CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION
1.1 BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY
School could be regarded as a place where the
learners undergo so many academic and nonacademic activities to achieve all
round development. However, the achievement of these all round development may
not be possible if the learners were not adjusted to the school environment.
The way, the manner, behaviour and academic output of the secondary school
students today may portray poor school adjustment, which may be as a result of
certain factors such as poor school environment, poor home environment, poor classroom
climate, poor training of teachers, poor relationships between administrators,
peer group pressure, inadequate curriculum and inadequate recreational
facilities. For any student to achieve his/her aim of going to school, he/she
must be well adjusted in school. To this end, adjustment could be regarded as a
change in attitude, behaviour or both by an individual on the basis of some
recognized need or desire to change, particularly to account for the current
environment or changing a typical or unexpected conditions. According to Dibia
and Ajoku (2020), adjustment is an attempt to deal with stress, tensions,
conflicts and challenges within one’s self.
In the view of Jose (2020), adjustment refers to the extent to which an
individual’s personality functions effectively in the world of people. In the
context of this work, adjustment can be defined as the extent to which the
students are able to adapt favourably to their environment.
School adjustment therefore is all about the overall
well-being of the students and the extent they are able to adapt favourably to
their physical, social, academic and learning environment. In the views of
Lachani, Jain and Chandel (2019) school adjustment is the process of adapting
to the role of being a student and to various aspects of the school
environment. Failure to adjust can lead to mental health issues and school
refusal or school dropout and may require school counselling. According to
Sultana (2019), school adjustment refers to an individual’s state of mind and overall
well-being. Similarly, Yellalah (2012) interpreted school adjustment as a
continuous dynamic process that is acted and practiced by the individual to
change his behaviour in order to enable him adjust with himself and others in
the surrounding environment. The above definitions could imply that school
adjustment enables one to adapt to one’s own environment and to the environment
of others. According to Tommi (2022), school adjustment is that condition of a
person who is able to adapt to changes in his or her physical, occupational and
social environment.
In other words, it is the behavioural process of
balancing conflicting needs or needs challenged by obstacles in the
environment. In the context of this
study, school adjustment therefore could be defined as the overall well-being
and adaptation of the students to their psychological, sociological and
physical environmental conditions in relation to their ability to relate
cordially with others, do their school work, feel good about school work, be
satisfied with themselves as well as have a positive attitude towards schooling
and learning experiences. Good school adjustment largely depends upon
satisfactory insight into the events and changes that have occurred and a
personal acceptance of these changes; modification of beliefs and personal
goals; the acquisition of appropriate strategies to compensate as far as
possible for any residual handicaps (Oparaugo & Ebenebe, 2021). The
adjustment of the students in school could mean, getting along with the members
of the school like teachers, principal, fellow students, school counsellors and
psychologists as best as each student can. When the students are adjusted in
the school, they tend to cope with academic stress, engage in the academic and
non-academic activities of the school, adhere to the school rules and
regulations, and become happy getting involved in the school activities.
From the forgoing, school adjustment could be defined
as a condition by which the students maintain harmony within themselves and
among others and be able to adapt favourably to their physical, social, and
occupational changes in their school environment as the need arises. It also
enables the students to fit in their own world and to the world of others.
The importance of school adjustment of the students
in the realization of their aim of going to school cannot be overemphasized.
This is why adjustment of the students is the major concern of school
psychologists; hence, lack of it has a negative implication to the students’
academic achievement (Ejichukwu, & Anyaemene, 2022). According to the authours, this could make
the students to engage in all sorts of maladaptive behaviours ranging from
risky sexual behaviours, drug abuse, examination malpractices, stealing, and alcoholism
among others as defensives mechanism to achieve adjustment in school. In the
view of Bunker
(2021), school adjustment helps to maintain peace and
harmony in home, school, and society. When there is peace and harmony in the
society, the students could be motivated to learn. According to Abdomalaki
(2022), lack of motivation is a psychological symptom of underdevelopment.
Thus, when the students are well adjusted to their school environment, they
tend to be motivated to work towards achieving their aim of going to school
which may be geared towards self-development and subsequently national
development. When the students are adjusted in the school, they tend to think
rationally, act purposefully and deal effectively with their environment by
manipulating the environment to favour them and contribute their own quota
towards the economic and technological development of the nation.
