Junior secondary certificate examination scores in integrated science as predictor of senior secondary school students’ performance in science

The study investigated the extent to which scores obtained by students in Integrated Science at the Junior Secondary Certificate Examination (JSCE) predict scores obtained in science subjects (Biology, Chemistry and Physics) at the Senior Secondary Certificate Examination (SSCE). The study adopted an ex-post facto design. Using multi-stage sampling technique, a total of 1800 students were selected from six Local Government Areas each of Delta and Edo States. An inventory titled Secondary Education Students Inventory (SESI) was used to collect data for the study from school records. The hypotheses were tested using Multiple Regression Analysis and F-test incorporating the use of shift and slope dummy variables to isolate threshold effects for the qualitative factors of gender and location by state. The chosen level of statistical significance was 5 percent. The results of the empirical analysis showed that the scores obtained by students in Integrated Science do predict performance of students in science at the SSCE level. The gender of students has significant relationship with SSCE science. A significant relationship between school location by state and students’ performance in science at the SSCE was also found. Based on the findings, it was recommended that the teaching of Integrated Science at the Junior Secondary School should continue to be emphasized, if Delta and Edo States are to be recognized among the states to produce scientists for the future technological development of Nigeria.