Abstract

Physics as a branch of pure science is introduced into the curriculum of secondary school because of its educational value, relevance to the need of individual learners and society as a whole. Reports from the public examining bodies indicate that not many students are passing the subject at credit level in spite of its importance, and this pose a threat to those who have stake in the subject. There had been studies on factors that may be influencing students’ achievement, yet there is still need for improvement. The study investigated the association between teacher distinctive (qualification and teaching experience) and teacher teaching ability and senior secondary school students’ achievement in physics. Thirty physics teachers and 1010 physics students were randomly selected from thirty senior secondary schools in Ogun and Oyo states, Nigeria. Two instruments were used to collect data: Teacher-students Interaction Observation Schedule (Cronbach alpha = 0.67) and physics achievement test (KR-20 = 0.85). The result of Pearson product moment correlation coefficient among teacher qualification (r=1.17, p<0.05), teaching experience (r=0.95, p<0.05) have significant relation; 76% have direct causal effect while 24% of the variables have indirect effect on students’ achievement in physics. Results showed that there was a significant relationship between teacher qualification and teaching skills. It was therefore, recommended that teacher characteristics had influence on students’ achievement in Physics.