Vol. 20, May 2014 Issue 1
NIGERIAN JOURNAL 
OF CLINICAL AND 
COUNSELLING 
PSYCHOLOGY
ISSN: 1 1 1 8 - 4 0 3 5
UNIVERSITY OF IBADAN LIBRARY
Nigerian Journal 
O f
Clinical and Counselling Psychology
Vol. 20, May 2014, Issue 1.
ISSN: 1118-4035
UNIVERSITY OF IBADAN LIBRARY
Vol. 20, May 2014, Issue 1 ix
Contents
Determinants of Compliance to Authority among 
Undergraduate Students of University of Ibadan.
Catherine Chovwen.................................................. 1 -  29
Influence of Health - Related Lifestyle on the 
Dietary Behaviour of Male Adults in Corporate 
Establishments in Nigeria
Francisca Chika Anyanwu & Blavo, Jude Femi........31 -  45
Psycho-Demographic Predictors of Academic 
Achievement Motivation among Secondary School 
Adolescents in Ibadan Metropolis
Adebunmi O. Alade..................................................47 -  70
Assessment of the Knowledge and Practice of 
Family Planning Among Mothers of Children with 
Intellectual Disability in Ibadan, Oyo State 
Tolu Eni-Olorunda Sc Abayomi Lateef..................... 71 -  81
Effectiveness of Social Work Intervention in 
Reducing Deviant Behaviour among Secondary School 
Students in Ibarapa Central Local Government,
Igbo-Ora, Oyo State
Olufunmilayo O. Folaranmi ................................. 83 -  102
Growing Without Parents: Can the Media 
Build Childrens’ Foundation of A Healthy and 
Safe Lifestyle Habits?
Ruth Ochanya Adio- Moses................................ 103 -  122
Illegal Immigrants on Nigerian Streets: Inclusion in 
Government Policy and Implications for the 
Role of Social Workers
Ajala E.M.............................................................123-142
Influence of Emotional Intelligence on Training 
Outcomes of Civil Engineering Construction,
Furniture and Wood Workers in Nigeria
Kester, K.O Sc Okemakinde, S.O......................... 143 -  162
UNIVERSITY OF IBADAN LIBRARY
X Nigerian Journal o f Clinical and Counselling Psychology
Managing Persons with Co-Morbidities 
Involving Intellectual Disability
Esther Oyefeso................................................... 163 -  179
Neonatal Hearing Screening as a Strategy for 
Early Intervention for Children with Hearing 
Loss in Selected Hospitals
Ojetoyinbo A. Adewumi & Moji Oyebola.............. 181 -  197
Psychological Factors as Determinants of 
Female Academics’ Job Commitment in 
Universities in South Western Nigeria
Fagunwa, A. O., Ogidan, O.T & Esan, A.A............ 199 -  222
Socio Demographic Factors as Determinants of 
Public Domestic Perception of Domestic Water 
Accident in Lagos Metropolis, Nigeria
A.A. Amori..........................................................223 -  234
Teacher Factors as Predictors of Nursery Pupils’ 
Socio-Emotional Skills Development
Odinko, Monica N. & Uzoeshi Ifunanya V............ 235 -  259
UNIVERSITY OF IBADAN LIBRARY
Psycho-Demographic Predictors of Academic Achievement 
Motivation among Secondary School Adolescents in 
Ibadan Metropolis
Adebunmi O. Alade
Department of Guidance & Counselling,
University of Ibadan, Ibadan 
Email: aladebunmi2008(d<uahoo. com 
Phone No: 234-8023906266
Abstract
This study investigated the predictive influence of self-esteem, 
academic optimism, attribution style, age and gender on 
academic achievement motivation among adolescents in 
schools of science in Ibadan metropolis. The study adopted a 
descriptive survey research design. A sample of two hundred 
and eighty seven participants was randomly selected from 
three secondary schools drawn from three local government 
areas within Ibadan Metropolis. The participants comprised 
187 male and 100 female and the age range was between 12 
to 21 years, with mean age of 16.05. Data was subjected to 
Pearson’s Product Moment Correlation and Multiple 
Regressions analysis. The result revealed that each of the 
independent variables have significant relationship with 
academic achievement motivation of secondary school 
students. However, gender made no relative contribution to the 
dependent variable. The study has implications for all 
educational stakeholders such as students, teachers, parents 
and counselling psychologists. It however suggested the need 
for counselling psychologists to assist students develop self­
affirmative attitude in order to boost their self-esteem, 
encourage optimistic disposition and take responsibility for 
their academic successes.
