PERCEIVED INFLUENCE OF EDUCATIONAL FACILITIES ON STUDENT'S ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE IN PUBLIC SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN AWKA NORTH LGA, ANAMBRA STATE

Abstract

The purpose of the study was to determine the perceived influence of educational facilities on student's academic performance in public secondary schools in Awka North Local Government Area of Anambra State. Two research questions guided the study and two hypotheses were tested at 0.05 level of significance.  Descriptive survey research design was adopted for the study. The population of the study comprised 178 public secondary school teachers in the 10 public secondary schools in Awka North LGA of Anambra State. The entire population of the study was used. Data collected by the researcher was titled Questionnaire on Influence of Educational Facilities on students’ Academic Performance in Public Secondary Schools (QIEFSAPS). The instrument was validated by three experts in the Faculty of Education, Nnamdi Azikiwe University Awka. Two from the Department of Educational Management and Policy and one from Department of Educational Foundation. The reliability of the instrument was established through a pilot test. The data collected were analyzed using Cronbach Alpha. This yielded co-efficient values of 0.76 and 0.84 for clusters 1 and 2 respectively with a general reliability co-efficient of 0.80. Data were analyzed using mean, standard deviation and t-test. Findings revealed that school library and school laboratory positively influence students’ academic performance in public secondary schools Awka North LGA to a high extent. The researcher concluded that educational facilities positively influence students’ academic performance in public secondary schools in Awka North LGA. Based on the findings, the study recommended, among others that the Post Primary Schools Services Commission (PPSSC) should prioritise the provision, maintenance and upgrading of school libraries to enhance students’ academic performance.