Nowadays, most secondary school students are faced
with school adjustment issues that may hinder their academic success in one way
or the other. According to Akpama in Ejichukwu and Anyamene (2022), the reason
might be traced to their experiential background as most of them are faced with
neglect from parents/guardians, unstable homes, emotional neglect and improper
home training. These problems tend to make the students to remain in the state
of psychological disequilibrium which invariably may result to unhealthy
self-efficacy and poor school adjustment.
This however, is capable of pushing them into more problems like prostitution,
drug abuse and alcoholism as unrealistic ways to achieve school
adjustment.
The challenge that call for the school adjustment
of secondary school students in Abia
state could be poor academic achievement. Evidence has shown that in the year
2015, Abia State came first in the result published by West African Examination
Council (WAEC) in the
May/June West African Senior School Certificate
Examination (WASSCE) with 63.94%. This however, made the then governor of Abia
State Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu to award seventeen (17) students scholarship from each
Local Government Area of Abia (Enujuba, 2022).
In the year 2016, Abia came out strong again at 81.54% (Lawal, 2020). It
is noteworthy that the status quo has not remained the same. For instance, in
the year 2021, as cited in Sub-editor (2022), Abia state came out 10th in the
list of states with best WAEC results. Teachers, parents, curriculum experts
and educators are worried over the declining academic achievement of students
in Abia State. Not only that, evidence has also shown that most students who do
well in WAEC in Abia state are mostly
from private schools. The public schools are not measuring up as a result of
irregular of teachers’ salaries, this however, make the teachers to always
absent themselves from school. As a result, the students tend to roam about and
engage themselves in all sorts of deviant behaviours like drug abuse,
prostitution, rape, internet fraud and among others as defensive mechanisms to
get themselves welladjusted in school.
Efforts were made by government to improve the
academic achievement of the students by recognizing the need to post
counsellors and psychologists in secondary schools to ensure the adjustment of
the students. It has not worked out satisfactorily. Hence, one may hardly see a
psychologist posted in most secondary schools, only few counsellors may be available.
The Federal Republic of Nigeria’s stipulations in the
National Policy on Education (FRN, 2014) stated that in view of personality
maladjustment, guidance counsellors and psychologist shall be posted at the
secondary level of education. When psychologists and counsellors are readily
available in secondary schools in Abia State, the students are likely to meet
with them to share their personal concerns to avoid possible school adjustment
problems. Students who are well adjusted tend to function adequately, perform
task adaptively, be satisfied in various life domains, accepts their
personality traits and have a high self-efficacy than those students who are
maladjusted. These students who are having school adjustment problems may be
due to their negative personality traits and poor selfefficacy. No wonder,
Sultana (2019) asserted that school adjustment is broadly affected by
personality trait, life changes, and societal support.
In the view of Uzoka (2018) personality is the
totality of the inherent traits in man that differentiate him from others and
affords him the perception of the world and subsequent survival strategies to
adjust to his environment as the need arises.
Aggarawal as cited in
Uzoka (2018), perceived personality as the total of
individual’s physical and psychological makeup. In the context of this study,
personality is the sum totality of the inherited and acquired propensities of
man that enable him to behave in a unique way and to adapt favourably to his
changing environment. On the other hand, trait could be defined as those unique
behavioural characteristics that make every human unique and different in one
way or the other. Therefore; personality traits according to Diener and Lucas
(2022), reflect people’s characteristic patterns of thoughts, feelings and
behaviour. Personality traits may imply consistency and stability. In the views
of Weiten, Lloyd, Dunn and Hammer
(2019), personality trait is a set of psychological traits and mechanisms
within the individuals that are organized and relatively enduring that
influence the individuals’ interactions with, and adaptations to the school
environment. In a similar vein, Daminabo (2018) viewed
personality trait as the sum totality of the
qualities that differentiate people or the stability of a person’s behaviour
across different situations.
Personality traits may include multiple traits that
help to explain why students perceive the same situation differently and why
they act differently in the same situation, this could be as a result of
certain psychological make ups they might have inherited from their parents or
acquired naturally in their environment.
According to Santrock as cited by Yohanna (2019), when personality
traits are mentioned, one readily thinks about the Big Five Factors or Model by
McCrae and Costa which are; openness to experience, conscientiousness,
extraversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism. However, these traits are
suspected in this study as possible correlates of school adjustment among
secondary school students in Abia State.