Keywords: Academic achievement motivation, Academic 
optimism, Adolescents, Attribution style, Self­
esteem
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48 Adebunmi O. Alade
Introduction
Over the years, the improvement of academic achievement of 
student has attracted the interest and concern of many 
researchers, teachers, parents and national leaders. This has 
become necessary due to the increasing poor performance of 
students in both school-based and external national 
examinations conducted by the West African Examination 
Council (WAEC) and National Examination Council (NECO) in 
recent times. It is evident that efforts geared towards 
improving academic achievement among students are yet to 
produce satisfactory results. In the light of this occurrence, 
extensive research has been conducted on many psychological 
and non psychological factors predictive of academic 
performance for example, self-efficacy, self esteem, personality 
traits, emotional intelligence, learned resourcefulness, need 
achievement, trait anxiety, cognitive style and motivation to 
mention a few and they all have been reported to influence 
learning outcomes (Aremu & Oluwole, 2001; Adeyemo & 
Oluwole, 2001; Salami, 2004; Telia, 2007; Ogundokun & 
Adeyemo 2010).
Motivation is a desire to accomplish a goal or a drive 
to carry out a specific behaviour (Graham, 2004; Weiner, 
2000). Motivation is a desire to succeed a goal which is 
meaningful to individual (Cladella, 2002). More often than 
not, an action or a set of actions taken by a human beings 
eventually determine their performance. Motivation is a 
process which positively influences the thoughts, beliefs and 
perceptions, thereby boosting the performance of human 
beings. Though motivation plays a significant role in students’ 
academic life wherein it shapes the future of budding 
students, there is no gainsaying the fact that people differ in 
their motivation to achieve and that all the people may not be 
self-motivated or may not show the traits of achievement 
motivation. Therefore, the development of achievement 
motivation appears to be an important goal for educators 
because of its inherent importance for future motivation as 
well as effective school functioning.
Achievement motivation has been considered to be an 
important concept in the dynamics of human behaviour. It is 
the basic need for success or the attainment of excellence 
which forms the basis for a good life. Achievement motivation
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Psycho-Demographic Predictors of... 49
is relatively a new concept in the world of motivation. It is 
now widely used and heard in the area of education. It is a 
multi-faceted construct which has been reportedly linked to 
many other psychological constructs such as self-efficacy, 
responsibility, reflection, strategic thinking,
conscientiousness, autonomy, and positive risk-taking among 
others (Bracey, 2010; Kyndt, Dochy, Struyven, & Cascallar, 
2011; Walker & Greene, 2009). Achievement motivation is an 
individual’s tendency to achieve special goals. It is associated 
with special goals and ways of achieving them, planning, 
effort, and feelings of self-worth.
According to Singh (2011), achievement motivation is a 
subjective and internal psychological drive, enabling 
individuals to pursue work they perceive to be valuable and 
prompting them to reach their goals. It is the tendency to 
strive for success or the attainment of desired end. It refers to 
a student’s level of cognitive involvement with the learning 
process and associated with intrinsic and extrinsic 
motivational characteristics noticeable by the student’s 
demonstrated level of self-determination and self-regulation 
(Barkoukis, Tsorbatzoudis, Grouios, & Sideridis, 2008; Kyndt, 
Dochy, Struyven, & Cascallar, 2011). Achievement motivation 
is conceived as a latent disposition which is manifested in 
overt striving only when the individual perceives performance 
as instrumental to a sense of personal accomplishment. In 
the light of this, Salami (1998) and Ogundokun (2007) 
reported that academic motivation is significantly correlated 
with academic performance and that people with high 
achievement motivation are high academic achievers. Salami 
(2004) concluded that achievement motivation is a strong 
predictor of high academic performance and effective 
schooling. Consequently, individuals that are high in 
achievement motivation are reported to be at their best when 
they can maintain a high level of involvement in ensuring the 
excellence of activities under their coordination or control. 
