ABSTRACT
This study examined academic self-concept and achievement
motivation as correlates of academic achievement among Senior Secondary School
students in Edo State. The purpose of the study is to explore the relationship
between academic self concept and achievement motivation as correlates of
achievement in mathematics among senior secondary schools’ students in Edo
State. The study adopted a correlation research design. The study sample
consisted of 698 students who were randomly sampled from the population of
27,937 students in pubic senior secondary school students in Edo Sate. Both the
independent and dependent variables were measured with relevant standardized
instruments. To guide the study, six research questions and five hypotheses
were raised. Data collected were analyzed using Descriptive statistics, Pearson
r correlation coefficient and Stepwise multiple regression statistical
techniques. The results showed that academic self-concept and achievement
motivation positively and significantly predicted students’ academic
achievement. In terms of the magnitude of contribution, achievement motivation
made the most significant contribution to academic achievement. On the basis of
the findings, it was recommended among others that academic self-concept and
achievement motivation should be enhanced using appropriate counseling strategies,
such as Teachers encouraging students to build positive academic self –concept
by creating a teaching / learning environment that articulates a passion to
perform to the best of one’s ability individually and collectively towards the
acquisition of a good goal. Teaching learning methods should be analyzed and
when implemented, adjusted to the students’ self-concept levels on the
individual basis. Teachers should encourage students to recognize their
achievement motivation, this will enhance and improve their performance and it
will give them the opportunity to compare their standard of performance with
others. The principal should encourage and motivate teachers by providing
seminars, staff development and co-operation, the time and the necessary support
to teachers and counselors to enable them help students improve on their
academic achievement. The government and the Ministry of Education are
encouraged to provide the needed facilities for schools to enhance a good and
adequate environment of learning.
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INTRODUCTION
Background to the Study
Academic
achievement is an important factor in education because it can be seen as an
indicator of whether the education in a country is successful or not. Dambudzo
(2009), states that over the p ast couple of decades society has placed more
emphasis on the academic achievement of citizens. The academic achievement of
students is an important indicator of academic succ ess at secondary school
level. Students with higher levels of achievement at se condary school are more likely to gain
admission into the tertiary institutions. Test or examination scores predict
success into the tertiary institutions (Joppke & Morawska 2003). In short,
academic achievement is important because it promotes success later in life (Areepattamannil
& Freeman 2008).
Education
in every human community is an indispensible instrument for human progress and
empowerment. Any nation that lacks a sound educational culture and philosophy
stands the risk of decay because education whether at the primary, secondary or
higher level, plays a vital role in the overall development of a country.
Secondary education in particular has the broad aim of preparing students for
useful living within the society and preparing them for higher education. One
of the major roles of educators at the secondary level is to develop students’
skills and knowledge that will enable them function effectively in the society;
hence students’ academic achievement is a major variable that interests both
teachers and educational psychologists
Secondary
education is mid way between primary education and tertiary education, thus it
is the bridge that links the primary and tertiary institutions. It is organized
to take care of the adolescent period of the learner‘s life which is the period
of rapid development of those qualities recognized as necessary for the
transition to adulthood. These qualities are physical, emotional, moral,
intellectual and vocational development. The secondary level of education has a
major role to play in the development of these qualities and the academic
achievement of the student is often an indication of how well the student has
adapted to the school and society. For many educators and parents, this success
in school can be summed up in academic success which researchers have
recognized to have a positive relationship with future higher education and
economic success in later life (Zahra, 2010). The targeted goal of educational
programmes is to ensure that the learner (student) achieves a desired outcome. One
major variable that measures an individual’s success or failure in school
activities is academic achievement (Balarabe & Dramanu 2011).
The
concept achievement has several references, which could denote activity and
mastery that makes an impact on the environment and competing against some
standard of excellence. The under achieving student is one whose actual
attainment as indicated by his scholastic attainment in school, does not
measure up to his potential academic achievement as indicated by his abilities
(Marsh, 2007). Marsh also defined over
achievers as students whose school attainment is in excess of expectations
formed on the basis of their activities. The concepts of over and under
achievement suggest that there are variables in addition to ability which have
positive effects on the performance of the learner and consequently, there
could be no perfect positive correlation between intelligence and attainment.
Academic achievement itself is the amount of
knowledge derived from learning by the learner.
The learner gains knowledge from instructions he or she receives at
school which is organized around a set of core activities in which a teacher
assigns tasks to students and evaluates and compares the quality of their work.
