Senior Secondary Students Research Articles

Career development and the COVID-19 outbreak: protective functions of career-related teacher support

ABSTRACT It is well established that COVID-19 pandemic is associated with arousal of feelings of hopelessness and negativity in adolescents regarding future career development outcomes. However, the current literature has yet to clarify the roles teacher social support play in facilitating students’ positive career development during the pandemic. This study investigated the effects of career-related teacher support (CRTS) on ameliorating students’ feelings of hopelessness and increasing their career self-efficacy among 402 senior secondary students (Grades 10-12) in Hong Kong, China. Results from mediated moderation analyses showed that academic ability was only weakly related to career self-efficacy. Hopelessness was not a significant moderator concerning the link between academic ability and career self-efficacy when CRTS functioned as the mediator.

EFFECTS OF COMPUTER-BASED SIMULATIONS AND VIDEO INSTRUCTIONAL PACKAGES ON THE ATTITUDE OF SENIOR SECONDARY SCHOOL PHYSICS STUDENTS IN OSUN STATE, NIGERIA

The study examined the effect of Computer-Based Simulations (CBSs) or Video Instructional Package (VIP) on secondary school students’ attitude towards Physics in Osun State, Nigeria. It also determined if there are interactions between student’s sex and the effects of CBSs or VIP on the students’ attitude towards Physics. The study adopted pretest, posttest, control group quasi-experimental design. One hundred and thirteen senior secondary school Physics students were selected from all the Physics students in the senior secondary schools in Osun State using a multistage sampling procedure. The students were grouped into two experimental groups and one control. Physics Students’ Attitude Questionnaire (PSAQ) was used for data gathering. The content validity ratio (α = 1) was obtained for the instrument and Split half method was used to determine the reliability of the instrument and Spearman-Brown coefficient r = 0.86 was obtained for its reliability. Analysis of data showed no significant difference in the attitude of the students irrespective of the method of instruction (F(2,110) = 1.17 ; p > 0.05). The finding also showed no significant interaction between sex and the effects of CBSs or VIP on the students’ attitude towards Physics (F(2,112) = 0.25 ; p > 0.05). The study concluded both Computer Based Simulations and Video Instructional Package had the same effects on secondary school students’ attitude towards Physics and also sex did not significantly intervene on the effects of CBSs or VIP on secondary school students’ attitude towards Physics.<p> </p><p><strong> Article visualizations:</strong></p><p><img src="/-counters-/soc/0009/a.php" alt="Hit counter" /></p>

The importance of STEM

Engineering is the foundation of the infrastructure, resources, products, systems and services that serve our community. As technology advances there is high demand for science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) skills to keep up with the requirements of every industry. However, the statistics and research imply that supply will not meet demand in the very near future, and, in Australia less than 15% of STEM graduates are female. Taking into consideration the industry in which we operate and Clough’s strategic priorities and ESG (environmental, social and governance) framework, we recognised the need to support STEM and to spark curiosity in these subjects during high school years when students are making the key decision about what profession they will pursue. Clough also recognised that it required collaboration between schools, universities and industry. In 2021, Clough developed a program that included: a pipeline of touch points to ensure STEM careers and industry opportunities were presented as early as Year 7; a partnership with a local university to work with girls in Year 11, targeting senior secondary students studying prerequisite mathematics to offer them exposure to engineering activities, role models and career opportunities; a partnership with Engineers Australia; Open Days at our offices for school students in Years 10–12 to provide them with an opportunity to experience engineering as a career; a revamp of Clough’s Scholarship program to support students during their first years of university; and an internship program for STEM-related functions from the first year of university.

