Continuing Professional Education for Workplace Effectiveness and Efficiency: A Case Study of Junior Secondary School Teachers in Ikorodu Local Government Area

Abstract

The commonly held view that the effectiveness of an educational system is directly linked to the caliber of its educators highlights the critical importance of the essential role of teachers and teachers’ Continuing Professional Education Programmes in achieving educational development. This is particularly significant as teachers hold a strategic position in shaping the intellectual and moral foundation of adolescents, Junior Secondary School (JSS) teachers. This study, therefore, investigated the relationship between continuing professional education and workplace effectiveness and efficiency among junior secondary school teachers in Ikorodu LGA. The study employed a descriptive survey research design, in which four research questions and a hypothesis were developed and tested. The target population comprises all JSS teachers in Ikorodu LGA. A total of 200 teachers were selected as the sample size from the population of approximately 1250 JSS teachers in Ikorodu, using the stratified random sampling technique. A questionnaire was used for data collection. The data for the study were analysed using both descriptive (frequency counts & percentages) and inferential (Pearson Product-Moment Correlation, Chi-square (χ2) and independent t-test statistical tools at 0.05 level of significance) statistical methods. The findings of the study revealed that there is a significant relationship between teachers’ participation in Continuing Professional Education and workplace effectiveness and efficiency of JSS teachers. The study concluded and recommended that Lagos State Ministry of Education and Teaching Service Commission (TESCOM) should make CPE a vital and compulsory part of teachers’ personal life by institutionalizing regular CPE for teachers; Lagos State Government and private school owners should provide adequate funding and incentives such as increments, recognition awards, or career advancement opportunities including travel and exposure opportunities for teachers’ professional development.