ENVIRONMENTAL VARIABLES AND STUDENTS’ QUALITY LEARNING OUTCOMES IN PUBLIC SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN RIVERS STATE, NIGERIA

Abstract

The study investigated how environmental variables affect the quality of students’ learning outcomes in secondary schools in Rivers State, Nigeria. Three research questions and three hypotheses guided the study. A correlational research design was adopted. The population comprised 6,956 teachers in all the 278 public secondary schools in Rivers State. A sample of 801 teachers, which represents 12 % of the population, was randomly selected. Two self-designed instruments titled: “Environmental Variables Questionnaire (EVQ)” and “Students’ Quality Learning Outcomes Questionnaire (SQLOQ)” were used for data collection. The instruments were structured after the modified Likert four-point rating scales. Face and content validity were implemented. The Cronbach’s Alpha method was used to establish internal consistency of 0.79 for EVQ and 0.83 for SQLOQ respectively. Research questions 1 and 2 were answered using simple regression while research question 3 was answered using multiple regression. Hypotheses 1 and 2 were tested with a t-test associated with simple regression at 0.05 alpha level while hypothesis 3 was tested using ANOVA associated with multiple regression. The findings of the study revealed, among others, that environmental variables significantly predicted students’ quality learning outcomes in public secondary schools in Rivers State. Based on the findings, it was recommended that parents and guardians should be actively involved with School Management in their children’s academic progress to enable them to know their academic performance and where they can assist in ensuring quality learning outcomes.