The Factors Influencing The Attitude Of Students Towards The Study Of Economics In Secondary Schools

The Factors Influencing The Attitude Of Students Towards The Study Of Economics In Secondary Schools
Abstract
This study examined the factors influencing the attitude of students toward the study of Economics in secondary schools in Jos North Local Government. The study aimed to assess the general attitude of secondary school students toward Economics, determine the relationship between students’ attitudes and academic performance, identify the factors influencing students’ attitudes, and examine strategies for shaping students’ attitudes and interest in Economics. A descriptive survey design was adopted for the study. The population comprised 3,200 Economics students and teachers from selected secondary schools in Jos North Local Government Area. A sample size of 356 respondents was determined using the Taro Yamane formula. Multi-stage sampling technique involving stratified and convenience sampling was used to select participants. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire, validated by experts and tested for reliability. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics (mean and standard deviation) and inferential statistics including Chi-square, Pearson Chi-square, and Logistic Regression. Findings revealed that students generally had a positive attitude toward Economics with mean values above the cutoff of 2.50. A significant relationship was found between students’ attitudes and academic performance (r = 0.564, p = 0.000), while factors such as teacher methods (B = 1.208, p = 0.003) and parental support (B = 0.781, p = 0.024) significantly influenced attitude. Strategies such as real-life teaching examples (B = 1.134, p = 0.004) and extracurricular programs (B = 0.798, p = 0.028) were found effective in shaping interest. It was recommended that teachers should adopt student-centered instructional methods, schools should provide adequate learning materials, parents should support students’ academic pursuits, and school authorities should implement extracurricular Economics programs to sustain interest and improve performance.
Table of Content
Chapter One
Introduction
- 1.1 Background of the Study
- 1.2 Statement of the Problem
- 1.3 Objective of the Study
- 1.4 Research Questions
- 1.5 Research Hypothesis
- 1.6 Scope of the Study
- 1.7 Significance of the Study
- 1.8 Definition of Terms
Chapter Two
Review of Literature
- 2.1 Conceptual Framework
- 2.2 Theoretical Framework
- 2.3 Empirical Review
- 2.4 Summary of Literature Review
Chapter Three
Methodology
- 3.0 Introduction
- 3.1 Research Design
- 3.2 Population of the Study
- 3.3 Sample Size
- 3.4 Sampling Technique
- 3.5 Instrument for Data Collection
- 3.6 Validity of the Instrument
- 3.7 Reliability of the Instrument
- 3.8 Method Of Data Collection
- 3.9 Method of Data Analysis
- 3.10 Ethical Consideration
Chapter Four
Data Presentation and Analysis
- 4.0 Introduction
- 4.1 Demographic Analysis
- 4.2 Analysis of Research Questions
- 4.3 Test of Hypotheses
- 4.4 Discussion of Finding
Chapter Five
Summary
- 5.1 Introduction
- 5.2 Summary
- 5.3 Conclusion
- 5.4 Limitations of the Study
- 5.5 Recommendations
- 5.6 Suggestions for Further Studies
- References
- Appendix
- Questionnaire
Chapter One
Introduction
1.1 Background of the Study
How well students perform in the classroom has long been used as the yardstick by which schools measure progress, and the findings from that almost always lead to additional scholarly debate. Academicians and education policymakers repeatedly return to this inquiry by methodically assessing variables from classroom design and pedagogical skill to familial background and personal motivation in attempts to determine what variables are most influential in driving performance (Tus, 2020; Shah et al., 2023; Ince, 2023). By most definitions, performance involves more than the numerical grade on a report card; it indicates a learner’s ability to assimilate an idea, apply it and then reflect on it (Iqbal et al., 2022; Licern-Gutierrez et al., 2022). The picture remains complex due to the interaction of study habit, motivation, instructional skill and home support in an unpredictable manner (Li et al., 2023; Lazaro and Flores, 2023; Dang et al., 2022). These variables are relevant in all areas of study, but they take on especially relevant forms in areas such as Economics, where the capacity to understand theoretical constructs and to retain curiosity is often the ultimate measure.
