect will equally increase.
The role of a teacher in classroom teaching and learning environment include promoting
positive attitude through their style of communication (Wrench, Richmond & Gorham,
2009). There are three specific sets of teachers’ behaviors which Wrench, Richmond, &
31
Gorham have described as directly linked to building affect in the classroom. These
include: clarity, immediacy, and humor.
The clarity has to do with the ability of the teacher to communicate in simple
language for easy understanding of the learning content, because often teachers get so
caught up in teaching jargon that the meaning of a lesson is lost on the pupils. Therefore,
clarity according to the authors is a range which reflects the degree to which a source has
narrowed the possible interpretations of a message and succeeded in achieving a
correspondence between his or her intentions and the interpretation of the receiver.
Immediacy according to the authors is the second teacher behaviour which is very
important in the learning environment. This has to do with the psychological or physical
closeness between two people. Pupils’ perception of their teacher’s nearness in the
classroom has an impact on all three of domains of knowledge levels: cognitive,
affective, and psychomotor. The authors further explained that teacher’s ability to be
immediate with her or his pupils has been shown to greatly impact the learning
environment.
Pupils’ psychologically and physically feel closer to teachers that knew
everyone’s name in the classroom. Immediacy can come in one or two basic forms:
verbal and nonverbal, Richmond and McCroskey (2000) believe that nonverbal
immediacy is by far more important in a learning situation. Verbal immediacy includes
behaviors like using a student’s name in class. Nonverbally, the teacher uses appropriate
touch around their pupils, in form of slight pat on the shoulder or upper back.
This behaviour also includes the use of gestures as a way to emphasize points and
demonstrate what they are saying during class, maintaining eye contact with their pupils
32
as a way of ensuring the pupils that they are aware of their presence in the classroom,
spend more time with pupils, arriving early, staying late, and just making themselves
more accessible to their pupils. Physical appearance is also important aspect of
communication by teachers because the pupils look up to them as a model they imitate.
Teacher humour is another teacher’s behaviour which a number of studies have
shown to be very positive in the learning environment thus Wrench & Richmond, (2000)
observe that humour has been correlated with pupils’ affect, learning, perceived teacher
credibility, classroom compliance and reduced test and classroom anxiety.
The three teachers’ communication styles according to Heffiner, (1989) include;
(i) Passive communication style, (ii) Assertive communication style and (iii) Aggressive
communication style.
According to Heffiner, passive communicators are characterized by minimized
self-worth and a feeling of being inferior to others and the inability to express their
thoughts and feelings. Their non verbal cues includes fidgeting, nodding of head as a sign
of agreement, indifferent facial expression and downcast eyes. They are usually soft,
apologetic, and have tentative voice with very low self-esteem, and are often disrespected
and pitied by others. Passive communicators prefer to withdraw from problematic
situations, and often appear sullen and silent.
Heffiner, (1989) described assertive communicator as one who stands for his or
her right, and at the same time maintains the respect and right of others, assertive
communicators have the ability and willingness to express their thoughts and feelings
without hampering others. Heffiner maintains that these characteristics of assertive
communicators promote classroom instructions. A teacher using assertive communication
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style stands for objectivity while at same time considerate with other people’s opinion.
According to Heffner the main feature of assertive communication is positive attitude,
active listening, strong observation, consideration for others, self awareness and
openness. Others include flexibility, versatility, sense of humour, and decisiveness.
Aggressive communicators according to Heffiner are characterized by an
authoritative style of communication with a monopolizing attitude. An aggressive
communicator often interrupts others and establishes authority without bothering about
other person's viewpoint. They often demonstrate powerful behavior usually shown in
their unreasonable bossy attitude. Heffiner described their nonverbal cues to include
pointing and shaking of fingers, frowning and glaring at others, rigid posture along with a
critical and loud tone of voice. The author maintains that this style is most preferred in
military and other armed forces, and so is not regarded as ideal in all conditions as it
provokes counter aggression leading to friction, alienation and weakened relationships.
Concept of Self-esteem
Self-esteem is an essential human basic need which contributes to the life process,
and is indispensable to normal and healthy development. The term self-esteem has been
defined severally by different authors. To Hybels & Weaver (2002), self-esteem refers to
overall evaluation of our competence and personal worthiness. This evaluative
component of self-esteem is explained by Harris (2009) as a broader representation of the
self that includes cognitive and behavioral aspects as well as affective ones.
Burns in Irish National Teachers’ Organizaion (INTO) (1995) outlined the origin
of self-esteem, tracing the importance of an individual acquiring self-knowledge as far
34
back as Socrates who states that "an unexamined life is not worth living". According to
Burns, the consideration of self came to the fore only in the latter part of the 19th century
when it emerged as a psychological issue promoted by the writings of William James.
The development of self-esteem is a lifelong task which involves developing a sense of
self-worth by feeling lovable and capable thus (INTO, 1995) noted that. Most of the
images and beliefs which we hold about ourselves as adults were acquired prior to
adulthood, and the origin of our self-concept stems from how others treated us, and what
they informed us about ourselves.
In early infancy, the formation of children's self-concept is influenced to a large
degree by non-verbal communication thus Oesterreich, (2003) noted that self-esteem for
infants is nourished by attending to their basic needs and building a sense of trust. The
author further pointed out that when infants cry, they are indicating that they are either
hungry, sleepy, cold, wet, or lonely, and the way those needs are responded to tells the
baby a lot. Babies need to be held and cuddled, they need adults to talk, sing, and play
with them. When these basic needs are met, babies develop a strong sense of trust and
security.
Children have their first experience of self-esteem enhancement or reduction as
early as six weeks with reference to how individuals respond to their physical and
emotional needs. INTO, (1995) explains that infants found a general impression with
regard to whether they are loved or unloved depending on the degree to which they are
held, hugged, fed or cuddled. In later life when they develop language skills, they start to
translate these general impressions into words and phrases, in addition to incorporating
what others say about them. Children’s self-concept is further developed when they
35
commence school. At this stage, they become aware of whether they are liked by others
and are included in activities, or they are unpopular, are often isolated. They (children)
also become aware of their abilities as communicated by means of feedback, from the
teacher and classmates.
Furthermore, INTO (1995) maintained that in children, self-esteem is shaped by
what they think and feel about themselves. Their self-esteem is highest when they see
themselves as approximating their ideal self, (the person they would like to be). Two
psychological processes according to the author are concerned with the analysis of social
feedback, namely self-evaluation and self-worth. For each individual, the real-self and the
ideal-self are at variance as the ideal-self encompasses what the child would like to
become. This disparity is important, because without some degree of aspiration, children
and adults can become poorly adjusted. It is normal for an individual to be continually
striving, because the narrower the gap between the real-self and the ideal-self the more
confident the individual will become, and the greater will be his or her capacity to
achieve a high level of self-esteem. Conversely, when there is a large disparity between
the real-self and ideal-self, the individual is more likely to have a low level of self-
esteem.
Low self-esteem occurs when one has low opinion of oneself, like one seeing
oneself as unworthy, inadequate, unable and incompetent. Eventually this negatively
affects how one communicates with others and his or her general behaviours. The person
always feels nervous, fidgets and finds it difficult to look people in the eyes. Low self-
esteem is characterized by reluctance in carrying out new venture, lots of negative
thoughts about oneself, thinking that one is less important to those around him or her, and
36
that one doesn’t deserve to be loved. All these feelings result from lack of positive
thinking.
Feeling positive about oneself gives high self-esteem. According to Baumeister,
Campbell, Krueger, and Vohs (2003), people high in self-esteem claim to be more likable
and attractive, to have better relationships and to make better impressions on others than
people with low self-esteem. People with healthy level of self-esteem can more likely
maintain calm, rational thought processes and behaviour. They can deal with difficult
situations more easily. High self-esteem may foster the confidence to tackle difficult
problems and enable people to derive satisfaction from progress and success. Thus INTO
(1995) noted that pupils with high level of self-esteem are not afraid of asking questions
which may reveal their temporary ignorance, nor are they afraid of making mistakes as
opportunities for further learning, thus enhancing their academic performances.
Concept of Academic Achievement
The term academic achievement has been variously defined by different scholars.
In the view of Travers in Isnian (2009), academic achievement refers to the result of what
an individual has learnt from some educational experiences. International Observatory on
Academic Achievement (IOAA) (2009) refers to academic achievement as the
achievement, by an individual, of the objectives related to various types of knowledge
and skill which is socially established based on the age, prior learning and capacity of the
individuals with regard to education, socialization and qualification.
In order to determine pupils’ academic achievement, there is the necessity for a
standard of measurement. Bell, (2011) notes that success in every academic endeavour is
37
generally measured by actual performance in academic tests, examinations, or continuous
assessment, though there is no general agreement on how it is best tested. The purpose of
evaluating academic performance are: to provide a framework of knowing how students
fare in school, to have constant standard to which all students are held, and in order to
foster improvement and make full use of the learning process. Some of the achievement
measures developed in the past by scholars includes;
Stanford Achievement Test (SAT), IOWA Test of Basic Skills, Wechsler Individual
Achievement Test, Wide Range Achievement Test, Woodcock Johnson Psycho-
educational Battery among others.
Academically, successful pupils will have more opportunities than those with less
education. Research shows that adults with high levels of education are more likely to be
employed, and to earn higher salaries (National Center for Education Statistics, 2001).
Beyond work and wages, academic success is important because working citizens of any
country will need higher levels of education to tackle the technologically demanding
occupations of the future (Brockma & Russell 2009). There are factors that affect pupils’
academic achievement, which include: social, economic, medical/health, family,
relationship between teachers and students, school expectations, students’ motivation,
types of friendship outside school, among others.
It is generally acknowledged that family environment is the most powerful
influence in determining a child's academic motivation and achievement. Ceci (2011)
propose that the efficacy of a family influence for pupil's academic success is determined
to a large extent by a family background. The author observes that parent-child
interactions are the forces that lead to academic performance. It is therefore imperative
38
that parents provide stimulating, supportive, and language-rich experiences for their
children.
Motivation is another important factor that determines pupils’ academic
achievement. It is generally recognized that motivation and academic achievement
among younger children are contingent to some degree on grade and age-related factors.
