EXAMINATION MALPRACTICE AS CORRELATE TO SELF ESTEEM AND ACADEMIC BEHAVIOR AMONG SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS IN SOUTH EASTERN STATES OF NIGERIA

Abstract

The study was on examination malpractice as correlate to self esteem and academic behavior among secondary school students in south eastern states of Nigeria. The correlation survey design was used to carry out the study. Three research questions and two null hypotheses guided the study. The population of the study was all the (SS1) senior secondary school students, in public secondary schools during the 2022/2023 academic year totaling 36,240 students. The sampling size consists of 2500 students drawn through multi stage sampling technique. The reliability of the instrument was established using split half method and was found to be (0.69). The research instrument was developed by the researcher and it consists of three clusters that sought to determine relationship that exists between examination malpractice, academic behavior (academic goal and social goal) and self esteem of secondary school students from south eastern state of Nigeria. The data collected was analyzed using Pearson’s product moment of correlations to answer research questions 1, 2 and 3 while hypothesis (1) and (2) were tested using -t- test for correlation. The result revealed that a strong positive relationship of 0.79, 0.76, 0.78 exists between examination malpractice and self esteem and academic behavior (academic goal and social goal) of students respectively. The hypothesis which tested for significance of relationship revealed that a significant relationship exists between examination malpractice conduct of urban and rural adolescents as well as their academic behavior. The following recommendations among others were proffered; students passing through challenges of self esteem and academic behavior will have a need of a Counsellor, remedial classes are to be organized for students having academic behavior challenges.