School Environmental Factors as Correlates of Academic Performance of Economics Students’ in Public Secondary Schools in Uruan Local Government Area, Akwa Ibom State.

Abstract

This study investigated school environmental factors as correlate of academic performance of Economics students in public secondary schools in Uruan Local Government Area, Akwa Ibom State. The study adopted a correlational research design. Two research questions and two null hypotheses guided the study. The population of this study consisted of 6,432 respondents; Economics teachers (30) and Economics students (6,399) in 13 public secondary schools in the Uruan L. G. A. The sample size was 377 respondents. Two instruments: School Environmental Factors Questionnaire (SEFQ) and Academic Performance of Economics Students Questionnaire (APESQ) were used for data collection. Test re-test reliability method was used to obtain the reliability of the instruments, which yielded coefficient values of 0.90 for School Environmental Factors Questionnaire and 0.83 for Academic Performance of Economics Students Questionnaire.  Pearson’s Product Moment Correlation (PPMC) was used to answer the research questions and t-test was used to test Pearson coefficients for the null hypotheses at 0.05 level of significance. The findings revealed that: physical facilities to a low extent relates to academic performance of students in Economics and instructional facilities to a high extent relate to academic performance of students in Economics. Based on the findings, it was recommended that secondary school principals should ensure the availability and use of physical facilities in their respective institutions through collaboration with stakeholders in education.