Renchler (1992) makes a strong case for strengthening the degree of intrinsic motivation
children feel for learning. Renchler however maintains that there are many benefits to
maximizing intrinsic motivation, many ways to foster it, and some techniques that
promote intrinsic motivation. The author suggests that they are rarely found in today’s
classrooms or schools.
Students are intrinsically motivated to work when the threat of negative external
evaluation is not relevant and when their attention is not focused on extrinsic reasons for
completing tasks. They will also feel more competent and proud, and thus more
intrinsically interested in tasks, when they can take responsibility for their success.
Allowing pupils’ choice enhances intrinsic interest in school tasks, and it teaches self
management skills that are essential for success in higher grades and the workplace. It is
impossible for children to develop autonomy and a sense of responsibility if they are
always told what to do, how and when to do it thus Renchler (1992) argues in favour of
lead management which involves empowering children to be responsible for their own
needs and accomplishments, teaching them in cooperative groups.
Individual classroom teacher’s effectiveness is one of the most important factors
that affect pupils’ academic growth thus Sanders (1999) asserts that classroom teacher’s
academic qualifications, relevant professional training, work experience, among others
39
are most significant determinants of pupils’ academic achievement. In support of this
assertion, Adedeji (2008) states that a teacher who does not have both the academic and
the professional teaching qualification would undoubtedly have a negative influence on
the teaching and learning of his or her subjects. The experiences of teachers influence the
formation of attitudes and these, in turn, influence their classroom practices.
Relationship among Teachers’ Communication styles, Self-esteem and Academic
Achievement
Having discussed Teachers’ Communication styles, Self-esteem and Academic
Achievement separately in the sub-sections above, literature has shown that teachers’
communication styles remains the strong tool in classroom teaching and learning which
can be used to adequately make the content of learning understandable to the pupils and
equally as a relational factor through which the pupils’ needs will be met (Wrench,
Richmond & Gorham, 2009). In recognizing teachers’ communication styles as an
essential strategy of improving classroom teaching, it has also been observed that it can
be used in maintaining good teacher-pupil rapport. The relationship between or among
teachers’ communication styles, self-esteem, and academic achievement can be viewed
thus:
Teachers’ communication style entails all the techniques which the teachers
employ in the process of classroom teaching and learning for clarity and better
understanding of the content. This also includes the manner with which the teacher
appreciates the pupils. One would therefore expect that teachers’ communication styles
can enhance pupils’ self-esteem and academic achievement since there is the belief that
teachers’ communication styles could be a means of encouraging the pupils to learn by
40
motivation, love and care. Similarly, it could be a means of discouragement when the
teacher ignores the pupils with their needs.
It would be logical to reason that if a pupil is encouraged to learn, assisted in
solving both personal and academic problems, showed love and concern, such a child can
develop a positive self-concept and high self-esteem and as well improve academically.
The implication of this relationship to the teacher is that when a teacher using a
particular communication style in the classroom finds out that it enhances the pupils’
self-esteem and academic achievement will continue to use that particular communication
style, dropping the ones that do not enhance the pupils’ self-esteem and academic
achievement. The relationship is represented in figure: 1
Teachers’ Communication
Styles
Pupils’ Self-esteem
Pupils’ Academic
Achievement
Figure 1: A Schematic Representation of Influence
of Teachers’ Communication Styles on Pupils’ Self-
esteem and Academic Achievement
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Theoretical Framework
Classroom Management Theory
Teachers’ Communication styles have been approached from a number of
theoretical perspectives, and different psychologists propose different theories of
teachers’ Communication style, but for the purpose of this particular study, Classroom
Management Theory by Haim Ginott was reviewed:
Classroom management theory on communication was propounded by Haim
Ginott (1922). Haim Ginott’s theories are about communication and the importance of
positive relationships in the classroom. The main principles of Ginott’s theories as they
relate to implementation in a classroom include asking questions and listening to pupils,
brevity, acceptance, and respect. According to Ginott, in an ideal classroom, the teacher
would be more of a facilitator for conversations that include every member of the class
and should address all the important issues. She or he should value the pupils’
contributions and listen to everyone’s ideas. Ginott wrote that teachers often speak too
much and so brevity on the part of the teacher will contribute to feelings of validation for
the pupils.
Ginott maintained that teachers should generally accept their pupils both for their
person and for their behavior. If there is a problem teachers should address it and not the
character of the pupils, and also should always strive to guide pupils to acceptable
behavior rather than criticize. According to Ginott, this is a useful technique for getting
pupils used to procedures and also helps keep negative feelings at bay. Name-calling,
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sarcasm, and other forms of put-downs should always be avoided. Good communication
cannot take place if one party feels belittled. There should always be respect for the
pupils, teachers should not pry into their privacy nor should they mask their own
emotions to try to hide something. In essence, the teacher is the model of what she/he
wants the pupils to be.
Ginott argue that punishment should be avoided and praise should be handed out
only if it is authentic and warranted. Punishment is counter-productive according to
Ginott because once it is over the pupils feels that they have paid for their mistakes and
are free to commit it again. On the other hand, rewards are often not understood they put
pressure on pupils to perform and should therefore be given very carefully.
The theorist argued against the attack of the pupils, and so maintained that the
right of the child should be recognized. In relation to this study, if a classroom teacher
will handle the pupils with respect and care, by avoiding the use of harsh words in
communicating with them, the pupils’ self-esteem will be enhanced, as well as improving
their academic performances since they will be studying without fear.
Socio-meter Theory
Socio-meter theory was developed by Leary, Mark (1999). This theory explains
the functions of self-esteem. Leary proposed that self-esteem evolved to monitor one’s
social acceptance, and is used as a gauge for avoiding social devaluation and rejection. A
socio-meter is a measure of how desirable one would be to other people and this is
influenced by one’s self-esteem. This measure may be made in a variety of terms such as
team member, relationship partner, employee, colleague or numerous other ways.
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Sociometer theory is useful in explaining why people are so concerned with self-
esteem. Self-esteem measures the traits one has according to how socially acceptable they
are and how these qualities integrate them into the society, and therefore help to guide
people through their social interactions on a daily basis. Leary proposes that self-esteem
is a gauge that monitors interactions between people and sends signals to keep them in
check with how socially acceptable their behaviors are.
This theorist is of the notion that all humans have an inherent desire to have
interpersonal relationships and to maintain these in a productive manner. People have a
psychological gauge for sensing signals from these interactions concerning how well
their behaviors are integrating them into society and how much they are being accepted
or rejected. The value of a person’s relationships is often derived from other’s reactions
to the individual and this has a great influence on the sociometer, which is sensitive to the
slightest change in these perceptions. When a person’s behaviours are causing a decrease
in his evaluation as an individual, the sociometer signals him to become aware of this
threat to his acceptance in society, driving him to address the issue.
The theorist made two distinctions in self-esteem which are; state self-esteem and
trait self-esteem. State self-esteem refers to the fluctuation in a person’s feelings about
himself as a result of how he perceives others, and is currently valuing his relationship.
Self-esteem is raised or lowered based on positive or negative feedback. Trait self-
esteem, conversely, refers to the sense a person has about the type of person who is
generally valued and accepted by others. This is sometimes referred to as the resting state
for the sociometer, because this is how the person feels when relational information is
absent.
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This theory also serves as an explanation for much of human behavior and
important questions often asked about self-esteem, it explains that the true function of
self-esteem is to minimize the chances of rejection in the society. When people behave in
ways to protect their self-esteem, they are also acting in the way in which they feel their
relation value to others can be increased. This theory also explains why events known by
groups of people have much more profound effects on self-esteem than those only known
by an individual.
In relation to this study, when a pupil feel rejected unloved and unaccepted by the
teacher or other pupils in the class, he or she will eventually start to evaluate him or
herself negatively, thereby leading to low self-esteem which consequently lead to poor
academic achievement.
Labeling Theory
Labeling theory was propounded by Hargreaves, Keddie and Ball (1990), the
theory holds that pupils would be likely to respond to positive or negative labels by
changing their own perceptions (their self-images) in a positive or negative direction.
Positively labeled pupils would be encouraged to improve their performance while
negative label would generate reduced self-confidence of the pupils. This according to
the theorists can lead to limited educational achievements. The essential element in
Hargreaves et al labeling theory is that the use of positive and negative label amounts to
the construction of self fulfilling “prophecies” whereby the labels themselves generate
the behaviour and educational outcomes which are predicted or prophesied in the labels
themselves.
45
The theorists provided an important analysis of the labeling process as; the
speculative stage, the elaboration stage and the stabilization stage. In the speculation
stage, teachers gradually form opinions about the characteristics of their new pupils on
the basis of their appearance, their readiness to accept school rules and discipline, their
abilities and enthusiasm for work, their personality, likeability and relationships with
other pupils and their overall conformity or deviance. These leads teachers to construct
what is known as "working hypothesis" as to the nature of each individual pupil which
may never either be confirmed or modified as the teacher increases her/his knowledge
and understanding of the pupils in the elaboration stage.
Finally in the stabilization stage, teachers come to believe that they now fully
understand the nature of their pupils and come to interpret their behaviour in terms of
their now relatively fixed stabilized opinions of them. For example, poor work by one
pupil might be interpreted as evidence of a fundamental lack of ability and by another as
evidence that fundamentally high potential is not currently being fulfilled. Labeling
process occurs gradually as teachers increase their understanding of their new pupils.
This theory has a very important implication in the classroom because the
theorists condemn labeling of pupils because it makes them to change their own
perception by themselves towards the direction of the label (positive or negative).
Negative label would generate reduced self-confidence in the pupils which is detrimental
to academic achievement.
