PERCEIVED EFFECT OF TEACHERS' PEDAGOGICAL CONTENT KNOWLEDGE ON STUDENTS' PERFORMANCE IN BIOLOGY IN SENIOR SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN MAIDUGURI, BORNO STATE, NIGERIA

This study explores the Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK) of Biology teachers in senior secondary schools in Maiduguri and its influence on students' academic performance. The research also investigates the challenges teachers face in applying PCK effectively in their teaching practice. Adopting a mixed-methods approach, the study combines quantitative data from a questionnaire and qualitative data from interviews and classroom observations. The sample consists of 100 Biology teachers from 10 secondary schools in Maiduguri. The findings reveal that while teachers possess strong content knowledge, their pedagogical skills are relatively weaker, which limits their ability to implement effective teaching strategies. A moderate positive correlation (r = 0.52, p < 0.01) was found between teachers' PCK levels and students' academic performance in Biology, suggesting that higher PCK correlates with belter student outcomes. However, teachers face significant challenges, including insufficient resources, limited professional development opportunities, and classroom management issues, which hinder their ability to fully apply PCK in the classroom. The study concludes that enhancing teacher training programs focused on PCK development, improving teaching resources, and offering ongoing professional development would significantly improve both the teaching quality in Biology and students' academic performance. The findings have important implications for educational policy, highlighting the need for tailored interventions to support teachers in mastering PCK and overcoming the barriers to effective Biology teaching. Future research could expand to explore these factors in other regions for broader generalizability.