Pedagogical Practices for Sustainable National Development: An Investigation into Economics Teachers' Characteristics and Student Academic Performance, in Senior Secondary Schools of Bauchi South Education Zone, Bauchi State

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to establish the impact of economics teacher characteristics on students’ attitudes and academic performance. The study was guided by education production function theory (EPF). The study was conducted in Bauchi South Education Zone of Bauchi State, and the target population was comprised of all the economics teachers and their students in all the 115 public secondary schools. The study applied an Expos-facto correlational design, which was adopted for the study as a causal comparative research design. The study sample consisted of 21 economics teachers and 420 students selected through cluster and simple random sampling techniques. Two instruments, the Students' Perception of Teacher Characteristics Questionnaire (SPTCQ) and the Students' Attitude towards Economics Questionnaire (SATEQ), were developed and administered to the respondents. The results reveal that the educational qualifications of the Economics teachers had a significant influence on their students’ academic performance. Findings on the second research question also reveal that the Economics teachers' teaching experience had a significant effect on the students’ classroom performance. Many recommendations are raised.