RESOURCE AVAILABILITY AND THEIR UTILIZATION AS A CORRELATE OF STUDENTS’ ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT IN PUBLIC SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN IKEDURU LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA, IMO STATE, NIGERIA

Abstract

The study is focused on resources availability and their utilization in students’ academic performance in public senior secondary schools in Ikeduru Local Government Area, Imo State, Nigeria. The design of the study was correlational research. It examined how the variables of resources’ availability (laboratory use and library use) and their utilization influence students’ academic Achievement in public senior secondary schools ascertained.  Two (2) research questions were raised and two (2) hypotheses were postulated to guide the study.  The population (1,052) consisted of all SS I-III teachers and the sample was 205 participants. A researcher-developed instrument entitled, “Resources’ Availability and Utilization in Students’ Academic Achievement Questionnaire (RAUSAAQ)” was used to generate data. Percentages and frequency counts were used to answer all the 2 research questions while the hypotheses were tested using Pearson Product Moment Correlation (PPMC) statistical tool at 0.05 level of significant. The result revealed that a significant relationship exists between the variables of resources’ availability (laboratory use & library use) and students’ academic Achievement in public senior secondary schools in Ikeduru Local Government Area of Imo State. It was therefore, concluded that a significant relationship exists between the sub-variables of resources availability (library us&, laboratory use) in public senior secondary schools in Ikeduru Local Government Area of Imo State. It was based on these findings that it was recommended among others that Government should continuously fund science and language laboratories and libraries for effective use as solid foundation towards the nation’s attainment of quality scientific and linguistic requirements of the 21^st Century.