Roles of Motivation in Addressing the Rate of School Dropout Among Publi c Senior Secondary School Students in Port Harcourt Metropolis, Rivers State

Afangideh; Esitima Lawrence; Mercy Chukwu

doi:10.56201/ijee.v12.no.2.2026.pg48.63

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Roles of Motivation in Addressing the Rate of School Dropout Among Publi c Senior Secondary School Students in Port Harcourt Metropolis, Rivers State

Afangideh, Esitima Lawrence, Mercy Chukwu

Abstract

The study assessed the roles of motivation in addressing the rate of school dropout among secondary schools in Port Harcourt Metropolis of Rivers State. Three research questions and three corresponding hypotheses guided the study. The study employed a descriptive research survey design. The target population of the study was 55,324 teachers and students in senior secondary schools in Port Harcourt Metropolis of Rivers State. The study adopted a multi-stage sampling technique to select 360 (250 students and 110 teachers) respondents. A self-structured questionnaire designed in 4-point rating scale of strongly agree, agree, disagree and strongly disagree was used for data collection. The instrument was validated by two experts in the Department of Educational Psychology, Guidance and Counselling and one in Measurement and Evaluation in Rivers State University. The reliability of the instrument was established using Cronbach Alpha reliability method which yielded an overall reliability coefficients index of 0.79. Mean and standard deviation were used to answer the research questions, while z-test statistics was used to test the null hypotheses that were posed for the study. The result of the study showed that that intrinsic motivation plays a role in reducing high rate of school dropout through various approaches such as making learners have the pleasure in performing academic activity, giving students the satisfaction in learning experiences, developing students’ inherent motive for higher academic engagement, and enhancing curiosity-driven learning among students. Extrinsic motivation addresses school dropout by adopting educational rewards for completed goal or tasks using performance-based incentive systems, and adoption of monetary reward to enhance students’ level of pressure to complete a task. Furthermore, it was found that kindness and support from classmates, effective mentorship and guidance, and learners’ concern for parents’ welfare are the roles of altruistic motivation in addressing school dropout. The study thus recommended among others that schools should design engaging and student-centered curricula that promote curiosity, creativity, and problem-solving, allowing learners to find personal meaning and enjoyment in their studies.

Keywords

MotivationSchool DropoutIntrinsic MotivationExtrinsic Motivation IJEE www.ijee.io

References

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Roles of Motivation in Addressing the Rate of School Dropout Among Publi c Senior Secondary School Students in Port Harcourt Metropolis, Rivers State

Abstract

Keywords

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