Statistical Analysis on Influence of Biology Laboratory Practicalon Senior Secondary Students’ Academic Performance in Ilorin East Lga, Kwara State

High achievement especially in Biology is usually enhanced by proper Biology laboratory practical. However, it is assumed that most Biology teachers resort strictly to the use of theoretical method in teaching. This has constantly led to poor performance of students in the Senior Secondary School Certificate Examination across Nigeria. Therefore, this study investigated the statistical analysis on influence of Biology laboratory practical on students’ academic performance of Senior Secondary Students in Ilorin East, Kwara State, Nigeria. The study was a descriptive survey type. One hundred and twenty (120) students were sampled for the study using proportionate and simple random sampling technique in Ilorin East L.G.A, Kwara State, Nigeria. A researched designed questionnaire was used to accumulate information from respondents. Three research questions and two research hypotheses formulated were tested using percentage, mean, frequency count and independent t. test and ANOVA at 0.05alpha level of significant. The result of findings revealed that Biology laboratory practical has a great influence on senior secondary school students' academic performance and also on the level of understanding and retention capabilities of students but there was no significant influence of Biology laboratory practical on students’ academic performance based on gender but not was significant based on class size

Impact of ethnobiology-based instruction and peer tutoring on the achievement of senior secondary school biology students in Ogun state southwest Nigeria

This study investigated the impact of Ethnobiology-Based instruction Peer Tutoring on Achievement of Senior Secondary School Biology Students in Ogun State. The study employed Explanatory sequential mixed-methods approach. The quantitative approach was quasi experimental pretest-posttest non-equivalent group design. Three research questions and one hypothesis was formulated to guide the study. The population of the study comprised of all Biology students in public Senior Secondary Schools in Abeokuta zone. Purposive sampling technique was used to select six Public Schools from two zones (Abeokuta South and Abeokuta North). Biology students in six intact classes of SSS III took part in the study. The sample size of 313 biology students with 101 students in the experimental group 1 (48 male and 53 female), 117 students in the experimental group 2 (57 male and 60 female) and 95 students in control group (38 male and 57 female) which were taught the same biology content for a period of four weeks. The experimental groups received instructions through the use of Ethnobiology-Based Instruction and Peer Tutoring while the control group was taught using lecture method. The data gathering instruments were Biology Achievement Test (BAT) and Students Semi-structured Interview Guide (SSIG). The reliability coefficient of the BAT was established using test- retest and yielded 0.87. Descriptive statistics in form of mean, standard deviation and histogram plot were used to answer the research question while the hypothesis was tested using ANCOVA at 0.05 level of significance. The inferential analysis of hypothesis one has a significant difference on Students’ academic achievement in Biology (F (2,309) = 386.85; p < 0.05), this indicated that the hypothesis is hereby rejected since a significant difference is obtained. The results from the study revealed that the treatments positively improved the academic achievements of students and the students taught using ethnobiology-based instruction had higher test result and outperformed those in Peer Tutoring and lecture method group, but the students in Peer tutoring group also performed better than those in lecture method group. This implies that Ethnobiology-Based instruction is more effective in enhancing Students’ performance in biology and it helps to break barriers to meaningful learning of biology. Based on the findings of this study, it was recommended that Biology teachers should relate learning to students’ cultural views and encourage peer tutoring.

The morphology and effect of SMS/social media habituation on the spelling patterns of some secondary students in delta state, Nigeria

The influence of technology and the internet on modern English language is indisputable. Social media apps have become the most enduring sources of spelling innovations in English. With insights from morphology, this paper utilises a descriptive approach to investigate the effect of habituation, measured in terms of the frequency of use of chat platforms, on the spelling behaviour of one hundred and sixty senior secondary students in rural and cosmopolitan communities. Data is generated from one hundred sixty senior secondary school students with questionnaires and written compositions. The findings indicate that habitual users of SMS/social media chat platforms unconsciously transfer spelling patterns characteristic of social media messaging applications into formal written English. The data also indicate that the phenomenon mainly operates on monosyllabic words vis disyllabic and polysyllabic categories. The paper recommends less prescriptivism of the phenomenon and an understanding of the process as a phase in the evolution of the English language.

