INFLUENCE OF SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS' ENGAGEMENT ON ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT IN MATHEMATICS IN ANAMBRA STATE, NIGERIA

Abstract

This study investigated the influence of secondary school students' engagement on academic achievement in Mathematics in Anambra State, Nigeria, and examined whether gender moderates this relationship. The study was anchored on the Self-Determination Theory and the Theory of Constraints and adopted a correlational research design. The population comprised 20,148 Senior Secondary II (SS II) students in 226 mixed public secondary schools in Anambra State, while a sample of 385 students was selected through proportionate stratified random sampling. Data were collected using the Students' Engagement Questionnaire (SEQ) and students' Mathematics academic achievement scores obtained from school records. The questionnaire was validated by experts in Mathematics Education, Measurement and Evaluation, and Educational Psychology. Cronbach's alpha coefficients of 0.813, 0.784 and 0.783 were obtained for the behavioural, cognitive and emotional engagement subscales respectively. Data were analyzed using mean and standard deviation, independent-samples t-test, multiple regression and hierarchical multiple regression at the 0.05 level of significance. The findings revealed that students demonstrated a moderate level of engagement in Mathematics. Behavioural, cognitive and emotional engagement jointly had a significant influence on academic achievement in Mathematics (R2 = .035, F(4,380) = 3.459, p = .009). Emotional engagement significantly influenced students' academic achievement (β = .119, p = .030), whereas behavioural and cognitive engagement did not make significant independent contributions. Gender did not significantly moderate the relationship between students' engagement and academic achievement. The study concludes that strengthening students' emotional engagement is essential for improving Mathematics achievement. It recommends that Mathematics teachers adopt learner-centred instructional strategies that promote students' interest, enjoyment and active participation in classroom learning.