Empirical evidence has repeatedly shown that the overall affective disposition a learner has towards a particular discipline can have a considerable impact on the degree of investment and perseverance they are likely to display in their work; and Economics is no exception. Psychology has given this positive orientation the name of an attitude, measuring the warmth with which a student is engaged in the material. High-affect disposition is usually expressed in the form of curiosity, a longer study time, and sometimes prolonged interest after the given time (Balimuttajjo et al., 2022; Aini et al., 2024; Irfansyah et al., 2024). In an Economics classroom, students often have seemingly divergent impressions of what is happening before them: while some see models of the economic world as dynamic puzzles that reflect everyday decisions, others see graphical representations of ideas as abstract and opaque subject matter. Stimulating stories about inflation or wage bargaining may be useful to engage students, but an uninspiring lecture or visible signs of mathematical anxiety may be off-putting (Malacapay, 2024; Khawaja et al., 2022). This difference in persistence is telling: one student will persist to the next reading with determination, while another withdraws to do things irrelevant to the reading and seldom reappears, and this difference has little to do with crude IQ or academic pedigree.
Students’ attitudes of a discipline and their concrete academic performance in such discipline almost always coincide, and this is well illustrated in Economics. Mastery in this field is not necessarily reflected in the mid term or final exams but also includes ability to break down real world dilemmas, to maintain coherence with the theoretical framework and to reason soundly about policy, welfare and market behavior (Tan, 2022; Hidayatullah & Csikszentmihalyi, 2023; Giri et Davis, 2024). A number of studies have shown that students who earn high marks in the subject are also a group of learners who regularly study the content and who are able to maintain those positive practices throughout semesters (Onyefulu & Murray-Sterling, 2023; G et al., 2024). Classroom participation, sustained attention, and exposure to headline economics altogether leads to better cognition, which promotes sustained attention and classroom participation for the learner afterward, which in turn strengthens the initial affinity for the subject (Orim et al., 2022; Oliveira et al., 2022). Consequently, it makes a great deal of sense to ask exactly how personal disposition translates into academic output within Economics.
Recent studies on the student – performance relationship have stressed that affective attitudes towards a discipline is one of the most powerful single predictors of subsequent academic achievement and the same was echoed by Ogechi and Ordu (2020) and later reinforced by Abubo et al. (2024). When learners have positive perceptions about learning the subject, this often translated into better scores as a result of the self-efficacy and the curiosity and perseverance of the learner as documented by Dakhi and Kaligis (2023) and Appiah-Twumasi (2024). On the other hand, the behavior of a skeptical and hostile attitude often appears in the form of disengagement in class, failure of deadlines, and absolute refusal to undertake assignments, which are directly correlated with lower grades (Iyande Ismail etreste et al., 2020; Tangvitoontham, 2020). Attitude has thus simultaneously the role of being an indicator of intrinsic motivation and a lever to increase or limit learning gains. These insights are reflected in separate studies by Almaiah et al (2024) and Maniriho (2024) that both suggest that educators focus on developing positive outlooks as a key, subject-specific solution to improving achievement.
Against this backdrop, it is imperative to study the dynamic of attitudinal – performance in the specific context of Economics instruction in Nigerian secondary schools especially in the localized settings. Jos North Local Government Area of Plateau State provided an appropriate setting for such an investigation because of its heterogeneous student population, cross section teacher capacities, and curricular structures (Odufuwa, 2024; Tijotob et al., 2024). As educational reforms focus more on competency-based learning and critical thinking, knowledge of the roles of students’ attitude in determining their performance in Economics pedagogy is becoming more important both in the planning pedagogical process and in the implementation of policies (Hermanto et al., 2023; Abubo et al., 2024). In this regard, this study focuses on assessing the factors influencing the attitude of students toward the study of economics in secondary schools in Jos North.
