Relationship Between Academic Causal Attribution and Academic Performance of Secondary School Students in Zaria Metropolis, Kaduna State, Nigeria

This study examined the relationship between causal attribution and academic performance of secondary school students in Zaria metropolis, Kaduna state Nigeria.A correlational research design was used in carrying out this study.The population of the study was 4652 students, and the sample size for the study consists of 357 students drawn from four randomly selected schools through cluster sampling techniques.The instrument which was related to the variablesof the study (causal attribution questionnaire) comprising of 40 items were used to collect data for the study.Academic performance of students' was measured using 50 test items in English and 50 items in mathematics.Two null hypotheses were formulated and tested at 0.05 alpha level of significance.The data collected were subjected to statistical analysis using Pearson Product Moment Correlation (r).The findings show that there is significant relationship between causal attribution (internal success) and academic performance of students with r = .641(p= .002)and there is significant inverse relationship between causal attribution (internal failure) and academic performance of students with r = -.631(p = .000).It was recommended that educational psychologists and counselors should train students to attribute their academic success and failure to internal factors rather than external ones so as to enhance their academic performance. Background to the StudyThe academic lives of children are challenging and complex.In line with the mission of schooling, children are expected to engage in academic activities, learn from instruction and meet the standards of intellectual competence establish by others.Each day at school children also are expected to adhere to classroom rules, maintain and establish new relationship classmate and adults and participate in activities as part of their school community.Central to understanding children's success at these activities is motivation that is, the energy they bring to these tasks, the beliefs, values and goals that determine which task they pursue and their persistence in achieving them, and the standards they set to determine when a task has been accomplished.