ACHIEVEMENT BELIEFS, CREATIVITY AND ACADEMIC MOTIVATION AS PREDICTORS OF ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT OF SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS IN MATHEMATICS IN ANAMBRA STATE, NIGERIA

Abstract

The study investigated achievement belief, creativity and academic motivation as predictors of 
academic achievement of secondary school students in mathematics in Anambra state, Nigeria. 
Four research questions guided the study and four were tested at 0.05 level of significance. The 
predictive correlation design was adopted for the study. The population of the study comprised 
21,204 senior secondary two (SS2) students in Anambra State, out of which 720 students 
obtained using random and purposive sampling techniques were involved in the study. The 
instruments for data collection were validated by three experts from the Departments of Science 
Education and Educational Foundations (Measurement and Evaluation), Nnamdi Azikiwe 
University, Awka.  The reliability of achievement beliefs scale, creativity inventory and 
academic motivation scale was established using Cronbach Alpha. For achievement beliefs scale 
and .73, Creativity inventory, .73 for academic motivation scale, .71. The students’ achievement 
scores in Mathematics were obtained from the teachers’ proforma whereas achievement beliefs 
scale creativity inventory and academic motivation scale and were administered on the students 
with the help of six research assistants. Data obtained were analyzed using simple and multiple 
linear regressions. The findings of the study among others revealed that achievement beliefs, 
creativity, and academic motivation jointly made significant contribution to the prediction of 
students’ mental ability. Among the predictors, achievement beliefs enhanced students’ mental 
ability and academic achievement in Mathematics while academic motivation showed the highest 
beta weight, indicating that motivated students tend to exhibit and improved academic outcome 
in Mathematics. Creativity also positively influenced mental ability in Mathematics. Based on 
the above findings. It was recommended among others that teachers and school administrators 
design instructional strategies that foster creativity, sustain academic motivation and strengthen 
positive achievement beliefs to improve students’ mental ability and academic achievement. 
From the findings recommendations and conclusions were made.