1.2 Statement of the Problem
Secondary school Economics is designed to equip students with a systematic approach to developing critical thinking skills and addressing real-world issues in both the domestic and the larger societal context. Nonetheless, several observers have noted a continuing discrepancy between the stated goals of the curriculum and the performance of adolescents on the examinations. This discrepancy has helped fuel renewed debate among educators, administrators and policymakers about the classroom environments that may hinder achievement of learners. Contemporary researchers are examining student attitude as a possible lever which could be influential, testing whether increased engagement might improve academic outcomes.
Across a wide range of secondary institutions, especially those under Jos North Local Government, there is a high proportion of students who possess the laissez faire attitude to Economics, which is reflected in the act of courtesy indifference to the subject. Passive classroom behaviours as witnessed by internal and external observers show the subject to be remote and complex. The apprehension of students to graphical representations, equations and specialised terminology further alienates them. In response in the group focus group dialogues, several respondents express the idea that Economics is like advanced mathematics in a cloak of practical application. This lack of interest is reflected in aspects of performance where quarterly average and state level assessments consistently place the subject in the bottom echelons. Educators agree with this trend, reporting that teaching dulls with the introduction of ideas about the workings of the market and brightens again when the topic of football comes up.
A dismissive disposition toward Economics may pervade virtually every aspect of the student’s education. Lessons pass by with little interest, academic achievement suffers a steep decline, and opportunities to join the financial, public policy, or business worlds are closed. Such academic shortcomings stain institutional reputations and cripple initiatives across the whole country aimed at raising economic literacy. Simply stated, in a social environment where instructional environments produce perfunctory outcomes instead of substantive understanding, the grand goal of developing a financially literate population vanishes. It is therefore imperative to examine the extent to which the affective attitudes of students affect their Scholastic achievements in Economics. By focusing on secondary schools in Jos North Local Government Area, this research aims at addressing a research gap in the area of the impact of emotional and cognitive dispositions on learning performance. Elucidating this relationship is critical to developing specific interventions to both enhance economic achievement and develop positive affect toward the discipline. This investigation is specifically focused on secondary institutions in Jos North Local Government Area with the aim of resolving an existing gap in literature on the factors influencing the attitude of students toward the study of economics in secondary schools.
1.3 Objective of the Study
The main purpose of this study is to assess the factors influencing the attitude of students toward the study of Economics in secondary schools in Jos North Local Government. The specific objectives of the study seek to:
- To assess the general attitude of secondary school students toward the subject of Economics.
- To determine the relationship between students’ attitudes and their academic performance in Economics.
- To identify the factors influencing students’ attitudes toward Economics.
- To identify the strategies for shaping students attitude and interest in subject of Economics.
1.4 Research Questions
This study will be guided by the following questions:
- What is the general attitude of secondary school students toward the subject of Economics?
- What is the relationship between students’ attitudes and their academic performance in Economics?
- What are the factors influencing students’ attitudes toward Economics?
- What are the strategies for shaping students attitude and interest in subject of Economics?
1.5 Research Hypothesis
- Ho₁: There is no significant general attitude of secondary school students toward the subject of Economics.
- Ho₂: There is no significant relationship between students’ attitudes and their academic performance in Economics.
- Ho₃: There are no significant factors influencing students’ attitudes toward Economics.
- Ho₄: There are no significant strategies for shaping students’ attitude and interest in the subject of Economics.
1.6 Significance of the Study
By concentrating on mindset, this research provides students with a clear and simple fact: the quantitative results that may be observed on their transcripts are directly determined by the affective position that they take towards Economics. The schooling students can be influenced to take charge of their learning process by observing this association in action. An increased sensitivity to the interaction between disposition and achievement is often the reason that leads people to test out more fined-tuning study techniques and more consistent learning patterns.
