STUDENTS VARIABLES AND ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE IN BIOLOGY IN CALABAR SOUTH LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA OF CROSS RIVER STATE.

ABSTRACT The purpose of this research work was to investigate Student variables and academic performance in Biology in Calabar South Local Government Area, Cross River State. In order to find out students’ variable and academic performance in Biology, three research hypotheses were formulated to guide the research. A survey design was adopted for this study and a simple random sampling techniques were used in selecting the sample size and respondents used in the study. A questionnaire was used to collect information from the respondents and a Biology Achievement Test (B.A.T) was also used. Related literatures were reviewed to cover the general views concerning the variables used in the study. The data was analyzed using Students t – test to test the three hypotheses. In the final analysis the study revealed that there is no significant difference in students’ perceptions of difficult topics based on their gender, that there is a significant difference in students’ perceptions of difficult topics based on their interest in science and that school location has no significant difference on students’ perception of difficult topics. It was recommended that all learners should be given equal opportunity and the same level of encouragement irrespective of their gender this will enhance academic performance. Teachers and Students should dedicate more study time to perceived difficult concepts in Biology to enhance the understanding of such concepts among others