Assessing the Achievement Goals and Study Strategies of In-service Teachers of Degree Programme in Nigeria

Abstract

Students' study strategies and goal orientations direct their effort and performance, serving as a form of motivation to accomplish an academic task successfully. Hence, this study was designed to assess the achievement goals and study strategies of in-service teachers of degree programmes in the Southwestern part of Nigeria. Using descriptive research design, the study population consists of all the students of the sandwich degree programme of Federal Universities in Southwestern Nigeria. A sample size of six hundred students was selected across the five levels of the degree programme in three selected federal universities using proportionate stratified sampling techniques. Data were gathered with a self-constructed questionnaire titled “Study Strategies Achievement Goals Questionnaire (SSAGQ) which has a Cronbach Alpha reliability value of 0.83. The data were analyzed with descriptive and inferential statistical methods. The findings revealed that sandwich students had a higher tendency towards surface strategy than deep strategy and also had performance goals than learning goals. The result further revealed a positive relationship between students’ study strategies and their achievement goals. It was suggested that educational institutions should clearly articulate their learning agenda and seek ways to align it with their students’ learning agenda in a way that demands deep content knowledge for all students.