Effects of Audio-Visual Media on Academic Achievement of Senior Secondary Schools Islamic Studies Students in Kwara State, Nigeria

The Nigeria government provide audio visual media for their teachers for the effective teaching and learning process of the all subjects. Academic achievement is the performance of students in the subjects they study in the school. This determines the pupils’ status in the class. This gives children an opportunity to develop their talents, improve their grades and prepare for future academic challenges. The above fact calls for investigation on the effects of audio-visual media on academic achievement of senior secondary schools’ Islamic Studies students in Kwara State, Nigeria. This study adopted a quasi-experimental research design. the specific research design used was pretest and posttest, non-equivalent control group design. The population for this study was one hundred and fifty-seven (157) Islamic studies students in Ilorin South, Kwara State, Nigeria. Simple randomly sampling technique was using to select 50 SS II Islamic Studies students in senior secondary school in Ilorin South, Kwara State, Nigeria. This study also used 25 students for experimental group and 25 students for control group. Questionnaire was used for data analysis. Hypotheses were tested using t-test statistical package at an alpha level of 0.05. The finding of the study revealed that there was a significant difference in the academic achievement of private and public senior secondary school students taught Islamic studies using audio-visual media and those taught using chart. The result also revealed that there was no significant difference in academic achievement of male and female students taught Islamic studies using audio-visual media and those taught using chart. Also, there was no significant difference in academic achievement of rural and urban senior secondary school students taught Islamic studies using audio-visual media and those taught using chart This study concluded that audio-visual media has a significant effect on academic achievement of senior secondary school Islamic Studies students. The study recommended that infrastructure of the schools should be designed in such a way that of audio-visual aids could be used successfully.

The physics of outdoor air conditioning and evaporative cooling

In outdoor air conditioning (AC) systems, a fine spray of water mist is used to evaporate water and extract heat from the air. Misting systems use high pressure nozzles to produce water drops 5 μm in diameter. This dramatically increases the surface area of the water–air interface for a given volume of water facilitating heat transfer from air to water. Small drops stay suspended in the air for a sufficient amount of time to allow complete evaporation. An example of a misting system in operation at a Café in Montville, Queensland, Australia is discussed. As well as being cheaper to run, misting systems are less harmful to the environment since they reduce the dependence on indoor AC. This is an important topic to discuss with students in relation to climate change. A classroom experiment suitable for senior secondary and first-year university students is described in which a fan is used to blow air across a shallow container of water placed on an electronic balance. The experiment was performed throughout the day and night during periods of low and high humidity. Data collected from this experiment indicated that evaporation was much higher during the day than at night. In view of climate change and global warming, heat, energy and evaporation are important subjects to teach students, especially considering that these students will soon be adults making important decisions around sustainability and environmental protection in their day-to-day lives, and develope future policies to mitigate the impact of climate change.

A study on the holistic units teaching design of quality-oriented senior secondary language

The 2017 Senior Secondary Language Curriculum standards set out the core literacies of senior secondary language students in four dimensions: language, thinking, aesthetics and culture. The core language literacy is in line with the new era's focus on the concept of “deep learning”. Teachers can fully mobilize students' learning, build on the language, develop students' learning ability and creativity, improve their language skills, broaden their horizons, enrich their emotions, cooperate and communicate with their peers, etc., so that learning is consciously pursued towards quality all-round. Here we are concerned that the new version of the unified version of the high school language textbook, which is based on the new curriculum standards, has changed significantly, highlighting the advantages of the traditional “unit teaching”. In this context, based on our understanding of core literacy and new educational theories, we propose to move from "unit teaching" to “holistic unit teaching” in language teaching, relying on textbooks.

