RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN STUDENTS’ ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT MOTIVATION AND THEIR ATTITUDE TOWARDS EXAMINATION MALPRACTICE

Abstract

This study sets out to ascertain the relationship between students’ academic achievement motivation and their attitude towards examination malpractice among secondary school students in Anambra State. Five research questions and three hypotheses guided the study. The design for the study was correlational survey. The study has a population of 18299 senior secondary school two (SSII) students in 257 public secondary schools in Anambra State. A sample of 1200 students was selected through multi stage sampling procedure involving; simple random sampling and disproportionate stratified random sampling techniques. Two sets of instruments, namely; Academic Achievement Motivation Scale (AAMS) and Attitude to Examination Malpractice Inventory (AEMI), were used for collection of data. The data collected was analysed using aggregate scores and Pearson product moment correlation coefficient as the case may be. The major findings of the study indicated that there is good academic achievement motivation among secondary school students in Anambra State, there is negative attitude towards examination malpractice; and there is low positive relationship existing between students’ academic achievement motivation and attitude towards examination malpractice among secondary school students in Anambra State. Based on the findings and their implications, it was recommended, among others, that guidance counsellors and public enlightenment agencies should organize regular workshops and seminars to sensitize the students on the relationship existing between academic achievement motivation and attitude towards examination malpractice and the need to back up academic achievement motivation with hard work and diligent study efforts instead of relying on examination malpractice as a means of obtaining good grades