Relationship Between Causal Attribution and Academic Achievement of Undergraduate Students, University of Maiduguri, Borno State, Nigeria

Abstract

The study determined the relationship between causal attribution and academic achievement of undergraduate students, University of Maiduguri, Borno state Nigeria. The objectives of the study were to determine the causal attributions (locus, stability and controllability dimensions) of undergraduate students, University of Maiduguri, relationship between causal attribution components individually and collectively with academic achievement and gender differences in the relationship between causal attributions individually and collectively with academic achievement. The study answered one research question and tested eight hypotheses on causal attribution and its relationship with academic achievement. The population of the study consisted of all 47,530 undergraduate students, University of Maiduguri 2018/2019 academic session. The sample for the study was 423 undergraduate students at 4% of the sampled population. Stratified random sampling was used to select 22 departments’ out of the twelve (12) faculties and one college of medical science where proportionate and random sampling techniques were used to select 303 males and 120 females as sample for the study. The Academic Causal Attribution Scale which was adapted was used for data collection. Chronbach Alpha reliability index of the instrument was .764. Students CGPA was used as a measure of academic achievement. Descriptive statistics of frequency counts, mean and percentages were used to answer the research question raised in the study. Pearson Product Moment Correlation analysis, Multiple Regression Analysis and Fisher Z Score were used to test the eight hypotheses. The results showed that causal attribution of the undergraduate students, University of Maiduguri was high with reference to Internal (95.3%, SD= 2.27499) locus of control success which is Unstable (64.1%, SD= 2.83908) towards success and Uncontrollable (53.2%, SD= 3.73998). There was a significant relationship between internal locus of control success and academic achievement (r= .101, p>0.05) and a significant relationship between stability of failure and academic achievement (r= -.104, p>0.05) however, there was no significant relationship between controllability and academic achievement (r= -.025, p>0.05) and no significant relationship between uncontrollability and academic achievement (r= -.091, p>0.05). The results also revealed that there was a significant relationship between causal attribution and academic achievement which accounted for 4.1% to the variance (adjusted R2 = 2.0, F (df. 9, 413) = 1.953), p= .043. There was also no significant gender difference in the relationship between the causal attribution components and academic achievement among undergraduate students, University of Maiduguri. It was concluded that the causal attributions of the undergraduate students, University of Maiduguri was high. Causal attribution was a significant predictor of academic achievement. There was a significant relationship between causal attribution and academic achievement. Gender was not found to be a moderator of academic achievement among undergraduate students, University of Maiduguri. It was recommended that Psychologists should pay more attention to students’ causal attributions as to actual competence through intervention programs and seminars. Counselors, Lecturers, parents and significant others should also know to what factors children attribute their learning in school so they can provide necessary guidance and support. Students should also bank more on effort if they are to be successful in their academic endeavors than other factors.