Input And Process Variables As Predictors Of Effectiveness In Private Secondary Schools In Lagos State

ABSTRACT

This study investigated the relationship between input and process variables and school effectiveness in private secondary schools in Lagos State. The input variables were teacher qualification, teacher experience and equipment and facilities while the process variables were leader behaviour, school environment, academic emphasis, teacher expectations and monitoring of students' progress. The study is a descriptive survey research, carried out ex-post facto. The stratified random sampling technique was used to select 45 secondary schools out of the 231 registered private secondary schools in Lagos State as at the time of this study. The data were collected during the 2005/2006 academic session. The population was stratified by status - High, Middle and Lowbrow, taking into cognisance tuition fees charged. The selected schools were those that presented students for the Senior School Certificate Examination (SSCE), and had graduated a minimum of three sets of students. The school was the unit of analysis. Two major instruments were used in this study namely School Environment Questionnaire (SEQ) and School's Profile Checklist (SPC). The result of the SSCE provided data for students' academic achievement over a three-year period. Students' academic achievement was the measure of school effectiveness. Data for the SEQ was collected from 20 teachers selected at random in each school, giving a total of 900 teachers that responded to the study's questionnaire. Ten research questions were drawn up for the study. Out of the ten research questions, eight were converted to hypotheses while two were retained as research questions. The data collected were analysed to answer the specific research questions and hypotheses posited for the study. Both descriptive and inferential statistics were employed for data analysis.