ASSESSMENT OF THE COMPETENCIES OF BUSINESS STUDIES TEACHERS IN THE UPPER 9-YEAR BASIC SCHOOLS IN KWARA STATE

The study was carried out to assess of the competencies of Business studies teachers in the upper 9-year basic schools in Kwara State. Four research questions and four null hypotheses guided the study. The study employed survey research design. The population for the study was 1,201 Business studies teachers from which 361 teachers were randomly selected as sample for the study. The instrument for data collection was questionnaire titled Business Studies Teachers Competencies questionnaire (BSTCs). Three experts validated the instrument. To obtain the reliability coefficients of the questionnaire, 15 copies of the questionnaire were trial tested on 15 Business studies teachers in Nsukka educational zone of Enugu State, after which Cronbach alpha reliability method was used for data analysis. A coefficient of 0.98 was obtained. Mean and standard deviation were used to answer the research questions while t-test statistics and Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) were used for testing the research hypotheses at 0.05 level of significance. The findings of this study showed that the Business studies teachers in the upper 9 –year basic schools in Kwara state possessed 64 out of the 114 identified competency items while the teachers do not possess competencies in the remaining 50 items required for effective teaching and learning of Business studies. The study also revealed that, there is no significant difference in the mean ratings of the responses of the respondents on the competencies possessed in instructional planning, classroom organization, instructional evaluation and some aspects of the contents of Business studies. Also, the study found out that there is a significant difference in the mean ratings of the three groups of respondents on the competencies possessed by the teachers in the use of office ICT and teaching of computer in the upper 9-year basic schools in Kwara State. Based on the findings, the researcher recommended that Business studies teachers be given opportunities for self development in their profession through study leave with pay, in order to acquire higher degrees for better performance, that workshops, seminar, and conferences be organized by relevant ministries in the state for capacity building and quality assurance of the teachers; that Business studies teachers should be adequately motivated by the State government through promotions as at when due, financial remunerations, and good welfare package for them to develop high morale in carrying out their duties.