RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN LEARNING STYLES, ACHIEVEMENT MOTIVATION, AND ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE IN ENGLISH LANGUAGE STUDIES AMONG SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS IN ALIMOSHO, LAGOS STATE, NIGERIA

Abstract

This study examined the relationship between learning styles, achievement motivation, and academic performance of senior secondary school students in Lagos State. A descriptive survey design was employed. The population consisted of all secondary school students in Alimosho Local Government Area of Lagos State, and the sample comprised 100 Senior Secondary Class II Students selected by simple random sampling. Four (4) Senior Secondary Schools were used in the study. Senior Secondary Class II students were chosen because they were deemed academically mature enough to provide reliable responses. Data were collected using two standardised questionnaires (containing 30 and 32 items, respectively). Four hypotheses were tested using Pearson Product Moment Correlation, independent samples t-tests, and one-way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) at the 0.05 significance level with SPSS. Findings indicated that learning styles had no significant effect on students’ academic performance, whereas achievement motivation was significantly related to academic performance. Additionally, the study found no significant differences in achievement motivation across different learning style groups, and no significant gender differences in academic performance. Based on these results, it was recommended that school administrators should implement continuous assessment and reward systems to boost student’s motivation. Teachers should publicly acknowledge students’ efforts, and government and educational stakeholders should support instructional practices that address diverse learning style preferences.