Students’ Psychosocial Predictors of Academic Achievement in Physics

Abstract

This study determined the extent to which psychosocial factors predict students’ academic achievement in Physics. Five (5) research questions and five (5) null hypotheses guided the study. Correlational survey research design was adopted for the study. The population of the study comprised the 6,205 SSII Physics students in the eighty nine (89) public secondary schools in Zone B Education Zone of Benue State, Nigeria. A sample of three hundred and seventy five (375) SSII students drawn using multistage sampling procedure was used for the study. The study employed two researcher-developed instruments: Students’ Psychosocial Factors Questionnaire (SPFQ) and Students’ Physics Academic Achievement Proforma (SPAAP) for data collection. Data collected were analyzed using regression analysis. The result showed that 49% of the students’ academic achievement in physics is predicted by their attitude and interest. Also, 51% of the students’ academic achievement in physics is predicted by their motivation, self-efficacy and locus of control. In addition, 24% of students’ academic achievement in physics was predicted by their anxiety in the subject, while 37% of students’ academic achievement in physics was predicted by their peer group pressure.63% of students’ academic achievement in physics waspredicted by psychosocial factors (predictor variables) jointly. Furthermore, the findings also revealed that students’ academic achievement in physics is significantly predicted by psychosocial factors. All the hypotheses were tested at 0.05 level of significance. Based on the findings and conclusions, it was recommended among others that; students should develop positive attitude and interest towards the learning of the physics, and also exhibit the kind of motivation, self-efficacy and locus of control that would promote their achievement in the subject. Parents’ should create a favourable academic environment at home and also provide all needed materials for their wards in order to promote their enthusiasm for academic activities in physics. Teachers should adopt strategies and use materials that will bring out students’ curiosity to learn and enhance their academic interest, motivation, self-efficacy and locus of control. They should also help students to properly manage anxiety in physics and pressures from peers.