CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT AND ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT IN ECONOMICS AMONG PUBLIC SENIOR SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN OYO STATE, NIGERIA

Abstract

In recent times, there seem to be a continuous drop in the academic achievement of senior secondary school students in Economics, which has become a significant issue for educational stakeholders, especially in Oyo State. Reports from various examining bodies including the West African Examinations Council, consistently show low pass rates, with students struggling to grasp and apply core economic concepts. Evidence from field observations and prior studies links this underperformance to poor classroom management marked by frequent disruptions, reduced instructional time and low engagement of student in the classroom.  Despite this, few empirical studies have examined the combined influence of classroom management and Academic Achievement on Economics in Oyo State. This study therefore investigated classroom management among public senior secondary school students’ academic achievement in Economics in Oyo State, Nigeria. The study employed a descriptive research design. Two research questions were posed, and one hypothesis were formulated. The population comprised 66,601 senior secondary school 2 students enrolled in Economics across the three senatorial districts in Oyo State. Using Taro Yamane formula and simple random sampling technique, a total of 410 schools, 1,176 students were selected. Data was collected using a standardized achievement test and self-developed instrument namely the "Economics Achievement Test (EAT)," the "Students' Questionnaires on Classroom Management. Findings indicated that students’ achievement in Economics was generally low with majority of the students scoring between 26-49 marks. Level of classroom management was moderate (x̄ = 2.46) The study concludes that improving classroom management practices increases students’ academic achievement in Economics in senior secondary schools in Oyo State. It recommended that Schools should introduce targeted academic support programmes such as remedial classes, peer tutoring, and enrichment activities to help students strengthen their understanding of core Economics concepts and improve overall achievement levels.