Locus of Control, Self-Efficacy and Students’ Academic Achievement in Biology in Abakaliki Education Zone

Abstract

This study examined Locus of Control, Self Efficacy and Students’ Academic Achievement in Biology in Abakaliki education zone. Three purposes, three corresponding research questions and hypothesis guided the study. The study is designed to analyze the relationship between locus of control, self-efficacy and academic achievement, hence correlation survey design was adopted. The population of this study comprised all the 4646 biology students in the seventy seven (77) public secondary schools in Abakaliki Education zone. Non-proportionate stratified sampling was used to draw12 schools in the education zone, while simple stratified sampling was used to draw 360 biology including male and female students. Three instruments were used such as: Locus of Control (LCI), Academic Self-efficacy Scale (AS-ES), and Students Academic Records. The instrument was faced validated and afterward, subjected reliability. The Locus of Control Inventory (LCI) and self-efficacy were subjected to tests of internal consistency using the Conbach alpha estimate of reliability. The collated data were analyzed using SPSS version 21. The finding of the study revealed that locus of control contributes to student’s academic achievement in biology. This is revelation that the higher the locus of control the higher the academic achievement. It was shown that self-efficacy is effective predator of students’ academic achievement in biology. The findings of this has clear suggestions. The implication of this finding supposed that creating intervention programme or instructional design that create conducive learning school environment that is inclusive and support students irrespective of their social or academic background, this can boost positive academic belief system, hence improve academic achievement. It also suggested that instructional strategies for teaching biology should be adaptive to students learning abilities and styles. Biology teachers training package has to include experiences help them to understand how to break into relevant components to facilitate understanding of biology concepts. Based on the findings of the study was recommended that the learning environment should foster an atmosphere that supports students’ to develop f feeling and perception of being in control of the outcome of what they desire academically and that school administrators and teachers focus on creating a supporting learning by providing opportunities for constructive feedback,, mastery experiences and critical thinking.