Academic engagement describes a student’s investment in learning which involves attention, interest, and effort. Despite its importance, research suggests many students lack academic engagement. However, students with high self-efficacy, or belief in their academic abilities tend to be more academically engaged. The survey research design was adopted for this study. The study’s population comprised 679 students of Babcock University High School in Nigeria. Krejcie and Morgan’s proportional allocation was used to select a sample size of 248 students for the study. For data collection, a validated structured questionnaire was distributed with an 88% response rate. The study revealed a high level of academic engagement among senior secondary school students at Babcock University high schools in Nigeria (3.24) on a scale of 4 points. It further revealed that Mastery experience ranked higher as an indicator of students’ level of self-efficacy (mean = 2.91), while vicarious experience ranked third (mean = 2.71). The overall mean for students’ level of self-efficacy was 2.75 and self-efficacy significantly impacts the academic engagement of senior secondary school students of Babcock University high schools in Nigeria (Adj. R2 = 0.139, F (4, 211) = 35.478, p ＜ 0.05). The study concluded that self-efficacy is an indispensable factor that can enhance the academic engagement of students in Babcock University High Schools in Nigeria. The study recommends strategic programs that can help sustain the self-efficacy of the student. Overall, the level of academic engagement should be sustained by the students.
Cite this paper
Owolabi, H. B. and Owolabi, R. O. (2024). The Impact of Self-Efficacy on Academic Engagement of Babcock University High Schools in Nigeria. Open Access Library Journal, 11, e2267. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.4236/oalib.1112267.
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