PSYCHO-SOCIAL VARIABLES AS CORRELATES OF TEST-TAKING BEHAVIOUR AMONG STUDENTS OF SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN CROSS RIVER STATE NIGERIA

ABSTRACT

The aim of this study was to determine some psycho-social variables as correlates of test-taking behaviour of secondary school students in Cross River State, Nigeria. The population of the study comprised of 11,864 senior secondary II student. A total of one thousand two hundred (1,200) secondary school students were used for the study. The procedure used  in drawing  both the school and  subjects  was simple random sampling method. The instrument used for data collection was Psycho-social variable and test taking behaviour questionnaire (PSVTTBQ). The reliability of the instrument was determined using Cronbach Alpha Method and the overall coefficient of 0.84 was obtained. Data collected were analyzed using descriptive statistics (means) and correlation  analysis  technique.  The  0.05  level  of  significance  was  used  for  the statistical testing of each of the hypotheses. The result of the analyses revealed that self concept, anxiety, motivation, locus of control, peer group and school environment are  significantly  relate  with  test-taking  behaviour.  Based  on  the  findings,  the following recommendations were made: Teachers and parents should make efforts towards  the  development  of  positive  self-concept  of  the  children.  Teachers  and parents should devise appropriate methods to ensure that the incidence of anxiety among students is reduced if not eliminated. Positive attitudes are to be developed among the students through adequate encouragement by teachers and parents. The teachers, parents and government have to motivate the students in order to create positive test-taking behaviours. Parents have to provide necessary learning materials and make the home learner friendly. The parents have to monitor and control the type of peer groups associated with by their children. Finally, the school should provide conductive and school-child friendly environments.

x

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

Background of the Study

In Nigeria, the use of test is an integral part of educational programmes and their proper application  can  ensure the matching of educational  Programmes  with students’ knowledge and their motivation. Tests aid in the modification of instruction; appropriate measures of achievement, ability and attitudes are needed to determine the amount of learning acquired  by each student and to decide on the nature of later programmes  (Offor,  2002).  A  test  according  to  Nworgu  (2003),  is  a  structured situation comprising a set of questions to which an individual is expected to respond, and each question in the test has a preferred answer. Nworgu further noted that the behaviour  of an  individual  is  quantified  based  on  his responses  to the  questions. Onunkwo  (2002)  also  described  a test as an  instrument  which  can  be utilized  in detecting some qualities, traits, characteristics, attributes, etc possessed by a person, an object or a thing.

Tests find their modal use in both education and industry particularly in the area of selection. In the various selection situations, test scores of different testees who differ significantly on the basis of personality, home background  and school related variables are compared. When merit is the criterion for selection, tests in their variants provide the most impartial judgment (Cronbach, 1984). Anastasia (1968) re- iterates the need and importance of taking tests and examination scores into account in the various situations in which they are applied for purposes of decision making.

Testing  in  education  helps  in  determining  the  learning  difficulties  or  weakness,

1

strength and level of mastery of examinees in a given task. One major goal of testing is to reveal the latent ability of examinees (Agah, 2013)

In recognition of the role of education as a veritable instrument of change and development as contained in the National Policy on Education (2004), educational institutions  in  Nigeria  have  open  opportunities  for  all  who  are  qualified  for admissions. As a result of the constraints imposed by limited resources and infrastructure,  the places available in schools and industries can only be filled by selection from among the pool of applicants through tests and only successful ones can be admitted or employed.

Ijeoma (1997) explains that through traditional method of selection, family and kinship ties advocate the use of connections and merit as basis for this selection of candidates.  This  is in line  with  democratic  demands  and  practices  worldwide.  In education, emphasis is also on selection of candidate based on merit. Test scores are crucial   and   important   in   awarding   merit   in   educational   and   occupational opportunities. Several approaches to ensure validity in test scores are posited by both test practitioners and test developers. For example, while current approaches consider only the test maker’s view of what the test score mean and whether they are useful for teachers and learners, Ijeoma (1997) suggests an expanded view that will integrate teachers, professionals and students perspective as necessary. This perspective advocates integrating the meanings and inferences constructed in the classroom from the   assessment   information   with   the  use   to   which   such   meanings   are   put. Nevertheless, both current and recommended approaches to ensure validity in tests

scores call for more objectivity in both the measurement instrument and test-taking process (Ijeoma, 1997).

