PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMMES (PDPs) AND TEACHERS’ MANAGEMENT SKILLS ON STUDENTS’ LEARNING OUTCOMES IN SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN BAYELSA STATE, NIGERIA

Abstract

The study examined the relationship between in-service Professional Development Programmes (PDPs) and teachers’ management skills on learning outcomes in secondary schools in Bayelsa State. These were with a view to providing information on ways of improving teachers’ professional performance and achieving better learning outcomes in secondary schools. Descriptive survey design was employed for the study. The population comprised teachers and principals in public secondary schools, in Bayelsa State. The sample size consisted 393 respondents. Multi-stage sampling technique was adopted. Twenty-four out of the eighty-five senior secondary schools were conveniently and selected from  Four out of the eight Local Government Areas (LGAs) in Bayelsa State. Questionnaire tagged “Professional Development Programmes and Management Skills on Learning Outcomes (PDPMSLO) was used to collect data. Data collected were analyzed using Pearson Product Moment Correlation statistic. The results showed a significant positive relationship between PDPs and teachers’ management skills (r = 0.15, p < 0.05). Results also showed a significant positive relationship between PDPs and students’ attitude to learning     (r = 0.22, p < 0.05), and students’ performance (r = 0.76, p < 0.05). The study concluded that the PDPs developed for secondary school teachers in Bayelsa were effective in promoting students’ performance and improving their performance.