General Preference and Senior Secondary Schools Literature-in-English Achievement

Abstract

This study investigated the extent to which general preference of students would predict their achievement in literature in English in selected senior secondary schools in Ibadan. Five research questions were asked while descriptive survey design was adopted for the study. Simple random sample technique was used to select 500 students offering Literature in English in ten senior secondary schools in Ibadan Metropolis. Two research instruments were used in the study namely general preference questionnaire r = .70 and Literature in English Achievement test r = .81. The data collected were analyzed using frequency count, simple percentages, and regression analysis. The result shows that: the student preferred prose to any other genre (X = 2.57); the preference for prose has significant contribution to the achievement of the students in Literature in English. (b = 0.463; + = 8.472; p < 0.05) and prose literature is the only genre capable of predicting students’ achievement in Literature. Based on the findings, recommendations were made that students’ interests should be developed in other genres not preferred through good instructional strategies for optimal performance.

Key words: General preference; Predictor; Achievement; Prose; Poetry; Drama