IMPACT OF LEVEL OF TEACHER EDUCATION IN STUDENTS’ PERFORMANCE IN ENGLISH LANGUAGE: A CASE STUDY WITH REFERENCE TO VAVUNIYA DISTRICT

Abstract

Numerous studies indicate the relationship between teacher quality and students’ performances in national examinations. Since the number of students who have failed in English language at GCE Ordinary Level Examination is 58% in 2019, this study aims to establish a degree of teacher education level which impact in students’ performance at national examinations. Five schools in Vavuniya district were taken in random sampling method for this study and the data of five years which were collected using interview, focus group discussion and questionnaire were analyzed using SPSS data analysis tool. While the teacher education level was treated as independent variable, the performance of students in English at GCE Ordinary Level Examination have been considered as dependent variable in this study. The findings reveal that the teacher education level significantly impacts in the performance of students in English language at the national examinations. One of the key findings is the average level of teacher qualification is below HND level in the district and coefficient of determination indicates that 22.4% of students’ performance depend on teacher education level. Once the education level of the teachers is increased, rather, when the teachers are appointed with higher education level, the success of achievement increases in this region. Therefore, this study recommends that the level of education that should be considered during the appointments of English language teachers in the region.