PROFESSIONAL COMPETENCIES AS CORRELATES OF TEACHERS’ TASK PERFORMANCE IN PUBLIC SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN ANAMBRA STATE

Abstract

The study investigated professional competencies as correlates of teachers’ task performance in public secondary schools in Anambra State. Two research questions guided the study and two null hypotheses were tested at .05 level of significance. The study was a correlational research design. The population of the study comprised 5396 (5,133 teachers and 263 principals) in 263 public secondary schools in six Education Zones in Anambra State. The sample size for the study was 579 (513 teachers and 66 principals) drawn from the population of the study. Multi-stage sampling procedure was used for the study. The instruments for data collection were Professional Competencies Questionnaire (PCQ) and Teachers’ Task Performance Questionnaire (TTPQ). The instruments were subjected to face and construct validation by three experts. The reliability of the instrument was determined using Cronbach Alpha Coefficient method and the average coefficient for PCQ is 0.80 and 0.80 for TTPQ. Pearson Product Moment Correlation was used for the study. The study revealed that instructional delivery competence (r = 0.919; p < 0.000) and subject knowledge competence (r = 0.921; p < 0.000) positively and significantly relate to teachers’ task performance in public secondary schools in Anambra State to a high extent. The study concluded that professional competencies positively and significantly correlate to teachers’ task performance in public secondary schools in Anambra State. Based on the findings, the study recommended that Ministry of Education should prioritize hiring teachers with strong academic qualifications in specific subject areas.