Principals’ School Plant Management and Academic Performance of Biology Students in Public Secondary Schools in Uyo Senatorial District, Akwa Ibom State

Abstract

This study investigated the relationship between Principals’ School Plant Management and Academic Performance of Biology students’ in Public Secondary Schools in Uyo Senatorial District of Akwa Ibom State. The population of the study comprised all principals, and 18,573 SS2 students. However, teachers in the study area were involved in the study as they were used to rate principals ability to manage school plant. Correlational design was adopted. To guide the study, three research questions and three null hypotheses were formulated. Stratified random sampl-ing technique was used to select 281 teachers and 371 SS2 Biology students as respondents for the study. Two-researchers-developed-instruments tagged School Plant Management Questionnaire (SPMQ) and Students’ Achievement Test in Biology (SATB) were used to collect data needed for the study. The instruments were validated by experts in measurement and evaluation .The reliability of the two instruments was established using randomly selected members of the population who did not take part in the study. The data obtained was analyzed using Cronbach alpha technique and a reliability co-efficient of .801 and .803 was obtained; The data were analyzed using Simple and Multiple Regression Analysis. The formulated hypotheses were tested at .05 level of significance. Findings revealed that: There is significant relationship between management of instructional facilities, circulation space, and academic performance of Biology students. The result also shows that there is no significant relationship between management of recreational facilities and academic performance of Biology students.. This study therefore concludes that systems approach should be instituted by principals in the management of school plant components under review to improve on academic performance of students. It is recommended among others that, Education Board, Ministry of Education, Institutional planners, and all stakeholders in secondary education should adopt effective and sustainable strategies to ensure adequate provision, utilization, maintenance and management of school plant in the secondary system.