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This study aims to find out the relevance of observable teacher characteristics – age, gender, teaching experience and qualification in understanding the performance of tertiary students.

A quantitative approach was taken. The input-process–output-context framework by Schereens (2004) was used in selecting appropriate variables for the study. Students’ examination results and other administrative records as well as data collected via teacher survey were analyzed using multilevel statistical techniques. Overall, 40 teachers and over 1,800 students were involved in the study.

The effect of the selected teacher variables was mixed. For example, while female teachers impacted negatively on first semester Communication Skills (CS1), their effect on the same course during the second semester was positive. Also, teachers with teaching experiences between five and eight years impacted negatively on CS1 but positively on first semester Computer Literacy (CL1).

Even at the tertiary level, the teacher factor is an important variable influencing student performance. However, a contextualized interpretation of the findings is emphasized considering the fact that only one Ghanaian Polytechnic was studied.

The study provides a starting point for building a body of evidence that would inform policymakers, quality assurance practitioners and Polytechnic staff alike of possible approaches, methodologies and variables to focus on in ensuring internal quality.

The study would help the studied Polytechnic to direct its resources to areas that can practically improve educational quality and society in general.

The study contributes to the debate about quality in African higher education given that studies that use the value-added approach in examining institutional effectiveness in the African context are almost non-existent.