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Empirical Studies
Related Studies on Teachers’ Communication Styles and Pupils’ Self-esteem
Akinpelu (1998) investigated the “Relationship of Academic Achievement and
Self-concept of male and female hearing-impaired students in Nigeria”. The sample for
the study consist of 566 (362 males & 204 females), drawn from the population of
hearing-impaired students in senior secondary (SS I, II, III) schools in Nigeria. Design of
the study is purposive sampling technique. In order to elicit appropriate information for
the study, the researcher used students' Junior Secondary School Certificate Examination
(JSCE) scores in English Language and Mathematics to measure their academic
achievement, (these scores were obtained from the schools' log books and were most
often obtained from the counsellors). An Instrument tagged The Adolescent Personal
Data Inventory (APDI) developed by Akinboye (1985) was adopted for the measurement
of the students’ self-concept. In order to obtain academic scores for each respondent,
their grade points in both English and Mathematics were added together and their
averages found whereas in scoring the APDI, some of the items were first reversed
because they were structured in negative forms. The total score obtainable is 150 as such
a score that is less than 90 is regarded as low. The findings of this study is that male
hearing impaired performed slightly better than female hearing-impaired students.
Hypothesis two stated that there is no significant difference between self-concept of male
and female hearing-impaired students. The result shows that there was no significant
difference between the self-concept scores of male and female respondents. This
indicates that sex is not a determinant factor in respondents' self-concept. This study
47
considered the relationship of academic achievement and self-concept and so will guide
the present study.
Chory (1999) set out to examine the “Relationship between Teacher Management
Communication style and Affective Learning”. The sample of the study consists of 108
participants (53 males & 55 females) drawn from undergraduate communication studies
classes at West Virginia University. The design of this study was ex post facto design. To
obtain items adequate for use in examining the Relationship between Teacher
Management Communication Style and Affective Learning (MCSAL), an instrument
developed by Richmond and McCroskey (1979) was used. Affective Learning Scale, a
Semantic differential scale originally developed by Scott and Wheeless (1975) and later
revised by Anderson (1979) was used to assess Affective Learning. Nonverbal
immediacy was also measured using a ten-item revised version of the nonverbal
immediacy behaviours formerly used by McCroskey, Baraclough, Fayer, Richmond and
Sallinen (1995). The MCSAL instrument has a test-retest reliability of .85. Data were
analyzed using Analyses of Variance (ANOVA) and Post hoc analyses. The findings of
the study indicate that neither the number of students in a class nor the type of teacher
(graduate assistant, lecturer, or professor) impact student affective learning. The study is
related to the present study because it lays emphasis on academic achievement, uses ex
post facto design and used Analyses of Variance (ANOVA) in analyzing the data, and so
will serve as a guide to the present study.
Açıkgöz (2005) carried out a study on the teacher characteristics and their effects
on students attitudes. The research design used was ex-post-facto design. The population
for the study was 181 high school pupils enrolled in 4 different state schools in two
48
provinces of Turkey, comprising of 140 females and 40 males. Sample of the study were
four schools out of six schools that participated in the small scaled cross-school project.
An instrument tagged the Teacher Questionnaire (TQ) was used to gather data on the
study. The instrument was adapted from existing Literacy Survey by Zamorski and
Haydn (2002). In order to fulfill the stated goals of this study, the items were analyzed
using factor analytic methods. The internal consistency reliability of the scale, assessed
by Cronbach α, was found to be 0.85. The findings obtained in this study confirmed the
previous research in this respect, whereas the findings of previous research conducted by
Smith et al. (1994) asserted that Male students were more sensitive to whether their
professors were knowledgeable and had a good sense of humour. Also, there is
suggestion in the literature that female students tend to emphasize interpersonal and
social characteristics in teachers more than male students do. The study adopted ex post
facto design which will serve as a guide to the researcher in the present study in which ex
post facto design will be used.
The study of Kearney (2000) set out to examine The Effects of Teacher
Communication Styles (TCS) on Students' Affect and Behavioral Commitment in college
classes. The accessible population for the study consisted of 96 experienced college
teachers, and 1484 students at California State University at Sacramento. To obtain items
adequate for use in examining the effects of teacher communication styles (TCS) on
students' and behavioral commitment in college classes, an instrument developed by the
researcher was used. Research questions and hypotheses were generated to guide the
study. Preliminary analyses were based on the entire student sample (i.e. means, standard
deviations, factor structures, reliability estimates etc). Mean of student responses in
49
individual classes for every measure were used for tests of hypotheses. Data were
analyzed using alpha level of significance, of 0.05. From the results obtained, it was
concluded that dynamic assertive teachers were well liked by their students. This study is
related to the present study because it lays emphasis on examining the effects of teacher
communication styles (TCS) on students' affect which will serve as a guide to the present
study.
Studies on Teachers’ Communication Styles and Pupils’ Academic Achievement
Agbo (2006) set out to study teachers’ communication styles and learners’
motivational patterns in primary school. The design of the study is ex-post facto or causal
comparative design. The sample for the study comprised of all the pupils in Elementary
four, five and six in Enugu North and Isi-uzo Local Government Education Authorities
(male and female). An instrument tagged the Teacher Communication Style
Questionnaire (TCOSQ) and Pupils Motivational pattern rating scale (PMOPRS) was
developed by the researcher to gather data about teachers and their different
communication styles. The sample for the study was twenty teachers randomly selected
from each of the three different communication styles (passive, assertive, and
aggressive), making it sixty (60) teachers and one thousand and sixty-one (1061). The
data for the study was analyzed using means, Standard Deviation and Analysis of
Variance (ANOVA) measured at 0.05 level of significant. The result revealed that
assertive communication styles promotes mastery motivational pattern while aggressive
communication styles promotes performance and avoidance motivational patterns from
the result. Passive communication style has the least encouragement in teaching and
50
learning activities and therefore should be avoided as much as possible. This study
considers teachers’ communication styles as one of the variables hence this study will
guide the present study.
Obadara, (2008) carried out a study on the “Influence of Teacher Factors on
Academic Performance of students in Ogun State, Nigeria”. The sample of the study
comprised of 1000 teachers and the results of students in Senior School Certificate
Examination. The design of this study was descriptive survey. Stratified proportionate
random sampling was used for pilot-testing the instrument. To obtain items adequate for
collecting data for the study, a purposive instrument tagged Teacher Factor Questionnaire
(TFO) was constructed and used by the researcher. Data were analyzed using Pearson
Product Moment Correlation and Multiple Regression Analysis. The findings revealed
that the teachers’ demographic factors when taken together significantly related to
students’ academic performance. Teachers’ age, academic qualification, and experience
individually contributed significantly to students’ academic performance with the
teachers’ age as the most potent contributor followed by teachers’ experience and
academic qualification. Teachers' sex had no significant relationship with the students’
academic performance. There was significant relationship between teachers' professional
qualification and students’ academic performance. Teachers' content knowledge and
teachers' attitude to job each was not significantly related to students’ academic
performance. This study will guide the present study because it analyzed the influence of
teacher factors on academic performance of students using descriptive survey design.
Tella (2008) carried out a study on the “Teacher’s variables as predictors of
Academic Achievement of primary school pupils in Mathematics”. The sample of the
51
study comprised of 254 primary school teachers and 120 primary school pupils selected
by stratified/ simple random sampling technique. The design of the study was Ex- post
facto research design. The instrument for data collection was a modified instrument
tagged Teachers’ Variable Questionnaire (TVQ) and Mathematic Achievement Test
(MAT). The data obtained were analyzed using a stepwise multiple regression analysis.
The findings reveal that teacher self-efficacy and interest had significant correlation with
pupils’ achievement scores, while teacher’s attitude, qualification and experience were
not significant correlation with pupils’ achievement in mathematics. This study is related
to the present study because it lays emphasis on examining the teacher’s variables as
predictors of Academic Achievement of primary schools pupils Mathematics, as such
will serve as a guide to the present study.
Olatunde (2009) carried out a study on the “Relationship among Teachers’
Attitude and Students’ Academic Achievement in secondary school mathematics in south
western Nigeria. The population for the study comprised of 1542 senior secondary two
(SS11) mathematics students and 123 mathematics teachers selected from two secondary
schools from each of the six senatorial districts in Southwestern Nigeria. The design for
the study was Ex-post facto research design which adopted descriptive survey design.
Two research instruments were used for data collections which include Students’ Attitude
toward Mathematics Scale (SATMS) and Questionnaire for Mathematics Teachers
(QMT). The SATMS was an adapted instrument from the modified Fennema-Sherman
Mathematic Attitude Scales, while (QMT) was developed by the researcher by adapting
the third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) questionnaire. The data
were analyzed using simple frequencies and percentages. The findings of the study
52
revealed that there was good and positive attitude of teachers towards the teaching of
mathematics in secondary schools in spite of shortcomings that bedeviled the teaching
profession and particularly in the teaching of mathematics. This study is related to the
present study because it lays emphasis on examining the relationship among teachers’
attitude and students’ academic achievement in secondary school mathematics which will
serve as a guide to the present study.
Akiri (2009) also investigated the “Influence of Teachers’ Classroom
Effectiveness on Students Academic Performance” in Public Secondary Schools in Delta
State, Nigeria. The research design of the study was a descriptive survey which employed
an ex-post facto design. The population for the study comprised of 11,499 teachers in
public secondary schools in the State, the sample for the study was 1,150 teachers, drawn
by stratified random sampling technique. Academic performance records of 50 students
per teacher, which is 48,950 students’ scores were also used. To elicit information for the
study, two questionnaires tagged Teacher Effectiveness Questionnaire I and II (TEQ I &
TEQ ll) were designed, and a rating scale, tagged Student Academic Performance Rating
Scale (SAPRS) was designed to enable the researcher evaluate the academic performance
of students. Four hypotheses were tested at 0.05 level of significance using Analysis of
Variance (ANOVA), t-Test, Pearson Product Moment correlation and simple regression
analysis The results showed that effective teachers produced better performing students.
However, the observed differences in students’ performance were statistically not
significant. This could be due to the influence of student and school environment, related
factors which were not included in the study. It was concluded that teachers’ effect on
students is not the only determinant of students’ academic achievement. The study by
53
Akiri (2009) considered academic achievement as one of the variables, used descriptive
research design which employed ex-post facto, and used Analysis of Variance (ANOVA)
to analyse the data, hence this study will guide the present study.
SUMMARY OF LITERATURE REVIEW
A number of literatures have been presented from the conceptual, theoretical and
empirical perspectives. From the conceptual perspective, the review presented conceptual
definitions and clarification of concepts like: communication, teacher communication
style, self-esteem and academic achievement.
