Family Support, Achievement Motivation and Gender as Predictors of Social Competence among Nigerian Secondary School Adolescents

Abstract

The study investigated family support, achievement motivation and gender as predictors of adolescents’ social competence among adolescents in Enugu State. Participants for the study
consisted of four hundred (400) adolescents’ (200 males and 200 females) aged 12-17 years with a mean age of 14.5years (SD 3.47) drawn from four secondary schools. Family Support Questionnaire, Herman’s Questionnaire Measure of Achievement Motivation and Social Competence-Teen Survey were the instrument used for data collection. Multiple regression was the statistics used for data analyses. The result showed that family support (β = .15, p < .001) and achievement motivation (β = -.31, p < .001) were significant predictors of
adolescents social competence. More so, the result indicated that gender did not significantly predict adolescents’ social competence. The results were discussed as they have vital implication for future researches and adolescent’s well being and adjustment.