Education Policy making as correlate to Teachers’ Job Performance in Public Secondary Schools in Taraba State, Nigeria

Abstract

This study examined the relationship between education policy-making and teachers' job performance in public secondary schools in Taraba State, Nigeria. The study has two research objectives, two research questions, and two null hypotheses. The design of the study was a correlational design. The population comprised of all the four thousand four hundred and ninety-nine (4,499) teachers working in public secondary schools throughout the twelve education zones of Taraba State, Nigeria. The sample of the study comprised of four hundred and fifty (450) teachers that is 10% of the population selected through purposive sample techniques. The teachers who constitute this study were chosen because they are directly impacted by education policy-making and their job performance is pivotal to the study. The instrument for data was a questionnaire designed by the researchers, entitled; Education Policy Making and Teachers’ Job Performance Questionnaire (EPMTJPQ). The questionnaire was validated by three experts in the department of Educational Foundations, Faculty of Education, Taraba State, University, Jalingo. A pilot testing was administered on fifty (50) teachers who were outside the research area to assess the reliability of the questionnaire. The data collected was analysed using Pearson Product Moment Correlation Statistics, which yielded a reliability coefficient of 0.91, which is considered sufficiently high and suitable for the study. All the null hypotheses were analysed using inferential statistics of mean and standard deviation at 0.05 level of significance. The findings of the study on hypothesis one indicates an absence of a significant positive correlation between teachers' participation in decision-making and their job performance in public schools in Taraba State. Hypothesis two demonstrated a significant positive link between teachers' involvement in education policy implementation and their job performance in public secondary schools in Taraba State. The study recommends that teachers, as transformative agents in policy implementation in schools, should consistently be afforded the opportunity to contribute ideas during the decision-making process. This will enhance their morale and lead to substantial improvement in their job performance. Similarly, Principals should permit the implementation of education policies and programmes in their schools through management by objectives (MBO) to facilitate teachers' understanding of tactics for effective policy execution.