Motivation and Anxiety as Predictors of Students’ Academic Achievement in Junior Secondary School in Basic Science in Ekiti State

This study investigated motivation and anxiety as predictors of students’ academic achievement in junior secondary school in Basic Science in Ekiti State. The purpose of the study was to determine the relationship between students’ anxiety and motivation on academic performance in Basic Science. Also to investigate the the level of secondary school students’ academic achievement in Basic Science in Ekiti State. The study adopted descriptive survey and expo-facto research design. The targeted population for the study consisted all the 16,256 Junior Secondary Schools (JSS) three students in all 209 public secondary schools across the 16 Local Government Areas of Ekiti State as at the time of the study and the sample for the study consisted of 240 JSS 3 students selected from the three Senatorial Districts of Ekiti State using multistage sampling procedure. Two instruments titled; "Students' Variables Questionnaire (SVQ)" and "Inventory on Junior Secondary School Certificate Examination (IJSSCE)" were used for collection of data for the study. Face and content validities of SVQ was ensured through experts in Tests and Measurement, Science Education and Psychology. Test-retest method was used to establish reliability coefficient of 0.89 for SVQ. Data collected were analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Specifically, research question was analysed using frequency count and percentage, hypotheses 1 and 2 were tested using Pearson Product Moment Correlation at 0.05 level of significance. The results of the analysis showed that the level of secondary school students’ academic performance in Basic Science in Ekiti State was moderate and that there was significant relationship between both students’ anxiety and motivation on academic performance in Basic Science. Based on the findings of the study, it was concluded that Students’ variables such as anxiety and motivation were important factors that influence academic performance in Basic Science. It was therefore recommended that Basic Science teaching stake holders should raise public awareness of the crippling influence of anxiety and motivation on students' academic performance in Basic Science, school counsellors should work with the Ministry of Education to develop and implement public education programmes.