The theoretical framework focused on the theories that relate to the problem under
study. Such theories reviewed include: Classroom Management Theory, Labeling Theory
and Socio-Meter Theory. Classroom management theory explained teachers’
communication styles, socio-meter theory explained self-esteem while labeling theory
explained academic achievement. The review suggested that teachers should provide the
pupils with ideas, skills and self reflective practices that could improve pupils’ self-
esteem and academic achievement
The researcher reviewed nine empirical studies which relate to the present study.
The findings revealed that teachers’ communication styles influence pupils in terms of
how they perceive themselves and their performances in the class. According to the
review, teachers’ communication styles have an influence on classroom climate which
could affect pupils in their academic achievement.
A lot of empirical works appear to have been done in relation to the present study,
unfortunately, it has not yet been clear the extent teacher’s communication styles
54
influence pupils’ self-esteem and their academic achievement. It is this gap that aroused
the researcher’s interest to consider carrying out this work in order to fill the gap.
55
CHAPTER THREE
RESEARCH METHOD
This chapter deals with the method which the researcher will adopt for this study.
These include; Research design, Area of the study, population for the study, Sample and
sampling technique, Instrument for data collection, Validation of instrument, Reliability
of the instruments, Method of data collection, and Method of data Analysis.
Design of the Study
In order to achieve the objectives of the study, ex-post facto research design was
adopted. Ex-post facto research study investigate already existing phenomenon, thus
seeking to find out the present status of its existence or absence of what is being
investigated. According to Kerlinger in Ezeh (2005) ex-post facto research is a systematic
empirical inquiry in which the scientist does not have direct control on independent
variables because they are inherently not manipulable. This present study meets the
requirement for an ex-post facto design because the researcher could not manipulate the
independent variable which is teachers’ communication styles.
Area of the Study
The study was conducted in Enugu Education zone of Enugu State. Enugu Education
zone is one of the six Education zones in Enugu State. It has three (3) Local Governments
which comprises of Enugu East, Enugu North and Isi-Uzo Local Government Areas. The
researcher’s choice of the area is because most pupils’ achievement in Common Entrance
Examinations in that area have been poor for some years now.
56
Population for the Study
The population for this study comprised of all primary-five pupils in public primary
schools in Enugu Education Zone totaling 5,992. There are 154 public primary schools in
this education zone : Enugu East – 64 schools with 2,791 primary five pupils; Enugu
North – 51 schools with 2,200 primary five pupils; and Isi-Uzo – 39 schools with 1,001
primary five pupils (Enugu State Universal Basic Education Board (ESUBEB), 2012).
The reason for using the primary five pupils is because they are the next group to take the
Common Entrance Examination, and since they are not preparing for any external
examination like the ones in primary six as at the time of this study, they will always be
available each time the researcher needs them. Moreover, they can respond to the
questionnaire very well and so the researcher will find it easier to carry out this study
using this group of pupils.
Sample and Sampling Techniques
The sample size of this study consists of three hundred (300) out of 148, 74 and
78 pupils who are under passive, assertive and aggressive teachers respectively.
Identifying instrument was used to identify these pupils. Multi-stage sampling procedure
was employed for the study.
The first was the use of stratified random sampling technique to stratify the zone
into Local Governments, Enugu East, Enugu North and Isi-uzo Local Government Area.
The second stage was the use of simple random sampling to draw 7% from the
schools in the Local Governments, for equitable representativeness. This gave rise to 4
57
schools from Enugu East, 3 schools from Enugu North & 2 schools from Isi-uzo Local
Governments.
The third stage involve the use of proportionate stratified sampling technique to
select 25 pupils from each of the sampled schools in Enugu East, 33 pupils from each of
the sampled schools in Enugu North and 50 pupils from each of the sampled schools in
Isi-uzo Local Government Areas. This implied that 100 pupils were selected from each
Local Government Areas in the zone, totaling 300 pupils.
Instrument for Data Collection
Three instruments were used for data collection in this study, namely; Pupils’
Perception of Teachers’ Communication Styles Questionnaire (PPTCSQ), Pupils’ Self-
esteem Questionnaire (PSEQ) and Pupils’ Achievement Test Proforma (PATP). These
instruments were developed by the researcher based on the information generated
through review of literature for the purpose of data collection. The instrument PPTCSQ
was divided into two major sections, A and B. Section A seeks demographic information
of the respondents while Section B contains thirty (30) items grouped into three clusters
1, 2, and 3. Cluster 1 seeks to determine passive teachers’ communication style cluster 2
seeks to determine assertive teachers’ communication style while cluster 3 seeks to
determine aggressive teachers’ communication style. The PSEQ on the other hand seeks
to determine the pupils’ self esteem. This consists of twenty (20) items.
In these instruments, four – point rating scale was used to rate responses of items
in the questionnaire and a point was assigned to the degree of responses as follows;
58
Strongly agree (SA) – 4points, Agree (A) – 3points, Strongly Disagree (SD) – 2point,
Disagree (D) - 1point and vice versa for negative skewed items.
The PATP was used to collect pupils’ academic achievement scores for the
purpose of determining the influence of the different teachers’ communication styles on
pupils’ academic achievement.
Validation of Instrument
The initial draft of this instrument was given to three experts to ascertain its face validity,
two from Educational Psychology, and one from Measurement and Evaluation, all from
University of Nigeria Nsukka. The validates were expected to look through the
instrument based on the following criteria; check the items for clarity, language,
relevance, appropriateness of the identified styles of communication, and the
appropriateness of the items under each of the styles. Their comments and observations
helped in the amendments and modification of the instrument.
Reliability of Instrument
The face validated Pupils’ Perception of Teachers’ Communication Styles Questionnaire
(PPTCSQ) and Pupils Self Esteem (PSEQ) was subjected to trial testing. A total of 20
primary five pupils of Enugu North Local Government Area were used. The scores
obtained on the administration of the instrument were recorded and Cronbach alpha was
used to determine its reliability. For the clusters reliability ranging from 1-3, the internal
consistency reliability of (PPTCSQ) was .78, .81 and .73 respectively, while the overall
internal consistency reliability of PSEQ was .83.
59
Method of Data Collection
In order to gain access and co-operation from the respondents, a letter of
introduction from the Head of Department, Educational Foundations, University of
Nigeria, Nsukka was collected by the researcher, introducing the researcher and
explaining the purpose of the study. The researcher presented the letter to the
headmistress/headmaster of the schools, and a brief letter assuring the respondents of the
confidentiality of their information was attached to each copy of the questionnaire.
The researcher with the help of three research assistants who were thoroughly
briefed on how to administer the instrument and what to explain to the respondents
distributed the instrument. Moreover, 300 copies of the questionnaire were distributed,
and 300 copies were equally collected back at the end.
Method of Data Analysis
Mean and standard deviation was used to analyze data and answer all the research
questions. The null hypotheses were tested using Analyses of Variance (ANOVA) at 0.05
levels of significance. Pupils’ Achievement Test Proforma (PATP) in English language
and Mathematics was used as a measure of pupils’ academic achievement.
60
CHAPTER FOUR
PRESENTATION OF DATA
The findings of this study are presented in this chapter. The findings are presented
according to the research questions and hypotheses that guided the study.
Research Question 1: What is the influence of assertive, passive and aggressive
teachers’ communication styles on pupils’ self- esteem?
Table 1: Influence of teachers’ communication styles on pupils’ self- esteem.
Teachers’
communication styles
No of
pupils
Mean SD Decision
Assertive 74 3.13 0.67 Positive
Influence
Passive 148 2.54 0.60 Positive
Influence
Aggressive 78 2.21 0.65 Negative
Influence
Total 300 2.63 0.65
Table 1 shows different influence of teachers’ communication styles on pupils’
self- esteem. The table indicates that the mean score of pupils under assertive teachers in
the self-esteem inventory is 3.13 with standard deviation of 0.67 while the mean score of
pupils under passive teachers in the self-esteem inventory is 2.54 with standard deviation
of 0.60. The table also indicates that the mean score of pupils under aggressive teachers
in the self-esteem inventory is 2.21 with standard deviation of 0.65. This designate
assertive and passive teachers’ communication styles as having positive influence on
pupils’ self-esteem while aggressive teachers’ communication styles influence is
negative. The standard deviation of the influence of all the three teachers’ communication
styles range from 0.60 to 0.67. This is high, which means that their ratings on self-esteem
inventory are dispersed from the mean.
61
Research Question 2: What is the influence of assertive, passive and aggressive
teachers’ communication style on pupils’ academic achievement?
Table 2: Influence of teachers’ communication styles on pupils’ academic
achievement.
Teacher
communication style
No of
pupils
Mean SD Decision
Assertive teachers 74 3.33 0.42 Positive
Influence
Passive teachers 148 2.31 0.87 Negative
Influence
Aggressive teachers 78 2.16 0.82 Negative
Influence
Total 300 2.6 0.70
Table 2 shows different influence of teachers’ communication styles on pupils’
academic achievement. The table indicates that the mean achievement score of pupils
under assertive teachers is 3.33 with standard deviation of 0.42 while the mean score of
pupils under passive teachers is 2.31 with standard deviation of 0.87. The table also
indicates that the mean achievement score of pupils under aggressive teachers in the self-
esteem inventory is 2.16 with standard deviation of 0.82. This designates assertive
teachers’ communication style as having positive influence on pupils’ academic
achievement. While, passive and aggressive teachers’ communication styles’ influence as
negative. The standard deviation of the influence assertive teacher influence is
moderately low (0.42) which means that their mean achievement is clustered around their
mean. On the other hand, the standard deviation of the assertive teachers’ communication
style influence on pupils’ academic achievement score rages from 0.87 to 0.82 which is
relatively high. These high standard deviations show that they are dispersed from the
mean.
62
Hypothesis 1:
Ho1 There is no significant difference in the influence of teachers’ communication styles
on pupils’ self-esteem.
Table 3: ANOVA analysis of the differences between the mean influences of teachers’
communication styles on pupils’ self-esteem.
