Influence of Teachers Characteristics on Student’s Academic Performance in Biology in Secondary Schools in Ido Osi Local Government, Ekiti State

ABSTRACT The study examined the influence of teachers characteristics onstudent’sacademic performance in Biology in secondary schools in Ido-Osi LocalGovernment, Ekiti State. The study adopted the descriptive research design of the survey type and with the aid of convenience sampling method, the researcher conveniently selected one hundred (160) participants from secondary schools Ido-Osi Local Government, Ekiti State. A Self- structured questionnaire was issued to the respondents of the study of which one hundred (160) copies were retrieved for the study. Data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Findings of the study revealed that teachers with higher qualifications, particularly those withdegreesinBiology or Education, positively impacted student performance. Findingsofthe study also revealed that students taught by qualifiedteachersperformed better, as these teachers were able to explain complexconceptsmore effectively and engage students in meaningful learning.Teacherswithmore experience were able to manage their classrooms better andimplement effective teaching strategies, leading to improvedstudentoutcomes. Students taught by experienced teachers showedhigherperformance, particularly in practical biology assessments. It wasrecommended that biology teachers in secondary schools in Ido-Osi LGA, Ekiti, receive regular training and professional development programs. These programs should focus on enhancing teachers' subject knowledge, teaching methodologies, and classroom management skills toimprovestudent performance in biology. It was also recommended that Schoolsshould encourage biology teachers to adopt interactive andstudent-6 centered teaching methods, such as group discussions, practicalexperiments, and hands-on activities. These approaches are showntoenhance student engagement and comprehension, particularly insubjectslike biology that require active learning.