RELATIONSHIP OF ACHIEVEMENT INCENTIVE AND SELF EFFICIENCY WITH EDUCATIONAL ACHIEVEMENT AMONG NCE STUDENTS OF COLLEGES OF EDUCATION IN KADUNA STATE, NIGERIA

ABSTRACT

This study investigated relationship of achievement motivation, self-efficacy and academic achievement among NCE students of colleges of education in Kaduna State. Survey design was adopted in the study. The study was guided by seven objectives, seven research questions and seven hypotheses. The population of the study was made up of 5,707 NCE II students and the sample of the study was 361 students randomly selected. Achievement Motivation, Self-efficacy Scales and students CGPA were used as instruments for data collection. Mean, Standard Deviation, Pearson Product Moment Correlation was used to test the null hypotheses that guided the study. Result findings of the study revealed that significant relationship between achievement motivation and academic achievement among NCE students (r=.432, p=.002). Self-efficacy was found to have significant relationship with academic achievement (r=.230, p.014). Significant relation exist between achievement motivation and self-efficacy with (r=.363, p=.000). Significant relationship was found between achievement motivation and self efficacy among art students (r=.683, p=.000). Significant relationship exists between achievement motivation and self efficacy among science students (r=.477, p=.000). Significant relationship exists between achievement motivation and self efficacy among male students (r=.588, p.000). Finally significant relationship was also found between achievement motivation and self efficacy among female students (r=.792, p= .001). The study recommended among others that educational psychologies should orient student of colleges of education on the need to enhance their achievement motivation so as to improve their academic achievement. Male and female students should be trained to have high achievement motivation because the research found positive impact of achievement motivation on self efficacy. Self-efficacious belief should equally be imparted and habituated to students through employing variety of teaching techniques and right type of approach to learning. 

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1        Background to the Study

One of the most important factors that lead one to their goals is the drive. This drive is known as motivation. It is a zest and determination with a kind of excitement that leads one perseveres to reach greater heights, no matter what avenue of their life be it personal or academic (Sign, 2011). The drive may come from on internal or external source. The individual determines this. The factors that motivate an individual keep changing as one climb the ladder of age and maturity. Also achievement of one goal sets the ball rolling for another one to be achieved. Thus to be motivated is a constant need. There are times when one faces a period of de-motivation and everything seems weak. It is then that they need to find what would motivate them back into action.

Achievement motivation is generally regarded as the drive to achieve targets and the process to maintain the drive (Pinrich, 1996). Motivation provides an important foundation to complete cognitive behavior such as planning, organization, decision-making, learning and assessments (Schunk, 1996). Spence and Helmreich (1983) defined achievements motivation as task-oriented behaviour. Performances of individuals are often compared against standards or with other for assessments. Atkinson (1964) viewed achievement motivation as comparison of performances with others and against certain standard activities. To him, achievement motivation is a combination of two personality variables – tendency to approach success and tendency to avoid failure. Achievement motivation is the drive to work with diligence and vitality, to constantly steer toward targets, to obtain dominance in challenging and difficult tasks and create sense of achievement as a result (Bigge & Hunt, 1980).

On the flipside, self efficacy according to psychologist Albert Bandura (1966) is individual‘s belief that he/she can be able to accomplish a specific task. He believes that an essential component to accomplishing something is our confidence that we can. Bandura referred to self efficacy as the minds self regulatory function. It tells us when to try and when to stop. If a student do not believe something is possible, he/she is less likely to attain a task and more likely to give up early. One important variable for the prediction of individual behavior is self efficacy. Bandura (1997) points out that attitude and gender are influential to some extent for some people regardless of their mediating effect and self efficacy belief.

Academic achievement is a term which represents performance outcomes that indicate the extent to which a person has accomplished specific goals that were the focused of activities in instructional environment, specifically in schools, colleges and university. According to Nenty (1986), achievement is a function of personal as well as environmental factors, an individual tends to naively attribute his or her behaviour of the level of performance more to one, than the other of these factors where there is an internal motivated factor towards an important desire, an individual‘s level of performance usually increases. More so, when interest is lost in some desirable goals, achievement is thwarted. It is because of this that educationists consider motivation as one of the important factors for any achievement vis a vis educational achievement.