Openness to experience is a personality trait that
explains how broad or open minded individuals could be. People who score high
in it are considered to be open to experience. According to Ejichukwu and
Anyaeme (2021), such people may have general appreciation for art, emotion and
adventure. They are not stereotype but try new ideas. They are very
imaginative, creative, curious and inquisitive. They are not rigid to
traditional ideas. They are intelligent, and aesthetically aware. They are
unconventional, and this possibly can make them to be controversial. On the
contrary, people who score low on openness to experience are more reserved and
conventional. They are too rigid to traditional belief system. They may not be comfortable with new ideas as
well as new scientific and technological developments. Individuals who have the
personality trait of openness to experience are likely to adjust properly in
school and have a high self-efficacy than those students who do not possess this
trait. Studies have been conducted on openness to experience as correlate of
school adjustment. For instance, Ejichukwu (2021) reported that openness to
experience significantly correlated the social adjustment of the secondary
school students. Gatzka (2021)
reported that intellectual openness was a strong positive correlate of academic
achievement, whereas senso-aesthetic openness was a moderate negative correlate
of social adjustment. Redhwan, Muhamed,
Zaliha, Yuri, Muhammad, and Manuel (2015) found out that openness and
conscientiousness personalities were positively associated with academic
performance of students.
The personality trait of conscientiousness deals with
individual’s who tend to be diligent, disciplined, well organized, punctual,
and dependable. A person who scores high in conscientiousness is productive in
a variety of occupational areas and with greater longevity (Jackson, Wood,
Bogg, Walton & Harms, 2020). However, the reverse is the case of those who
score low in conscientiousness. Students who are conscientious tend to adjust
easily in school than those students who are not conscientious. Studies have
also been conducted on conscientiousness and school adjustment of students. For
instance; Verbree, Hornstra, Maas and Meii (2022) reported that
conscientiousness correlated gender gap in academic achievement of students in
Dutch. Dumfart, and Aljoscha, (2022) found out that intelligence and
conscientiousness alone accounted for approximately 40% in the variance of
school achievement.
Extraversion is the personality trait that explains
how socially active an individual could be. According to Watson, Stasik, Ro and
Clark (2013), individuals who score high in extraversion are characterized as
outgoing, sociable, upbeat, friendly, assertive, and gregarious. They are
referred to as extraverts or positive emotionality in some trait models.
They talk a lot to draw the attention of others. Extraverted individuals are likely to adjust better
in the school than those students who are not extraverted. Several studies have
also been conducted on extraversion and school adjustment. For instance;
Anyaemene, Ejichukwu and Azuji (2019) reported that Extraversion, Neuroticism
and Openness to Experience significantly correlated the social adjustment of
the secondary school students. Rettew,
McGinnis, Copeland, Nardone, and Bai and Rettew (2021) found significant higher
levels of extraversion to be related to decreases in mood as the pandemic progressed
in contrast to those with lower extraversion, for whom there was a slight
increase in mood over time. Tamannaeifar and Rezaei (2020) reported a
significant relationship between academic adjustment and neuroticism,
extraversion and conscientiousness.
The personality trait of agreeableness is a trait
that explains the feelings and attitude of an individual towards others. It is
characterized by being compassionate and cooperative instead of suspecting and
antagonizing others. People who score high in agreeableness are usually honest,
decent, trustworthy, considerate, friendly, generous, getting along with
others, helpful, positive thinker and often compromising their interest with
others. On the contrary, according to Weiten, Lloyd, Dunn, and Hammer (2019),
people who score low are characterized as suspicious, antagonistic and
aggressive. Students who have a positive feelings and attitudes towards other
students tend to agree with them which invariably leads to good adjustment and
healthy self-efficacy than those students who do not agree with other students.
Studies have also been conducted on agreeableness and school adjustment, for
instance; Sanja, Ivanka, and Ines (2020) found out that extraversion,
conscientiousness, and agreeableness significantly correlated to life
satisfaction. Also, Ghazi, Shahzada, and Ullah (2013) found out that
“conscientiousness” and “agreeableness” personality traits were found high
while “extroversion”, “neuroticism” and “openness to experience” personality
traits were found low in secondary school students. Furthermore, the results
showed no significant relationship between personality traits and their
academic achievement. Also, Eyong, David, and Umoh (2014) reported that there
was a significant difference between the achievements of students with high
level of conscientiousness and agreeableness, and those with low levels of the
trait.
Neuroticism is
a personality trait that explains how an individual handles his emotion.
Individuals who score high in neuroticism are said to be anxious, hostile,
self-conscious, vulnerable and insecure. This personality is called negative
emotionality. They are always anxious and tend to suffer from depression.
