Basic school teachers’ personality type as determinant of classroom management in Lagos State, Nigeria

Received Dec 11, 2020 Revised May 6, 2021 Accepted Jun 21, 2021 Teachers encounter many problems in the classroom and amongst is classroom management. Classroom management pose a problem to teachers especially the novice teachers who are not privileged to undergo the training of teaching profession. Teachers’ personality type play an important role in whether to increase positive behaviours or decrease negative behaviours among the students in classroom environment. This study therefore examined teachers’ personality type as determinant of classroom management in Lagos State. Descriptive method of research was used for this study. The respondent comprised of 180 teachers selected from 15 schools in Lagos State. Two instruments were used in gathering data for the study. Mean rating and Pearson Product Moment Coefficient were used to answer and test research questions and hypotheses respectively. Findings revealed that teachers personality determines their classroom management.


INTRODUCTION
Classroom teachers perform an important role in the attainment of any educational goal. The ability of teachers to effectively manage classroom and student behaviour is critical in achieving positive educational goals. Classroom management have remained a serious concern for teachers. This is so because the teachers are the second parents of the students and as well they have direct contact with the students in the school premises. Teachers should use good classroom management techniques so as to avoid disorderly behaviour by a certain number of students which may likely affect the activities of the classroom [1]. Teachers have the opportunity to affect student achievement by effectively managing the learning environment. Teachers are content experts who must cope with different types of students in the classroom and manage those behaviours appropriately. Making the teaching-learning environment interesting has been the hallmark of educationists. Classroom management refers to a teacher's ability to successfully establish a favorable and happy learning environment in the classroom. In the study of Ndiyo [2], it was narrated that classroom management includes curbing learner's disruptive behaviours such as fighting, noise making, close observation, and response to students who ask questions.
Management of the classroom is one of the problems teachers face in the institution of education. Classroom management strategies enhances prosocial behaviour and increase student academic participation. Walker [3] concluded that, the ability to effectively manage a classroom determines a successful teaching. The study of George, Sakirudeen, and Sunday [4], have shown that most schools recommendations on classroom management is to use flexibility in instructions. Classroom management act like an umbrella that gives cover or protection to every activity of the classroom [5]. Two types of classroom management styles were identified by Williams [6] and they are; as proactive and reactive approaches. Active teachers promote communality in the classroom by demonstrating positive behaviors. While reactive teachers plan alternative activities for students who finish classroom assignments early and become bored, having a tactic to use for students to switch bad behaviors into good, and responding quickly to an upset student, proactive teachers plan alternative activities for students who finish classroom assignments early and become bored. The teacher's goal is to control students' goals and behaviours toward a prescribed end. Teachers are expected to prepare the classroom environment for the teaching and learning process, establish classroom rules and create an effective learning environment for students to adopt the rules, organize and maintain classroom instruction [7]. The teacher creates the climate in the classroom that makes good discipline possible. In a healthy classroom atmosphere teacher are given the opportunity to develop and enhance all the aspects of their levels of personality. Teachers are expected to prepare classroom environment for teaching and learning process, determine the rules of the classroom and create good learning environment for the students [4].
Teacher's personality traits play an important role in the students behaviour and influence not only the goals sets for the classroom activities but also the ways in which one goes about achieving those goals [8]. Teacher personality can affect student learning outcomes via the psychological environment of the classroom. How and why one differs from another is an important part of the study of personality [9]. When the psychological traits of personality are achieved within the teacher, one is more likely to be motivated to achieve, cooperate and take on new challenges. It is important for a teacher to have a sound personality which will reflect upon the students. A study conducted by Richardon, et al. [10] suggested that personality styles should be identified to meet learners need. The personality type that have positive relationship to teaching effectiveness competencies have greater ease or difficulty in achieving high effectiveness scores as the situation demands [11]. When teachers understand their personality type, it makes them to be proactive in determining a better fit for each students.
In the study of Othman [12], the big five personality are characterized as neuroticism (individual is likely to experience nervousness, uncertainty and psychological depression), extraversion (interpersonal communication), openness to experience (seeking and appreciating new knowledge), agreeableness (the quality of one's interpersonal interaction) and conscientiousness (determination, organization and motivation in expected goals). Similarly, extroversion is defined by sociability, confidence, societal dominance, determination, dispositions toward action, sensation-seeking, and positive mark experience, according to Bozionelos [13]. Altruism, friendliness, and modesty are all linked to agreeableness. The concept of conscientiousness is concerned with how people approach their employment. Excessive concern, pessimism, low confidence, and a proclivity to experience negative emotions are all features of neuroticism. Thoughts, curiosity, open-mindedness, and creativity are all examples of openness. Teachers' gender may influence the education they provide, as well as the responsibilities they play in society. Gender has a significant impact, particularly in underdeveloped countries. Gender concerns are very relevant and tremendously significant in poor nations where women are marginalized, according to Allana, et al. [14].
Nearly one-half of those who become teachers leave the profession within 5 years due to lack of classroom management strategies [15]. Thus, a stronger emphasis on classroom management strategies and best practices in the context of teachers' personality may serve to strengthen teacher retention efforts. Certain personality traits may be required to be a good and effectual teacher [16]. There are several studies on teachers' personality in relation to student academic performance. For instance, study conducted by Chamorro-Premuzic and Furnham [17] indicate that neuroticism may impair academic performance, while higher academic achievement will be as a result of conscientiousness. Similarly, in the study of Laidra, Pullman, and Allik [18], it was found that, students performance is positively correlated with openness, agreeableness, and conscientiousness while neuroticism correlated negatively with the performance of students. Another study conducted by Zhang [19], investigated the relationship between teacher personality traits and their teaching styles among 157 Chinese high school teachers. The results indicated that teachers' personality significantly contributed to teachers' teaching styles.
On a flip side, a study conducted by Ahmed, Ambreen and Hussain [20] compared both male and female teachers in terms of classroom management skills and found that female teachers scored significantly higher than male teachers in terms of instructional and behavioral management. Female teachers are better at instructional tactics, but male teachers are better at student involvement, according to Nejati, et al. [21].
Effective teaching research, as well as personality traits that assist successful teaching, is not new and has long been a staple of academia [22]. It has been observed that not many studies on teachers' personality type as determinant of classroom management has been carried out in Lagos State Nigeria. It is therefore imperative that study on teachers' personality type and classroom management in Lagos State appears relevant and complementary to the existing studies. The main purpose of this study is to examine teachers' personality type as determinant of classroom management in Lagos State. Four research questions

