Relationships Between Professional Qualities of Teachers and Academic Achievement in Physics among Secondary School Students in Taraba State, Nigeria

This study explored the Comparative relationships between Professional qualities of teachers and academic achievement in Physics among secondary school students in Taraba State, Nigeria. Two research questions were raised and two corresponding hypotheses formulated to guided the study. The study adopted correlational research design. The population of the study was 17,520 respondents, comprised of 394 principals/vice principals and 17,126 SSIII physics students during the 2023/2024 academic session in Taraba state. A sample size of 460 respondents, made up of 69 Principals/vice-principals and 391 SSIII physics students of private and public senior secondary schools in Taraba state was were selected from the target population using stratified random sampling and purposive sampling techniques, respectively. The instruments used for data collection were Questionnaire with reliability coefficients 0.87 computed using Cronbach alpha and Physics Achievement Proforma (PAP) with reliability coefficient of 0.79 computed using the Kuder-Richardson 20 (K-R20). Data collected were analyzed using mean and standard deviation to answer the research questions while the hypotheses were tested using regression analysis at 0.05 significance level. The study’s finding among others reveals that there is significant relationship between Teachers Mastery of students learning and achievement in Physics among secondary schools in Taraba State (F(1,390) = 151.511, P < 0.05). The study concludes that Physics teachers' mastery of students' learning and curriculum significantly influences senior secondary school students' academic achievement in Taraba state. The researcher recommended among others that the Taraba state Ministry of Education should organize training workshops and conferences that are aimed at improving Physics teachers' knowledge of students’ understanding of physics taught and knowledge of curriculum. Keywords: Students' understanding, curriculum, achievement.