Test-taking behaviour as used in this study, are the behaviours exhibited by students before, during and after examinations or tests, within or outside the school and also in internal and external examinations. These are examination conditions and situations-  dependent  behaviour  of  the  students   that  are  targeted   to  enhance performance  of  the  students.  Test-taking  behaviour  connotes  both  ethical  and unethical behaviours of students during examinations.

Many factors and conditions seem to have explained the causes of students’ test-taking behaviours. For instance, Craig (1996) noted that examination and test- taking behaviour  has a relation with the individual self-concept.  He argues that a person who has healthy self-concept would behave better during test or examination than  those that have inferior  self-concept.  Such  inferior  self-concept  persons may likely tend to avoid or exhibit unethical behaviour during test or examinations.

Craig (1996) explains that self-concept consists of real self (the self we believe we are) and an ideal self (the self we think we ought to be). Similarly, Kerr and Stattiri (2000) in a study investigated the relationship between self-concept and attitude, and their result revealed  that self-concept  and attitude were positively correlated  in all grades. In addition,  they found out that improvement in the students’ self-concept resulted in a parallel improvement in their behavioural manifestations. This implies that  as  the  self  concept  of  students  increase,  their  performance  also  improved, resulting  into  positive  test-taking  behaviour.    This  also  means  that negative  Self-

concept could result in self-doubt and this may in turn reduce the likelihood of success and increase the possibility of failure on a test or tests (Mitchell, 2002).

In a study by Newstead, Frankly and Armstead (1996) it was discovered that academic self-concept is related to examination behaviour. Brophy (1996) explained that positive or high self-concept enhances high academic achievement and the development of better social behaviours, such as avoidance of social vices such as unethical test-taking behaviour that lead to cheating in tests or examinations. On the contrary low self-concept breeds poor academic performance which in turn ushers in frustration with the attendant effect on indulgence in anti-social vices like

cheating in examination.

In  another  study,  Flanders  and  Modoson  (1968)  opined  that  students  who engage  in  unethical  examination  behaviour  have  negative  attitude  towards  study. They stressed that a student’s development of negative attitudes towards study is as a result of personal variables. And that, a student whose academic performance is externally  rather  than  internally  motivated,  will  always  show  a  negative  attitude towards studies. This implies that a student who knows that he or she can pass an examination  through external help, would not be dedicated enough to take studies seriously. Such a student develops negative attitude towards studies hence exhibit a negative behaviour during test-taking and examination. On the other hand, a student who is motivated internally and is optimistic about future, believes that he or she can pass  examination  without  external  assistance  would  be  dedicated  enough  to  take studies seriously. Such a student usually develops a positive test-taking behaviour during test and examination and is free from any form of irregularities.

Turner (1994) maintains that peer group does not affect achievement. Instead he  points  out  that  peer  groups  are  formed  more  on  the  bases  of  similarities  of ambition. It might then follow that once formed, such peer groups would strive to develop the ambition which brought them together. Expectedly, where the factors that brought  them  together  are  academically  oriented  like  doing  their  assignments, attending classes regularly, and the habit of reading books and consulting their books in the library, the interest of such peer groups would simply be to maintain this goal. This means that, if the factor that brought them together is anti-social then the group will in the same way maintain the goal. This is because by coming together, their collective influence reinforces one another towards the maintenance of the goal which brought them together.

Ukwuje (1989) also pointed out that students who were properly guided by their schools’ counsellors have proper aptitude for their courses, mastery of their courses and exhibit better behaviour during test and examinations; whereas those who had poor orientation in selecting their courses, develop poor attitude, low mastery of their chosen courses and may show unethical behaviour during test or examinations.

Test-taking  behaviour  has  also  been  linked  to  anxiety.  According  to  Udom (1986),  test anxiety is one of the psychological  variables  responsible  for students exhibiting negatively or positively test-taking behaviours. The finding of the research conducted showed that test anxiety had no significant influence of the exhibition of unethical test behaviour among secondary school students. Could the finding be the same in different situations and areas of study?

