School Variables and Secondary School Students entrepreneurial Skills Acquisition in Odukpani Local Government Area, Cross River State.

Abstract

This study investigated the relationship between school variables and the acquisition of entrepreneurial skills among secondary school students in Odukpani Local Government Area, Cross River State. To guide the study, two research hypotheses were formulated. A correlational research design was adopted. The population of the study consisted of all 1,459 public Senior Secondary School students (SS1–SS3) in Odukpani Local Government Area. A purposive sampling technique was used to select a sample of 303 respondents. Data were collected using a validated instrument titled School Variables and Students’ Entrepreneurial Skills Acquisition Questionnaire (SVSESAQ). The validity of the instrument was confirmed by three experts—two from the Department of Educational Management and one from the Department of Educational Foundations (Measurement and Evaluation Unit), Faculty of Educational Studies, University of Calabar. The reliability of the instrument was established using Cronbach’s Alpha, with coefficients ranging from 0.86 to 0.88. The research hypotheses were tested using Pearson Product Moment Correlation Analysis at the 0.05 level of significance, with the aid of the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS). Findings revealed that both the learning environment and school space were significantly related to students’ acquisition of entrepreneurial skills. Based on these findings, the study concluded that school variables—particularly the learning environment and availability of school space—significantly influence the development of entrepreneurial skills among secondary school students in Odukpani Local Government Area. It was recommended, among other things, that secondary school management should improve classroom facilities and resources to better support the development of students' entrepreneurial skills.