Abstract:

There are indications that the amount and quality of science teaching and learning that take place in schools are mediated by teacher- related factors. Notable among them is the nature of teacher – pupil interactions that take place in the classroom. This study is designed to investigate the causal paths and directions of threshold time among integrated science teachers in Delta state, Nigeria. An ex-post facto design was adopted by hypothesizing a theoretical causal relationship model. The sample consisted of all 147 qualified integrated science teachers in the 25 local government areas in Delta state. Intact classes of students were purposively sampled and taught by the integrated science teachers. Five instruments were used in the study. They are the Classroom Interaction Sheet (CIS), Teachers’ Attitude Towards Integrated Science Teaching Questionnaire (TATISTQ), Locus of Control Scale (LCS), Self-concept Rating Scale (SCRS) and Sigel’s Cognitive Style Test (SICOST). Data was collected in two phases. During the first phase, classroom observation of the teaching process using the CIS was done and recorded at fifteen seconds interval across all categories while in the second and third phases, TATISTS, LCS, SCRS and SICOST were administered on the teachers. Data collected were analysed using time-series analysis of frequency and cumulative frequencies across the different behaviour categories of the CIS. The mean of the threshold time and its associated standard deviation were calculated. Data generated from the questionnaires were analysed using multiple regression on the 8-teacher factors. A parsimonious model was produced with sixteen surviving paths at 0.05 level of significance. This model explained the pattern of correlation of the causal interaction between the predictor and the criterion variables. The study also found 27 out of the 136 pathways through which the predictor variables caused variation in the criterion variable as significant. The study recommended that integrated science teachers should be exposed to the knowledge and benefits of threshold time through teacher education and in-service courses to enable them manage instructional time.

Keywords:

Threshold time, classroom interaction, teaching time management, teacher factor.