Teachers’
communication
styles
No of
pupils
Mean SD F df Prob.
level
Sig
(2tailed)
Decision
Assertive
teachers
74 3.13 0.67 -2.74 299 0.05 .010 Not
Significant
Passive
teachers
148 2.54 0.60
Aggressive
teachers
78 2.21 0.65
Table 3 shows the ANOVA statistics of the difference in the mean influence of three teachers’
communication styles. This indicates that the 2 tailed test at 0.05 level of significance is 0.10 with
F ratio of -2.74 which is less than the probability level. Thus the null hypothesis is accepted. The
researcher therefore concludes that there is no significant difference in the mean influence of
the three teachers’ communication styles on pupils’ self-esteem.
Hypothesis 2:
Ho1 There is no significant difference in the influence of teachers’ communication styles
on pupils’ academic achievement.
Table 4: ANOVA analysis of the differences between the mean influences of teachers’
communication styles on pupils’ academic achievement.
Teacher
communication
style
No Mean SD F df Prob.
level
Sig
(2tailed) Decision
Assertive
teachers
74 3.33 0.42 0.73 222 0.05 .070
Significant
Passive teachers 148 2.31 0.87
Aggressive
teachers
78 2.16 0.82
63
Table 4 shows the ANOVA statistics of the difference in the mean influence of
three teachers’ communication styles on pupils’ academic achievement. This indicates
that the 2 tailed tests at 0.05 level of significance are 0.70 with F ratio of 0.73 which is
greater than the probability level. Thus the null hypothesis is rejected. The researcher
therefore concludes that there is a significant difference in the mean influence of the three
teachers’ communication styles on pupils’ academic achievement.
Summary of Major Findings
The following are the major findings of this study after data analyses
1. Assertive and passive teachers’ communication style influences on pupils’ self-
esteem is positive while aggressive teachers influence is negative.
2. Assertive teachers’ communication style influence on pupils’ academic
achievement is positive while passive and aggressive teachers’ influences are
negative.
3. There is no significant difference in the influence of teachers’ communication
styles on pupils’ self-esteem.
4. There is a significant difference in the mean influence of the three teachers’
communication styles on pupils’ academic achievement.
64
CHAPTER FIVE
DISCUSSION OF THE FINDINGS, CONCLUSION, IMPLICATIONS,
RECOMMENDATIONS AND SUMMARY
This chapter discusses of the major findings of the study, the educational
implications and recommendations. In this chapter also conclusions about the study are
drawn, suggestions for further studies made, limitations of the study and the summary of
the study conducted.
The discussion is presented in line with the research question and hypotheses that
were under the following headings:
• The influence of assertive, passive, and aggressive teachers’ communication
styles on primary school pupils’ self-esteem
• The influence of assertive, passive, and aggressive teachers’ communication
styles on primary school pupils’ academic achievement
Discussion of Findings
Influence of assertive, passive, and aggressive teachers’ communication styles on
primary school pupils’ self-esteem
Research question one and the corresponding hypothesis one were formulated to
probe factors relating to different influence of teachers’ communication styles on pupils’
self-esteem. The answer to the research question one was articulated in Table 1 which
shows the mean influence and standard deviations of assertive, passive, and aggressive
teachers’ communication styles on primary school pupils’ self-esteem. The finding
65
indicates that assertive and passive teachers’ communication styles have positive
influence on pupils’ self-esteem while aggressive teachers’ communication styles
influence is negative. A closer observation show that assertive teachers’ communication
style’s influence on self-esteem is relatively higher than any other which implies the
superiority of the style in boosting pupils’ self-esteem. Wrench, Richmond and Gorham
(2009) had earlier found out that the role of a teacher in classroom teaching and learning
environment includes promoting positive attitude through their style of communication.
This finding is therefore in agreement with the findings of Açıkgöz (2005) when he
carried out a study on teacher characteristics and their effects on students’ attitudes. The
findings of Açıkgöz show that assertive teachers boost their students’ self-esteem. In
support of the findings of this study, Oesterreich (2003) also found out that self-esteem
for pupils was nourished by attending to their basic needs and building a sense of trust
which is a characteristic of assertive teachers. This also re-echoed Heffner (1989)
findings that main feature of assertive communication style is positive attitudes such as
high self-esteem, self-awareness and openness.
Similarly, hypothesis one was meant to find out whether there are significant
differences in the influence of teachers’ communication styles on pupils’ self-esteem.
Following from the ANOVA analysis, the formulated null hypothesis was accepted on
the basis that the study found out that there are no significant differences in the influence
of the three teachers’ communication styles on pupils’ self-esteem. One can therefore
deduce the fact that though the assertive and passive teacher communication styles have
dissimilar influence with aggressive teacher, this difference is not significant.
66
Influence of Assertive, Passive, and Aggressive Teachers’ Communication Styles on
Primary School Pupils’ Academic Achievement
Research question two and hypothesis two are on the influence of teacher
communication styles on pupils’ academic achievement. The answer to the research
question two was articulated in Table 2 which shows the mean influence and standard
deviations of assertive, passive, and aggressive teachers’ communication styles on
primary school pupils’ academic achievement. The finding indicates that assertive
teachers’ communication style has positive influence on pupils’ academic achievement
while passive and aggressive teachers’ communication styles influence is negative. This
is as a result of the fact that the mean achievement of pupils under assertive teachers is
found to be 3.33 which is greater than the norm score of 2.5 as set by the researcher. This
means that the findings of Heffiner (1989) which show that characteristics of assertive
communicators promote classroom instructions. This findings is similar to those of Tella
(2008) who carried out a study on the “Teacher’s variables as predictors of Academic
Achievement of primary school pupils in Mathematics”. The findings revealed that
teacher self-efficacy and interest had significant correlation with pupils’ achievement
scores, while teacher’s attitude, qualification and experience were not significant
correlation with pupils’ achievement in mathematics. This is also in agreement with the
findings of Olatunde (2009) who carried out a study on the “Relationship among
teachers’ attitude and Students’ Academic Achievement in secondary school mathematics
in south western Nigeria. The findings of the study revealed that good and positive
attitude of teachers towards the teaching of mathematics in secondary schools boost
pupils’ achievement in spite of shortcomings that bedeviled the teaching profession and
67
particularly in the teaching of mathematics. These findings is buttressed by the findings
from Agbo (2006) which revealed that assertive communication styles promotes mastery
motivational pattern while aggressive communication styles promotes performance and
avoidance motivational patterns from the result. Passive communication style has the
least encouragement in teaching and learning activities and therefore should be avoided
as much as possible. The finding of this study is however in variance to the findings of
Chory (1999) when the author examines the relationship between teacher management
communication style and effective learning. Chory found out there is no influence of
teachers’ classroom management style on their achievement. It also contradicts the
findings of Obadara, (2008) when carried out a study on the “Influence of Teacher
Factors on Academic Performance of students in Ogun State, Nigeria”. The findings of
Obadara revealed that teachers' attitude was not significantly related to students’
academic performance.
Hypothesis two sought to find out whether there are significant differences among
the influence of assertive, passive, and aggressive teachers’ communication styles on
primary school pupils’ academic achievement. As shown by the various communication
styles significant values in the ANOVA result in Table 4, the null hypothesis was rejected
on the basis that there is significant difference in the influence of teachers’
communication styles on pupils’ academic achievement. This is dissimilar to Akiri
(2009) study which investigated the “Influence of Teachers’ Classroom Effectiveness on
Students Academic Performance” in Public Secondary Schools in Delta State, Nigeria.
The results showed that effective teachers produced better performing students. However,
the observed differences in students’ performance were statistically not significant. This
68
could be due to the influence of student and school environment, related factors which
were not included in the study. It was concluded that teachers’ effect on students is not
the only determinant of students’ academic achievement.
Conclusion
This study investigated the influence of teachers’ communication styles on pupils’
self-esteem and academic achievement in government primary schools in Enugu
Education zone. The following conclusions are made on the basis of the findings of the
study.
1. Assertive and passive teachers’ communication style influences on pupils’ self-
esteem is positive while aggressive teachers influence is negative.
2. Assertive teachers’ communication style influence on pupils’ academic
achievement is positive while passive and aggressive teachers’ influences are
negative.
3. There is no significant difference in the influence of teachers’ communication
styles on pupils’ self-esteem.
4. There is a significant difference in the mean influence of the three teachers’
communication styles on pupils’ academic achievement.
Educational Implications of the Findings of the Study
With respect to influence of different teachers’ communication styles on self-esteem
and academic achievement, it was found that the assertive teacher communication style is
superior. Hence teachers with this quality promote positive attitude through their style of
69
communication. This implies that the findings of this study buttress research over the
years which have shown that teachers’ communication styles influences pupils in terms
of how they perceive themselves and their performances in the class. The finding of this
study also validates Ginott (1922) perspectives in his classroom management theory
where he demonstrated that the teacher has a tremendous power to make a child’s life
joyous or miserable, humanize or dehumanized. This is because some pupils come to
school with great expectations and willingness to learn, only to end up developing a
negative feeling about themselves because the teacher either through verbal or nonverbal
communication tell them that they are not very good at what they are doing or that they
are not good enough.
The findings of this study thus demonstrated that teachers are highly essential for
successful operation of the educational system and that they are important tools for the
educational development as observed by Obadara (2008). Both teaching and learning
depends on teachers, so an effective teacher has been conceptualized as one who
produces desired results in the course of his duty by adopting the styles of
communication that will enhance the clarity of his or her instruction in the classroom thus
Uchefuna (2001) noted that teachers’ communication styles have an influence on
classroom climate which affect pupils in their academic achievement. Based on past
research finding, it has been observed that self-esteem and academic achievement are
correlated (Harris, 2009). Little wonder then assertive teacher communication style boost
both pupils’ self-esteem and academic achievement.
70
Recommendations
The following recommendations are made in view of the findings and
implications of the study:
1. There should be constant in-service training for teachers on positive verbal and
non-verbal communication styles. This will equip the teachers with the essential
skills for guiding children’s’ learning with respect to their cognitive and
developmental needs.
2. Assertive teacher attributes should be emphasized since they have been found to
be inclusive so as to accommodate special children and children at risk of
dropping out of school.
3. Quality assurance should be demonstrated through capacity building and
monitoring by SPBEB on those vital teacher characteristics that boost pupils’ self-
esteem and academic achievement.
