SCHOOL LOCATIONS AND GENDER MODERATED VARIABLES ON TEACHERS’ QUALITY AS PREDICTOR OF SENIOR SECONDARY SCHOOL SCIENCE STUDENTS’ ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT

Abstract

Following the potentially informing educational policy and
practices across the globe, this study investigated school
locations and gender moderated variables on teachers’ quality
as predictor of senior secondary school science students’
academic achievement. Two research questions guided the study
while two hypotheses were tested at 0.05 alpha level. The
correlation survey design was adopted. The population of the
study comprised 2720 senior secondary two (SS 2) students
offering science subjects in all the public secondary schools in
Onitsha Education Zone. A Sample size of 408 SS 2 science
students offering biology, chemistry, data processing, physics
and mathematics in the Education Zone was drawn using
multistage procedure. Students Rating of Teachers’ Quality
(SRTQ), and the achievement scores which was obtained from
biology, chemistry, data processing, physics and mathematics
teachers’ grade book for 2023/2024 academic session from the
sampled schools were used as instruments for data collection.
The instruments were validated by three experts from Nnamdi
Azikiwe University, Awka. The reliability of SRTQ was
established using Cronbach alpha method. The reliability
coefficients of SRTQ was found to be 0.71. Both SRTQ and the
academic achievement scores of senior secondary school science
students offering biology, chemistry, data processing, physics
and mathematics were used as a method for data collection.
Coefficient R and R2 were used to answer research question
while regression ANOVA (linear and multiple) were used to test
the hypotheses. The findings from the results revealed that low
positive predictive value exist between teachers’ quality and
academic achievement in science subjects among urban and
rural based senior secondary school students. However,
teachers’ quality is not a significant predictor of the academic
achievement of urban and rural secondary school students in
science subjects. Low positive predictive value exist between
teachers’ quality and academic achievement of male and female
senior secondary school students in science subjects. However,
teachers’ quality is not a significant predictor of the academic
achievement of male and female senior secondary school
students in science subjects. From the findings it was
recommended that senior secondary school science teachers
should endavour to indicate other factors that can influence
students’ achievement in senior secondary school subjects more
significantly than teachers’ quality irrespective of students’
gender and school base. Base on the recommendation
conclusions were made.