RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SELF-EFFICACY AND SCHOOL ADJUSTMENT AMONG SENIOR SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS IN PAIKORO LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA, NIGER STATE, NIGERIA

Abstract

This study examined the relationship between Self-Efficacy and School Adjustment among senior secondary school students in Paikoro Local Government Area of Niger State. Three objectives and and three hypotheses guided the study. The population of the study was seven thousand one hundred and forty one (7,142) senior secondary school students and a sample of three hundred and seventy (370) male and female SSII students was proportionately selected. A correlational design was used. Two research instruments were used to collect data: Self-efficacy Scale (SES) and School Adjustment Scale (SAS). Face validity was used to ascertain the validity of the instruments. The reliability of the instruments was tested using the test re-test methods. The index obtained was 0.82 for SES and 0.78 for SAS. To analyze the data, both descriptive and inferential statistics were used. Mean and standard deviation were used as descriptive statistics. Pearson Product Moment Correlation statistics was used as inferential statistics to measure the relationship between Self-Efficacy and School Adjustment. The finding of hypothesis one revealed that there was a significant positive relationship between Self-efficacy and Social Adjustment among Senior Secondary School Students (r = .543, p= 0.000). The finding of hypothesis two showed that there was significant relationship between Self-efficacy and Academic Adjustment among Senior Secondary School Students (r=.613, p= .001) and the finding of hypothesis three indicated that there was significant relationship between Selfefficacy and Emotional Adjustment among Senior Secondary School Students (r=.281, p= .021). The study concluded that significant positive relationship exists between self-efficacy of students and their social, academic and emotional adjustments. Based on the findings, it was recommended that teachers and school administrators should encourage students to seek for counselling services to enhance their self-efficacy. Also, teachers, school psychologists, school counsellors and school administrators should provide condusive and enabling environment and facilities to facilitate proper adjustment of students in their academic, social and emotional atmospheres of life in the school setting.