Interest and Learning Approaches as Discriminating Factors in the Performance of Senior Secondary School Students in Economics
Article Sidebar
Main Article Content
Abstract
Abstract
The study utilized the ex-post facto research design to investigate how interest and learning approaches utilized in Economics discriminates the academic performance of students in the subject area. The population comprised senior secondary school two students in Ife Central Local Government of Osun State while the sample comprised 94 students in five secondary schools in the area. Three research instruments viz: Individual Interest Questionnaire (IIQ), Revised Two Factor Study Process Questionnaire (R-SPQ-2F) and Economics Achievement Test (EAT) were used to collect appropriate data. The Discriminant Function Analysis was utilized to analyse data collected. Findings revealed a function with coefficients in order of magnitude as revealed by structure matrix as follows: Interest in Economics (1.06), Surface Approach (0.41) and Deep Approach (-1.14). None of coefficients was significant at 0.05 significance level. The function was maximized for: 47.1% of students who scored above 50% and 57.1% of those who scored below 50%. The conclusion that was reached was that adequate cognizance should be given to the improvement of the process of teaching the subject including assessment practices.
Key words: Discriminant Function Analysis; Interest; Learning Approaches; Performance; Senior Secondary School.
Downloads
Article Details
- Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access).