Individuals here are often moody, and easily discouraged. This state of emotion
hinders them from thinking clearly, making rational decision and coping with
stress, (Shevaun, Mroczwk & Avron, 2018). Individuals with this personality
trait tend to be maladjusted with poor self-efficacy than those who are not
neurotic. Studies have been conducted on neuroticism and school adjustment; for
instance, Shokrkon and Nicoladis (2021) reported that personality traits of
neuroticism and extroversion are associated with the current mental health of
Canadians during COVID-19 pandemic, with extroversion positively related to
mental health and neuroticism negatively related to it. Also, Ejichukwu,
Anyaemene, and Azuji (2019) reported that Extraversion, Neuroticism and
Openness to Experience significantly correlated the social adjustment of the secondary
school students. Furthermore, Yusoff, Hadie and Yasin (2023) reported that
neuroticism was only found to have significant indirect effects on burnout,
whereby burnout increased when neuroticism increased. Also, Aomo (2019)
reported that neurotic personality significantly correlated suicidal behavior
among students. Schnuck and Handal (2020) found out that neuroticism was most
strongly associated with poor social adjustment while extraversion, openness to
experience, agreeableness and conscientiousness were all significant correlates
of social adjustment and were all associated with positive social adjustment.
In a study conducted by Bashir and Khalid (2022) the results showed among
others that neuroticism was a positive correlate while conscientiousness and
extraversion were negative correlates.
Another variable that was suspected to correlate
school adjustment among secondary school students in Abia state was
self-efficacy. Oparaugo and Ebenebe (2021) asserted that school adjustment
problems may be as a result of poor belief system such as low self-efficacy.
Thus, self-efficacy could be an influential factor of school adjustment. The
students’ believe system about their abilities and personality traits may go a
long way in helping them in their school adjustment process in the environment
they found themselves. Self-efficacy can be conceptualized as one’s personal
judgment of one’s capacities to successfully achieve a given task. Bhagat and
Baliya (2016) explicated self-efficacy as an individual’s belief in his or her
ability to produce designated levels of performance that exercise influence
over events that affect his or her lives. According to Riopel (2019),
self-efficacy is all about one’s belief in one’s own abilities as it pertains
to dealing with various situations. Hopper (2021) defined self-efficacy as an
individual’s confidence in his or her ability to complete a task or achieve a
goal. In the context of this study, self-efficacy can be defined as the belief
and thoughts students have regarding their abilities, capabilities, aptitudes,
and strengths to successfully accomplish a given task. The students’ ability to
succeed in a task may largely depend on their self-efficacy. Students with high
self-efficacy are more likely to be well adjusted in school. This may be true
because such students would have optimistic view and belief of their abilities,
and capabilities to carry out the necessary actions required in managing any
given situation to achieve success. From the foregoing discussions it could be
understood that characteristics and self-efficacy of students who are adjusted
are likely not to be the same from the personality characteristics of those
that are not well adjusted in the school.
Studies have also been conducted on self-efficacy and
school adjustment. For instance; Cordeiro and Lobo (2016)
reported that there is a correlation between self-efficacy and academic
adaptation. Also, Azuji (2019) reported that self-efficacy significantly
correlated the social adjustment of the secondary school students. Also,
Oparaugo and Ebenebe (2021) reported that a positive relationship exist between
adolescents self -efficacy and their psychological adjustment. Furthermore,
Okafor (2021) reported that emotional intelligence and self-efficacy of
students significantly correlated their adjustment. Ejichukwu and Anyaemene
(2022) reported that the personality traits of agreeableness, extraversion,
neuroticism, and openness to experience significantly correlated student’s
social adjustment in Anambra State. However, Conscientiousness personality
trait did not significantly correlate social adjustment of the students. Also,
the big five personality trait and selfefficacy were shown to have jointly
correlated the social adjustment of secondary school students.
Most of these studies were conducted outside Nigeria
while some were conducted within Nigeria. Many of those conducted within
Nigeria do not seem to have addressed the issue of school adjustment of
students in Abia state, talk more of investigating personality traits and
self-efficacy as possible correlates of school adjustment of students in Abia
state. Hence, the need to determine the extent personality traits and
self-efficacy correlate the school adjustment of the secondary school students
in Abia state motivated this study.
