STUDENTS’ ASSESSMENT OF BIOLOGY TEACHERS’ ATTITUDE AND ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS ON THEIR ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE: A CASE STUDY OF UDU LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA

This work implements a descriptive survey design to investigate the students’ assessment of Biology teachers’ attitude and environmental factors on their academic performance as it concerns secondary school students in Udu Local Government Area of Delta State. Teachers’ attitude characterized by teachers’ mastery of subject matter, ability to communicate and classroom management skill, as well as environmental factors such as equipped laboratory, class size and location were considered as independent variables affecting students’ academic performance in Biology. To achieve the purpose of the study, eight research questions and seven hypothesis were posed and formulated to guide the study. Literature was also reviewed based on the variables considered. Questionnaires were administered to one hundred and fifty (150) Biology students from five selected secondary schools in Udu local government. In analyzing the responses of the respondents, percentage ranking and rating, mean, standard deviation and the application of t-test was used to determine the significance of each hypothesis at a significance level of 0.05. The findings of the study showed that Teachers’ attitude characterized by teachers’ mastery of subject matter, ability to communicate and classroom management skill, as well as environmental factors such as equipped laboratory, class size and location significantly affect the academic performance of Biology students in Udu Local Government Area of Delta State. Based on the findings of the study, it was recommended that teachers should exhibit attitudes that promote students’ learning interest in terms of good communication system, effective classroom management, proper mastery of subject matter and provision of a conducive learning environment. Suggestions for further studies were also made.