The school thus provides a wide variety of achievement experiences than does
the family (Tucker, 2008; Zayco, 2002; & Sullivan, 2009). These variables
are therefore important to educational researchers and other related
disciplines. Currently, the focus of this study is on each student’s sense of
self as a major component of academic achievement. According to Akomolafe
(2010), academic achievement is based on several factors, such as the student’s
attitude, interest, personal characteristics, self concept, motivation and
social class which in addition to learning are known to influence their
academic achievement. The attitude that is often used in conjunction with
academic achievement is self-concept.
Self
concept is a multi-dimensional construct that refers to an individual’s
perception of self in relation to some characteristics, such as academic and non-academic
(Marsh & Martin, 2011), gender roles and sexuality (Hoffman, 2004) and many
others. Researchers have identified
seven features that are critical to any definition of self- concept. According
to them it is organized, multifaceted, hierarchical, stable, developmental,
evaluative, and differentiable (Marsh & Shavelson, 1985; Shavelson &
Marsh, 1986). Marsh & Shavelson
(1985) differentiated between the self-perceptions that one has about oneself
as an individual which involve the totality of one’s self-knowledge and the
self-perceptions that one has in regards to specific areas or domains in one’s
life. General self-perceptions comprise
the global self-concept, whereas the more bounded self-perception can comprise
self-concepts about academic, social, emotional, or physical facets of the
self. The hierarchy progressively narrows into more discreet types of
self-concepts. Academic self-concept can be defined as student perception of
self as learner and how she\he interates with the learning environment. Academic
self-concept can be subject-specific, such as language arts, history, Mathematics,
science, art, or music self-concepts. Social self-concepts can include
self-perceptions regarding family, peers, or significant others. People become increasingly aware of their
differing domain-specific self-concepts as they grow older. This study however
focuses on the aspect of academic self–concept as it relates to mathematics.
Motivation
is a widely researched topic in both the fields of psychology and education. Achievement
motivation can best be understood by examining the meanings of “achievement”
and “motivation” separately. Achievement typically stress the importance of
accomplishment and attainment with effort involved (Mandel & Marcus 2005).
Motivation relates to the individual’s reason for engaging in an activity, the
degree to which an individual pursues the activity, and the persistence of the
individual (Graham & Weiner, 1996). Achievement motivation is an important
issue for psychologists and individuals in the field of education because it
has been correlated with academic self-concept (Marsh and Ayotte, 2003).
Achievement motivation is defined as the need to perform well or the striving
for success and evidence by persistence and effort in the face of difficulties,
achievement motivation is regarded as a central human motivation. McClelland (1969)
measured it by analyzing respondents’ narratives; rather more controversially
he hypothesized that it was related to economic growth. Atkinson (1964) states, “The theory of
achievement motion attempts to account for the determinants of the direction,
magnitude and persistence of behaviour, in limited but very important domain of
human activities. In the words Dave and Anand (1979) “Achievement Motivation is
a desire to do well in relative to some standard of excellence.” Colman (2006)
has defined achievement motivation as a social form of motivation involving a
competitive desire to meet standards of excellence.
Achievement
Motivation in the school context can be defined as a driving force that
accounts for students’ behaviour in achievement situations. It determines
congnitive, emotional, and behavioral aspects of students’ attachment and
contribution to the process of education in the educational subsector (Tucker,
Zayco, & Herman, 2002). Not left out is the issue of gender concerning the
extent and causes of sex difference in education, mainly covering the years of
compulsory schooling. However academic
self–concept and achievement motivation are associated to gender with some
studies showing that boys have higher achievement motivation than girls in
areas of physical activities and mathematics, and girls do for music and
reading (Marsh, 2005).
The
term gender refers to the economic, social, political, educational, and
cultural attributes and opportunities, associated with either being a male or a
female. In most societies male and female differ in educational achievement
motivation. The concept of gender gap has been introduced in recent years as
examination achievement has become equated with school and student success. The
gender gap indicates the ratio of girls and boys studying and passing
examinations in specific subjects; where the size and nature of the gender gap
differ according to subjects. Where gender policy is made it is aimed at
reducing gender gaps overall and gaps have thus narrowed in some subjects in
some countries (William, 2000). However, certain subjects continue to show a
gap in favor of boys, for examples in science, technology and mathematics and a
gap in favor of girls, for examples in languages and humanity subjects.
The
gender of the student may also be a factor in determining student achievement.
Childhood training and experience, gender differences in attitudes, parental
and teacher expectations and behaviours, differential course taking and
biological differences between the sexes may all be instrumental in giving rise
to gender differences in achievement (Feingold, 2006). The rather high gender disparity in various
spheres of public life and the patriarchal social structure in many countries
may also lead to poorer academic achievement among female secondary school
students (Wester & Henriksson, 2000).
