An Investigation of Unique Factors Affecting Academic Performance of Pupils in Primary Schools: A Survey of Private and Public Schools in Akwanga Municipal Nasarawa State Nigeria

Abstract

The study compared the factors that affect pupils' academic performance in public and private primary schools in Akwanga Municipal and to find out why private schools perform better than public schools. Two public primary and two private schools were randomly selected for the study. From each of the sampled schools, the head teacher and four class teachers were sampled, making the total number of respondents 20.Four null hypotheses were postulated for the study. A 16 item Factor Analysis Questionnaire (FAQ), using the Likert Scale format, was developed to collect data from the respondents. The FAQ was designed to get teachers' opinions on their perception of their effectiveness, learning environment, physical infrastructure and teacher/ pupil ratio. The data obtained were subjected to the t-test analysis at 0.05 level of significance. Results showed that there were no significant differences in terms of physical infrastructure and teachers' perceived effectiveness. In the area of availability of learning materials, the private schools were better equipped. There were more qualified teachers in the public schools, and received much higher salaries compared to those in private schools. It was concluded that there is not much any teacher can do in the absence of learning materials. It was recommended that government should endeavor to supply learning materials for pupils. The parents should be encouraged to partner with government in this regard