Non- Cognitive Correlates of Senior Secondary School Student Achievement in Geography

ABSTRACT This research was undertaken to evaluate the relationship between noncognitive variables and senior school achievement in geography. The purpose was to see the extent by which non-cognitive variables predict achievement in geography. Three research questions were asked and three hypotheses formulated and tested at .05 level of significance. The design of the study was a correlational survey design. The researcher developed the non-cognitive questionnaire (NCQ) and it was face validated by three experts in Measurement and Evaluation and Science Education. Also the NCQ was validated using factor analysis (construct validation) using SPSS and internal consistency reliability of 0.826 was obtained. The researcher collected school geography assessment scores for further analysis. The researcher used 20 secondary schools with a total population of 400 SSII students who offer geography. The schools were randomly sampled from Ika South and Ika North East (12) Local Government Areas. The main highlight of the results can be summarized as follows: there was low positive relationship between the predictor variables (non-cognitive) and achievement in geography. Noncognitive variables also showed no significance in predicting achievement in geography. The results were discussed and the implications, limitations, and suggestions were clearly stated, some of the implications are: school administrators and guidance counselors are not counseling the students on ways to improve learning, some geography teachers may not be specialists in geography, and so may not teach geography in ways that will stimulate students’ interest. It is recommended that the school authority should create favourable learning environments that will make schooling attractive and friendly between teachers and their students through award ceremonies; and they should employ the appropriate man-power to impart learning to enhance achievement.