RESEARCH METHOD
This study employed a descriptive research design. The participants in this study are all teachers in Lagos State's public basic schools. The state consists of three Senatorial District. They are: Lagos Central, Lagos East and Lagos West, Nigeria. The sample for this study comprises 180 basic school teachers from the 15 selected schools in the three Senatorial Districts. Basic school teachers are considered appropriate for this study because this is where the foundation for other level of education rest on. Also, basic education is the first stage of formal education after coming from pre-school. This study selected basic school teachers because this is the stage where all round development of a child takes place mostly. Teachers also give wings to the ambitions and aim in the mind of the students for academic success.
Multistage sampling technique was used. At the first stage, the state was stratified in to three stratums (Lagos Central, Lagos East and Lagos West). The second stage involved using a purposive sample methodology to select five public elementary schools from each of the three Senatorial Districts. The 15 public basic schools were selected because they have the highest number of teachers in the Senatorial Districts. At the third stage, simple random sampling technique was used to select 12 teachers each from the sampled schools.
Two instruments were used for this study. They are: Big Five Inventory which was adapted from a Self-Report Measure for Personality developed by Othman [12] while Teachers Classroom Management Strategies Questionnaire was also adapted from [4]. Experts in the field of Educational Psychology and Educational Management were given the instruments for validation and the reliability of the instruments was established using test re-test method. Two sets of test administrations were carried out at the interval of two weeks. Data obtain from the first and second administration was collated separately and subjected to reliability using Pearson Product Moment Correlation (PPMC) to ascertain the reliability of the instruments. The reliability coefficient was found at 0.67 and 0.65 respectively. Four research questions were raised in this study. The first and second research questions were answered using mean and percentage, while the third and fourth research questions, which had corresponding hypotheses, were tested using PPMC at the 0.05 level of significance. Table 1 shows the total number of respondents to be 180. The male respondents were 34.4% (62) while the female respondents were 65.6% (118). The result implies that female respondents were more than male respondents. Research Question Two: How effective are the classroom management styles of teachers in Lagos State?