In
Nigeria, the importance attached to academic success in secondary school
education can be seen in the anxiety of educators, teachers and parents over
the achievement of students in external examinations such as the Senior
Secondary School Certificate Examination (SSSCE). This is why the Federal
Government of Nigeria places high premium on the Secondary level of education,
which is evident in the establishment of National Examination Council (NECO) to
conduct Senior Secondary School Certificate Examination (SSSCE) along the West
African Examination Council (WAEC) for senior secondary school students in
Nigeria. The same emphasis on education has led to the adoption of education as
“an instrument par excellence” for effecting national development (Federal
Government of Nigeria, (FGN, 2004).
In
view of the high premium placed on educational attainment by government,
teachers, parents and students, underachievement or poor achievement in
examination is a very thorny issue that has attracted the attention of
researchers and psychologists alike. The aim of psychologists and educators in
this regard has been to determine variables (both internal and external to the
students) which are related to their educational achievements. In Nigeria, some
external variables such as overcrowded classroom, inadequate facilities,
unmotivated teachers, poor family background etc have been identified as being
negatively related to academic achievement of students (Cokley, 2005).
Apart from these external factors there are
certain self-influence or self-image which are internal to the student and are
also predictors of academic achievement of students. These variables are
motivational in nature in that they determine the amount of learning that will
take place. These variables are also associated with individual differences in
achievement and could as well predict academic success for some. These
relationships were well summed by Duesek (2004) when he opined that students
who score high grade in school have good study habits and are usually
interested in school, tend to be grade conscious, have relatively high level of
self-confidence and self-acceptance, are highly motivated for academic
achievement and set realistic goals for themselves. Self–concept and
achievement are dynamically interactive and reciprocal, each is mutually reinforcing
to the extent that a positive (or negative) change in one facilitates a
commensurate change in the other and academic self–concept is more highly correlated
with academic achievement than in general self-concept. Students with high self
–concept tend to approach school related tasks with confidence and success in
those tasks reinforces their confidence. The opposite pattern is likely to occur
for students with low self –concept.
It follows then that certain needs and
positive self-image must be met for students to achieve. It becomes necessary,
therefore, to research into such self-limiting factors like lack of achievement
motivation, and poor/low academic self-concept, which could be perceived as being
negatively related to academic achievement. It is this concern that prompted
the researcher to carry out this study.
Statement
of the Problem
The poor academic achievement of senior secondary school students (SSSS)
within Nigeria educational system has been attributed to a number of factors
including individual, family, community, cultural, and societal factors
(Federal Ministry of Education, 2003).
The
Nigeria nation and other nations of the world have shown tremendous concern
about the poor academic achievement of senior secondary school students in
mathematics (Akubiro and Joshua, 2004; Beyer Corporation, 2003). This poor academic achievement of students in
mathematics in Nigeria - a country that needs mathematics for its development –
deserves the total attention of educational planners, teachers and researchers
in Nigeria for a possible turnaround of poor academic achievement of students
in mathematics .According to Marsh (2009), academic self-concept has been shown
to be a very important educational achievement indicator as well as desirable
mediating variable leading to other positive outcomes, such that educational
policy statements throughout the world list academic self-concept enhancement
as a central goal of education.
