Teachers’ Characteristics and Instructional Quality in Public Secondary Schools in Nigeria

Abstract

Worldwide, the importance of quality instruction in schools cannot be underestimated. However, over the years, the instructional quality in Nigerian public secondary schools seems persistently low, and worrisome based on the academic performance of students in external examinations. This has continued to be a subject of concern to individuals, the public, government, and other stakeholders. This study investigates teachers’ characteristics and the instructional quality in public secondary schools in Nigeria. A hypothesis was formulated and tested in the study. Questionnaires were used to collect data from teachers and principals, as well as to assess the instructional quality in Nigerian public secondary schools. A total of 2,222 respondents (1,548 teachers and 774 principals) were sampled using both simple random and census sampling techniques respectively across the 774 Local Government Areas in Nigeria. The results show that teachers’ characteristics have a significant influence on the instructional quality in public secondary schools in Nigeria. The study recommends that government should prioritise teacher professionalism and employ only certificated teachers to teach in secondary schools in Nigeria geared toward achieving an improved instructional quality.