Students’ Grades in Basic Education Certificate Examination as Predictor of Grades in West African Certificate Examination

Abstract

This study investigated how students’grades in Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) predict grades in West African Certificate Examination (WACE) in English Language, mathematics and Igbo Language subjects. The study adopted correlation research design and was guided by three null hypotheses. The scores of 1,200 students’ were  randomly selected from the population of  10,041 students’ from sixty (60) government owned secondary schools in Awka Education Zone, Anambra, Nigeria who sat for the BECE in 2011, 2012 and 2013 and then WACE in 2014, 2015 and 2016. The data were collected through the principals of the respective schools sampled and from the Director Examinations Development Centre (EDC) Awka, Nigeria. Linear regression analysis with aid of SPSS were used to ascertain the extent to which students’grades in BECE predict grades in WACE in English Language, mathematics and Igbo Language. The hypotheses were tested at 0.05 alpha level of significant and found that 84.1% of students’ grades in WAEC English language was predicted by their grades in BECE English language, 49.2% of students’ grades in WAEE mathematics was predicted by their grades in BECE mathematics while 88.7% of students’ grades in WAEC Igbo language was predicted by their grades in BECE Igbo language. The study recommends that the government of Nigeria should strengthen Basic Education to improve achievement in senior secondary school since. students’ grades in BECE predict their grades in WACE.