1.2 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
Students especially those at the secondary level of
education are supposed to be constantly adjusted in the school so as to be able
to face their academics and other issues or concerns that may require proper
adjustment. Their ability to adjust in all ramifications could lead to success
in their academics and also achieve their social and emotional needs which
invariably leads to proper adjustment of students in the school. In the past,
students were more adjusted in the school due to the fact that they get matured
before starting school. Again, they were disciplined right from home, they had
respect for their parents, teachers and for their elders. They were afraid of
keeping bad companies and could hardly go contrary to rules, regulations,
ethics and moral standards giving to them by their parents at home. These
students with good morals and high level of discipline from home invariably
would transfer those learning to school which could help in their proper
adjustment. And this, have a positive
influence in their academic achievement. Those years, the parents, teachers and
significant adults around the students became there role models, guidance
counsellors and psychologists. The students adhere to instructions given to
them which were directly or indirectly directed towards their adjustment in the
school.
Nowadays, secondary school students seem inadequately
prepared for the academic, emotional and psychological realities of the
secondary education due to age factor, family upbringing, personal issues,
mental health issues, peer group influence, social media influence,
self-efficacy issues and other personality related issues. All these issues
tend to destabilize and affect their adjustment in school. To worsen the whole
situation, these students may adopt unhealthy and negative defensive mechanisms
to reduce anxiety and emotion caused by maladjustment; by falsifying situations
and engaging in all sorts of irrational behaviours like alcoholism,
prostitution, examination malpractice, stealing, truancy, absenteeism,
robbery, drug abuse, alcohol abuse,
risky sexual behaviours, internet abuse, pornography and among others. All
these tend to destabilize and prevent them from achieving their adjustment and
academic goals in the school. Recently, the federal government of Nigeria
recognized the need for guidance counsellors and psychologists in the secondary
schools and stipulated in her National Policy on Education N.PE (2014) that, in
the view of personality maladjustment among secondary school students, guidance
counsellors and psychologists shall be posted at the secondary level of
education. In the secondary school of today, there are insufficient guidance
counsellors and psychologists to help these students to understand themselves
and their environment better and be able to handle their personal, social, and
educational issues which may lead to their proper adjustment in the school. The
absence of these guidance counsellors and psychologists in secondary schools
have negative influence in the adjustment of the students as well as their
academic performance. As a result, most of the students may end up becoming a
societal nuisance and liability instead of an asset to the society and to the
nation in general. Consequently, they may get themselves involved in delinquent
acts like truancy, fighting, alcoholism, drug abuse, risky sexual behaviours
among others. Teachers, parents, curriculum experts and evaluators are worried
especially when it is suspected that this poor school adjustment may affect the
economic and technological development of the nation. Efforts have been made by
researchers and other stake holders in education to improve the adjustment of
the students in the schools but the ugly situation continues to prevail. Most
students fail to maintain a harmonious relationship with other students because
they are socially maladjusted and psychologically distressed.
Past researchers tend to suggest that personality
traits and self-efficacy have the potentials of correlating with school
adjustments among secondary school students. The extent personality traits and
self-efficacy could correlate with school adjustment of Nigerian students who
operate in different socio-cultural circumstances is yet to be determined. The
problem of this study therefore put in a question form is: To what extent do
personality traits and self-efficacy correlate the school adjustment among
secondary school students in Abia state?
1.3 PURPOSE OF THE STUDY
The purpose of this study was to investigate the
extent personality traits and self-efficacy correlate with school adjustment
among secondary school students’ in Abia State.
Specifically, the study sought to;
1. Determine
the extent openness to experience correlates with school adjustment among
secondary school students.
2. Find
out the extent conscientiousness correlates with school adjustment among
secondary school students.
3. Investigate
the extent extraversion correlates with school adjustment among secondary
school students.
4. Determine
the extent agreeableness correlates with school adjustment among secondary
school students.
5. Investigate
the extent neuroticism correlates with school adjustment among secondary school
students.
6. Find
out the extent joint personality traits (openness to experience,
conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism) correlate with
school adjustment among secondary school students.
7. Determine
the extent self-efficacy correlates with of school adjustment among secondary
school students.
1.4 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY
The findings of this study could have both
theoretical and practical significance.
