TEACHERS' QUALIFICATION AND EXPERIENCE AS PREDICTORS OF STUDENTS' ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT IN SENIOR SECONDARY SCHOOL MATHEMATICS IN TARKA LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA OF BENUE STATE

This study assessed teachers' qualification and experience as predictors of students' academic achievement in senior secondary school mathematics in Tarka Local Government Area of Benue State. Four research questions and three null hypotheses guided the study. A correlation research design was used for the study. Twenty mathematics teachers and two hundred senior secondary two (SS 2) students participated in the study. Two questionnaires and a mathematics achievement test were used for the study. The questionnaire was administered to mathematics teachers and the mathematics achievement test was administered to students and their responses analysed. Pearson's product moment correlation was used to answer research questions while the null hypotheses were tested using Regression analysis. The results indicated that: there was a high positive relationship between teachers' qualification and students' academic achievement in Mathematics and there was a significant relationship between teachers' qualification and secondary school students' achievement in Mathematics; there was a high positive relationship between teachers' experience and students' academic achievement in Mathematics and teachers' experience significantly relate with secondary school students" achievement in Mathematics; male teachers' qualification and experience predicts students' achievement in Mathematics more than their female teachers' qualification and experience; there was a significant relationship among teachers' qualification, teachers' experience and secondary school students' achievement in Mathematics. Recommendations were made, that opportunities should be created for teachers to attend seminars and workshop to upgrade and enhance their knowledge of mathematics, there should be regular monitoring and supervision of teachers on the process of teaching and learning, there should be good relationship between teachers and their students, education program should be focus more on course content and quality teachers being produced. The following suggestions were made for further studies; that a similar study should be conducted in other areas in the state, present study was conducted on Mathematics; similar study could be conducted in other subject areas, the present study was conducted among senior secondary students; similar study could be conducted using junior secondary school students.