4. Teachers should be encouraged to establish friendly atmosphere in the classroom
and eliminate all harsh statements because it can keep the lower self-esteem
pupils from interacting, participate and exchange ideas in class project.
5. Teacher’s ability to be immediate with her or his pupils has been shown to greatly
impact the learning environment. Hence teachers should employ verbal and non-
verbal in communicating with their pupil. Verbal immediacy includes behaviors
like using a student’s name in class. Nonverbally, the teacher should use
appropriate touch around their pupils, in form of slight pat on the shoulder or
upper back. These behaviours also includes the use of gestures as a way to
emphasize points and demonstrate what they are saying during class, maintaining
71
eye contact with their pupils as a way of ensuring the pupils that they are aware of
their presence in the classroom.
Limitations of the Study
The generalization and conclusions of the result of this study is subject to some
limitations: First, The content scope is premised only on certain teacher characteristics –
communication style- the findings may have also been influenced by some other teacher
qualities like experience, age, qualification, etc. This constitutes a major limitation of the
study. Furthermore, only primary schools in Enugu Education zone were used for this
study. All things being equal, there could be a wide discrepancy in the influence of
different teacher communication styles elsewhere.
Suggestions for Further Research
The limitations of this study suggests the need for further studies in the following areas
1. Replication of this study is suggested in other education zones in the state using
mainly observation.
2. Other teacher characteristics should be factored in to study how they interact with
teacher communication style to boost pupils’ self-esteem and academic
achievement.
Summary of the Study
The main purpose of this study was on the influence of teachers’ communication
styles on pupils’ self-esteem and academic achievement in government primary schools
in Enugu Education zone. It was guided by two research questions and two hypotheses.
72
The hypotheses were tested at 0.05 level of significance. Some literatures related to the
study were reviewed. The review of literature was basically on documentary sources like
unpublished thesis and dissertations, published books, UNICEF documents, journal
articles and internet sources.
Ex-post facto research design was used for carrying out this study in the three
Local Government Education Authorities that make up Enugu Education Zone. The
population for this study comprised of all the pupils in primary-five in public primary
schools in Enugu Education Zone totaling 5,992. The sample size of this study consisted
of three hundred (300) out of 148, 74 and 78 pupils who are under passive, assertive and
aggressive teachers respectively. Identifying instrument was used to identify these pupils.
Multi-stage sampling procedure was employed for the study. The first was the use of
stratified random sampling technique to stratify the zone into Local Governments, Enugu
East, Enugu North and Isi-uzo Local Government Area.
Three instruments were used for data collection in this study, namely; Pupils’
Perception of Teachers’ Communication Styles Questionnaire (PPTCSQ), Pupils’ Self-
esteem Questionnaire (PSEQ) and Pupils’ Achievement Test Proforma (PATP). These
instruments were developed by the researcher and validated by experts based on the
information generated through review of literature for the purpose of data collection. For
the two questionnaires, the Cronbach’s Alpha method was used to establish their internal
consistency. Using SPSS version 16.0, a coefficient value of the internal consistency
reliability of PPTCSQ was .78, .81 and .73 respectively, while the overall internal
consistency reliability of PSEQ was .83.
73
Data were arranged and analyzed according to the research questions and the
formulated hypotheses. The findings of the study were that:
1. Assertive and passive teachers’ communication style influences on pupils’ self-
esteem is positive while aggressive teachers influence is negative.
2. Assertive teachers’ communication style influence on pupils’ academic
achievement is positive while passive and aggressive teachers’ influences are
negative.
3. There is no significant difference in the influence of teachers’ communication
styles on pupils’ self-esteem.
4. There is a significant difference in the mean influence of the three teachers’
communication styles on pupils’ academic achievement.
Based on these findings, the conclusion is that assertive teachers’ communication
style is superior to passive and aggressive teachers’ communication style. Hence, the
major educational implication of the findings of the study is that the findings buttressed
research over the years which have shown that teachers’ communication styles influences
pupils in terms of how they perceive themselves and their performances in the class. The
finding of this study also validates Ginott (1922) perspectives in his classroom
management theory were he demonstrated that the teacher has a tremendous power to
make a child’s life joyous or miserable, humanize or dehumanized. The major
recommendation is that there should be constant in-service training of teachers on
positive verbal and non-verbal communication styles to equip the teachers with the
essential skills for guiding children’s learning with respect to their cognitive and
developmental needs. The major limitation of this study is that the content scope is
74
premised only on certain teacher characteristics – communication style- the findings may
have also been influenced by some other teacher qualities like experience, age,
qualification. Thus suggestions for further studies were made to remedy this limitation
75
REFERENCES
Açıkgöz, F. (2005). A study on Teacher Characteristics and their Effects on Students’
Attitudes.. The Reading Matrix. 5, 2. Retrieved 4/1/2012 from http://www.readingmatrix.com/articles/acikgoz/article.pdf
Agbo, O. (2006). Teachers’ Communication Styles and Learners’ Motivational
Patterns in Primary school. Unpublished M.Ed. Thesis Department of
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80
Table 1: Population Distribution
S/N Names of L.G.A No of Public Schools
1 Enugu North 51
2 Enugu East 64
3 Isi Uzo 39
Total 154
Grand total of the population -308
Source: Statistical / Planning unit, Enugu State Universal Basic Education Board
(ESUBED, Enugu Education Zone (2012)
Appendix A
81
Appendix B
The Report of pupils’ performances in Common Entrance Examination Enugu
Education Zone
Years 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 TOTAL
No of Candidates 9800 6,107 5,969 5,920 5,050 32,846
High Scores 48% 49% 47% 49% 47% 15,320
Low Scores 52% 51% 52% 51% 47% 17,526
Source: Ministry of Education Development Center (EDC) Enugu. (2012)
82
University of Nigeria,
Nsukka.
Faculty of Education,
Department of Science Education
Dear Respondent,
This a postgraduate research Study in fulfillment of the award of M.Ed Degree in
Education. Please supply your honest answer to these questions aim at finding the
Influence of Teachers’ Communication styles on Pupils’ self-esteem and Academic
Achievement.
Any information given here will be treated as confidential and will be used for the
purpose of this research study only.
Thanks for your anticipated cooperation.
Yours sincierly,
Nzekwe Carol Ijeoma
PG./MED/09/50948
Appendix C
83
PUPILS’ PERCEPTION OF TEACHERS’ COMMUNICATION STYLES
QUESTIONNAIRE (PPTCSQ) AND PUPILS’ SELF-ESTEEM QUESTIONNAIRE
(PSEQ).
SECTION A: DEMOGRAPHIC SECTION
Date ---------------------- Class ------------------------ Age------------------- Sex ---------------
--
Indicate how you feel about each of these statements, by ticking (√) against any answer
you consider appropriate. (Tick only one) SA= Strongly Agree A= Agree. D =
Disagree
SD = Strongly Disagree
SECTION B: PUPILS’ PERCEPTION OF TEACHERS’ COMMUNICATION
STYLES QUESTIONNAIRE (PPTCSQ)
S/N Items Statements SA A D SD
CLUSTER 1: Passive Teachers’ Communication Style
1 My teacher usually ignores me when I am fighting in the class
2 My teacher does not talk too much in the class
3 My teacher always plead with me to stop making noise in the class
4 My teacher always repots me to the head teacher each time we
misbehave in the class.
5 Most times, my teacher does not answer my questions very clearly
6 My teacher usually asks for my opinion before taking any decision in
the class
7 My teacher talks too much in the class
8 My teacher does not repot me to the head teacher each time I
misbehave in the class.
9 when I fight in the class my teacher always intervene
10 My teacher clearly explains things to me whenever I ask questions
CLUSTER 2: Assertive Teachers’ Communication Style
11 My teacher explains things to me in a way I can understand
12 My teacher is always confident while teaching
13 Most times, my teacher talk and laugh with me in the class
14 My teacher is always willing to listen to my complaints
15 My teacher always encourage me to work harder to make good results
16 My teacher does not shout at me
17 My teacher does not talk and laugh with me in the class
18 While teaching, my teacher is not always confident of herself
19 My teacher hardly encourage me to work harder
84
20 Sometimes my teacher become harsh to me
CLUSTER 3: Aggressive Teachers’ Communication Style
21 My teacher does not allow me to participate in the lesson
22 My teacher usually calls me names each time I fail question
23 My teacher does not appreciate me when I answer questions correctly
in the class
34 My teacher always scolds me in the class
25 My teacher always asks me a lot of questions in the class
26 When I answer questions correctly in the class my teacher praise me
27 My teacher encourage me to participate in the class project
28 Sometimes my teacher talks to me in a gentle way
29 My teacher do not scold me in the class
30 When I fail question in class, my teacher never call me names
S/N
PUPILS’ SELF-ESTEEM QUESTIONNAIRE (PSEQ)
Items Statements
SA
A
D
SD
1 I am proud of myself
2 I feel that my friends likes me
3 Most times I do my home work without assistance
4 I feel that I have good qualities compared to my friends
5 I have confidence in my abilities
6 I am proud of myself
7 Most children in my class like to befriend me
8 I ask question in the class anytime I do not understand the teaching
9 I always feel that I am better than most of my classmates
10 I feel that I am an important person especially in school
11 Sometimes I feel that I can not pass examination
12 I am always shy of going out to play with other children in the school
13 I can not do my home work unless somebody assists me
85
14 I am always afraid of asking question in the class
15 I feel ashamed of myself when I am in the midst of other children
16 I am always afraid that I will fail in the examination
17 I sometimes feel that all my friends are better than I am
18 Sometimes I feel that my mates does not like me
19 I feel that I can not perform well in class like my friends
20 I feel that I do not have good qualities
86
ENGLISH LANGUAGE Read the passage and answer the questions
which follow
By seven o’clock the next morning,
the whole of Ogegere’s family was already
at the airport. Mother was to return the car
while the other three children, two boys and
a girl went to see Owina off.
The children played about in the
airport while their parents sat by a table
talking about many things. At 9am, Owina
said farewell to mummy and his brothers
and sisters and went to board the aeroplane.
Daddy helped him to fasten his seat belt and
soon the plane took off.
