Relationship between teachers' expectations and students' achievement in junior high schools in the Mfantseman municiplity

Abstract

Teachers in the classroom portray varying degrees of expectation levels in terms of students’ achievement. The way that a teacher feels toward the ability of a student can greatly impact the academic growth of that student. The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between teachers’ expectations and students’ achievement in junior high schools in the Mfantseman Municipality of the Central Region of Ghana. The study was a correlational one. The unit of analysis was the school not the individual. In all, 36 schools were selected for the study comprising 18 rural schools and 18 urban schools in the municipality. A total of 205 respondents were randomly selected from the 36 schools. They responded to teachers’ and headteachers’ questionnaires on their expectations for their schools and the students’ in their schools. The BECE result of 2007/08 was used proxy for students’ achievement. Descriptive statistics, Pearson product-moment correlation coefficient, Point biserial correlation coefficient and the one-way ANOVA were used to analyse the data of the study. From this study, no significant relationships exist between teachers’ expectations and students’ achievement in junior high schools in the Mfantseman Munnicipality. Although weak correlations were found between the variables, it was recommended that in-service training should be organized for heads and teachers of Junior High Schools to sensitize them on the possible unconscious biases.