CONTINUOUS ASSESSMENT AS CORRELATE OF STUDENTS’ ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT IN AGRICULTURE IN WAEC EXAMINATION: POLICY IMPLICATIONS FOR YOUTH EMPLOYMENT IN SUB-SAHARA AFRICA

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine the correlation between secondary school students’ academic achievement in Agriculture in WAEC Examination in Nnewi Education Zone of Anambra State, Nigeria. The research is guided by on research question and one hypothesis. The researcher employed the correlation research design. The population of the study consisted of 2,920 senior secondary two (SS 2) students from all the 49 public secondary schools in the zone. The sample size comprised 380 SS2 students. Multi-stage sampling procedure was used to draw 16 public schools from the zone. The instrument for data collection is Agriculture Continuous Assessment Results Inventory (BCARI). The SS2 students’ first term results in Agriculture for 2023/2024 session represent their achievement scores in Agriculture. The instrument was validated by three experts from Science Education Department and Educational Measurement and Evaluation Unit of Educational Foundations, all from Faculty of Education, Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University, Igbariam. The reliability of BCARI was determined using Cronbach alpha, with coefficient of 0.80 indicating satisfactory internal consistency. The collected data were analyzed using Ordinary Least Square regression analysis in the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 26. Simple and multiple regression analyses were employed for analyses of result collected. Findings of the study revealed among others that continuous assessment significantly correlate with secondary school students' academic achievement in Agriculture. Based on the findings, it was recommended among others that group guidance should be organized in schools by professional counsellors in order to create awareness on how students can develop effective study habits which can lead to good academic achievement in Agriculture.