AN INVESTIGATIVE STUDY OF THE ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE OF SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS IN WASSCE AND NECO EXAMINATIONS IN OWO METROPOLIS

ABSTRACT

This study examined the correlative difference between students academic performance between WASSCE and NECO examinations in Owo metropolis. Research questions guided the study. A survey method was used for this study. The population consisted of selected principals and administrators with a total population of fifty two (52) principals of both private and public secondary schools. A questionnaire developed by the researcher based on liker 5 point scale was used for the study.  Correlation and frequencies were used to analyze the data based on the research questions. Research results shows there is no significant difference between the performance of students in WASSCE and NECO examinations in Mathematics; there is a significant difference between the performance of students in WASSCE and NECO examinations in Mathematics and English Language and there is no significant difference between the performance of students in WASSCE and NECO examinations in Mathematics and English Language. More should be done to enhance the general poor academic performance of secondary school students in Owo metropolis

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1.    Background of the study

Education is simply defined as the total process of human learning by which knowledge is acquired, faculties trained and skills developed. Secondary schools not only occupy a vantage in the educational system in Nigeria, it is also the link between the primary and the tertiary levels of education. According to Asikhai (2010), education at secondary school level is supposed to be the bedrock and the foundation towards higher knowledge in tertiary institutions. It is an investment as well as an instrument that can be used to achieve a more rapid economic, social, political, technological, scientific and cultural development in a country. It is rather unfortunate that the secondary schools today are not measuring up to the standards expected of them as envisaged in their performance in external examinations. There have been public outcries over the persistently poor performance of secondary school students in public examinations. According to Nwokocha and Amadike (2005), academic performance of students is the yardstick for testing the educational prowess of a nation. Hence, it is inevitable to maintain a high performance in internal and mostly external examinations. For some years now, reports on the pages of some national dailies  and research findings have shown the abysmal performance of students of secondary schools in public examinations. Ajayi (2002), Nwokocha and Amadike (2005), WAEC (2007), The Punch newspaper (September 27, 2008), Adeyemi (2008) and Asikhia (2010) have all shown the extent of poor performance of students in external examinations. The persistent decline in students‘performance in public examinations is not only frustrating to the students and the parents, its effects are equally grievous on the society. One of the most potent yardsticks so far, if not the strongest, of measuring school performance of students is through public examinations such as Senior School Certificate Examination (S.S.C.E.) in Nigeria. These examinations are externally moderated and enjoy a lot of public confidence. The form of education children receive after primary and before tertiary stage is called secondary education. Without secondary school products, it is obvious that the basis for any future academic study cannot be laid. From the aims and objectives of the setting up of schools, one would expect that day and boarding senior secondary school students‘performance in Owo State would greatly improve. Admittedly, no educational system is problem free. However, the decay in Nigerian educational system is becoming nothing to write home about. Ogunsaju (1990) described it as calamitous. Though, brilliant students can be found even in public schools, the high percentage of failure in WASSCE tends to rubbish the good ones among them. Initially, Mathematics and English Language were recording poor results, but later this extended to other subjects including the Sciences and Arts. The schools can no longer justify the faith the government and the public have in them or the huge budgetary allocations they consume yearly. Nevertheless, students have not been doing well, and the situation is not improving. For example, in the S.S.C.E of May/June 1992, English Language recorded only 13.8% passes with Distinction and Credit grades, while 59.6% of the total 381,506 candidates failed. For Mathematics, only 9.7% passed in Distinction and Credit grades while 59.4% failed (WAEC, 1994). In the examinations taken in June 1994 by 618,119 students, 14.2% and 13.7% passed with Distinction and Credit levels in English and Mathematics respectively. The failure rates for the two subjects were 56.3% for English and 67.4% for Mathematics (WAEC, 1994). Results in other core-subjects were equally poor with students doing much worse in subjects with practical work. In WASSCE of December 1996, for example, failure rates were 64.6% for English and Mathematics and English Language 58%. Therefore, if education is going to continue to hold on to its old image as an instrument par excellence for achieving national development, it has to be salvaged or resuscitated. The popular practices of changing the curriculum or adding more subjects, changing the duration of schooling or voting more money are not yielding the expected results. Notably amongst the external examinations are the WASSCE examinations and the NECO examinations. The former is a West African regional examination while the latter is solely Nigerian controlled examination supervised by the federal ministry of education. According to our educational rules, possessing five credit level grades with English language and mathematics in either of the examinations inclusive automatically qualifies students to seek tertiary education in Nigeria.