Decades of research on self efficacy have contributed significantly as well as in dependently to our understanding of how critical students appraisals of themselves can be for their successful functioning and well being in school (Bong & Clark, 1999). This self construct has been particularly beneficial when used to predict or explain student‘s achievement motivation. A substantial body to literature indicates that self-efficacy may be related to academic achievement. This suggests that achievement motivation and self-efficacy may be directly or indirectly related to academic achievement.

Different levels of achievement motivation and self-efficacious beliefs of students may have different levels of correlation with academic achievement of students. Thus, the researcher is interested and pushed to investigate into the area of achievement motivation and self-efficacy vis-à-vis academic achievement among students of colleges of education in Kaduna state.

1.2        Statement of the problem

It is generally observed by the researcher that academic achievement among NCE students has been on the decline over the years. This has been deduced from the researcher‘s years of teaching experience. This may be attributed to lack of desire to excel academically. The reason(s) behind this is not farfetched, some students attend college of education because they could not meet up with university requirement of five credits and cut off point in tertiary matriculation examination. Thus they find themselves there as a last resort. This lack of natural interest may influence their achievement motivation and self-efficacy. This may have serious implication on their academic achievement in colleges of education, as the case may be. Moreover, the researcher observes low academic achievement among NCE students of colleges of education in Kaduna state over the years. Some students are persuaded by parents to attend particular academic institution and to a certain extent are made to study courses against their interest or aptitude.

 

 

 

Teachers who are expected to motivate these categories of students more often than not, do not do so due to their lack of psychological knowledge or lack of interest in teaching even amongst themselves. These conflicting issues may lead to low achievement motivation among students which by extension may also leads to poor self-efficacy and the consequences of these factors may lead to poor academic achievement.

Moreover many students of colleges of education nowadays are observed to have set back regarding their achievement motivation which is evident by their non-challant attitude to learning such as absconding from lectures, not paying attention to lectures even when they attend, some students do not even understand the need to visit library for research and reading left alone patronizing library services in the college of education. Such kinds of students do not seem to have respect for the courses they study left alone striving hard to pursue excellence. This low achievement motivation and determination may mar students self-efficacious belief since the motivation to make one persist which may in turn strengthen self-efficacy may be a foundation of achievement motivation. If the motivation to achieve is very slim the efficacy of such students may be tampered with, which may have negative consequences on academic achievement of students. It is against this backdrop the researcher intends to investigate into study of relationship among achievement motivation, self-efficacy and academic achievement of NCE students of

colleges of education in Kaduna state.

 

 

 

 

1.3       Objectives of the Study

This study is based on the following objectives:

1. To assess the relationship between achievement motivation and academic achievement among NCE students of colleges of education in Kaduna state.
2. To examine the relationship between self efficacy and academic achievement of NCE students of colleges of education in Kaduna state.
3. To determine the relationship between achievement motivation and self efficacy among

NCE students of colleges of education in Kaduna State.

4. To examine the relationship between achievement motivation and self efficacy of arts students in colleges of education in Kaduna state.
5. To find out the relationship between achievement motivation and self efficacy of science students in colleges of education in Kaduna state.
6. To determine the relationship between achievement motivation and self efficacy of male students in colleges of education in Kaduna state.
7. To examine the relationship between achievement motivation and self efficacy of female students in colleges of education in Kaduna state

1.4        Research Questions

For the purpose of this study the following research questions are raised:

1. What is the relationship between achievement motivations and academic achievement of students of colleges of education in Kaduna state?
2. What is the relationship between self efficacy and academic achievement among students of colleges of education in Kaduna state?
3. What is the relationship between achievement motivation and self efficacy among students of colleges of education in Kaduna state?
4. What is the relationship between achievement motivation and self efficacy of arts students of colleges of education in Kaduna state?
5. What is the relationship between achievement motivation and self efficacy of science students of colleges of education in Kaduna state?
6. What is the relationship between achievement motivation and self efficacy of male students of colleges of education in Kaduna state?
7. What is the relationship between achievement motivation and self efficacy of female students of colleges of education in Kaduna state

1.5        Research Hypotheses

This research intends to test the following hypotheses:

Ho1: There is no significant relationship between achievement motivation and academic achievement among NCE students of colleges of education in Kaduna state.

