INFLUENCE OF GENDER AND BIRTHORDER ON ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE OF SECONDARY SCHOOLSTUDENTS IN ONDO STATE

Abstract

The study investigated the influence of gender and birth order on the academic performance among 200 randomly 
selected Secondary School students in Ondo, Ondo State. A standardized and valid questionnaire directed toward 
senior secondary school students were administered on the participants.  Four research hypotheses were raised and 
tested at 0.05 level of significance Data collected were analyzed using multiple regression statistics, t-test, Analysis 
of Variance (ANOVA) and Fisher's Least Significance Difference (LSD) Analysis. The result revealed that the linear 
combination of the effect of gender and birth order to the prediction of academic performance was significant 
accounting for 3.1% of academic performance (F(2,97) = 2.610, p<0.05). Each of the independent variables also 
made significant individual contribution to prediction of the academic performance in varying weights with that of 
birth-order not being significant. There was a significant difference in the students‘ academic performance between 
male and female participants. It was recommended amongst many that Secondary school students should be 
encouraged to become more enlightened with their gender and birth order.