INFLUENCE OF TEACHER CHARACTERISTICS AND TEACHING AIDS ON THE ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE OF STUDES IN BUSINESS STUDIES IN JUNIOR SECONDARY SCHOOLS

Abstract

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Secondary school is the base for tertiary institution of learning. However, there is low academic performance in business studies. The study examined the influence of Teacher Characteristics and Teaching Aids on the Academic Performance of Students in Business Studies in Junior Secondary Schools. The study was anchored on the theory of Planned Behavior by Ajzen 1991. The study adopted a descriptive survey research design. Two purposes, two research questions, and two null hypotheses were raised to guide the study. Literature related to the study were reviewed in line with the purposes. The study population was 311 comprising of 144 Principals and 167 Business studies teachers in Junior secondary schools in Kwara Central Senatorial District, Nigeria as at 2022/2023 Academic session. Census sampling technique was used where the entire population was studied. The instrument for the data collection was a structured 22- item questionnaire on a 4-point Likert-type rating scale. The research instrument was subjected to face and content validity by three experts from the Department of Business and Entrepreneurship Education, Kwara State University, Malete. The instrument was pilot tested. The instrument's reliability was computed using the Cronbach Alpha liability test, which yielded a reliability coefficient of 0.81. The demographic variables of respondents were described using frequency counts and percentages; mean and standard deviation were used to analyze the research questions, while independent sampled t-test statistics was to test the null hypotheses a t0.05 significance level. The result of the study revealed that there was no significant difference between the mean responses of principals and teachers regarding the influence of Teacher’s academic qualifications (t155= 11.277, P<0.05); and Teaching aids (t155= 1.717, P>0.05) on the academic performance of Business Studies students. The result of the hypotheses tested revealed that there was significant difference between the mean ratings of male and female teachers/principals and teachers on the extent to which teachers’ qualification (t155=11.277,P<0.05) and also that there was no significant difference between the mean ratings of principals and teachers (t221= 0.355, P>0.05) and male and female teachers (t155= 1.717, P>0.05) on the extent to which teachers’ teaching experience and utilization of teaching aids influence academic performance of business studies students respectively. Based on the findings, the study concluded that Teacher’s   academic qualifications, and Teaching aids positively influenced the academic performance of Business Studies students in Junior secondary schools in Kwara Central Senatorial District, Nigeria as at 2022/2023 Academic session. It was, therefore, recommended, among others, that The Federal, State, Local Government and all public-school proprietors should ensure that qualified and well-trained teachers are employed to teach in schools. The educational stakeholders should ensure that experienced teachers should be employed to teach especially in the higher classes.