SELF-EFFICACY AS PREDICTOR OF STUDENTS' ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT IN BIOLOGY IN POST BASIC SCHOOLS OF ADAMAWA STATE, NIGERIA

This study examines self-efficacy as predictor of students’ academic achievement in biology in post basic schools of Adamawa State, Nigeria Three research questions and three null hypotheses were formulated and tested at 0.05 level of significance. This study employed a predictive correlation research design. Population of the study consist of 48,760 of all the senior secondary school SS II biology students in Adamawa state with sample of 300 SS II biology students from six selected senior secondary schools. Two instruments were used for data collection namely: Self Efficacy Scale developed by Albert Bandura in (1977) (SES) and a proforma of SS II Biology Terminal Results (BTR). The face and construct validity were determined. Data obtained were subjected to a Cronbach alpha and reliability coefficient of 0.80 was obtained. The data collected were analyzed using descriptive statistics of mean and standard deviation to answer research questions while hypotheses were tested at a 0.05 level of significance. The findings revealed that mastery experience predicts academic achievement of students in biology in Post Basic Schools of Adamawa State, Vicarious experiences predicts academic achievement of students in biology in Post Basic Schools of Adamawa State, Verbal persuasion predicts academic achievement of students in biology in Post Basic Schools of Adamawa State. It was recommended that school administrators should create structured opportunities for students to engage in reflective practices. Biology teachers should encourage to incorporate peer modeling and collaborative learning activities into their teaching.