SOCIAL ADJUSTMENT STRATEGIES AND ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT OF SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS IN GOVERNMENT IN ETCHE LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA OF RIVERS STATE

Hanson Manuabuchi Ukaegbu  ¹

Gertrude Ezinne Nnaji ²

Department of Guidance and Counselling, University of Uyo, Nigeria ^{1 & 2}

Corresponding Email: ukaegbuhanson@uniuyo.edu.ng ¹

Abstract

The study investigated the relationship between social adjustment strategies and academic achievement of secondary school students in Government in Etche Local Government Area of Rivers State. Three research questions and three null hypotheses guided the study. A correlational research design was adopted for the study. The population of the study comprised 5,076 students offering Government as a subject in 25 public senior secondary schools in Etche Local Government Area of Rivers State. A sample of 346 Senior Secondary Two Students offering Government was selected for the study using multi-stage sampling procedure. Two researcher-made instruments, entitled “Social Adjustment Strategies Questionnaire” (SASQ) and “Government Achievement Test” (GAT) were used for data collection. Social Adjustment Strategies Questionnaire was face validated while Government Achievement Test was content validated. The internal consistency reliability of the instruments were established which yielded reliability coefficients of .73 and .75 for SASQ and GAT respectively. Pearson Product Moment Correlation statistic was used to answer the research questions and also test the null hypotheses. Analysis of data revealed that there is a significant positive relationship between peer interaction, help-seeking behaviour, emotional self-regulation and academic achievement of secondary school students in Government in Etche Local Government Area of Rivers State. Based on the findings, conclusions were drawn and three recommendations made among which is that secondary schools in Etche Local government Area should promote collaborative learning activities such as group discussions, debates, and peer tutoring to enhance peer interaction among students.

Keywords: Social, Adjustment, Strategies, Academic, Achievement, Students.