However they do relatively less when required to manage 
excessive tasks or to function in highly stressful 
environments.
This current study is centered on Eccles Expectancy- 
value Theory of Achievement Motivation (Eccles, Wigfield, & 
Schiefele, 1998) which posits that multiple mechanisms
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50 Adebunmi O. Alade
explain the relationship between adolescent sense of self and 
corresponding behaviours and that adolescent’s behaviours 
can be predicted by motivational beliefs. These beliefs mediate 
behavioural pathways (Simpkins, Fredricks, & Eccles, 2012). 
Achievement-related choices are assumed to be influenced by 
two sets of beliefs: the individual’s expectations for success 
and the importance or value the individual attaches to the 
various options perceived as available. The theory posits that 
individuals will engage most fully in school, if they have 
confidence in their ability to do well and place high value on 
performing well. High confidence in one’s academic ability 
results from a history of doing well in school, as well as 
encouragement from adults and peers (Wigfield, Eccles, 
Chiegele, Roeser & Davis-Kean, 2006). Consequently, 
researchers agree that successful individuals demonstrate 
perseverance and the ability to sustain motivation in the face 
of setbacks (Burton, Lydon, D’Alessandro, & Koestner, 2006) 
that students’ internal motivational characteristics, including 
attribution style are important contributors to students’ 
academic choices and may be directly responsible for actual 
achievement (Bridgeland, Belfanz, Moore, & Friant, 2010; 
Martin & Dowson, 2009).
It is clear that attribution styles among the students 
contribute to their academic behaviour and the adaptation 
strategies they exhibit in response to the success or failure 
experiences in their academic pursuits. Attribution style is a 
cognitive and personality variable that reflects the manner in 
which individuals explain the causes for the successes and 
failures in their lives (Peterson & Seligman, 1984). When 
undertaking a learning task students refer to several 
resources to determine how to study the task, how to estimate 
their success, how much effort and time will be invested on 
the task. The result of this evaluation process relies on 
students’ cognitions and motivational beliefs (Seegers, Van 
Putten & Vermeer, 2004).
According to attribution theory, an individual’s 
cognitive assessment of achievement outcomes has significant 
consequences for subsequent cognitions, emotions, and 
behaviours (Weiner, 1985, 2008, 2010). Three dimensions of 
causal attribution have been recognized across literature 
namely: a) locus of causality which relates to personal ability,
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Psycho-Demographic Predictors of... 51
b) stability which addresses whether causes are fixed or 
passing, and c) controllability which addresses whether the 
cause may be successfully influenced by the individual or by 
others (Weiner, 1985, 2010). Attributional combinations may 
be functional or dysfunctional, acting to either enable or 
hamper student achievement (Fulton & Turner, 2008; 
Marcoulides, Gottfried, Gottfried, & Oliver, 2008). Sukariyaha 
and Assaada (2015) citing Weiner (1974, 1986), reported that 
a child may attribute test results to several factors, including 
ability or effort, assistance from the teacher, and the difficulty 
level of the test and also stressed that different attribution 
patterns have been identified for successful and unsuccessful 
student. As students progress higher in their educational 
pursuits, they are bound to experience series of obstacles 
such as more challenging subjects or topics, shortage of 
learning resources, poor learning environment etc. The way in 
which students explain these academic setbacks is considered 
crucial. Al-Tahhan and Nashawati (1989) in their study 
reported that students crucially incline to assert the internal 
control site (capability and effort), more than their inclination 
to assert the external control site (assignment and luck) in 
defining the causes of achievement success and failure. Also, 
female students were more inclined than male students to 
attribute achievement success and failure experiences to their 
academic abilities, their motivation and own efforts; 
meanwhile, these differences are unclear when attributing the 
failure situations. Students who blame their academic 
difficulties on internal, stable factors are likely to experience 
anxiety, put forth little effort, and thus have difficulty in 
learning new material and this could impact negatively on the 
psychological functioning including self esteem.
