Academic Performance of Students in Delta Central Senatorial District: The Role of Cybercrime

The research focused on the role of cybercrime on academic performance among students in the Delta Central Senatorial District of Delta State.To guide the study, two research questions were asked and answered, and two hypotheses were formulated and tested at the 0.05 level of significance.A descriptive survey research design using the correlation method was adopted for the study.The population of this study consists of 48,318 secondary students in all 190 public secondary schools in Delta Central Senatorial District during the 2022-2023 academic session.The sample of the study consists of 360 students from 12 secondary schools.The sample was selected using a multistage sampling technique.The instrument of data collection in this study was a questionnaire and the students' performance proforma.The split-half method was utilised to assess the reliability of the instrument, and a coefficient of 0.85 was obtained.The questionnaire was administered by the researcher with the assistance of trained field research assistants to 360 students, but 333 copies, which represents 93% of the total, were retrieved.Descriptive and inferential statistical methods, such as frequency distribution tables, means, Pearson Product Moment Correlation Coefficient (r), and regressions, were employed for data analyses.The study's findings indicated a significant relationship between risk factors promoting involvement in cybercrime and secondary school students' academic performance, along with a significant relationship between the effects of cybercrime and academic performance.Based on these findings, recommendations were put forth, including the need for the government to enhance the capabilities of its security agencies responsible for combating cybercrimes in Nigeria.