Effects of Self-Efficacy on the Academic Achievement of Biology Students in Secondary Schools in Delta State

Abstract

This study assessed the effects of self-efficacy on the academic achievement of biology students in secondary schools in Delta State. The study population comprised all biology students in public senior secondary schools in Delta State. The sample was 245 biology students drawn from six (6) schools using stratified random sampling technique. The pre-test post-test control group quasi-experimental design was used in this study. Biology Achievement Test (BAT) and self-efficacy questionnaire were used as instruments for data gathering. The data collected were analysed using the mean, standard deviation, and t-test. Findings revealed that, although there is a significant difference between the post-test scores of biology students taught with the self-efficacy strategy and those taught with the lecture method, there is no significant difference between the post-test scores of male and female biology students taught with the self-efficacy strategy. The study concludes that self-efficacy is a major variable that affects the academic achievement of biology students in secondary schools in Delta State. The study recommends that the government, through the Ministry of Education, train teachers to acquire self-efficacy skills to help them teach more effectively, efficiently, and make the teaching-learning process more meaningful in order to improve the academic achievement of biology students, boost students’ confidence in their ability to perform a task efficaciously, and not give up while facing difficulties.