Educators are often confronted with the forces that are invisible and put pressure on the performance of students. These forces are clarified in the current study through showing how the attitude tints the classroom behaviour of a learner. With this understanding, teachers can make lesson adjustments, detect problematic tendencies in a timely manner, and guide the classroom in a more dynamic direction to study Economics.
Meanwhile, principal investigators and program directors are constantly seeking sound evidence that would help them to develop the best instructional strategies. This research provides this evidence giving data that will be capable of refining the professional development, facilitating the seating plan and renewing the delivery process. When these changes are stated and combined, it is estimated that not only the score in examinations but also the overall excitement of the subject will increase.
The Ministry of Education is the policymaker prone to the fact that coherent data will lead to large-scale reforms. Here they are presented with evidence to suggest towards a simple yet potent conclusion: the place of attitudes should be substantively placed at the curriculum table. With such a message in hand, authorities may invest in specific workshops, counseling sessions and pilot learner-focused courses at the most important secondary-school stage.
Parenting and guardians will have a better idea on the effects of the emotional and behavioural inclinations of their children on academic achievement. The research, thus, prepares them to offer proper advice and support. An active parent participation in the development of positive attitudes will, in its turn, help to attain better results in Economics.
Lastly, scholars in the educational psychology and economics education will utilise this study as a point of reference in future research. It will add to the emerging body of knowledge about the psychological constructs that dictate academic success in secondary schooling.
1.7 Scope of the Study
This study focuses on examining the influence of students’ attitudes on their academic performance in Economics within the context of secondary schools in Jos North Local Government Area of Plateau State, Nigeria. The content scope centres on assessing how students’ behavioural dispositions, interests, and emotional responses toward Economics affect their academic outcomes in the subject.
Geographically, the research is limited to selected public and private secondary schools within Jos North LGA, ensuring a focused investigation within a defined educational setting. The time scope covers the 2024/2025 academic session, during which data will be collected and analysed to provide relevant and timely insights into the relationship between attitude and academic performance in Economics.
1.8 Definition of Terms
Attitude:
A student’s personal disposition, feeling, or tendency—either positive or negative—towards the study of Economics as a school subject.
Performance:
The measurable academic outcome or achievement of a student in Economics, typically reflected in test scores, examination results, and teacher assessments.
Economics:
A subject taught in secondary schools that deals with the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services, including decision-making processes in both individuals and societies.
Students:
Learners enrolled in secondary schools within Jos North Local Government Area who are undertaking Economics as part of their academic curriculum.
Secondary Schools:
Government or privately owned institutions in Jos North Local Government Area that provide education to students who have completed primary school and are preparing for higher education or vocational training.
Chapter Five
Summary, Conclusions and Recommendations
5.1 Introduction
This chapter gives a brief overview and final synthesis of the study. It opens with an extensive summary of the investigation and moves on to major conclusions based on the research findings. It further reveals the limitations faced during the process of the course and provides insightful recommendations and suggestions for further research in the area of Economics education.
5.2 Summary
The purpose of the study was to investigate the influences of the attitude of students towards the study of Economics in secondary schools, Jos North Local Government. The study was aimed to evaluate the general attitude of secondary school students towards Economics, to find out the relationship between student’s attitude and their academic performance in Economics, to ascertain factors affecting student’s attitude towards the subject, and to determine strategic approaches to be used in shaping student’s attitude and interest in Economics.
The research employed a descriptive survey design as it was suitable for obtaining the views of respondents and measuring the trends of attitudes of a diverse population. The population of the study consisted of 3200 teachers and students of Economics in selected secondary schools in Jos North Local Government Area, Plateau State, Nigeria. A sample size of 356 respondents was scientifically determined using the Taro Yamane formula in order to ensure that the sample is representative. Multi-stage sampling technique was used — stratified sampling to classify schools based on their type and ownership and a convenience sampling technique for the actual selection of respondents owing to access limitation in schools. A structured questionnaire was the primary tool for data collection that was carefully designed to obtain information on student attitudes, academic achievement, and associated influencing factors. The questionnaire contained a series of statements that were rated on a four-point Likert scale (Strongly Agree, Agree, Disagree, Strongly Disagree). The instrument was validated against the opinions of experts in the field of Economics education and measurement and evaluation to ensure clarity, relevance of content and face validity. Data collected were studied with both descriptive (mean and standard deviation) and inferential (Chi-square, Pearson Chi-square, Logistic Regression) statistics with the help of standardized formulas and analytical conventions.
