Comparative Assessment of Achievement Motivation, Emotional Intelligence and Academic Performance on Gender among Secondary School Students in Gusau Local Government Area, Zamfara State, Nigeria

MAS’UD, Musa; GURJIYA, Amadu Sani; MUHAMMAD, Bala Maradun

doi:10.64348/zije.2026406

Authors

MAS’UD, Musa Author
GURJIYA, Amadu Sani Author
balamaradun@gmail.com Author

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.64348/zije.2026406

Abstract

This study investigated gender differences in achievement motivation, emotional intelligence and academic performance among Senior Secondary School (SSS II) students in Gusau Local Government Area, Zamfara State, Nigeria. Anchored in McClelland's (1953) Achievement Motivation Theory and Goleman's (1995) Performance-Based Model of Emotional Intelligence, a descriptive survey design was employed with a proportionate stratified random sample of 378 students (217 male, 161 female). The Achievement Motivation Scale (AMS) and Emotional Intelligence Scale (EIS), both validated on a four-point Likert format, were used alongside the Students' Academic Performance Proforma (SAPP). Independent-samples t-tests were conducted at α = 0.05 using SPSS version 23. Results revealed statistically significant gender differences in achievement motivation (t(376) = 1.266, p = .010), emotional intelligence (t(376) = −7.645, p = .001) and academic performance (t(376) = −9.272, p = .009), with male students recording higher mean scores on achievement motivation (M = 51.10 vs. 46.31), emotional intelligence (M = 68.84 vs. 60.73) and academic performance (M = 62.73 vs. 58.84). Regression analysis yielded R² = .791, RMSE = 3.025, MAE = 2.341 and F = 14.489 (p < .05). The paper discusses implications for gender-responsive educational policy and school counselling practice in conflict-affected contexts.

References

Abdul Rashid, A. A., Amin, A. S., Ishaq, I., Siti, N. M. Y., Nur, K. A. K., & Husin, S. (2023). A survey on achievement motivation among university students. International Journal of Academic Research in Progressive Education and Development, 12(3), 13–22.

Abdullahi, U., Sabo, A., & Yakubu, S. I. (2022). Effect of emotional intelligence on performance and retention in trigonometry. Journal of Education, 4(2), 65–79.

Acquah, A. (2017). Implications of the achievement motivation theory for school management in Ghana. Research Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences, 7(5). https://doi.org/10.22601/ijhss/122331

Adewusi, A. A. (2023). Relationship among achievement motivation, career aspirations and academic performance. FUDMA Journal of Research, Educational Psychology and Counselling, 1(2), 270–277.

Ahmad, S., Bangash, H., & Khan, S. A. (2019). Emotional intelligence and gender differences. Sarhad Journal of Agriculture, 25(1), 127–130.

Aijaz, B., Zahoor, A. L., & Hitesh, M. (2023). Achievement motivation, adjustment levels and well-being of the students exposed to violence. European Chemistry Bulletin, 12(S3), 3185–3195.

Bada, J. O., Jimoh, B., & Ibrahim, A. (2022). Emotional intelligence and academic performance. Journal of Education Research, 4(2), 65–79.

Bichi, A., Ibrahim, B., & Hassan, M. (2019). Academic performance and the quality of education in Nigeria. Nigerian Journal of Educational Research, 6(1), 10–22.

Bizimana, B., Mutangana, D., & Mwesigye, A. (2022). Academic failure and its socio-political implications. Journal of Educational Research in Africa, 6(1), 22–34.

Creswell, J. W., & Creswell, J. D. (2018). Research design (5th ed.). SAGE.

Field, A. (2018). Discovering statistics using IBM SPSS statistics (5th ed.). SAGE.

Firouzeh, G. (2013). Gender differences in achievement motivation. International Journal of Educational Psychology, 2(1), 45–58.

Fraenkel, J. R., Wallen, N. E., & Hyun, H. H. (2012). How to design and evaluate research in education (8th ed.). McGraw-Hill.

Gaurav, S. (2020). Achievement motivation and academic performance. Journal of Educational Research and Studies, 8(1), 22–29.

Goleman, D. (1995). Emotional intelligence: Why it can matter more than IQ. Bantam Books.

Halimi, F., Al Shahrani, B., & Madhavan, P. (2021). Gender differences in emotional intelligence. Journal of Applied Research in Higher Education, 13(5), 1250–1263.

Maizatul, H., Zubaidah, A., & Nordin, M. (2013). Gender differences in emotional intelligence. Asia-Pacific Journal of Education, 33(1), 44–57.

Manimozhi, S., & Srinivasan, P. (2018). Influence of student emotions on academic achievement. Journal of Positive Psychology and Emotional Wellbeing, 2(1), 33–48.

McClelland, D. C. (1953). The achievement motive. Appleton-Century-Crofts. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1037/11144-000

Meher, D., Sabat, M., & Das, G. (2021). Emotional intelligence and academic performance of B.Ed. trainees. International Journal of Educational Research, 10(1), 88–97.

Nunnally, J. C., & Bernstein, I. H. (1994). Psychometric theory (3rd ed.). McGraw-Hill.

Owan, V. J. (2022). Influence of emotional intelligence on academic achievement. International Journal of Science Education, 44(3), 401–418.

UNESCO. (2014). Education for all global monitoring report. UNESCO Publishing.

WAEC. (2022). West African Examinations Council chief examiners' report. WAEC Press.

Yamane, T. (1967). Statistics: An introductory analysis (2nd ed.). Harper & Row.