PERFORMANCE CAUSAL-ATTRIBUTIONS AS PREDICTORS OF SENIOR SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS’ ACHIEVEMENTS IN ENGLISH AND MATHEMATICS IN ANAMBRA STATE, NIGERIA

Abstract

This study investigated performance causal - attributions as predictors of academic achievements of secondary school students in Anambra State. Eight research questions guided the study and eight hypotheses were tested at 0.05 level of significance. The study adopted a correlational survey design. The population of the study consists of 18,852 senior secondary school students (SSS II) in the 258 public secondary schools in Anambra State. The sample for the study was 943 SSII students who were drawn using multi-stage sampling. One instrument was used for the data collection of this study along with the students’ termly achievement scores in English language and Mathematics. The instrument was: Academic Casual-Attribution scale (ACAS). The instrument was a standardized one and has been properly validated and the reliability has been established. The data collected were analyzed using multiple regression for answering the research questions and testing the hypotheses. The finding of the study showed that Performance causal - attribution predicts also the achievements of students in English and Mathematics. Based on the findings conclusions were drawn, and the study recommended that schools, family and institutions should assist students to develop appropriate locus of control through proper learner- centred instructional strategies.