RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN PERCEIVED SOCIAL SUPPORT AND SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS’ ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT IN COMPUTER STUDIES IN AWKA EDUCATION ZONE

Abstract

The study examined the relationship between perceived social support and secondary school students’ academic achievement in Computer studies in Awka Education Zone of Anambra State, Nigeria. It was guided by two research questions and two null hypotheses were tested at 0.05 alpha level. The study adopted a correlation research design. The population comprised 6,334 senior secondary two (SS 2) students from all public secondary schools in the zone. Multi-stage sampling procedure was used to draw a sample of 376 SS 2 students. Multi-dimensional Perceived Social Support Scale Questionnaire (MPSSSQ) and students’ first term result on Computer studies for 2024/2025 session which represented their achievement scores in Computer Studies were used for data collection. MPSSSQ was validated by three experts from Faculty of Education, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka. The reliability of the instrument was established using Cronbach’s alpha method to be coefficient of 0.89. Data collection was done by direct administration of the questionnaire to the respondents by the researchers and five research assistants. The data collected were analyzed using Pearson Correlation Coefficients. The findings revealed a moderate positive and significant relationship between perceived social support and academic achievement of secondary school students in Computer Studies. Also, the study revealed that there is a weak positive and significant relationship between perceived social support and academic achievement of secondary school male and female students in Computer Studies, with the relationship being stronger among female students. Based on the findings, the study concluded that students’ perception of social support plays an important role in enhancing their academic achievement in Computer Studies. The study recommended amongst others that Schools, administrators should strengthen support systems by promoting collaborative learning, peer mentoring and teacher-student rapport to enhance students’ sense of belonging and academic engagement in Computer Studies. Parents and guardians should provide consistent emotional and academic encouragement to their children.