Abstract

This study examined teachers’ age and gender as correlates of Business Education students’ academic achievement in Colleges of Education in North-East Nigeria. The study was guided by three objectives which sought to determine the extent to which teachers’ age, teachers’ gender, and the combined demographic variables relate to students’ academic achievement in Business Education. The study adopted a combination of ex-post facto and correlational research designs because the variables under investigation already existed and were not manipulated by the researcher. The study was conducted in public Colleges of Education across the North-East geopolitical zone of Nigeria. The population of the study consisted of 1,584 respondents comprising 374 Business Education lecturers and 1,210 NCE III Business Education students. A sample size of 310 respondents was selected using Krejcie and Morgan’s sample size table through multi-stage sampling techniques involving cluster, purposive, and simple random sampling methods. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire titled “Teachers’ Demographic Variables and Reference Groups Questionnaire (TDVRGQ).” The instrument was validated by experts and yielded a Cronbach Alpha reliability coefficient of 0.912. Data were analyzed using Pearson Product Moment Correlation Coefficient (PPMC), Point-Biserial Correlation, and Multiple Regression Analysis at 0.05 level of significance. The findings revealed that teachers’ age and gender did not significantly relate to Business Education students’ academic achievement. Similarly, the combined demographic variables showed no significant relationship with students’ academic achievement. The study concluded that teachers’ demographic variables alone are not strong determinants of students’ academic achievement. It was recommended that emphasis should be placed on teachers’ professional competence, effective instructional delivery, and provision of conducive learning environments to improve students’ academic performance.