Causal Relationship between Teachers’ Job Performance and Students’ Academic Achievement in Secondary Schools in Nigeria

Abstract

The study investigated teachers’ job performance and students’ academic achievement in secondary schools for the existence of bi-causal relationship in Nigeria. The ex-post facto research design was adopted in the study. The population of the study covered all the Economic teachers and senior school students in class two (SSS II) of selected public Secondary Schools in Ekpoma, Edo State, Nigeria. Two instruments were used for the collection of data namely: Academic Achievement Inventory (AAI) and Teachers’ Job Performance Questionnaire (TEJOPAQ). They were used to collect data on students’ academic achievement and teachers’ job performances on termly basis (in the first, second and third term of the 2015/2016 school years). With a Cronbach alpha reliability of (α) 0.79, data was analysed using the step-wise multiple linear regression analysis. Findings showed that teachers’ job performance in the three terms jointly predicted students’ academic achievement and vice versa (F*=53.638, 50.530, p<0.05); indicating the existence of bi-causal relationship between the variables. It was recommended that teachers need to be aware of how seriously they need to take their instructional duties because their job performance in each term has cumulative effect on students’ academic achievement in the promotional term.

Key Words: Bi-causality, Teachers’ Job Performance, Students’ Academic
Performance, Lag effect