IMPACT OF TEACHER CREATIVITY FOSTERING BEHAVIOUR ON STUDENTS’ ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT IN BIOLOGY IN ENUGU STATE, NIGERIA

This study examined teacher creativity fostering behaviour and academic achievement in Biology among senior secondary school students in Enugu State, Nigeria. A total of 270 SS1 biology students (135 males and 135 females) from 10 public co-educational schools and 25 SS1 biology teachers participated in the study. They were selected through stratified and purposive sampling techniques respectively. The instruments used for data collection were Teacher Creati vity Fostering Behaviour Index (TCFBI), Biology Achievement Test (BAT) and Eysenck General Intelligence Test (EGIT-4). Three research questions were posed while three hypotheses were formulated to guide the study. Analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) was used to test the hypotheses at 0.05 level of significance. Eysenck General Intelligence Test was considered a covariate. Results showed that majority 14 (58.33%) of biology teachers do not foster creativity in teaching Biology. Students who were taught by teachers of high creativity fostering behavior had significantly better academic achievement in biology than those students taught by teachers of moderate and low creativity levels. There was no significant gender difference in students' academic achievement in Biology based on teacher creativity fostering behaviour. It was recommended that favourable climate and conductive working atmosphere be put in place to ensure effective process of teaching and learning Biology using TCFB.