Another variable that may correlate with test-taking behaviour is the locus of control. According to Lefcourt (1976), locus of control is a generalized expectancy for internal as opposed to external control for reinforcements. The findings of studies by Rotter (1966), among others, showed that locus of control correlates positively with test-taking  behaviour  particularly at the age  below  14years.  Locus of control  and other variables constitute psychosocial variables.

The  term  psychosocial  is used  to  emphasize  the  close  connection  between psychological aspects of the human experience and the wider social experience. Psychological effects are those that affect different levels of functioning  including Cognitive (perception and memory as a basis for thoughts and learning), affective (emotions),   and   behavioural.   Social   effects   concern   relationships,   family   and community networks, cultural traditions and economic status, including life tasks such as school or work (Boothby, Ager and Ager, 2007).

The use of the term psychosocial is based on the idea that a combination of factors  are  responsible  for  the  wellbeing  of  people,  and  that  these  biological, emotional, spiritual, cultural, social, mental and material aspects of experience cannot necessarily be separated  from one another. The term directs attention towards the totality of people’s experience rather than focusing exclusively on the physical or psychological aspects of health and wellbeing, and emphasizes the need to view these issues within the interpersonal contests of wider family and community networks in which they are located (Boothby, Ager A and Ager W; 2007).

Psychosocial variable as used by the researcher is focused on the combination of some psychological and social attributes with strong psychological leaning. For this

research, attention was given to variables like self motivation, locus of control, socio- economic status, peer group and school environmental factor and their relation with test taking behaviour.

Hambree (1999) portrays test anxiety as a performance anxiety which generates from self-consciousness  and self-doubt;  this reduces the likelihood of success and increases the possibility of failure on the tests which in turn leads to having low self concept about oneself (Mitchell, 2002). Despite the fact that there are weak evidences of  researches  with  this  particular  research,  it  is  needful  to  still  carry  out  an investigation into the relationship of these psycho-social variables with students test taking behaviour.

Statement of the problem

In Nigeria and Cross River State in particular, most students show unethical behaviour during testing or examinations and achievement in all subjects appears to be on the decrease. This decrease in achievement has been attributed to students’ learning difficulties or weaknesses, low level of mastery as well as complete lack of knowledge of the subject matter, which in turn affects their test-taking behaviour. These factors seem to be based only on Cognitive (perception and memory as a basis for thoughts and learning). No attention has been paid to many factors and conditions that seem to have explained the causes of students’ test-taking behaviours.

Given that more emphasis has been placed by researchers on cognitive component  of  students,  there  is  need  for  a  paradigm  shift  to  affective  domain particularly the psychosocial variables that connect between psychological aspects of the student experience and the wider social experience with test-taking behaviour. Test-taking behaviour to a large extent determines the reliability of test scores. When

faulty test-taking behaviours are exhibited, the results of such examination become unreliable.

When  students  operate  at  low  level  of the  psycho-social  variables,  it may account  for  cheating  tendency.  In  Nigerian  schools,  cheating  which  is a  form  of negative aspect of test-taking behaviour is evident both in external and internal examinations. The cheating which is an unethical test-taking behaviour is a bane in the examination  sector in Nigeria as such, variables linked to it needs to be carefully studied. It is therefore pertinent to determine the extent to which some psycho-social variables correlate with test-taking behaviours among secondary school students in Cross River State, Nigeria.

Purpose of the study

The purpose of this study is to determine the extent to which some psycho- social  variables  correlate  with  test-taking  behaviour  of  students  in  the  senior secondary schools  in Cross  River State, Nigeria. Specifically,  the purpose of this study was to determine the correlation between;

1)      Self-concept and test-taking behaviours.

2)      Motivation and test-taking behaviour.

3)      Locus of control and test-taking behaviour.

4)      Socio-economic status of parent and test-taking behaviour.

5)      Students’ peer group and test-taking behaviour.

6)      School environment and test-taking behaviour.

7)      Relative prediction of test taking behaviour by self-concept, motivation, locus of control, parents’ socio-economic  status,  students’ peer  group  and  school environmental factors.

Significance of the study

The findings of the study would be of significance to students, teachers, parents, the school system, government, examination bodies, guidance counsellors and other researchers.

To the students, it is expected that through the findings and recommendations of this, the behaviour of students during testing will witness a positive change thereby reducing cases of unethical behaviours in the secondary schools’ examinations.