Teachers, administrators and parents are commonly 
concerned about student’s self-esteem. Its significance has 
been stressed to the extent that low self-esteem is viewed as 
the cause of all evil and high self-esteem as the cause of all 
good (Manning, Bear 8s Minke, 2006). Self-esteem is a 
person’s positive or negative evaluation of self. Franzoi (2000) 
defined self-esteem as individual’s numerous evaluations of 
self as being good, bad, or mediocre. Desmond (2009) 
explained self-esteem as the complication of feelings that 
guide behaviour, influences attitudes, and drives motivation.
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52 Adebunmi O. Alade
A person with high self-esteem perceives self as better, more 
capable, and of greater worth than does someone with low 
self-esteem. These self-evaluations are based in part on the 
opinions of others and in part on how people perceive specific 
experience. Interestingly, negative self-perceptions lead to 
more predictable behaviour than positive self-perceptions. 
Presumably, this happens because negative self-views involve 
more tightly organized scheme than positive one (Malle & 
Horowitz, 1995). As a result, someone with high self-esteem 
and low self-esteem might report different levels of sense of 
competence and performance because struggling with self­
esteem creates adverse affects on all areas of a student’s life 
from social to academic and because self-esteem is most often 
lowered by failure, criticism, and rejection (Leary, 1999).
Self-esteem is reported to be associated with motivation 
and general satisfaction with life (Harter, 1986; Rosenberg, 
1986). Given these associations, children and adolescents 
who have low self-esteem may be more dependent on their 
parents and have lower academic and vocational goals. 
Research has demonstrated a connection between self-esteem 
and behaviour. For example, Leary (1999) reported that 
people want to maintain a confident level of self- esteem 
because they possess the desire to feel good about them self 
and that a high level of self-esteem facilitates the achievement 
of goals. Students, who are able to achieve their goals of being 
successful in school, experience a boost in self-esteem and 
encouragement and children who have a healthy self-esteem 
are satisfied in their activities without the constant need for 
approval. Furthermore, Chen, Lee-Chai and Bargh (2001) 
found that having high self -esteem increases the likelihood of 
believing that individuals have the prerequisite knowledge of a 
task at hand as well as the skills to perform effectively and 
that high self-esteem may also help students have the 
confidence to tackle difficult situations as well as see 
satisfaction from their progress and success.
With the increased demands placed on schools to 
provide high levels of educational performance and societal 
expectations from all learners, it seems essential to determine 
the effects of academic optimism on student academic 
achievement. Academic optimism is the general tendency to 
expect positive outcomes in terms of personal, current and
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Psycho-Demographic Predictors of... 53
future academic experiences. It is a collective belief by a 
faculty that they can help all students be academically 
successful by working together and trusting both students 
and parents to support the academic goals of the school (Hoy, 
Hoy, & Tarter, 2006).
Academic optimism was proposed by Hoy, Hoy and 
Tarter (2006). It is a latent construct that encompasses the 
school-level characteristics of academic emphasis, collective 
efficacy, and faculty trust in clients. Academic emphasis was 
defined as the degree to which faculty members and school 
leaders strive for academic excellence. The second factor 
which is collective efficacy is defined as the belief among 
faculty members that the school as a whole can achieve 
stated goals to insure student academic achievement. They 
reasoned that collective efficacy tends to push teachers to 
work harder and to keep a positive attitude when striving for 
higher student academic success. Collective efficacy of a 
faculty is built upon the individual self-efficacy of teachers. 
When teachers feel confident as individuals then collectively 
about school accomplishments, they have more faith in the 
abilities of each other and of their students. Finally, faculty 
trust in clients is defined as the interweaving of benevolence, 
reliability, competence, honesty, and openness.
Hoy et.al (2006) argued that all five factors combined 
would create expectations of trust and commitment, and 
hence affect student academic success. They found that the 
constructs of academic emphasis, collective efficacy, and 
faculty trust in both parents and students was reliable in 
predicting student academic success. Hoy and McGuigan 
(2006) reported that academic optimism was a stronger 
predictor of student achievement at all levels: elementary, 
middle, and high school. Additionally, academic optimism is 
said to be achieved through clearly defined and reachable 
goals, and an environment conducive to achievement in terms 
of discipline, distractions, and motivation.
