ANALYSIS OF STUDENTS ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE IN JUNIOR SECONDARY CERTIFICATE EXAMINATION IN INTEGRATED SCIENCE BETWEEN 2019-2022 IN SECONDARY SCHOOL

Analysis Of Students Academic Performance In Junior Secondary Certificate Examination In Integrated Science Between 2019-2022 In Secondary School

 

ABSTRACT

This study was specifically carried out to analyze student’s academic performance in junior secondary certificate examination in integrated science between 2019-2022. The sample size of the study was scores from 1846 registered candidate between 2019-2022 in the area. Two research questions were formulated and answered using simple percentage and mean. The research revealed that the students’ academic performance in Junior Secondary Certificate Examination (JSCE) in Integrated Science in urban schools was higher than the students’ academic performance of students in rural schools between 2019-2022.

The study recommends that integrated science teachers should adopt every relevant methods instructional materials and techniques needed to improve and enhance performances of students in their external examination in subsequent years.

 

Analysis Of Students Academic Performance In Junior Secondary Certificate Examination In Integrated Science Between 2019-2022 In Secondary School

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1  Background to the Study

Integrated science as the largest diversity of science has promoted the acquisition of specialized skills and knowledge such skills and knowledge enhance some special career opportunities and enable one to live a meaningful life (Coley & Cradler, 2010). Research in integrated science has yielded the knowledge that provides to basis for dispelling certain superstitious beliefs. The knowledge and many others have improved tremendously, (Akindele, 2009). In the past centuries agricultural implements were mostly manual but today most of the agricultural implementations are done by machines and thus more food is produced with less human effort (Tony, 2012).

Akindele & Araoye (2019) opined that the exposure to integrated science education offers the learners a wide range of relevance to all aspect of life. As academic subjects, integrated science is quite popular to all levels of Nigerian education. It has a larger subject’s enrolment than any other subject in the junior secondary schools especially at the upper basic level of the Nigeria education (Ofoeegbe, 2013). However, inspire of the popularity and the unique position of integrated science in the development of science and technology failure rate has remained very high (Akubuibo, 2014). Several researchers have pointed out different reasons for students’ poor performances, some of which are due to the abstracted of certain aspects of integrated science, lack of understanding on the students part of certain scientific concepts and terminologies and many others (Nselum, 2010).

Examinations in Nigeria schools, dared, back to the advent of formal education. It occupies a unique position as a measure of quality within the educational system of Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria. They are either internal or public internal examinations that are set by teachers within a school system. These could be in the form of tests and end of the term examinations.

Public examinations on the other hand, are examinations that are conducted by recognize examining bodies. As such, the examination such as the Senior Secondary Certificate (SSC) examinations and the Junior Secondary Certificate (JSC) are regarded as external examinations. This is, in the sense that the examining boards conducting these examinations not themselves organize instructional courses nor prepare students for the examinations. They are examinations that are designed and organized under specific terms and conditions are based on norms that are regarded as standards. They are designed to evaluate performance at the end of a course of study.

However, despite the unique position of examinations the educational system; there have been conflicting reports on the predictive strength of the Junior Secondary Certificate Examinations (Adeyemi, 2018).

As a result of this failure experienced, some students begin to doubt their intellectual abilities and some to believe that their efforts to achieve are futile. These feelings in turn lead to a high persistence level of failure. They give up quickly as soon as something appears to be difficult in the learning process (Nyong, 2013). Hence, there is a great need for students to be motivated to develop positive attitude which is crucial to academic performance (Adeyemi 2011). One cannot this without analyzing the performance of students in this important subject (Integrated Science).

Analysis Of Students Academic Performance In Junior Secondary Certificate Examination In Integrated Science Between 2019-2022 In Secondary School

1.2  Statement of the Problem 

All over the world, education is seen as a machinery through which acquisition of knowledge and skills is achieved so that every citizen is provided of quality education to her citizens. This quality education is evident on the performance of students in external examination such as the Junior Secondary Certificate Examination (JSCE).

Unfortunately, it is observed that the academic performance of most learners in integrated science fall below expectation and this is attributed to many factors among which are home factors, environmental factors, peer group, teaching methodology, teachers variable and many others as noted by (Ngban, 2019).

This triggers the researcher to carry out this research in order to identify those variable such as school location (urban and rural) and sex of students (male and female) whether they have any effect on the academic performance of students in integrated science in Junior Secondary Certificate Examination in Integrated Science.

 

1.3  Purpose of the Study

The study sought to analyze the students academic performance in Junior Secondary Certificate Examinations in Integrated Science between 2019-2022 in secondary schools. Specifically, the study seek intend to;

• determine the performance of students in junior secondary certificate integrated science examination in urban and rural areas.
• compare the performance of male and female students’ examination from 2019-2022.

Analysis Of Students Academic Performance In Junior Secondary Certificate Examination In Integrated Science Between 2019-2022 In Secondary School

1.4  Research Questions

(i)    What is the performance of students in junior secondary certificate integrated science examination in urban and rural areas?

(ii)   What is the mean difference between performance of male and female students in junior secondary certificate integrated science examination from 2019-2022?

 

1.5  Significance of the Study

This study will be significance in the following ways:

To curriculum designers, it will help them in developing a curriculum for future scientists.

To school principals, the study will help them in enhancing high academic performance among the students.

The study will help the government (local state and federal) in making educational policies that will help in promoting the academic performance of students.

       The study will be of great significance to future researchers who may wish to carryout more studies in related topic.

 

1.6  Delimitation of the Study

This study is delimited to analyzing the performance of students in junior secondary certificate integrated science examination from 2019-2022 with particular reference to Oruk Anam Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State.

 

1.7  Operational Definition of Terms

Integrated Science:  A combine study of all areas of sciences.

Academic Performance: This refers to the child’s examination scores or grade in school.

Junior Secondary Certificate Examination: This is an examination made for all private and public secondary schools in West Africa to be taken in the last year of the junior secondary educational level.