Perseverance in the Face of Life-Trials and Academic Achievements in Senior Secondary Schools: A Comparative Analysis of Computer and Economics Students

The study explored the relationship between perseverance in the face of life trials and the academic achievements of senior secondary school students in Owerri Educational Zone II, Imo-state, Nigeria. This became imminent due to challenges faced in the Nigerian education sector, were students contend with poor infrastructure, overcrowded classrooms, limited access to textbooks, teacher absenteeism, and parental illiteracy which demotivates most talented learners. Amidst these, some still excel academically and this has raised questions on the actual role perseverance play at enabling academic achievements in the face of adversities. To achieve a comprehensive study, the research postulated three (3) questions and a hypothesis. Adopting descriptive comparative research design using mixed method approach, a sample size of two hundred (200) senior secondary school students comprising of one hundred (100) computer science and one hundred (100) economics students was selected from the population. The instruments for data collection were the Perseverance Scale, adopted from the Duckworth’s Grit Scale; students’ academic achievement results and focus groups. Collected data were analyzed using Mean, Pearson Correlation and Fisher’s r-to-z tests statistical tools while qualitative data from the discussion groups were thematically analyzed. Results from the analysis revealed the following: The overall level of perseverance among computer and economics senior secondary school students was moderate (3.45/5.00) with noticeable differences between the two (2) groups; students of computer science demonstrated higher academic achievements (73.4%) than their economics counterparts (68.1%); and the existence of a positive correlation between perseverance and academic achievements among the two (2) groups which was not significant at 0.05 limits. Based on the revelations, the research concluded that subject-specific demands, shaped students’ perseverance levels with computer students showing greater level of perseverance than the economics students in Owerri Educational Zone II, Imo-state, Nigeria.