To the parents, the study will make them to be aware of the different roles they can  play in awakening  desirable  behaviours  in their children  right from home  in respect to test-taking and examination. By extension, this may encourage parents to be interested in the kind of peers or friends their children keep in school in order to arrest the rising incidence of the social malaise of negative examination behaviour.

This study will also be significant to teachers and those employed by teachers to supervise or invigilate tests or examinations in that the different types of negative test- taking behaviours will be highlighted at the end of the study for them to know as to employ some strategies to stop them from taking place immediately the behaviour is noticed. It is also hoped that the result of this study will serve as an eye opener to every schools’ proprietor who will see the need to build sizeable and well structured examination halls in all the schools under their control to make them comfortable for students taking the test or examinations. Also through the recommendation  of this study, the school authorities will see the need to admit students based on the structure and facilities available in the school and also to see the need to provide test-taking

kills’ programmes with the aim of preventing unethical test-taking behaviours among students in Nigerian secondary schools, and cross river state in particular.

The government through the findings of study will see the need to build more secondary schools, as not to overcrowd the few existing ones.

Examination bodies like the West African Examination Council (WAEC), National  Examination  Council  (NECO)  and  Joint  Admissions  and  Matriculation Board (JAMB) will benefit from this study in the sense that the study will make them see the need to educate their numerous Supervisors and invigilators on those common test-taking behaviours which may eventually give rise to cheating. These behaviours if quickly noticed and preventive measures applied may go a long way in stopping other intending students from carrying out similar behaviours.

The research will also be useful to guidance counselors who will be familiar with   the   psycho-social   indices   of   students’   predisposition    to   examination malpractices. The counselor will also assist in educating the students of the danger and implication of unethical behaviours during test and examinations.

Finally,   this  study  will  provide   as  additional   literature   for   subsequent researchers  to  draw  from  the  course  of  conducting  researches,  and  also  reveal problems  which  could  be  the  basis  for  further  research,  thus  contributing  to  the existing knowledge of test-taking behaviour or cheating tendency among secondary schools students in Cross River State in particular and Nigeria in general.

Scope of the study

This study was conducted in the senior secondary schools in Cross River state of Nigeria. The subjects of this study were students who have taken examinations and tests.  The  study  focused  on  variables  such  as  self-concept,   anxiety,  attitude,

motivation, locus of control, socio-economic status of parents, peer group and school environment  and  test-taking  behaviours  of  students.  Test-taking  behaviours  of students was considered  as criterion  variable while self-concept,  anxiety,  attitude, motivation, locus of control, socio-economic status of parents, peer group and school environment were taking for predictor variables. Further step was taken to determine the amount of student’s taking behaviours accounted for by the predictor variables. In essence, prediction was involved.

Research questions

The following research questions guided the study.

1)      To what extent does students’ self-concept relate with test-taking behaviour?

2)       To what extent does motivation relate with test-taking behaviour?

3)       What  is the relationship  between  locus of control and  students’  test-taking behaviour?

4)       To what extent does socio-economic status of parents correlate with test-taking behaviour of students?

5)       To what extent does students’ peer groups relate with test-taking behaviour?

6)       To what extent does school environment relate with test-taking behaviour of students?

7)       What  is  the  relative  prediction  of  test  taking  behaviour  by  self-concept, motivation,  locus of control,  parents’  socio-economic  status,  students’  peer group and school environmental factors?

Research hypotheses

The following hypotheses served as a guide to this study and were tested at .05 level of significance.

1)       There is no significant relationship between self-concept and students’ test- taking behaviour.

2)       Motivation has no significant relationship with students’ test taking behaviour.

3)       Locus  of  control  has  no  significant  relationship  with  students’  test-taking behaviour.

4)       There is no significant relationship between parents’ socio-economic status and test-taking behaviour of students

5)       Peer groups do not significantly relate with test-taking behaviour of students.

6)       School environment has no significant relationship with students’ test-taking behaviour.

7)       Self-concept, motivation, locus of control, parents’ socio-economic status and peer group are not significant predictors of students’ test taking behaviour.

₦5,000.00 – DOWNLOAD FULL PROJECT DOWNLOAD FULL PROJECT Added to cart

---

---

---

---

---

Related Project Topics :