Analyzing students performance in business studies examination conducted by basic education certificate examination (BECE) in selected schools: Keffi, Nasarawa state Nigeria in focus

Abstract

The aim of this research is to relate students' performance in Business Studies on the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) in private and state junior secondary schools in Keffi, Nasarawa State. Three research questions were answered, as well as three null hypotheses. The study used an after-the-fact survey research design. The study's sample includes 10,622 students who took the BECE Business Studies test in 2017, 2018, or 2019. For the three years, a multi-stage sampling procedure was utilized to choose 2,522 pupils from 12 schools (six public and six private). The researchers used a proforma instrument to obtain the relevant data (examination grades of Business Studies students) from the BECE results broadsheet for the analysis. Face validity was tested on the instrument, and a logical reliability value of 0.91 was found. To address the research questions, the students' scores were transformed into numerical scores of A = 4, B = 3, C = 2, P = 1, and F = 0, with ANOVA and t-tests used to assess for significant differences between mean scores at the 955-confidence level. When students' accomplishment in BECE Business Studies tests is separated by years of examination, the study discovered that there is a considerable variation in their results. Furthermore, there is a huge accomplishment gap between students in private and public junior secondary schools, with private school students having better mean scores than their public-school peers. Equally, female pupils outperformed their male counterparts in terms of academic achievement. As a result, it was suggested, among other things, that Business Studies teachers in both public and private junior secondary schools use appropriate teaching methods and tactics to increase academic achievement of both male and female students in the subject. To equip students with basic employable skills, government agencies and policymakers should focus on enhancing funding to provide appropriate resources for successful teaching and learning, particularly in practical skill subject areas, at all levels of the nation's education system. The government should provide infrastructure for public schools so that they can compete with their private school competitors.