Ho2: There is no significant relationship between self efficacy and academic achievement among NCE students of colleges of education in Kaduna state.

Ho3: There is no significant relationship between achievement motivation and self efficacy among NCE students of colleges of education in Kaduna state.

Ho4: There is no significant relationship between achievement motivation and self efficacy of arts students of colleges of education in Kaduna state.

Ho5: There is no significant relationship between achievement motivation and self efficacy of science students of colleges of education in Kaduna state.

Ho6: There is no significant relationship between achievement motivation and self efficacy of male students of colleges of education in Kaduna state.

Ho7: There is no significant relationship between achievement motivation and self efficacy of female students of colleges of education in Kaduna state

1.6        Basic Assumptions

The following basic assumptions are stated to guide the study:

1. It is assumed that achievement motivation has significant relationship with academic achievement among NCE students of colleges of education in Kaduna state.
2. It is assumed that self efficacy has significant relationship with academic achievement among NCE students of colleges of education in Kaduna state.
3. It is also assumed that achievement motivation may have significant relationship with self efficacy among NCE students of colleges of education in Kaduna state.
4. It is assumed that achievement motivation and self efficacy have significant relationship among art students of colleges of education in Kaduna state.
5. It is assumed that achievement motivation and self efficacy have significant relationship among science students of colleges of education in Kaduna state.
6. It is assumed that significance relationship exist between achievement motivation and self efficacy of male students of colleges of education in Kaduna state.
7. It is finally assumed that significance relationship exist between achievement motivation and self efficacy of female students of colleges of education in Kaduna state

1.7       Significance of the Study

                             This study will go along way in enhancing and improving quality of teaching and

learning especially at the colleges of education. The study will assist all stakeholders in their efforts to restore the standard of education in the country.

Teachers will also benefit from the research through encouraging and motivating students at all levels the importance of hard work and learning. This may be in form of reward to the best students and encourage the weak ones that they can make it.

Educational psychologists and counselors will find this study of immense significance as it equips them with better understanding of the main thrust of the variables under investigation (achievement motivation and self efficacy). This will in turn broaden their horizon thereby apply them appropriately in their task of behavior modification.

Educational administrators and planners stand to benefit from this study in the sense that it will provide them with empirically data that will assist them in making formidable educational plans and programmes that would support students in their achievement motivation and self efficacy.

To students, the findings and recommendations of the research will put them in a position to understand their level of achievement and efficacious beliefs which will pave way of adjusting them for better learning and academic performance.

The study will equip parents and guardians with knowledge and understanding of the major variables of the study. This will enable them to educate their children by preparing them for the impending task and challenges that await them as they leave their home to school so as to help them cope with school rules and regulation. Yet still, this study will serve as a reference material for the research community who may wish to carry out further researches on similar problem, in order to add to the existing body of knowledge.

1.8       Scope and delimitation of the study

The study covers achievement motivation, self efficacy and academic achievement as the major variables of the research. It covers the entire NCE II students of Federal College of Education, Zaria and Kaduna State College of Education Gidan Waya involving both male and female students as they are observed to struggle with forming achievement motivation and selfefficacy at NCE II level. The study is delimited to other categories of students – namely NCE 1 and 3 and does not include other variables other than achievement motivation, self efficacy and academic achievement.

RELATIONSHIP OF ACHIEVEMENT INCENTIVE AND SELF EFFICIENCY WITH EDUCATIONAL ACHIEVEMENT AMONG NCE STUDENTS OF COLLEGES OF EDUCATION IN KADUNA STATE, NIGERIA

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