Research
studies have also shown that mathematics in particular have witnessed alarming
rate of poor performance of students over the years. WAEC, (2008) gave a breakdown of students
academic achievement in mathematics in May/June from 2004 to 2006. From the
breakdown 33.94%, 38.20% and 41.12% of students that enrolled for the
examination passed at A1-C6 grade levels in 2004, 2005
and 2006 respectively. Fajemidagba,
Salman & Ayinla (2012) also gave a breakdown of student’s academic
achievement for 2006 – 2010 as released by WAEC for A1 – C6
grade levels at 41.12%, 46.75%, 57.27%, 49.09% and 41.95% in 2006, 2007, 2008,
2009 and 2010 respectively. In 2008
there was a slight improvement in students’ academic achievement at credit pass
in mathematics with 57.27%. In 2011, 75%
of the students that took the examination failed the May/June examination. The
results showed that only 451,187 candidates of the 1,351,557 who sat for the
examination obtained credit pass in mathematics (Vanguard, Thursday 6 March,
2014). The result also reveals that 77,168 students had their result withheld
for fraud. This is due to the fact that WAEC intensified effort to stop
examination malpractices. Hence the percentage of students who passed at credit
level in mathematics is 30.91% (Vanguard, Thursday 6, 2014). The academic
achievement in the subject was also bad when in 2012 only 38.81 passed at
credit level in mathematics. Then in
2013 only 36.57% had credit pass in mathematics. The failure became very
embarrassing in 2014 when only 31.28 recorded pass in mathematics out of the
1,692,435 that sat for the examination in May/June 2014, the number of students
that failed was 1,162,010 while 8.61% was involved in examination malpractices
(about 145,719 students) (Vanguard, Thursday 6 March, 2014). The report for
2011 as represented by Ossai (2012) is not too different from other years as
38.93% pass at A1 – C6 levels. This poor academic
achievement of students from year to year has been of great concern to well
meaning Nigerians and to the education sector as it has negative impact on a
developing nation aspiring for scientific and technological advancement
(Osarumwense, 2014). Poor academic achievement of students in mathematics has
been attributed to student’s attitude towards the subject, lack of motivation,
negative self-concept, lack of good study habit, lack of interpersonal support,
feeling of inadequacy, unavailability of learning material, anxiety, shortage
of qualified mathematics teacher and large students number to teacher ratio
(Tella, 2007). Despite the fact these
factors have been researched into and efforts made to arrest the situation by
parents, students, and even teachers, the situation has not experienced a
positive change and this has become a great concern. Suffice to say that in
Nigeria, few researches have been carried out on this subject matter. This is
an important gap which this study intends to fill. The problem of the study, therefore, is to
find out whether the academic self-concept and achievement motivation correlate
with academic achievement of Senior Secondary School Students (SSSS) in Edo
State.
Purpose
of the Study
The
purpose of this study is to explore the relationship between academic
self-concept and achievement motivation as correlates of academic achievement of
Senior Secondary School Students in Edo State.
Specifically the study
seeks to determine:
1.
The level of Students’ academic
self-concept in Mathematics among Senior Secondary Schools’ Students’ in Edo
State.
2.
The level of Students’ achievement
motivation in Mathematic among Senior Secondary Schools’ Students’ in Edo State.
3.
The level of Students’ academic achievement
in Mathematics among Senior Secondary Schools’ Students’ in Edo State.
4.
The relationship between academic self-
concept and academic achievement in Mathematics of Senior Secondary School
students in Edo State.
5.
The relationship between achievement
motivation and academic achievement in Mathematics of Senior Secondary school
Students in Edo State.
6.
The relationship between achievement motivation
and academic achievement in Mathematics as mediated by gender of Senior
Secondary School Students in Edo State.
7.
The predictiveness of academic self–concept
and achievement motivation to academic achievement in Mathematics
Research
Questions
The
following research questions guided the study:
1
What is the level of academic self–concept
among Senior Secondary School Students in Mathematics in Edo State?
2
What is the level of achievement
motivation among Senior Secondary School Students in Mathematics in Edo State?
3
What is the level of academic
achievement in Mathematics among Senior Secondary School Students Edo State?
4
Does relationship exist between academic
self-concept and academic achievement of Senior Secondary Schools’ Students’ in
Mathematics in Edo State?
5
Does relationship exist between
achievement motivation and academic achievement of Senior Secondary Schools’
Students’ in Mathematics in Edo State?
6
What is the relationship between
academic self-concept and academic achievement in Mathematic by sex among
Senior Secondary Schools’ Students’ in Edo State?
7
What is the relationship between achievement
motivation and academic achievement in Mathematic by sex among Senior Secondary
Schools’ Students’ in Edo State?
8
What is the predictive ability of
academic self–concept and achievement motivation in Mathematics among Senior
Secondary School Students in Edo State?
Hypotheses
The following null
hypotheses were tested in this study:
1.
There is no significant relationship between
academic self-concept and academic achievement in Mathematics among Senior Secondary
School Students in Edo state.
2.
There is no significant relationship
between achievement motivation and academic achievement in Mathematics among
Senior Secondary School Students in Edo State.
3.
There is no significant relationship
between academic self-concept and academic achievement in Mathematics by sex among
Senior Secondary School Students in Edo State.
4.
There is no significant relationship
between achievement motivation and academic achievement in Mathematics by sex
among Senior Secondary School Students in Edo State.
5.
Academic-self-concept and achievement motivation
do not significantly predict academic achievement in mathematics among Senior
Secondary School Students in Edo State.