Impact of dialectic behaviour therapy and assertiveness training on the mental health of socially stressed senior secondary students

Social stress resulting from substance abuse is a growing global concern. It is linked to mental health with psychosocial challenges faced by a large number of the populace in Nigeria. It is worrisome, especially among students in senior secondary schools in Port-Harcourt Metropolis. Thus, this research examined ‘Dialectic Behaviour Therapy and Assertiveness Training’ in managing psychosocial mental health problems of senior secondary school students who abuse substances in the Port-Harcourt metropolis. Tests before and after the study had a population of 9.650 students and employed quasi-experimental procedures. For the study, a 75-student sample from senior secondary school 2, comprised of 37 males and 38 females, was selected utilizing a multistage selection approach. Car, Relax, Alone, Forget, Family/Friends Trouble, Edinburg Mental well-being scale, and Social Phobia Inventory were the instruments utilized to collect the data. Findings revealed significant differences in the psychosocial problems of adolescents in senior secondary schools because of the interventions, however, dialectic behaviour therapy made more impact in the reduction of adolescents’ social stress though both treatments had a significant impact. Keywords: Assertiveness training, dialectic behaviour therapy, mental health, social stress, substance abuse

Development and Factorial Validation of Meta-Cognitive Awareness Inventory in Physics (MAIP) for Senior Secondary School Students in Benue State, Nigeria

Purpose: The study developed and factorial validated of Meta-cognitive Awareness Inventory in Physics (MAIP) for senior secondary school students in Benue State, Nigeria. Three research questions and one null hypothesis guided the study. Methodology: The study adopted instrumentation design. The sample comprised 1382 SSII students that offered Physics as a school subject for 2020/2021 Academic Session. The Meta-cognitive Awareness Inventory in Physics (MAIP) was face validated by five experts. Construct validation was carried out on the instrument. Coefficient of internal consistency was obtained through Cronbach’s Alpha and found to be 0.78. The research questions were answered using factor analysis, coefficient of internal consistency, mean and standard deviations. The null hypothesis was tested using independent t-test at 0.05 level of significance. Findings: The findings revealed that MAIP has 52 factorially simple or pure items and 23 factorially complex items in terms of their factor loadings. The coefficient of internal consistency of MAIP was found to be 0.98. It was also found that there was statistically significant difference in the mean meta-cognitive awareness ratings of students in rural and urban areas in favour of students in urban area using MAIP. Signifinance: It was recommended among others that Senior Secondary students should use the MAIP to determine their level of meta-cognitive awareness in Physics in both urban and rural schools. This may enable them to gain awareness and control over themselves as learners for effective learning of Physics in secondary schools irrespective of their locations.

Career aspirations of senior secondary school students in Eswatini

Understanding the career aspirations of students can inform policymakers and educators on how best they can be supported at society and school levels to facilitate the transition from school to further education and work. Existing literature is not comprehensive on the career aspirations of secondary school students in Eswatini, yet they are important. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to identify the career aspirations of senior secondary school students in Eswatini. The design of the study was a descriptive survey targeting Form-4 students, from eight schools in Eswatini. A total of 180 students were randomly sampled. A questionnaire was developed and used for data collection. Data were analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Findings revealed that most of the senior secondary students aspired to be medical doctors, pilots, and actors. Thus, being a medical doctor, pilot and actor were the most desired careers by senior secondary school students in Eswatini. The study recommended that career guidance and counselling officials should organise career expos so that students are exposed to a wide range of career choices. Keywords: Career, career aspirations, career path, sources of aspiration;

Statistical Analysis on Influence of Biology Laboratory Practical on Senior Secondary Students’ Academic Performance in Ilorin East Lga, Kwara State

High achievement especially in Biology is usually enhanced by proper Biology laboratory practical. However, it is assumed that most Biology teachers resort strictly to the use of theoretical method in teaching. This has constantly led to poor performance of students in the Senior Secondary School Certificate Examination across Nigeria. Therefore, this study investigated the statistical analysis on influence of Biology laboratory practical on students’ academic performance of Senior Secondary Students in Ilorin East, Kwara State, Nigeria. The study was a descriptive survey type. One hundred and twenty (120) students were sampled for the study using proportionate and simple random sampling technique in Ilorin East L.G.A, Kwara State, Nigeria. A researched designed questionnaire was used to accumulate information from respondents. Three research questions and two research hypotheses formulated were tested using percentage, mean, frequency count and independent t. test and ANOVA at 0.05alpha level of significant. The result of findings revealed that Biology laboratory practical has a great influence on senior secondary school students' academic performance and also on the level of understanding and retention capabilities of students but there was no significant influence of Biology laboratory practical on students’ academic performance based on gender but not was significant based on class size. It is thus recommended that; all Biology teachers should engage students more in pratical activities more than the theory aspect to facilitate better understanding among the students, Ministry of Education should provide adequate laboratory equipment and good laboratory environment to promote spirit of curiosity in students and stakeholders should build more infrastructure such as laboratories, classrooms and others.

