Truancy and Study Habit as Correlates of Senior Secondary School Students’ Academic Performance in Rivers State

Abstract

This study examined truancy and study habit as correlates of senior secondary school students’ academic performance in Rivers State. The study adopted correlational research design. Three research questions and three hypotheses guided the study. The population for this study was 11,237 senior secondary one (SSI) students in the 261 government owned secondary schools in the 23 Local Government Areas of Rivers State. A sample size of 450 SSI students in public schools was used for the study using stratified random sampling technique. Two instruments titled “Students’ Truancy Scale (STS)” and “Students’ Study Habit Scale” (SSHS) were used for data collection. Students’ academic performance was determined by using average test scores of third term in English Language and Mathematics. The reliability of the instrument was determined using test retest method and yielded reliability coefficients of STS (r=0.83) and SSHS (r=0.85). Pearson Product Moment Correlation was used to answer research questions and test the hypotheses at 0.05 level of significance. The finding of the study revealed there was significant relationship between truancy and senior secondary school students’ academic performance, there was a significant relationship between time allocated to studying and secondary school students’ academic performance and there was a significant relationship between teacher consultation and senior secondary school students’ academic performance in Rivers State. Based on the findings of the study, the study recommended amongst others that the management of public secondary schools in Rivers State should strive to check truancy among students. Also, students should allocate time to themselves for self-development, so that they can develop intellectually, be social beings, and live life to the fullest.