Purpose of the Study
The main purpose of the present study was to examine the 
relationship that exist among the independent variables 
(academic optimism, attribution style, self-esteem, age and 
gender) and Academic achievement motivation (dependent
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54 Adebunmi O. Alade
variable). Also, it determined the joint contributions of 
academic optimism, attribution style, self-esteem, age and 
gender to the prediction of academic achievement motivation. 
Finally, the study ascertained the relative contributions of 
academic optimism, attribution style, self-esteem, age and 
gender to the prediction of academic achievement motivation 
among secondary school adolescents in Ibadan.
Research Questions
The following questions were raised in this study:
• Is there any significant relationship among the 
independent variables (academic optimism, attribution 
style, self-esteem, age and gender) and the dependent 
variable (academic achievement motivation) among 
secondary school adolescents in Ibadan?
• What is the joint contribution of each of the independent 
variables (academic optimism, attribution style, self­
esteem, age and gender) to the prediction of the 
dependent variable (academic achievement motivation) 
among secondary school adolescents in Ibadan?
• What is the relative contribution of each of the 
independent variables (academic optimism, attribution 
style, self-esteem, age and gender) to the prediction of 
the dependent variable (academic achievement 
motivation) among secondary school adolescents in 
Ibadan?
Methodology
Research design
This study adopted a descriptive survey research design of 
correlation type to investigate the predictive influence of 
psycho-demographical predictors of academic achievement 
motivation among secondary school adolescents in Ibadan, 
Oyo state. This design is appropriate because the variables 
were not manipulated but described as they naturally occur 
among the respondents.
Participants
The target population for the study was adolescents in 
science-based secondary schools in Ibadan metropolis.
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Psycho-Demographic Predictors of... 55
Science-based secondary school was chosen for the study 
because of the keen competition and rigorous processes 
students are subjected to before they are admitted into the 
schools this sort of motivates the students to perform better. 
Also, emphasis on students in science-based schools is 
presumed to be better than students in other schools. A 
purposive sampling technique was employed in selecting three 
science-based public secondary schools in Ibadan. The 
schools were situated in three local government areas of; 
Akinyele, Ibadan South West and North East respectively. A 
total of 300 participants with equal allocation method of 100 
participants randomly selected from each of the schools. Two 
arms of Senior Secondary II were randomly selected from each 
of the schools. However, 287 questionnaires were returned 
appropriately filled and analyzed for use. Their ages ranged 
between 12 and 22 years with a mean age of 15.6 years.
Instrumentation
Demographic information was collected from participants 
regarding their age, gender and religion. The participants 
completed the four questionnaires:
• Rosenberg’s Self-Esteem Scale
• Academic Optimism Scale
• Children's Attributional Style Questionnaire
• Ibadan Multi- Dynamic Inventory of Achievement 
Motivation
Self-Esteem Scale (Rosenberg, 1965): The scale consists of 
10 items on global self-worth and measuring both positive 
and negative feelings about the self. The scale is believed to be 
uni-dimensional. All items were answered on a 4-point rating 
ranging from 0=strongly disagree, l=Disagree, 2=Agree, 
3=Strongly Agree. The coefficient alpha for the scale was 
reported to be 0.86.
Academic Optimism Scale (Toor, 2009): Academic optimism 
was measured using Academic Optimism Scale by Toor 
(2009). The ten item scale consists of statements such as 
“Just before taking a test, I usually feel confident and 
positive”. These items were rated using a five-point Likert 
scale e.g. 0=strongly disagree, l=Disagree, 2=Neutral,
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56 Adebunmi O. Alade
3=Agree, 4=Strongly Agree. In addition, internal consistency 
was assessed using Cronbach’s alpha. The coefficient alpha 
for the scale was obtained as 0.91.