A Comparative Study of Social Competence of Senior Secondary Students on the Basis of Religion & Gender

A Comparative Study of Social Competence of Senior Secondary Students on the Basis of Religion & Gender

SELF–ESTEEM, PEER PRESSURE, EXAMINATION ANXIETY AND ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE OF SENIOR SECONDARY STUDENTS IN DELTA NORTH SENATORIAL DISTRICT, NIGERIA

This study examined self-esteem, peer pressure, examination anxiety and the academic performance of senior secondary students in Delta North Senatorial District of Delta State. Six research questions and six hypotheses guided the study. The study adopted a correlational research design. The population of the study comprised all public Senior Secondary School Three (SSS 3) students in Delta North Senatorial District. The sample of the study comprised 1,647 senior secondary school students in Delta North Senatorial District. A multistage sampling procedure was used. A questionnaire and students’ English Language questions were used for data collection in this study. The face validity of the questionnaire was examined through experts’ judgment while factor analysis was used to estimate its content and construct validities. The reliability was tested by using Cronbach’s alpha for estimating the internal consistency of the instrument. This yielded a reliability index of 0.61 for Self-Esteem Rating Scale; 0.70 for Peer Pressure Rating Scale; and 0.71 for Examination Anxiety Rating Scale. The data obtained were analysed with Pearson’s coefficient of determination and regression statistics at a 0.05 level of significance. The findings of the study revealed that there is a significant relationship between self-esteem and academic performance; between peer pressure and academic performance; between examination anxiety and academic performance; and among self-esteem, peer pressure, examination anxiety and the academic performance of senior secondary school students. The study, however, found that there is no significant moderating impact of sex and school location on the relationship between self-esteem, peer pressure, examination anxiety and the academic performance of senior secondary school students. The study recommended that Guidance counsellors should implement the psychoeducational program in schools to provide a chance for students to express themselves and develop their self-esteem and self-confidence.<p> </p><p><strong> Article visualizations:</strong></p><p><img src="/-counters-/soc/0251/a.php" alt="Hit counter" /></p>

Impact of dialectic behavior therapy and assertiveness training on mental health of socially stressed senior secondary students

Social stress from substance abuse is common and worrisome, especially among adolescents. Therefore, this study examined “Dialectical Behavior Therapy and Assertiveness Training” in the management of mental health problems of high school seniors who abuse substances. In the resADDREearch, quasi-experimental pre-test and post-test design were used. The research was conducted with 75 students using the multi-stage sampling method. Tools used to collect data are Car, Relax, Alone, Forget, Family/Friend Issue, Warwick Edinburgh Mental Well-Being Scale, and Social Phobia Inventory. Two research questions were raised, and two research hypotheses were tested at the 0.05 significance level. The findings revealed that there was a significant difference in the psychosocial problems of adolescents in high school seniors as a result of the interventions, but dialectical behavioral Therapy had a greater effect in reducing adolescents’ social stress, although both treatments had significant effects. Based on the findings, it was recommended that assertiveness education be added to the secondary school curriculum to reduce the incidence of substance abuse.
 Keywords: Mental health, substance abuse, dialectic behavior therapy, assertiveness training.

Incentivising student enrolments in secondary mathematics courses: is a 10% bonus enough?

