INFLUENCE OF SIT AT HOME ORDER BY IPOB ON ACADEMIC PROGRAMMES OF SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN SOUTH-EAST GEO-POLITICAL ZONE OF NIGERIA

Abstract

The study descriptively investigated the influence of sit-at home order by IPOB on academic programs of secondary schools in South-Eastern States of Nigeria. The study formulated two research questions and tested three corresponding hypotheses at the 0.05 level of significance. The population consisted of all the 2750 school’s principal of secondary schools in South-Eastern Nigeria; the sample size of 349 determined using Yamane’s formula. The stratified random sampling method was used since the population consists of schools from different states that made up the region. The instrument used for data collection was a researcher’s developed Questionnaire; designed on a modified four-point rating scale that ranged from very high to low Extent. Three experts in educational management and Measurement and Evaluation validated the instrument, and the instrument test of reliability using the Cronbach’s Alpha method yielded reliability indices of 0.83 and 0.85 respectively. Mean rating was used to answer the research questions and Z-test to test the hypotheses. The study revealed that there is no statistically significant difference between the mean scores of junior and senior secondary school principals regarding the influence of the sit-at-home order on school attendance and that there is no statistically significant difference between the mean scores of junior and senior secondary school principals regarding the psychological influence of the sit-at-home order on students and teachers respectively. Based on the findings, it was recommended that schools in south-east should establish counseling and mental health support services to help students and teachers cope with the psychological stress caused by the disruptions and that to mitigate the academic disruptions caused by the sit-at-home order, state ministry of Education should explore flexible learning options such as online classes, blended learning models, or adjusted school calendars.