Relationships between primary school pupils’ academic performance in basic science and technology with age and gender in Sokoto State, Nigeria

Ibrahim NT

Department of Biology, Shehu Shagari College of Education, Sokoto

E-mail: natambuwal68@gmail.com  GSM: +2348036084320

Accepted 03 February, 2015

Abstract

The study was carried out to find out relationship between primary school pupils’ academic performance in Basic Science and Technology with age and gender in Sokoto state, Nigeria. Studies have shown that age and gender affect pupils’ academic performance in some areas of knowledge. Two research questions and two hypotheses were raised, answered and tested respectively at .05 level of significance. The researcher used Correlation Research Design because it measures relationship. The research was limited to twelve public primary schools sampled from the four educational zones of Sokoto state Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB). A population of 2810 and a sample of 690 pupils were obtained by Hat-draw means through Stratified Proportionate Random Sampling. A 20-item Basic Science and Technology (BST) Performance Test for primary six pupils was employed as instrument for data collection by the researcher, which was validated by senior Science Education scholars. The instrument was found reliable at 0.86. t-Test was used in the analysis of data to find difference and this was inferred to find relationship between the variables. Hypothesis one (H_O1) was accepted thus; there was no significant difference between younger and older primary school pupils’ academic performance in BST. Hypothesis two (H_O2) was rejected meaning there was significant difference between male and female primary school pupils’ academic performance in BST and their gender in Sokoto state, Nigeria. The study implied that age has no effect on pupils academic performance, and gender has effect on, pupils performance in BST. The researcher recommend that the National Orientation Agency (NOA), parents and other relevant agencies shall put more effort on encouraging enrolment of wards to school at the stipulated age as recommended by the Federal Republic of Nigeria: National Policy on Education (FME:NPE), and that age shall not be stigma for enrolling in school. Curriculum planners and teachers should be gender sensitive in curriculum delivery so as to allow equal opportunity for all gender to pursue science and science related careers. As suggestion, further research shall reach private primary schools and even beyond, also gender performance in other subjects and in other states shall be researched.

Keywords: Academic Performance, Age, Gender, Relationship