Teacher Characteristics and Students’ Performance in Mathematics

Abstract

While many researchers have investigated the causative factors of students’ poor academic performance, the extent to which teachers’ individual characteristics affect students’ performance in mathematics, to the best knowledge of the researcher, has received little academic attention. This necessitated the study. The study adopted a convergent parallel mixed methods design involving three hundred and seventy-two (372) respondents who were sampled through Simple Random Sampling and purposive sampling techniques. Questionnaires and interview guides were used to collect primary data and this was complemented by an extensive literature review. The analysis of the collected data revealed that teachers’ qualifications, teachers’ choice of methodology, teachers’ mastery of content, teachers’ punctuality to class and teachers’ relationship with students affect students’ performance in mathematics in Sagnarigu Municipality. It was recommended among other things, that the stakeholders in education should ensure that only teachers who are qualified to teach mathematics are assigned to do so in all Senior High Schools within the Sagnarigu Municipality.