Psychological Correlates of Academic Underachievement among Secondary School Students in Akwa Ibom State

Abstract

The study investigated psychological correlates of academic underachievement among secondary school students in Akwa Ibom State. The study used the correlational research design. Three research questions and three corresponding null hypotheses guided the study. The population of the study comprised all 48,840 SS2 students in the 235 public secondary schools in Akwa Ibom State. A sample of 400 students was randomly and independently selected for the study using the purposive sampling technique. Two instruments were used in collecting data for this study. They include; Psychological Inventory (PI) and Biology and Mathematics Achievement Test (BMAT). The Cronbach Alpha was used to determine the reliability of the instruments, the reliability coefficient of Psychological Inventory (PI) 0.81 and Biology and Mathematics Achievement Test (BMAT) was 0.74 respectively. Simple regression analysis was used in answering the research questions, while t-test associated with simple regression was implored in testing the hypotheses formulated for the study at 0.05 level of significance. The finding of the study showed that locus of control, motivation, and self-efficacy relate significantly with students’ academic underachievement in Akwa Ibom State. Based on the findings, it was recommended among others that students should be continually motivated to learn by both their parents and teachers, as this will inspire them to do better in school and achieve more scholastically. And the school counsellors should encourage the students to persevere as to achieve their academic goals despite any circumstance.