NEXUS BETWEEN SCHOOL INPUTS AND STUDENTS’ ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT IN ECONOMICS AMONG SENIOR SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN KOGI STATE, NIGERIA

Abstract

This study examined the correlation between school inputs on student’s academic achievement in secondary school Economics in Kogi state. The study was guided by 3 specific objectives, 3 research questions, and 3 null hypotheses. The researcher adopted a correlation research design. The population of this study comprised 11,148 SSS2 Economics students, 160 Economics teachers in all the 125 public senior secondary schools in Kogi state. The sample size for this study was 418 which comprised of (394) SSS2 students and (24) Economics teachers gotten from three (3) education zones. This sample size was calculated using Taro Yamane (1967) sample size determination. The sample technique adopted for this study was multistage-sampling procedures. Two instruments were used for data collection for this study, these includes; School Input Questionnaire (SIQ) and Economics Achievement Test (EAT). The reliability of internal consistency for SIQ and EAT are 0.75 and 0.75 respectively. Data collected were analyzed using simple regression while ANOVA was used to test the null hypotheses at 0.05 level of significance. The findings among others revealed that; there was a low positive relationship between teachers’ qualification, teachers’ classroom management skills and students’ achievement in Economics; there was a high positive relationship between school physical facilities and students’ achievement in Economics. However, further analysis revealed that there was no significant relationship between teachers’ qualification, teachers’ classroom management skills and students’ achievement in Economics; there was a significant positive relationship between school physical facilities and students’ achievement in Economics among public secondary schools in Kogi state. The study recommended among others that educational stakeholders and schools should implement educational strategies that emphasize pedagogical skills and guiding teachers’ development. Schools should not focus on teachers’ qualifications but also on continuous professional development that equips teachers with strategies to enhance students’ academic achievement in Economics. The study summarize that teacher qualifications alone are insufficient to significantly boost students’ academic achievement in learning Economics