INFLUENCE OF SCHOOL OWNERSHIP ON STUDENTS' ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE IN SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN RIVERS STATE

Abstract

This study investigated the influence of school ownership on students' academic performance in secondary schools in Rivers State, Nigeria. The study was guided by three objectives, three research questions, and one null hypothesis. A descriptive survey research design was adopted. The population comprised 18,640 principals and teachers in 472 secondary schools in Rivers State, consisting of 274 public schools, 134 private schools, and 64 mission schools. A sample of 325 respondents was selected using multi-stage and stratified random sampling techniques. Data were collected using a researcher-developed instrument titled School Ownership and Academic Performance Questionnaire (SOAPQ). The instrument was validated by experts in Educational Management and Measurement and Evaluation, while a Cronbach's Alpha reliability coefficient of 0.87 was obtained. Mean and standard deviation were used to answer the research questions, while one-way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) and Scheffé post-hoc test were used to test the hypothesis at the 0.05 level of significance. The findings revealed that public schools had a low influence on students' academic performance, whereas private schools and mission schools exerted positive influences, with mission schools recording the highest influence and a statistically significant difference in the mean ratings across school ownership categories, and the post-hoc test confirmed that all three pairwise comparisons were significant, with mission schools outperforming both private and public schools. The study concluded that school ownership is a significant determinant of students' academic performance in secondary schools in Rivers State, with mission schools demonstrating the most positive influence. The study recommends increased government funding and teacher capacity development in public schools, the sustenance of institutional discipline and moral formation in mission schools, and the enhancement of professional development practices in private schools to ensure equitable and improved academic outcomes across all ownership categories in Rivers State.