BASIC SCIENCE AS A PREDICTOR OF STUDENTS’ PERFORMANCE IN SENIOR SECONDARY SCHOOL SCIENCE SUBJECTS IN EKITI STATE, NIGERIA

Year 2017, Volume: 6 Issue: 1, 1 - 14, 19.09.2017

Mrs. F. F. Durojaiye Dr. (mrs.) M. A. Ahmed Prof. İ. O. Abimbola

Abstract

This research work was a predictive study under correlation study. The study examines the
relationship that existed between students’ performance in Basic Science at the Junior Secondary
School Examination (2008) and their later performances in Senior School Science Subjects
Examination in (2011). The target population for the study was all the junior and Senior
Secondary Schools in Ekiti State, Nigeria. Random sampling techniques was used to select
twenty-five (25) Junior and Senior Secondary Schools between 2008 and 2011, the instrument
used in the study was the Junior Secondary School Certificate Examination (JSCE) result (2008)
Basic Science and Senior School Certificate Examination (SSCE) results in Biology, Chemistry
and Physics (2012). Twelve hypotheses were raised, and a correlation analysis was done to
establish the relationship between students’ scores in Basic Science and the Senior School
Science subjects using spearman’s order rank correlation efficient (rho) at 0.05 an alpha level of
significance. The finding showed that the results of students in Basic Science and Senior School
Sciences showed a positive significant correlation. And average mean indices showed that the
students performed above average in both Basic Science in the Junior Secondary School and the
Senior School Science subjects. It was also showed that Biology has least mean indices and that
students performed better in Physics than in Biology and Chemistry, it was also discovered that
the average mean indices for female students was a little bit higher than that of male students and
that students performed better without considering the gender differences. Based on these
findings, it was recommended that the placements of students in science class at the Senior
Secondary School should be based on the students’ performance in Basic Science at the Junior
Secondary School; and that students should be more serious about Biology and not to see it as
the simplest science subject that they can easily pass; it was also recommended that male
students should not relent efforts in science subjects but put more efforts and that female
students should sustain their good performance in science subjects moreover it was
recommended that some of the existing single – sex schools in the country be converted to coeducational
schools to raise the trends of students performances in science subjects.

Keywords

Basic Science, Predictor, Students, Performance, Sciences

References

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