Teacher quality and students academic achievement in Ondo State.

Abstract

The striking effects that teachers have on students’ achievement are largely undisputed. Empirically, a number of studies, have shown that, the quality of teachers, is strongly related to students’ academic achievement. This study, presents evidence on this issue, with a sample of 400 students and 200 teachers, from 40 purposively selected secondary, schools in Ondo Metropolis. These schools were categorized into 4 as public elite schools; public non-elite schools; private elite schools and private non-elite schools. A composite measure of the quality of the teachers covering qualification, experience, patience, creativity and communication skills was utilized. The students’ academic achievement was measured by their scores in the two compulsory subjects of English language and Mathematics, in the West African School Leaving Certificate Examination (WASCE). The empirical methodology combined descriptive and inferential statistical analysis. The results suggest that the observed variations in the students’ academic achievement across the four categories of the schools are significantly explained by the differences in the quality of the teachers.