INFLUENCE OF ACADEMIC DISHONESTY AND BULLYING ON SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS’ ATTITUDES TO SCHOOLING IN BAUCHI EMIRATE, BAUCHI STATE, NIGERIA

This study examines academic dishonesty and bullying as correlates of secondary school students attitudes to schooling in Bauchi emirate, Bauchi state Nigeria. A correlational research design was employed for the study. A multistage sampling technique was used to select sample of 869 from population of 8,674 senior secondary two (SS2) students in the fifty-four (54) public secondary schools in Bauchi Emirate, Bauchi State Nigeria. Students Deviant Behaviours Questionnaire (SDBPIQ, α = 0.961) and Students Attitude to Schooling Questionnaire (SASQ, α = 0.949) were used for data collection. Data collected were analyzed using descriptive statistics such as frequency counts, means and percentage, and inferential statistic such as chi-square technique. Results indicated high extent of academic dishonesty and bullying among the secondary school students. Also, the direction of attitude of secondary school students towards schooling was significantly related to academic dishonesty [X2 (2) = 36.40, p = 0.000] and bullying [X2 (2) = 58.93, p = 0.000]. The study concluded that academic dishonesty and bullying are significant correlates of senior secondary school students’ attitudes towards schooling. It was recommended that attitudes of senior secondary school students towards schooling should be improved by the students themselves and through effective monitoring and control of academic dishonesty and bullying by school authority and government.