Comparative Analysis between Teacher's Competency and Performance in Economics among Secondary School Students in Ika South, Delta State, Nigeria

This study examines the comparative analysis of teachers' competency and its impact on the performance of economics students and adopts a descriptive design. It employs a multi-stage sampling procedure. This procedure was used to select one hundred and ninety-eight (198) participants which consists of 180 SSII students and 18 teachers during the 2023/2024 academic session in Delta state. The research investigates the relationship between teachers' subject knowledge, instructional strategies, and professional qualifications with students' academic outcomes in economics. Teachers’ Competence Scale (TCS) and Economics Achievement Test (EAT) were used to elicit data for the study reliability coefficient of 0.87 and 0.81 were obtained respectively using Cronbach alpha reliability test. The data were analysed using the Pearson “r” statistic, t-test and One-way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) at 0.05 levels of significance. The findings reveal that teachers with higher levels of subject-specific skill and effective pedagogical skills consistently foster better academic performance among students. In addition, professional development initiatives and competency-building programs were found to have a significant influence on bridging performance gaps. The study emphasizes the critical role of teacher competency in shaping student success and provides recommendations for improving teacher training programs, attending conferences, seminars and workshops of stakeholders in education to enhance students’ academic performance to enhance students’ academic outcomes in economics education. Keywords: Competency, Qualifications, Experience, Economics and Performance.