TEACHERS’ PERSONALITY INDICES AS CORRELATES OF STUDENTS’ ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT IN SENIOR SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN OGUN STATE, NIGERIA

This study investigated teachers’ personality indices (professional status, experience and career interest) as correlates of students' academic achievement in Senior Secondary School core subjects in Ijebu-Ode area of Ogun State, Nigeria. The aim was to identify teacher personality indices in order to re-focus attention on such indices especially as they relate to students’ academic achievement in public secondary schools. Four null hypotheses were tested at 0.05 level of significance. Data collection was done using the ‘Teacher Personality Index Questionnaire’ (r = .92) and ‘Core Subjects Achievement Test’ (r = .86) constructed by the researchers. Data were analyzed using Pearson Product Moment Correlation. Findings inferred from the results revealed significant correlation between teachers’ professional status and students’ academic achievement (r = .83; p < .05); teachers’ career interest and students’ academic achievement (r = .78; p < .05); and teachers’ job experience and students’ academic achievement (r = .74; p < .05). Therefore, it was recommended that teachers should be encouraged and given incentives to raise their professional status and career interest while the less experienced teachers should be encouraged to learn from the more experienced ones through a period of mentorship.