Effect of Gender and Science Anxiety on Nigerian Junior Secondary Students’ Academic Achievement in Basic Science

Abstract

This study examined the effect of gender and science anxiety on students’ academic achievement in basic science at the Junior Secondary School level. The study was a quasi-experimental study. The population for this study comprised the Junior Secondary III (JSIII) students in Ogun State Junior Secondary Schools. The sample was One hundred and twenty (120) intact class of students (mean age 13.4years, SD=1.57) drawn from three co-educational Junior Secondary Schools in three Local Government Areas of Ogun state. Achievement Test (Φ=0.81) for Basic Science Students, and Science Anxiety Scale (= 0.96) were the main instruments used to collect data. Descriptive statistics, and Univariate Analysis of Variance (ANOVA), were used to analyze the data collected. There was significant main effect of science anxiety on the students’ academic achievement in basic science at o.o5 level of significance. There was no significant effect of gender on students’academic achievement in basic science. There was no significant interaction effect of gender and science anxiety on the academic achievement of students in Basic Science. Based on the findings, the authors proffered useful recommendations.

Keywords: science anxiety, basic science, gender, science anxiety, students’ achievement.