ADMINISTRATIVE EFFECTIVENESS AND STUDENTS’ ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE IN PUBLIC SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN BENUE NORTH EAST SENATORIAL DISTRICT, NIGERIA

Abstract

This study investigated administrative effectiveness and students’ academic performance in public secondary schools in Benue North East Senatorial District, Nigeria.Two research questions guided the study, while two hypotheses were formulated and tested at 0.05 level of significance. Correlational research design was adopted for the study. The population of the study was 1,860 teachers from the 123 public secondary schools in Benue North East Senatorial District, Nigeria. A sample of 465 teachers was selected using multi-stage sampling procedure. The instrument used for data collection was titled “Administrative effectiveness Questionnaire (AEQ) and Students’ Academic Performance Questionnaire (SAPQ)”. The instruments were validated bythree experts and the reliability was determined using Cronbach Alpha reliability. The result yielded reliability coefficients0.93for AEQ and 0.92 for SAPQ respectively. Data were analyzed using Pearson Product Moment Correlation (PPMC) to answer the research questions and test hypotheses at 0.05 level of significance. The findings of the study showed that school climate and supportive learning environment have very strong positive significant relationship with students’ academic performance in public secondary schools in Benue North East Senatorial District, Nigeria. It was concluded that increased administrative effectiveness leads to improved students’ academic performance in public secondary schools. It was recommended that the government of Benue State should prioritize creating an effective school climate by providing adequate infrastructure, recruiting qualified personnel, enforcing student discipline policies and ensuring school safety. Also, administrators of public secondary schools should promote a supportive learning environment by ensuring that classrooms are learner-centered, emotionally safe, and inclusive.