Attributional Style Questionnaire: Students attributional 
style was measured by the Children's Attributional Style 
Questionnaire (KASTAN-CASQ; Seligman et al., 1984; Kaslow, 
Tanenbaum, & Seligman, 1978). The scale consists of 48 
items which include 24 good events and 24 bad events that 
related to school achievement, sports achievement, peer 
relationships, and relationships with parents. Each item 
describes an event and two attributions, which explain the 
reason why each hypothetical situation might have happened. 
The positive outcomes are represented by half of the situation 
and the other half represents the negative outcomes. For the 
purpose of this study the items that relates to academic 
attribution was selected for use. Participants were asked to 
choose one sentence from the pair that best explained why an 
event happened to them “e.g. a good friend tells you that he 
hates you”
a. My friend was in a bad mood that day.
b. I was not nice to my friend that day.
This instrument was revalidated and a coefficient alpha .73 
was obtained.
Ibadan Multi- Dynamic Inventory of Achievement 
Motivation (Hammed & Aremu, 2002). The academic 
achievement motivation scale section of the Ibadan Multi­
Dynamic Inventory of Achievement Motivation was used. This 
section contains 20 items. The responses to the items were 
marked on a four point rating scale, ranging from Very Unlike 
me (1), Unlikely me (2), Like me (3), Very like me (4). The 
instrument was however re-validated and the Cronbach alpha 
reliability value of 0.74 was obtained after administering the 
instruments in a pilot study to a selected sample of thirty (30) 
students in a secondary school not selected to be used in the 
study.
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Psycho-Demographic Predictors of... 57
Procedure of Administration
An official permission was obtained for the administration of 
the instruments from the school principals. The participants 
responded to all the four questionnaires. The researcher was 
assisted by the school counsellors and teachers in the 
distribution and collection of the questionnaires from the 
respondents. One hundred questionnaires were administered 
in each of the selected school of science school. However, 
checking through a total of two hundred and eighty seven was 
fit for analysis as thirteen of the questionnaires were not 
properly filled.
Data analysis
Data were analyzed using Pearson’s Product Moment 
Correlation and Multiple Regression analysis at 0.05 level of 
significance.
Results
In order to provide answers to the research questions, a 
combination of both descriptive and inferential statistics were 
conducted. The results are presented thus:
To determine the relationship between the independent 
variables (self-esteem, academic optimism, attribution style, 
age and gender) and academic achievement motivation among 
secondary school adolescents in Ibadan Metropolis
Table 1: Descriptive statistics and Inter-correlations 
among the variables __________ _____ _____
V a ria b le s N M ean SD l 2 3 4 5 6
Ach ievem en 287 48.72 21.14 1.00
t M otivation
Attribution 287 14.18 3.58 .674** 1.00
Style
Academ ic 287 23.46 9.66 .789 1.00
Optim ism
Self-Esteem 287 26.92 9.61 .890** .470 .805 1.00
Age 287 2.94 .80 .827** .622 .805 .602 1.00
Gender 287 1.44 .50 .164** .143 .210 .033 .296 1.00
**Correlation is sign] ficant at the 0.05 level (2-tailed)
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58 Adebunmi O. Alade
Table 1 contains descriptive statistics and inter­
correlations among the study variables. As shown in table 1, 
academic achievement motivation significantly correlated with 
attribution style (r = .674; p<.05); academic optimism (r = 
.944; p<.05); self-esteem (r = .890; p<.05); age (r = .827; 
p<.05) and gender (r= .164; p<.05). There were also significant 
correlations among the independent variables.
RQ2: What is the joint effect of independent variables (self­
esteem, academic optimism, attribution style, age and gender) 
on academic achievement motivation among secondary school 
adolescents in Ibadan Metropolis?
