MULTIPLE REGRESSION ANALYSIS OF PREDICTIVE POTENCY OF SCHOOL ADMINISTRATIVE EFFECTIVENESS, ICT-MEDIATED LIBRARY USE, GUIDANCE SERVICES, AND CURRICULUM EFFECTIVENESS ON SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS’ ACHIEVEMENT IN PHYSICS

Abstract

This study investigated the predictive potency of school administrative effectiveness, ICT-mediated library use, guidance services, and curriculum effectiveness on secondary school students’ achievement in Physics in South-East Nigeria. Six research questions and six null hypotheses guided the study. The study adopted a predictive correlational research design. The population comprised all Senior Secondary School Two (SS II) Physics students in public secondary schools in South-East Nigeria. A sample size of 415 SS II students offering Physics in South-East, Nigeria was used for the study using multi-stage sampling procedure involving simple random sampling technique and stratified proportionate sampling technique. Five instruments were used for data collection, they are; School Administrative Effectiveness Questionnaire (SAEQ), ICT-Mediated Library Use Questionnaire (ICT-MLUQ), Guidance Services Questionnaire (GSQ), Curriculum Effectiveness Questionnaire (CEQ) and Physics Achievement Test (PAT). The instruments were subjected to face validation by five experts, each from Measurement and Evaluation, Educational Management, Library and Information Science, ICT, Guidance and Counselling, Curriculum and Physics Education. The reliability of the instruments (SAEQ, ICT-MLUQ, GSQ, CEQ and PAT) was determined using Cronbach’s Alpha method. A reliability coefficient of 0.84, .89, .82 and .88 were obtained for SAEQ, ICT-MLUQ, GSQ, and CEQ respectively, while the reliability coefficient of .91 was obtained for PAT using Kuder Richardson 20 (KR-20). Data were analyzed using simple and multiple regression analyses at a 0.05 level of significance. The findings revealed that school administrative effectiveness significantly predicted students’ achievement in Physics (R = .573, R² = .328, p < .05), accounting for 32.8% of the variance in achievement. ICT-mediated library use significantly predicted students’ achievement in Physics (R = .612, R² = .375, p < .05), explaining 37.5% of the variance. Guidance services significantly predicted students’ achievement in Physics (R = .535, R² = .286, p < .05), accounting for 28.6% of the variance, while curriculum effectiveness significantly predicted students’ achievement in Physics (R = .658, R² = .433, p < .05), explaining 43.3% of the variance. The four predictor variables jointly exhibited significant predictive potency on students’ achievement in Physics (R = .897, R² = .804, Adjusted R² = .803, p < .05), accounting for 80.4% of the variance in achievement. The relative predictive potency of the variables, based on standardized beta coefficients, showed that curriculum effectiveness (β = .378) was the strongest predictor, followed by ICT-mediated library use (β = .348), school administrative effectiveness (β = .341), and guidance services (β = .277). The study concluded that school administrative effectiveness, ICT-mediated library use, guidance services, and curriculum effectiveness are significant predictors of secondary school students’ achievement in Physics, with curriculum effectiveness exerting the greatest influence. It was recommended, among others, that educational stakeholders should prioritize effective curriculum implementation, strengthen ICT-mediated library services, improve school administrative practices, and enhance guidance services to improve students’ achievement in Physics.