Instructional Resources Availability, Students' Motivation and Academic Achievement in Oral English among Public Secondary School Students in Ibadan North-West Local Government, Oyo State

This study examined the combined and relative influence of instructional resources availability and students’ motivation on academic achievement in Oral English among public secondary school students in Ibadan North-West Local Government Area, Oyo State, Nigeria. Despite sustained efforts by educational stakeholders to improve Oral English performance, achievement levels remain a concern. Although previous studies have investigated these factors separately in other contexts, empirical evidence on their joint influence in this specific locality is limited. Three research questions and two hypotheses guided the study. A descriptive survey design was adopted. The population comprised 2,055 SS2 students in 13 public secondary schools. A multi-stage sampling technique yielded a sample of 281 students, of which 279 provided complete and usable responses. Data were collected using a self-developed questionnaire (Students’ Academic Achievement in Oral English Questionnaire – SAAOEQ) and a 20-item achievement test drawn from the 2024 SSCE Oral English paper. Descriptive statistics (frequencies, percentages, means and standard deviations) and multiple regression analysis were employed. Findings revealed that academic achievement in Oral English was generally modest, with 51.2% of students scoring below 50 marks. Availability of instructional resources was low (overall weighted mean = 1.98) and students’ motivation was also low (overall weighted mean = 1.96). The two predictors jointly exerted a statistically significant influence on achievement (Adj. R² = .132; F(2, 276) = 22.109; p < .001). Relatively, students’ motivation had a significant positive influence (β = .418, p < .001), whereas instructional resources availability showed a significant negative association (β = –.427, p < .001). The negative coefficient for resources is interpreted as reflecting possible deficiencies in the quality, relevance or classroom utilisation of available materials rather than an inherent negative effect of resources. It is recommended that education authorities improve the provision and maintenance of appropriate Oral English resources, that teachers receive targeted professional development on communicative pedagogy and effective resource integration, and that schools monitor not only resource availability but also actual classroom use.