Influence of Teachers’ Unethical Behaviour on the Academic Performance of Business Studies Students in Public Junior secondary schools

Abstract

This study investigated the influence of teachers’ unethical behaviour on the academic performance of Business Studies students in secondary schools in Rivers State. Specifically, it examined the extent to which teachers’ lateness, favoritism and absenteeism affect student outcomes. The study adopted a descriptive survey research design, and the population comprised 2,238 respondents, including 2,204 students and 34 teachers, from 15 public junior secondary schools in Port Harcourt and Obio/Akpor Local Government Areas. A sample of 339 respondents was selected using simple random sampling. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire and analyzed with mean, standard deviation and t-test statistics. The findings revealed that teachers’ lateness reduces instructional time and impairs students’ understanding of key concepts, favoritism creates unequal learning opportunities and performance disparities and absenteeism leads to incomplete curriculum coverage and lower overall achievement. Based on these findings, the study concluded that unethical teacher behaviour significantly undermines students’ academic performance in Business Studies. Recommendations include enforcing punctuality and attendance policies, promoting fairness in classroom practices, and enhancing supervision and professional development for teachers. The study provides insights for educational administrators and policymakers on improving teaching ethics to enhance student learning outcomes.