Senior high schools students' expectations of teachers: A case study in the Cape Coast Metropolis

Abstract

The study sought to examine senior high school students’ expectations of teachers’ classroom behaviour with respect to teaching, discipline and personal qualities. The cross-sectional descriptive survey design was used for the study. The sample for the study was drawn through purposive and stratified sampling based on gender. A total of 400 students drawn from four senior high schools in the Cape Coast Metropolis namely; St.Augustine’s College, Holy Child Senior High, Academy of Christ the King and University Practice Senior High took part in the study. A 24-item questionnaire was used for the data collection. Percentages, Chi-square, and Spearman rank order coefficient at alpha level of 0.05 were used in the analysis of data. The study revealed that there was no significant difference in male and female students’ expectations of teachers’ manner of teaching, discipline and personal qualities. There was however a significant relationship in day and boarding students expectations of teachers manner of teaching, discipline and personal qualities. Students expect teachers to know a great deal about the subject they teach, praise them for behaving well and working hard and also to be patient, understanding, kind and sympathetic. The study recommends the need for teachers not to resort to the use of the cane as a mode of enforcing discipline. The study also recommends the need for teachers to have a great deal of knowledge about the subject they teach. Finally, it is recommended that teachers be patient and kind in the course of teaching.