LEARNING ENVIRONMENT AND ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE OF SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS IN EXTERNAL EXAMINATIONS: A STUDY OF SELECTED SCHOOLS IN OTA

A recent trend in Nigeria is the issue of poor academic performance of students of secondary schools in external examinations such as the National Examination Council and the West African Examinations Council. Major concern has centered on the quality of teachers and non-commitment of the students to their studies due to distractions that hamper learning but very little attention has been given to the learning environment. But the environment in which the students learn such as classrooms, libraries, technical workshops, laboratories, play grounds, conveniences, sanitation, maintenance culture, aesthetics among others are variables that affect students' learning and academic performance. Hence, the learning environment remains an important area that should be studied and well managed to enhance students' academic performance. This paper therefore examines the impact of learning environment on students' performance in external examination in secondary schools in Ota a major industrial town in Nigeria. Factors such as school facilities, class size, school location and school plant planning, aesthetics, maintenance culture, sanitation, conveniences would be examined to know their impact on learning and performance of secondary school students. A multiple data collection method including use of documented materials, distribution of questionnaire and interviews would be undertaken to test the hypotheses developed. Simple percentage statistical tool would be employed to analyze the variables.