PSYCHO-SOCIAL FACTORS AS PREDICTORS OF LEARNING OUTCOMES IN VALUE CONCEPTS IN YORUBA LANGUAGE AMONG PUBLIC SENIOR SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS IN IBADAN, NIGERIA

Abstract

Yoruba value concepts are included in Yoruba language curriculum to teach students moral values and right attitude to cultural heritage. However, reports and feelers from schools and Oyo State Ministry of Education depicted students’ unruly behaviours and the negative attitude to Yoruba language among Yoruba speaking students. These have been traced to their deficiency in Yoruba value concepts. Previous studies largely focused on interventions through various teaching strategies with little consideration for psycho-social factors that could affect students’ learning outcomes in Yoruba value concepts. Therefore, this study investigated the psycho-social factors (motivation, locus of control, self-esteem, parental involvement, peer influence, and home background) as predictors of students’ learning outcomes (achievement and attitude) in value concepts in Yoruba language among public senior secondary school students in Ibadan, Nigeria.

The study was anchored on Erikson’s psychosocial and Bandura’s social learning theories, while the descriptive survey design of correlational type was adopted. Multi stage sampling procedure was used. Five Local Government Areas (LGA’s)were randomly selected out of eleven LGA’S in Ibadan. Purposive sampling technique was used to select four senior secondary schoolsfrom each of the LGA’s based on availability of Yoruba teachers. In all, 1000 students from senior secondary school II class were selected (486 males and 514 females) through proportionate to sample size technique. Instruments used were Students’ motivation (r=0.79), Locus of control (r=0.83), Self-esteem (r=0.76), Parental involvement (r=0.87), Peer influence (r=0.89), Home background (r=0.92), Attitude to Yoruba value concepts (r=0.94) scales and Yoruba value concepts achievement test (r=0.86). Data were analysed using descriptive statistics, Pearson product moment correlation and Multiple regressions at 0.05 level of significance.

The respondents’ mean age was 15.50 ± 2.25 years. Locus of control (r=0.18), Self-esteem (r=0.32), Parental involvement (r=0.54) and Peer influence (r=0.63) had a significant relationship with students’ achievement in value concepts in Yoruba. Locus of control (r=0.25), Parental involvement (r=0.23), Peer influence (r=0.33) and Home background (r=0.37) correlated significantly with students’ attitude to value concepts in Yoruba. There was a significant joint contribution of motivation, locus of control, self-esteem, parental involvement, peer influence and home background (F(6,993)=4.74; R=0.59; adj R2=0.28) to students’ achievement in Yoruba value concepts, contributing 28.0% of its variance. There was a significant joint contribution of motivation, locus of control, self-esteem, parental involvement, peer influence and home background (F(6,993)=48.37; R=0.48; Adj R2=0.22) to students’ attitude to Yoruba value concepts, contributing 22.0% of its variance. Locus of control (β=0.05), self-esteem (β=0.07), parental involvement (β=0.07) and peer influence (β=0.17) contributed to students’ achievement in Yoruba value concepts. Locus of control (β=0.18), parental involvement (β=0.09), peer influence (β=0.29) and home background (β=0.27) contributed to students’ attitude in Yoruba value concepts.

Positive peer influence, supportive parental involvement and resourceful home background influenced senior secondary students’ learning outcomes in Yoruba value concepts in Ibadan, Nigeria. Teachers should take cognisance of these factors in their instructional delivery in order to enhance students’ achievement in and attitude to Yoruba value concepts.