Significance
of the Study
This
study seeks to find out whether academic self-concept and achievement
motivation correlates with academic achievement of Senior Secondary School Students
in Edo State. The results will therefore be useful and beneficial to
stakeholders in educational sectors, namely students, parents, teachers,
principals and policy makers as follows:
The
outcome of this study would be of assistance to students in increasing
self-understanding as a sense of personal responsibility and positive behavioural
change. Students would understand the need or role of counselling which is
aimed at developing the potential of the individual to the highest degree possible.
With the help of these outcomes, students will be motivated towards better
adjustment to secondary school environment, especially in the areas of improved
academic achievement, good initiative and creativity relevant to national development.
The outcome would be relevant to students in the building of positive academic
self-concept in their academic pursuit in the course of students’ participation
as subjects, their level of academic self-concept will be enhanced, and this
would help them to build or develop independent thinking ability and to look
inwards for solution to academic problems. If they discover that they can tap
from their inbuilt potentials and that they can pass examinations without
stress, study to them will be fun. Understanding of this study will make
students admit psychological problems if need be and be able to ask for help. This will uplift students’ desired academic
self-concept that is related to good career decision.
The
outcome of this study would be relevant and beneficial to parents who are
anxious about their children’s academic achievement. Parent-child relationship
in the home is very important in developing a child academic self-concept and
achievement motivation. The outcomes would also help parents in developing a
healthy and positive attitude, encouraging them to take responsibilities and
accepting that outcome is related to their effort. The child also needs a
loving stable home. The parents will therefore help to improve their children’s
academic achievement armed with the knowledge of the relationship between their
role as parents, children’s psychological makeup and their academic
achievement. Parents must also partner with the school in developing the
child’s potential and not their inadequacies.
It
is hopeful that the findings of this study would be useful to teachers in the
teaching/learning situation by helping them recognize their individual
student’s performance would be related to their different levels of achievement
motivation and academic self-concept. This knowledge will help the teacher
understand his or her student better and so plan the teaching accordingly.
Teachers can also create a learning environment that articulates a passion to
perform to the best of one’s ability individually and collectively towards the
acquisition of a good goal.
The
findings would also be useful to principals of schools who have responsibility
for teachers, counselors and the students. By understanding the issues involved
in children’s psychological makeup, the principal would be able to provide the
co-operation, the time and the necessary support to teachers and counselors to
enable them help students improve on their academic achievement. The principal
would also be in a position to provide a safe and stable environment for study
and encourage academic self-concept and achievement motivation of students,
thereby contributing to the academic success of the students. The principal can
also motivate teachers by providing seminars, staff development and training on
current research and best practices in the field of student achievement
motivation, provide teachers with the opportunity to visit other successful
teachers in their classroom or neighboring schools to visualize what a
motivated classroom embodies and acknowledge student success.
The
findings would also serve as a useful guide to policy makers and educational
planners in developing and implementing policies and strategies that would help
in alleviating problems of students thereby fostering the academic success of
students. The government and the Ministry of Education would understand the
need for provision of facilities for schools and would work with parents /teachers
associations and the counselors to promote activities that would enhance the
psychological wellbeing of students and in this regard their academic
achievement.
Scope
of the Study
This
study covered the students in public senior secondary schools in Edo state. Emphasis was on the three variables under
discussion: self-concept, achievement motivation, and academic achievement. For
academic self-concept, the study covered mostly the academic and intellectual
aspect of academic self-concept. This investigated students self reflection,
attitudes and opinions which they hold to be true about themselves
educationally and intellectually that involve learning and problem solving. For
achievement motivation, it concentrated on intrinsic, extrinsic aspect of
motivation. This investigated students self-report, interest and enjoyment of
the activity; while the extrinsic investigated the activity engaged in, not for
reasons inherent in them, but for instrumental reasons. Measurement of
students’ academic achievement was limited to Mathematics
Limitation
of the study
The
focus of this study is on academic self-concept and achievement motivation as
correlates of academic achievement. One major limitation of this study is that
the researcher decided to use only public (state) schools students in the
study. This can be a limitation when one considers the number of private
schools; it will spare the researcher the problem of controlling for the
differences that are apparent between the state and private schools. For example,
the provision of facilities, infrastructures and availability of resources are
very different for state and private schools. Secondly, the study did not
measure all aspects of the psychological variables possible; instead it is
limited to the study of academic self-concept, achievement motivation as
defined by this research. This study only covers the senior secondary 11
students’ other studies should cover other classes and more subjects than
mathematics should be covered. Another limitation of this study was that out of
698 questionnaires that were administered, 683 questionnires were returned and
15 questionnire were not recovered.
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