Owina sat by a window so that he
could watch how the scenery changed as the
journey went on. But he could see nothing
apart from that sky because the plane was
flying very high. Thirty minutes after, they
were in Lagos. Of course a journey by road
from Benin City would have taken them five
hours.
1. How many people were in Ogerere’s
family? There were --------- people
A. three B. four C. five D. six E. seven
2. Why did the other children go to the
Airport? A. to play B. to see their uncle
C. to see Owina off D. to see the airport
E..because they were also going to Lagos
3. how did Daddy help Owina before
they took off? He helped to ------------
A wear his dress B.wear his shoes
B climb the aeroplane D. fasten the seat
Belt E. thank the pilot.
4. How long did the journey take them?
The journey took them A. half hour
B. one hour C. three hours D. five hours
E. thirty hours
5. what did Owina see through the window?
A.he saw nothing B.he only saw the sky
C.he saw his mother D.he saw other
children
choose the word which is nearest in
meaning to the underlined word from the
alternatives lettered A-E
6.The pupils were given sufficient time to
do the exercise. A. enough B. complete
A extra D. much E. little
7.This is the time to choose new members
for our football team. A. determine
B. prefer C. vote D. fine E. select
8.what is the cause of his annoyance?
A. anger B. fear C. shouting D. disgrace
E. crying
9.The headmaster allowed the pupils to go
home after they had finished their work
A.expected B. permitted C.warned
D. Excused E. dismissed
10.John was unable to complete the job in
time. A. close B. settle C. finished
A continue E. leave
Fill in the gaps with the correct verb phrase
from the alternatives given
11.I saw the policeman ------- after the thief.
A. to running B. running C. was running
D. ran E. to be running
12.What exactly ------- he tell you yesterday
A. might B. was C. did D. had E. would
13.I -------- my home work already.
A. will do B. will be doing C. do D. did
E. have done
14.when the bell rings you -------- it
A. have heard it B. will hear C. will be
hearing it D. are hearing E. heard
15.Every one of us -------- to go to school
every weekend. A. like B. has liked
B. likes D. is liking E. will be liking
Choose the correct words to fill the
spaces provided
16.Ada said there was too much pepper in
the soup ------- A. wasn’t it B. didn’t she
B. was it D. isn’t it E. doesn’t it
17.It is high time we got going. A. isn’t it
B. didn’t it C. should D. would we
E. aren’t we
18.I saw him ------- dead by the soldier
A. shooting B.shoot C. shot D. to shoot
E. shoting
19 He said he didn’t derive ------- from
working. A. joys B.any joy C. some joys
A no joy E. know joy
20. ------- the book, please return it to me
A. should you find B. will you be finding
C. will you find D. will you have found
E. would find
Choose the word that is opposite in meaning
to the underlined word
Appendix D
Achievement Test
87
21.My class teacher is kind. A.wicked
B. mean C. weak D. rough E. intelligent
SECTION A: MATHEMATICS
Each question is followed by 5 choices
lettered A-E. Find out the correct answer to
each question and shade in your answer
sheet the answer box which bears the same
letter as the choice you have made. Give one
answer only to each question. Think
carefully before you shade the answer sheet,
to make sure that you answer the question
properly. An example for how to shade in
your answer sheet is given below.
Example 182 – 14
A 11 B 12 C 13 D 14 E 15
NOW ANSWER THESE QUESTION 22. Write in figures one million, twenty
thousand and seventeen.
A.102,017 B.10,020.017 C12.001
D.102,007 E.100,017
23. Simplify21/4 + 11/3 + 5/6
A.3 7/12 B.4 5/12 C.6 1/12 D.8 5/12
E. 8 1/12
24.Find the H.C.F of the following
numbers 16, 32 and 40.
A.8 B.16 C.32 D.40 E.320
25.What is the value of 5 in the number
21587?
A. 50,000 B.5,000 C.500 D.50 E.5
26.What is CLXII?
A.116 B.162 C.159 D.164 E.199
27.Find the area of a circle whose radius
is 7cm take 11 as 31/7
A.49cm2 B.154
2cm C.63cm
2
D.161cm2 E.200cm
2
28 If 500 oranges were shared among
Chimere, Uzoma and Kelechi in the
ratio of 3:3:4 respectively. What is
Kelechi’s share?
A.400 B.300 C.200 D.150 E.100
29.Find m if m + 12 = 18
A.30 B.6 C.10 D.5 E.8
30.If 20 cups of rice cost N100, find the
cost of 5 cups of rice at the same price
A. N 80 B. N 35 C. N 55 D. N 15
E. N 25
31What is the perimeter of a rectangle
which is 12 metres long and 9 metres
wide? A.21m B, 42m C.54m D.84 m
E.108m
32A meeting started 10.30 am and ended
3.15 pm the same day, how long was the
meeting?
A.5hrs.35mins B.5hrs C.4hrs.40mins
D. 4hrs.35mins E.3hrs.50mins
33.Subtract 1235 from 3210
A.975 B.1975 C.197 D.1795 E.957
34.What is missing in the equation? 3/9= 27
A. 9 B. 12 C. 15 D. 6 E. 3
35.Find the arithmetic mean of these
numbers 2, 4, 8, 6, 0, 5, 14
A 6 B. 25.4 C.5.12 D.30.0 E.75
36.A number of children divided 48 oranges
And each of them got 16 oranges. How
many children were they? A.10 B.12 C.3
D..36 E.8
37 It took six labourers four hours to do a
piece of work. How long will it take
eight labourers working at the same rate?
A.8hrs B.10hrs C.12hrs D.4hrs E.3hrs
38.Express 50k as a fraction of N5.00.
A.1/100 B.1/10 C.1/2 D.1 E.10
39.Express the ratio 12 is to 30 in its
simplest form. A.13 B.25 C.34 D.35
E.56
40.simplify 11/2 x 5/8 ÷11/4.
A.4/9 B.1 C.11/25 D.19/10 E.21/4
41.A car travelling at an average speed of
15k/h. How long will it take to travel a
distance of 52.5k?
42.The area of a triangle is 24cm, if the
height is 8cm, find the base
A 16cm B. 8cm C. 6cm D. 4cm E.12cm
43.The simple on N 500 for 4 years is
N 120.00. Calculate the rate of interest.
A. 24% B. 6% C. 25% D.30% E.240%
88
ENUGU EAST LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA
HOUSING ESTATE PRIMARY SCHOOL III ABAKPA NIKE
PUPILS’ ACHIEVEMENT TEST SCORES
S/N Scores in English Scores in Mathematics
1. 35 30
2. 40 25
3. 35 20
4. 51 22
5. 30 25
6. 40 30
7. 35 41
8. 40 45
9. 42 34
10. 52 43
11. 34 37
12. 45 40
13. 25 30
14. 58 49
15. 60 42
16. 54 40
17. 52 45
18 50 47
19. 43 54
20. 41 50
21. 60 49
22. 53 42
23. 48 51
24. 50 37
25. 45 40
Appendix E
89
ENUGU EAST LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA
ABAKPA NIKE PRIMARY SCHOOL IV ENUGU
PUPILS’ ACHIEVEMENT TEST SCORES
S/N Scores in English Scores in Mathematics
1. 40 35
2. 45 42
3. 52 50
4. 44 40
5. 35 40
6. 45 42
7. 57 50
8. 50 45
9. 47 35
10. 38 40
11. 55 52
12. 43 40
13. 25 30
14. 40 41
15. 35 25
16. 44 40
17. 50 56
18 47 40
19. 38 35
20. 42 40
21. 38 35
22. 41 40
23. 55 50
24. 45 40
25. 38 40
90
ENUGU EAST LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA
CENTRAL SCHOOL I EMENE
PUPILS’ ACHIEVEMENT TEST SCORES
S/N Scores in English Scores in Mathematics
1. 51 48
2. 30 50
3. 25 35
4. 50 40
5. 38 28
6. 40 44
7. 38 28
8. 35 40
9. 30 32
10. 32 41
11. 41 35
12. 38 50
13. 40 43
14. 50 52
15. 38 40
16. 42 28
17. 51 42
18 41 30
19. 42 35
20. 35 28
21. 43 37
22. 30 35
23. 37 40
24. 50 30
25. 30 40
91
ENUGU EAST LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA
COMMUNITY PRIMARY SCHOOL AKO NIKE
PUPILS’ ACHIEVEMENT TEST SCORES
S/N Scores in English Scores in Mathematics
1. 42 38
2. 28 40
3. 35 39
4. 40 42
5. 38 39
6. 42 28
7. 44 40
8. 50 45
9. 48 42
10. 30 55
11. 38 43
12. 45 44
13. 44 51
14. 39 53
15. 37 52
16. 35 47
17. 40 39
18 41 35
19. 39 40
20. 38 45
21. 42 40
22. 49 35
23. 38 40