RESULTS
From Table 3, result shows the effectiveness of classroom management of teachers in Lagos State. It was revealed that 29.4% (53) of the respondents noted that teachers are very effective, 47.3% (85) noted that teachers are effective and 23.3% (42) noted that teachers are less effective. The result implies that majority of the respondents noted that Lagos State teachers are effective in classroom management.

Hypothesis Testing Research Hypothesis One:
There is no significant relationship between teachers' personality and classroom management in Lagos State Result from Table 4 shows the Pearson correlation analysis value yielded .712 which is significant with P value .017 < 0.05. This shows a significant result. Hence, the null hypothesis is rejected. This means that there is a significant relationship between teachers' personality and classroom management in Lagos State. Research Hypothesis Two: There is no significant relationship between teachers' personality and classroom management based on gender Results from Table 5 show the Pearson correlation analysis value yielded .628 for the males which is significant with P value .019 < 0.05. Also, the Pearson correlation value yielded .639 for the females which is significant with P value .013 < 0.05. This shows a significant result. Hence, the null hypothesis is rejected. This means that there is a significant relationship between teachers' personality and classroom management based on gender.

Discussion
The study investigated teachers' personality type as determinant of classroom management in Lagos State, Nigeria. The first finding showed that many of the teachers' personality type is openness vs. closed to experience in Lagos State. This study is consistent with Arif, Rashid, Tahira, and Akhter [23], which reveals that the openness personality type of instructors is more prevalent than the other four Big Five personality types. However, the result of the findings negates that Bozionelos [13] who reported that, most of the teacher's personality in Scotland is agreeableness and the less is neuroticism. The difference that exist in the findings could be associated with difference in the locale and also the way teaching profession is taking in the locales differs.
Also, it was revealed that majority of the teachers in Lagos State are effective in their classroom management. Similarly, this finding is in line with the finding of George, Sakirudeen, and Sunday [4]. They revealed that teachers are effective in their classroom management and it thus significantly influences senior secondary school students.
Another results of the study indicates that in Lagos State, there is a significant association between teacher personality and classroom management. This results is consistent with that Opdenakker and Damme [24]. They looked at the relationship between teacher personality qualities and their teaching methods, and found that instructors' personalities played a substantial role in their teaching approaches.
Lastly, another finding showed a significant relationship between teachers' personality and classroom management based on gender. However, this finding does not corroborate the finding of Opdenakker and Damme [24] which revealed that teachers' gender does not significantly predict classroom practices. Furthermore, the findings of this study contradict those Oktan and Kivanc [25], who found that gender had little bearing on teachers' classroom management strategies. The disparity in results could be due to the idea that female instructors are more likely to choose teaching as their sole job because they are already accustomed to caring for their families.

CONCLUSION
The research investigated teachers' personality type as determinant of classroom management in Lagos State, Nigeria. The result showed that majority of the teachers' personality type is openness vs. closed to experience. Also, the result revealed that majority of the teachers in Lagos State are effective in their classroom management. The finding of the study showed that, relationship between teachers' personality type and classroom management was significant. Another finding showed that, teachers' gender and personality type is significantly related to how a classroom is managed. It was then concluded that, the type of teachers' personality goes a long way in predicting how effective classroom management could be and also, teacher's gender plays a significant role in determining how personality type could predict effect classroom management. Teachers should ensure that rules given in the classroom should be consistent.
It was then recommended that regular seminars should be organized for teachers on how to develop personality type. It can bring about effectiveness in their classroom management techniques, since teachers can either increase or decrease positive behaviour among learners in the classroom.