INFLUENCE OF TEACHERS' PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT ON INSTRUCTIONAL DELIVERY AND PERCEIVED ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE OF PUPILS IN PRIMARY SCHOOLS IN ESAN CENTRAL LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA, EDO STATE

Abstract

Teachers' professional development (TPD) refers to the continuous process through which teachers upgrade their knowledge, skills, and teaching practices in response to changing curricula, technologies, and pedagogical trends. This study examined the influence of TPD on instructional delivery and teachers' perceived academic performance of pupils in public primary schools in Esan Central Local Government Area, Edo State, Nigeria. A descriptive survey design was adopted. The population comprised 272 public primary school teachers, from which a sample of 40 teachers (approximately 15%) was drawn using simple random sampling. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire titled the Teachers' Professional Development, Instructional Delivery and Academic Performance Questionnaire (TPDIDAPQ), validated by subject experts and found reliable (Cronbach's alpha = .84), and analyzed using frequency counts, percentages, mean, and standard deviation. Findings showed that teachers who participated regularly in workshops, seminars, and in-service training reported improved lesson planning, classroom management, and instructional delivery, which they perceived to be associated with better pupil engagement and academic outcomes. The study concludes that TPD is associated with improvements in teachers' self-reported instructional practice, though the descriptive, self-report design used here does not permit causal claims about pupils' actual academic performance. It is recommended that government, school administrators, and other stakeholders provide regular, sustained training opportunities for teachers, and that future studies incorporate objective measures of pupils' academic performance, such as school-based test or examination scores.