School Location and Gender as Factors Influencing Academic Performance in Basic Science in Obio/Akpor Local Government Area

Abstract

The study examined gender performance in basic science in urban and rural secondary schools in Rivers State's Obio/Akpor local government area. The study adopted an ex post facto research design. The study selected a sample size of 200 participants from all secondary schools in the local government area, using a stratified random sampling technique. The study made use of two instruments: the student’s results, which served as the students’ performance record (SPR), which were obtained from the school authorities and collected through the student’s term results. The mean and standard deviation were used to answer the research question, while the independent sample t-test statistic was employed to test the null hypotheses. The result showed that students' performance in urban schools was better than their counterparts in rural schools. Between urban and rural schools, there was a significant difference in student performance. Furthermore, male students in urban and rural schools performed better than their female counterparts in the two locations; consequently, there was no significant difference in the performance between urban and rural schools. Based on the findings, some recommendations were made. The study concluded that school location and students' gender are determinants of students' performance in basic science.