This replicated research project [see Hine, G. S. C. (2019). Reasons why I didn’t enrol in a higher-level mathematics course: Listening to the voice of Australian senior secondary students. Research in Mathematics Education, 21(3), 295–313. https://doi.org/10.1080/14794802.2019.15999982019] explored the reasons why senior secondary (i.e. Year 11 and Year 12) students elected not to enrol in a higher-level mathematics course. For this project, all senior secondary Australian Tertiary Admissions Ranking (ATAR) students within Western Australian schools (aged 17–18 years) were invited to participate in an anonymous, online survey comprised predominantly of qualitative items. The researcher analysed 1633 ATAR students’ perspectives of enrolments in mathematics courses, according to a symbolic interactionist paradigm. Reasons included the extent to which students feel higher-level courses are too challenging, time-consuming, not required for university nor future life, and requiring more effort and stress to complete than lower-level mathematics courses. Especially outlined is the extent to which participants feel a 10% bonus is a sufficient incentive to increase higher-level course enrolments, an extension of the original project. Participants indicated a range of responses either supporting or opposing this incentive. While approximately 47% of participants agree that the incentive is sufficient, a small proportion of these supporters offer their agreement conditionally. Within the proportion asserting the incentive is insufficient, a majority of participants suggested that a higher percentage bonus should be offered to students enrolled in Mathematics Specialist.

Assessment of Information and Communication Technologies Awareness Level among Secondary School Students in Delta State, Nigeria

The major purpose of this study is the assessment of ICTs awareness level among senior secondary school students, Ethiope East Local Government Area in Delta State. The study made effort to examine the assessment of ICTs awareness level among senior secondary school students, based on the statement of problems, five research questions were raised and answered. The study adopted a survey oriented method design. The sample for the study consists of 119 respondents selected from 24 secondary schools in Ethiope East Local Government Area, Delta State. The responses of the 20 items questionnaire developed were analysed through the simple percentage, mean and chi-square. The findings from the analysis shows that lack of ICTs/computer laboratory in senior secondary schools do not affect the awareness level of ICTs among senior secondary school students, second findings revealed that lack of student access to ICTs in senior secondary schools do not affect the awareness level of ICTs among senior secondary schools students, the third finding revealed that inadequate ICTs facilities/equipments in senior secondary school do not affect the awareness level of ICTs among senior secondary school students. Furthermore, the fourth finding revealed that students perceive ineffectiveness of ICTs for learning in senior secondary school do not affect the awareness level of ICTs among senior secondary school students. The fifth and final finding revealed that factors hindering teacher’s readiness and confidence of using ICTs in senior secondary schools do not affect the awareness level of ICTs among senior secondary school students. Based on the findings, it was recommended that adequate ICTs instructional teaching aid should be provided in the senior secondary school. Teachers should try to introduce to the senior secondary students the current trend in ICTs education. At that level training and retraining of secondary school teachers on the use of ICTs should be encouraged by government. This research is a product of recent survey carried out by the research hence the findings reported here are original and reflect the current views of assessment of ICTs awareness level among senior secondary students in Delta State.

The reciprocal relationship among Chinese senior secondary students’ intrinsic and extrinsic motivation and cognitive engagement in learning mathematics: a three-wave longitudinal study

In the present longitudinal study, cross-lagged path models were applied to investigate the potential reciprocal relationships between senior secondary school students’ motivation and their cognitive engagement, using data from 623 Chinese senior secondary school students across 2 years. The 623 students completed self-reported measures of motivation and engagement at three time points within 2 years. The results suggest that the participants held a mixed type of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation to learn mathematics and did not hold a deep level of cognitive engagement in mathematics learning. Compared with their extrinisic motivation, their intrinsic motivation to learn mathematics was more closely related to their cognitive engagement in mathematics learning, which points to a stronger reciprocal effect between their cognitive engagement and intrinsic motivation. The findings suggest that societal and cultural factors, such as the strong examination culture and high external expectations might be influential factors affecting the reciprocal relationships among students’ motivation and cognitive engagement.

Subject Stream Prediction: A Machine learning Approach to Select the Suitable Subject Stream for Senior Secondary Students in Sri Lanka

Subject Stream Prediction: A Machine learning Approach to Select the Suitable Subject Stream for Senior Secondary Students in Sri Lanka