24. 40 39
25. 42 40
92
ENUGU NORTH LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA
ASATA PRIMARY SCHOOL ENUGU
PUPILS’ ACHIEVEMENT TEST SCORES
S/N Scores in English Scores in Mathematics
1. 35 30
2. 40 50
3. 42 44
4. 43 51
5. 29 32
6. 33 29
7. 28 37
8. 40 39
9. 29 40
10. 30 42
11. 42 50
12. 50 43
13. 37 28
14. 39 42
15. 40 39
16. 48 40
17. 51 42
18 38 50
19. 40 49
20. 50 30
21. 37 44
22. 41 48
23. 44 38
24. 39 52
25. 58 41
26. 47 57
27. 51 31
28. 39 45
29. 42 40
30. 44 39
31. 35 39
32. 40 41
33. 43 40
93
ENUGU NORTH LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA
OGUI NIKE PRIMARY SCHOOL ENUGU
PUPILS’ ACHIEVEMENT TEST SCORES
S/N Scores in English Scores in Mathematics
1. 40 50
2. 42 40
3. 39 41
4. 48 41
5. 51 39
6. 61 44
7. 62 50
8. 53 51
9. 55 49
10. 48 46
11. 49 39
12. 50 40
13. 38 42
14. 40 38
15. 42 37
16. 44 40
17. 43 30
18 28 48
19. 51 50
20. 40 42
21. 39 40
22. 37 39
23. 44 51
24. 50 44
25. 52 39
26. 48 50
27. 49 47
28. 40 48
29. 52 59
30. 53 40
31. 55 45
32. 54 41
33. 42 40
94
ENUGU NORTH LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA
NEW HAVEN PRIMARY SCHOOL ENUGU
PUPILS’ ACHIEVEMENT TEST SCORES
S/N Scores in English Scores in Mathematics
1. 28 29
2. 27 30
3. 30 33
4. 38 35
5. 40 45
6. 41 39
7. 45 44
8. 39 36
9. 33 40
10. 49 48
11. 44 43
12. 48 50
13. 51 53
14. 37 42
15. 49 45
16. 50 49
17. 53 50
18 49 59
19. 57 49
20. 61 62
21. 59 49
22. 49 50
23. 58 59
24. 60 61
25. 63 59
26. 49 48
27. 58 56
28. 55 60
29. 60 49
30. 65 40
31. 50 59
32. 40 41
33. 58 40
95
ISI UZO LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA
COMMUNITY PRIMARY SCHOOL NEKE - AGU
PUPILS’ ACHIEVEMENT TEST SCORES
S/N Scores in English Scores in Mathematics
1. 40 39
2. 39 40
3. 29 45
4. 38 39
5. 44 46
6. 27 39
7. 35 42
8. 40 51
9. 41 40
10. 39 43
11. 44 50
12. 42 52
13. 55 53
14. 58 49
15. 57 60
16. 55 59
17. 49 62
18 61 55
19. 60 48
20. 58 53
21. 65 56
22. 50 60
23. 49 58
24. 44 49
25. 59 55
26. 49 45
27. 50 54
28. 58 55
29. 48 60
30. 62 59
31. 66 51
32. 58 49
33. 59 60
34. 49 62
35. 60 59
36. 51 54
37. 59 38
38. 48 42
39. 70 55
96
40. 59 69
41. 60 59
42. 61 48
42. 59 71
44. 55 62
45. 58 66
46. 62 57
47. 59 62
48. 60 58
49. 54 61
50. 49 72
ISI UZO LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA
COMMUNITY PRIMARY SCHOOL MBU AMONA
PUPILS’ ACHIEVEMENT TEST SCORES
S/N Scores in English Scores in Mathematics
1. 37 41
2. 44 72
3. 43 53
4. 35 54
5. 51 45
6. 40 60
7. 52 57
8. 45 48
9. 28 59
10. 45 60
11. 48 51
12. 29 42
13. 37 39
14. 40 48
15. 42 55
16. 41 65
17. 51 59
18 61 45
19. 60 39
20. 55 65
21. 52 55
22. 62 72
23. 53 54
24. 54 48
25. 58 61
97
26. 61 75
27. 47 58
28. 58 53
29. 59 61
30. 43 45
31. 39 75
32. 48 55
33. 63 48
34. 47 59
35. 39 72
36. 56 65
37. 70 68
38. 58 56
39. 49 66
40. 54 72
41. 61 59
42. 48 62
42. 54 55
44. 49 47
45. 52 50
46. 59 53
47. 49 48
48. 58 71
49. 59 49
50. 47 60
98
ENUGU EAST LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA
HOUSING ESTATE PRIMARY SCHOOL III ABAKPA NIKE
PUPILS’ ACHIEVEMENT TEST SCORES
S/N Scores in English Scores in Mathematics
1. 35 30
2. 40 25
3. 35 20
4. 51 22
5. 30 25
6. 40 30
7. 35 41
8. 40 45
9. 42 34
10. 52 43
11. 34 37
12. 45 40
13. 25 30
14. 58 49
15. 60 42
16. 54 40
17. 52 45
18 50 47
19. 43 54
20. 41 50
21. 60 49
22. 53 42
23. 48 51
24. 50 37
25. 45 40
99
ENUGU EAST LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA
ABAKPA NIKE PRIMARY SCHOOL IV ENUGU
PUPILS’ ACHIEVEMENT TEST SCORES
S/N Scores in English Scores in Mathematics
1. 40 35
2. 45 42
3. 52 50
4. 44 40
5. 35 40
6. 45 42
7. 57 50
8. 50 45
9. 47 35
10. 38 40
11. 55 52
12. 43 40
13. 25 30
14. 40 41
15. 35 25
16. 44 40
17. 50 56
18 47 40
19. 38 35
20. 42 40
21. 38 35
22. 41 40
23. 55 50
24. 45 40
25. 38 40
100
ENUGU EAST LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA
CENTRAL SCHOOL I EMENE
PUPILS’ ACHIEVEMENT TEST SCORES
S/N Scores in English Scores in Mathematics
1. 51 48
2. 30 50
3. 25 35
4. 50 40
5. 38 28
6. 40 44
7. 38 28
8. 35 40
9. 30 32
10. 32 41
11. 41 35
12. 38 50
13. 40 43
14. 50 52
15. 38 40
16. 42 28
17. 51 42
18 41 30
19. 42 35
20. 35 28
21. 43 37
22. 30 35
23. 37 40
24. 50 30
25. 30 40
101
ENUGU EAST LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA
COMMUNITY PRIMARY SCHOOL AKO NIKE
PUPILS’ ACHIEVEMENT TEST SCORES
S/N Scores in English Scores in Mathematics
1. 42 38
2. 28 40
3. 35 39
4. 40 42
5. 38 39
6. 42 28
7. 44 40
8. 50 45
9. 48 42
10. 30 55
11. 38 43
12. 45 44
13. 44 51
14. 39 53
15. 37 52
16. 35 47
17. 40 39
18 41 35
19. 39 40
20. 38 45
21. 42 40
22. 49 35
23. 38 40
24. 40 39
25. 42 40
102
ENUGU NORTH LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA
ASATA PRIMARY SCHOOL ENUGU
PUPILS’ ACHIEVEMENT TEST SCORES
S/N Scores in English Scores in Mathematics
1. 35 30
2. 40 50
3. 42 44
4. 43 51
5. 29 32
6. 33 29
7. 28 37
8. 40 39
9. 29 40
10. 30 42
11. 42 50
12. 50 43
13. 37 28
14. 39 42
15. 40 39
16. 48 40
17. 51 42
18 38 50
19. 40 49
20. 50 30
21. 37 44
22. 41 48
23. 44 38
24. 39 52
25. 58 41
26. 47 57
27. 51 31
28. 39 45
29. 42 40
30. 44 39
31. 35 39
32. 40 41
33. 43 40
103
ENUGU NORTH LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA
OGUI NIKE PRIMARY SCHOOL ENUGU
PUPILS’ ACHIEVEMENT TEST SCORES
S/N Scores in English Scores in Mathematics
1. 40 50
2. 42 40
3. 39 41
4. 48 41
5. 51 39
6. 61 44
7. 62 50
8. 53 51
9. 55 49
10. 48 46
11. 49 39
12. 50 40
13. 38 42
14. 40 38
15. 42 37
16. 44 40
17. 43 30
18 28 48
19. 51 50
20. 40 42
21. 39 40
22. 37 39
23. 44 51
24. 50 44
25. 52 39
26. 48 50
27. 49 47
28. 40 48
29. 52 59
30. 53 40
31. 55 45
32. 54 41
33. 42 40
104
ENUGU NORTH LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA
NEW HAVEN PRIMARY SCHOOL ENUGU
PUPILS’ ACHIEVEMENT TEST SCORES
S/N Scores in English Scores in Mathematics
1. 28 29
2. 27 30
3. 30 33
4. 38 35
5. 40 45
6. 41 39
7. 45 44
8. 39 36
9. 33 40
10. 49 48
11. 44 43
12. 48 50
13. 51 53
14. 37 42
15. 49 45
16. 50 49
17. 53 50
18 49 59
19. 57 49
20. 61 62
21. 59 49
22. 49 50
23. 58 59
24. 60 61
25. 63 59
26. 49 48
27. 58 56
28. 55 60
29. 60 49
30. 65 40
31. 50 59
32. 40 41
33. 58 40
105
ISI UZO LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA
COMMUNITY PRIMARY SCHOOL NEKE - AGU
PUPILS’ ACHIEVEMENT TEST SCORES
S/N Scores in English Scores in Mathematics
1. 40 39
2. 39 40
3. 29 45
4. 38 39
5. 44 46
6. 27 39
7. 35 42
8. 40 51
9. 41 40
10. 39 43
11. 44 50
12. 42 52
13. 55 53
14. 58 49
15. 57 60
16. 55 59
17. 49 62
18 61 55
19. 60 48
20. 58 53
21. 65 56
22. 50 60
23. 49 58
24. 44 49
25. 59 55
26. 49 45
27. 50 54
28. 58 55
29. 48 60
30. 62 59
31. 66 51
32. 58 49
33. 59 60
34. 49 62
35. 60 59
36. 51 54
37. 59 38
38. 48 42
39. 70 55
106
40. 59 69
41. 60 59
42. 61 48
42. 59 71
44. 55 62
45. 58 66
46. 62 57
47. 59 62
48. 60 58
49. 54 61
50. 49 72
ISI UZO LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA
COMMUNITY PRIMARY SCHOOL MBU AMONA
PUPILS’ ACHIEVEMENT TEST SCORES
S/N Scores in English Scores in Mathematics
1. 37 41
2. 44 72
3. 43 53
4. 35 54
5. 51 45
6. 40 60
7. 52 57
8. 45 48
9. 28 59
10. 45 60
11. 48 51
12. 29 42
13. 37 39
14. 40 48
15. 42 55
16. 41 65
17. 51 59
18 61 45
19. 60 39
20. 55 65
21. 52 55
22. 62 72
23. 53 54
24. 54 48
25. 58 61
107
26. 61 75
27. 47 58
28. 58 53
29. 59 61
30. 43 45
31. 39 75
32. 48 55
33. 63 48
34. 47 59
35. 39 72
36. 56 65
37. 70 68
38. 58 56
39. 49 66
40. 54 72
41. 61 59
42. 48 62
42. 54 55
44. 49 47
45. 52 50
46. 59 53
47. 49 48
48. 58 71
49. 59 49
50. 47 60