PERCEIVED FACTORS AFFECTING STUDENTS’ ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE IN THE STUDY OF PHYSICS IN GOVERNMENT SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN MAKURDI LGA OF BENUE STATE

ABSTRACT

This study was designed to investigate the factors affecting academic performance of Physics students of Government Secondary Schools. Emphasis was put on trying to establish the relationship between parents’ social economic status, former school background and academic performance of Physics students at Government Secondary Schools. The study employed the use of correlation design to establish the nature of the relationships. The validity and reliability of research instruments was established and data was collected from 340 respondents selected from all the six classes of Government Secondary Schools using the simple random sampling method. To analyze the data, the Pearson product moment correlation statistical tool was used with the aim of establishing the relationship between students’ parents’ social economic status, former school background and academic performance of Physics students at Government Secondary Schools. This formed the basis of the detailed analysis and conclusions and recommendations.

The findings revealed the existence of a significant relationship between  and academic performance, but there was no relationship between mature age points and academic performance. The findings also revealed that there was a significant relationship between parents’ social economic status and academic performance and a significant relationship between former school background and academic performance. On the basis of the findings, the researcher made the following conclusions; Parents’ social economic status is important because parents provide high levels of psychological support for their children through environments that encourage the development of skills necessary for success at school. That location, ownership and academic and financial status of schools do count on making a school what it is and in turn influencing the academic performance of its students because they set the parameters of a students’ learning experience. The researcher also confirmed the system’s theory input output model.

On the basis of the conclusions made, the researcher recommended that; Government Secondary Schools maintains its selection criteria of using previous academic performance as a measure of admitting students for Physics. The Government Secondary Schools should improve the student support system such that students from low social economic backgrounds are identified and assisted through offering scholarships. This study identified the need to investigate and analyze the mature age and international students’ recipe for success in higher education with the intention of developing some of these aspects for inclusion in all student selections.

• Introduction

This Chapter contains the background, purpose, objectives, questions, hypotheses and significance of the study.

PERCEIVED FACTORS AFFECTING STUDENTS’ ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE IN THE STUDY OF PHYSICS IN GOVERNMENT SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN MAKURDI LGA OF BENUE STATE