School Variables and English Studies Performance Among Students in Akwa Ibom State

Abstract

The focus of this study was particularly to examine the extent to which the school variables (school location, school type and
school proprietorship) relatively and collectively contribute to students’ performance in English studies. The hypothesis formulated to
guide the study based on the purpose of the study was that the independent and interactive effects of the selected school variables on
JS 3 students’ performance in English Studies are not statistically significant. This ex-post-facto research employed simple random
sampling technique in selecting a total of 853 students from 20 secondary schools in Akwa Ibom State. The study made use of a
researcher developed and standardized instrument: a 50-item English Studies Achievement Test (ESAT). The effect of school variables
on students’ performance in English studies was analysed using a 3 way factorial ANOVA. The result returned school proprietorship as
the only school variable that exerted a significant effect on students’ performance in English studies. School type had no significant effect
in predicting students’ performance in English studies but when interacting with school location and school proprietorship respectively its
underlying effect was uncovered. It was recommended that teaching/learning conditions should be improved in public schools to enable
students in these schools compete favourably with their counterparts in private schools whilst rural schools are given increased attention
vis-à-vis infrastructural and human resource development to ensure improvement in the gains from teaching and learning.