BOOSTING ACADEMIC SELF-EFFICACY THROUGH SCHOOL CULTURE

Abstract

ABSTRACT

Several studies have revealed the low level of mathematics self- efficacy displayed by students in schools. Studies from some other climes showed that school culture is one of the predictors of self-efficacy in mathematics. Available studies used self-efficacy to predict achievement in mathematics. There seems to be dearth of study on how school culture predicts self-efficacy in mathematics. This study, therefore, examined the extent to which school culture determined students’ self-efficacy in public secondary schools.Survey design was used while simple random sampling technique was adopted. Five local government areas (LGA) were randomly selected from Oyo state public secondary. 4 schools were randomly selected from each LGA. Also, 30 students and 4 teachers of mathematics were randomly and purposively selected respectively from each school. In all, 20 schools, 600 students and 80 teachers participated. The instruments were validated using 30 students and 20 teachers. They were the School Culture Scale (? = 0.81) and the Mathematics Self-Efficacy Scale (? = 0.78). Mean, standard deviation and multiple regression were used to analyse the data at p< 0.05. There was .578 degree of relationship between Mathematics self-efficacy and the six elements of school culture and the relationship was positive’The study also revealed that Collegial support (? =.271, t=2.761, P< 0.05), and learning partnership (?=.338, t=3.334, P<0.05) are the most influential predictors of Mathematics self-efficacy in public secondary schools. School culture (?=.330) significantly predicted self-efficacy in public secondary schools. Students in public secondary schools are efficacious and have school culture. It was recommended that good school culture should be encouraged in schools. Enlightenment programmes should be organised on what should constitute the school culture to improve mathematics self-efficacy.