This study could have some theoretical importance for the big Five
Personality Traits by McCrae and Coaster (1987), psychoanalytic theory of
personality by Sigmund Freud (1895), Analytical theory of Personality by Carl
Jung (1912), social cognitive theory of self-efficacy by Albert Bandura (1977)
and interpersonal theory of adjustment by Harry
Stack Sullivan (1953). The findings of the study could advance the
personality trait theory of McCrae and Coaster which proposes that individuals
possess the characteristics of the Big Five personality dimensions which are
openness to experience, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and
neuroticism. Bandura’s social cognitive theory observed that many students
avoid academic activities because they do not believe they possess the required
abilities and potentials to succeed and achieve their academic goals. Sullivan’s interpersonal theory of adjustment
proposes that individuals engage in
behaviourial interaction between persons for the purpose of alleviating anxiety and getting positive feedback
from others so as to achieve a good adjustment.
Practically, the study could be of immense benefit to
the students, parents, teachers, school counsellors, psychologist and future
researchers when published. The findings of this study could benefit the
students hence it could help towards building and maintaining healthy
selfefficacy and relationship that could subsequently lead to their overall
adjustment in the school. The findings of this study could enable the students
to understand their psychological makeup and that of others as well as discover
ways to fit in their own world and in the world of others by avoiding those
negative behaviours that could lead to maladjustment. The findings of this
study could also serve as a source of information to secondary school students;
hence it could expose them to how their personality traits and self-efficacy
could correlate their school adjustment.
The findings of this study could be of great benefit
to the parents. Based on the findings, parents could understand the personality
characteristics of their children and device suitable parenting style to use on
them. This would be achieved through seminars, conferences and workshops.
Furthermore, the parents might be able to point out the dimension of
personality their children fall under based on the observable signs of the
personality characteristics their children may manifest.
For the teachers, the findings of this study could
help them to understand the psychology of adjustment of the students,
personality characteristic traits and individual differences that exist among
the learners. Based on the understanding, the teachers could device suitable
teaching strategies and assessment methods to use on the students to
accommodate all these differences.
The outcome of the research could be of benefit to
the guidance counsellors’ by providing information on the personality traits
and self-efficacy of the secondary school students as they correlate their
school adjustment. This could help them in redesigning and modifying the
existing guidance and counselling programmes and services to guide and assist
the students who are maladjusted.
The findings of this study could be of benefit to the
psychologists; hence it might acquaint them with adequate knowledge of the
students’ personality traits and the causes of personality maladjustment as
well as the extent their personality traits and self-efficacy correlate their
school adjustment. Based on the
knowledge, the psychologists could be able to predict and control students’
behaviour.
Finally, the findings of the study and the
suggestions made could be beneficial to future researchers. The scientific
knowledge gained could be utilized for further research in other related areas.
The findings might not only serve as a reference point for academic purposes
especially to subsequent researchers in the subject area but could also add to
the existing literature in the areas of secondary school students’ personality
traits, self-efficacy, and their school adjustment.
1.5 RESEARCH QUESTIONS
The following research questions
guided the study.
1. What
is the extent to which openness to experience correlates with school adjustment
among secondary school students?
2. To
what extent does conscientiousness correlate with school adjustment among
secondary school students?
3. What
is the extent to which extraversion correlates with school adjustment among
secondary school students?
4. To
what extent does agreeableness correlate with school adjustment among secondary
school students?
5. To
what extent does neuroticism correlate with school adjustment among secondary
school students?
6. What
is the extent joint personality traits (openness to experience,
conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, neuroticism) correlate with
school adjustment among secondary school students?
7. What
is the extent to which self-efficacy correlates with school adjustment among
secondary school students?
1.6 HYPOTHESES
The following null hypotheses were
formulated and tested at 0.05 level of significance.
1. Openness
to experience does not significantly correlate with school adjustment among
secondary school students.
2. There
is no significant correlation between conscientiousness and school adjustment
among secondary school students.
3. Extraversion
does not significantly correlate with school adjustment among secondary school
students.
4. There
is no significant correlation between agreeableness and school adjustment among
secondary school students.
5. Neuroticism
does not significantly correlate with school adjustment among secondary school
students.
6. Joint
personality traits (openness to experience, conscientiousness, extraversion,
agreeableness, neuroticism) do not significantly correlate with school
adjustment among secondary school students.
7. Self-efficacy
does not significantly correlate with school adjustment among secondary school
students.
1.7 SCOPE OF THE STUDY
The study was delimited to senior secondary school
class two (S.S 2) students in Abia state public secondary schools. The study
focused on investigating personality traits and selfefficacy as correlates of
school adjustment among secondary school students in Abia state.
However, the content scope focused on the ‘‘Big
Five’’ personality traits of McCrae and Costa (1987) which are; openness,
conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism as well as
self-efficacy as the independent variables. The dependent variable of the study
was school adjustment.
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