The first research question examined the general attitude of students towards Economics and observed a largely positive attitude among the students with most item statements exceeding the cutoff mean of 2.50. Research question two evaluated the relationship between the attitudes of students and their academic performance, and the results of Pearson Chi-square analysis indicated that the positive correlation between the two variables was significant, meaning that students with more favorable attitudes performed better. The third research question was about factors affecting attitude and through logistic regression, it was established that factors such as teachers methods, learning materials, past performance and parental support factors had a significant influence, while those related to peer influence and the factor of difficulty observed were not statistically significant. The fourth research question identified effective strategies on interest in Economics where the results of logistic regression suggested that real-life teaching examples, student centered approaches, extracurricular activities, and academic support were important and significantly affected the students attitudes. Each of the four null hypotheses tested was consistent with its respective research questions and was either rejected or partially rejected according to the statistical results. The findings highlight the role of affective aspects of learning in academic performance and the need for changes in teaching strategies, curriculum design and resource allocation for better engagement of students in Economics. The research underscores the direct relationship between positive attitude and better academic performance, and makes a case for holistic educational interventions that go beyond cognitive development to cover behavioural and emotional involvement with learning.
5.3 Conclusion
The study concluded that the attitude of students has a significant relationship with the academic performance of the students in Economics. Positive attitude promotes better understanding, retention and motivation for ultimate improved results. The findings show that factors including teaching methods, availability of materials, parental support and feedback on performance play an important role in determining these attitudes. Furthermore, strategic interventions including student-centered instruction, extra-curricular engagements, and career guidance are successful in developing students’ interest and commitment in learning Economics. The implication of this is quite clear that educational stakeholders must consider a multi-faced strategy in order to increase student attitudes and achievement in Economics.
5.4 Limitations of the Study
The study had a few limitations that could have an impact on the scope and depth of the findings. First, access to schools was limited because of administrative bottlenecks and school policies, which limited the original scope of intended participants. Second, time constraints imposed by the academic calendar and examination time made it difficult to obtain sufficient interaction with all the respondents. Third, there may have been a degree of respondent bias, in that some students were likely to have responded in a socially desirable way and not express their true attitudes. Lastly, the study was carried out in one local government area and hence, the results may not be generalizable in other areas with different educational settings and resource availability..
5.5 Recommendations
- Teachers should use more student-centered and interactive instruction techniques such as group discussions, case studies, and real-life application of economic concepts. These strategies are more likely to keep the student interested, understand the material and create a more positive attitude toward the subject.
- School administrators should ensure the adequacy provision of learning materials and infrastructural support such as updated textbooks in Economics, audio-visual aids and ICT tools to enhance the learning experiences of students and reduce frustration associated with inadequate learning resources.
- Parents and guardians must play an active role in helping to support their children’s academic advancement in Economics through encouragement, home-based supervision and providing access to extra coaching or mentorship programs. Their emotional and motivational support makes a measurable difference in the attitudes and performance of students.
- Government and educational authorities should implement and finance extracurricular activities like Economics clubs, inter-school competitions, and career orientation activities from time to time. These initiatives should be customised to emphasise the relevance of Economics in real life and encourage students to engage outside the classroom..
5.6 Suggestions for Further Studies
Future research should increase the geographical scope in terms of local government areas or states to increase generalisability of research findings. Longitudinal studies measuring the development of attitudes and performance over time would provide greater insight into how attitudes develop and influence performance over time.

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