Table 2: Summary of Multiple Regression Analysis 
showing joint effect of independent variables on Students’ 
Academic Achievement Motivation
R = 0.99 
R2 =.979
R2 (adjusted)=.959
Standard error of estimate= 4.30
Analysis of variance
Model Sum of DF Mean F P
square square
(SS)
Regression 126878.20 5 25375.64 0.000
Residual 5384.04 282 18.50 137.52
Total 132262.24 287
Table 2 shows that the independent variables when 
taken together significantly predicted academic achievement 
motivation among secondary school adolescents in Ibadan 
metropolis. The value of R2 =.979 and R2 (adjusted) =.959. The 
analysis of variance performed on the multiple regressions 
yielded an (F- ratio value of 137.52 and was found to be 
significant at 0.05 level. The analysis shows that the 
independent variables jointly accounted for 95.9% of the total 
variance in the criterion variable.
RQ3: What is the relative effect of independent variables (self­
esteem, academic optimism, attribution style, age and gender)
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Psycho-Demographic Predictors of... 59
and students’ academic achievement motivation among 
secondary school adolescents in Ibadan Metropolis?
Table 3: Relative Contribution of Independent Variables to 
the Prediction of Students’ Academic Achievement 
Motivation
Unstandardized Standardized
coefficients coefficients T P
Model B Standard Beta
error
Constant 22.45 2.61 8.599 P<0.05
Attribution .961 .063 .301 7.046 P<0.05
Style
Academic .912 .088 .417 10.392P<0.05
Optimism
Self-Esteem .905 .054 .412 16.744P<0.05
Age 6.24 .540 .237 11.555P<0.05
Gender .862 .571 .020 1.509 P>0.05
Table 3 shows that each of all the independent 
variables made relative contribution to the prediction of 
students’ academic achievement motivation: academic 
optimism ((3= .417; t= 10.392; P<0.05); self- esteem ((3 = .412; 
t= 16.744; P<0.05); attribution style ((3 = .301; t= 7.046; 
P<0.05); age ((3 = .237; t= 11.555; P<0.05) and gender ((3 = 
.020; t= 1.509; P>0.05). The table further shows that 
academic optimism appeared as the most potent contributor 
to academic achievement motivation while gender made no 
significant contribution to the prediction of students’ 
academic achievement motivation.
Discussion
The result from the present study revealed that there was a 
significant relationship between the independent variables 
(self-esteem, attribution style, and academic optimism, age 
and gender) and academic achievement motivation among 
adolescents in secondary schools in Ibadan metropolis. In 
relation to attribution style the finding of the study is in line 
with the findings of Tayebi Sogh, Karimi, Haghighi, 
Aryamanesh, Danshjoo and Ghaderi (2013) which concluded 
that attribution styles can have a substantial impact on
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60 AcLebunmi O. Alade
adolescents’ academic success or failure. The finding is in 
consonance with prior study of Ciarrochi, Heaven and Davies 
(2007) that negative attribution style promotes increased 
hostility and fear among adolescents in school. The 
importance of attribution style cannot be undermined in 
academic achievement motivation. It is believed that pupils 
who tend to attribute successes mainly to internal causes 
expend enormous efforts to make good grades and achieve a 
sense of academic achievement.
Furthermore, the findings established a significant 
linear relationship between self-esteem and academic 
achievement motivation. The findings corroborate previous 
studies (Nwanko, Balogun, Chuwudi, & Ibeme, 2012; Hisken, 
2011, El-Anzi, 2005). El-Anzi (2005) found that there was a 
significant relationship between academic achievement and 
self-esteem. While explaining this relationship, Hisken (2011) 
submitted that students with reported low self-esteem are 
prone to anxiety and pessimism which may invariably 
encourage complacency and lack of zeal to face and tackle 
challenging or rigorous task or demands towards their 
progress and successful performance. On the other hand 
students with high self-esteem are more eager to participate 
in classroom activities, are confident and adequately prepared 
to surmount rigorous academic demands. Students with high 
self-esteem usually set higher goals for themselves and 
become more willing to continue even in the case of failure. 
In the same vein, Colquhoun and Bourne, (2011) asserted 
that self-esteem is an influential factor that account for 
academic performance. The finding corroborated the role of 
self-esteem in confidence building as well as in reinforcement 
of academic success. Positive self-esteem gives the individual 
the strength and flexibility to take charge of their lives and 
grow from mistakes without the fear of rejection. On the other 
hand poor self-esteem can result in a cascade of diminishing 
self-appreciation, creating self-defeating attitudes.
