Background: Lecturers’ Competences in Relation to Students’ Academic Performance

Lecturers’ Competences in Relation to Students’ Academic Performance

Background

Teachers are regarded as the most imperative school-based factor that influences students’ achievement levels. Poor academic performance by numerous students in both higher education and training public and private institutions has gained significant attention by most researchers in the field of educational management. Previous studies on the subject on students’ academic performance by AL-Mutairi (2011) and Kang’ahi et al (2012) indicate although there exist several factors that influence students’ academic performances, but lecturer competence remains one of the major determinants of students’ academic achievements. According to Adunola (2011) and Ganyaupfu (2013), teaching is a collaborative process which encompasses interaction by both learners and the lecturer. Following Akiri & Ugborugbo (2009), lecturer competence in teaching process is a multidimensional concept that measures numerous interrelated aspects of sharing knowledge with learners which include communication skills, subject matter expertise, lecturers experience, lecturers teaching skills, lecturers qualification and lecturers attitude. Therefore, consistent evaluation of the a six mentioned distinct factors of lecturers competence is imperative since in practice, the competence of a lecturer is directly measured by students’ academic achievements (Schacter & Thum, 2004; Adediwura & Tayo, 2007; and Adu & Olatundun, 2007). For instance, Adunola (2011) accentuated that the teaching methods adopted by lecturers should be aligned to the subject content and specific outcomes in order to effectively enhance transmission of knowledge and information from the lecturer to the students. According to Chang (2010), each individual learner interprets and responds to questions in a unique way (Chang, 2010), it is therefore crucial for lecturers to regularly review their teaching competences in respect  communication skills, subject matter expertise, lecturers experience, lecturers teaching skills, lecturer qualification and lecturer attitude.