Academic optimism was also found to be significantly 
related with academic achievement motivation. This implies 
that academic optimism is a significant contributor to 
students’ achievement. The finding echoes previous works 
(Hoy, Tarter & Hoy 2006; Tuntiwarodom & Potipiti, 2008; 
Akinlana, 2013). This shows that academic optimism is of
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Psycho-Demographic Predictors of... 61
importance in students’ achievement motivation and 
academic performance. Students’ academic optimism set a 
stage for understanding behavioural environment at both the 
classroom and school level. It empowers students with 
adequate psychological proof to adjust to academic demands 
of the school and boost their academic achievement 
motivation. The importance of academic optimism cannot be 
overemphasized due to its connectedness to students’ school 
engagement. Also the fact that the variable cut across inter­
relationship with teachers and school environment (academic 
press) exemplifies its importance as a significant contributor 
to academic achievement motivation of students.
Personal characteristic of respondents in terms of age 
and gender; age was found to have be positively correlated 
with academic achievement motivation; a strong linear 
relationship was reported in this study. This finding is in line 
with other research studies (Emily, 2011; Busari, 2012) 
found that age and academic performance were significantly 
correlated and in addition there was significant difference of 
academic performance between male and female. In 
addition (Emily, 2011) also concluded that early achievement 
and IQ predict later motivation, and that relationships tend to 
stabilize with age as motivation is consolidated. This implies 
that age of students could determine the value held about the 
need to achieve educationally. Since maturity comes with age, 
it suffices to say that matured students tend to pay more 
attention to learning by concentrating more on school 
activities capable of promoting better academic outcome. Age 
plays a considerable part as regards to education. Age of 
students determines certain aspect of child e.g. physical 
ability, entry age students to a school, friendship homophony, 
inter-relationship and maturity to perform adequately in 
school works.
In regard to gender, weak but positive relationship was 
established with the dependent variable. This contradicts 
(Shekhar & Devi, 2012) who concluded that gender is highly 
correlated with academic achievement motivation. Also, 
Nagarathanamma and Rao (2007) in a study to determine the 
difference in adolescent boys and girls on achievement 
motivation found that there was no significant difference 
between boys and girls with regard to achievement motivation
UNIVERSITY OF IBADAN LIBRARY
62 Adebunmi O. Alade
level. Kaushik and Rani (2005) also confirmed the findings 
that there is gender difference in achievement motivation at 
all levels of educational streams. However, on the relative 
contribution, gender was not a potent predictor of academic 
achievement motivation. This is in consonance with Riepe 
(2000) found that the effect of gender on academic 
achievement and achievement motivation were insignificant. 
Riepe (2000) also opined that there is equity of achievement 
motives at school work regarding to gender. This buttressed 
the fact that being male or female does not determines an 
individual’s achievement motivation or ability to perform 
adequately in secondary school education since both are 
exposed to the same sets of instruction.
Conclusion
This findings of this study established that self-esteem, 
academic optimism, attribution style and age are significant 
predictors of academic achievement motivation among 
secondary school adolescents. However, gender is not a potent 
predictor of academic achievement motivation of secondary 
school students. This implies all stakeholders in the 
educational sector must make adequate effort towards 
developing these psychological constructs in adolescent with 
the aim of boosting their academic achievement motivation 
irrespective of the gender and age of the students.
Based on these findings, it was therefore 
recommended that if the aim of improving the academic 
performance of adolescent will not be a mirage; students, 
teachers and parents should be encouraged to use positive 
affirmations statements and desist from negative self-talk in 
other to enhance and develop high and positive self esteem 
among adolescents. Also attribution retraining should be 
embarked upon in schools to stimulate and increase 
perceived self-control which would help reduce shifting 
blame and finding excuses among students thus making 
adolescents responsible for their academic successes and 
failures. Lastly, on the strength of academic optimism, school 
administrators should strive to provide an environment that 
encourages collaborative efforts among the teachers, parents 
and the students themselves towards improving the academic 
achievement motivation and performance.
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Psycho-Demographic Predictors of... 63
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