Full Length Research Paper
Predictive Validity of Academic
entry requirements into Federal
Universities in Nigeria
Blessing Ikiroma
Abstract
The study investigated the
predictive strength of
academic entry requirements
on students’ cumulative
grade point average in
Nigerian Federal
Universities. A sample of
2400 graduate students’
results was considered for
the study via multistage
sampling technique. A
researcher-designed Proforma
titled “University Students
Academic Records Inventory”
(USARI) served as the
instrument which was face
validated by experts in
educational measurement and
evaluation. Five research
questions and five
hypotheses were formulated
to guide the study. The data
obtained were analyzed via
multiple regressions. The
study showed that SSCE, UTME
and POST-UTME when taken
separately, do not
significantly predict
students CGPA in the Faculty
of Arts/Humanities and
Faculty of Education. The
study also revealed that
SSCE significantly predicts
students CGPA in the Faculty
of Engineering/Technology
when considered alone while,
UTME and POST-UTME when
taken separately do not
significantly predict
students CGPA in the Faculty
of Engineering/Technology.
Furthermore, when SSCE, UTME
and POST-UTME are taken
separately, it was also
found out that SSCE and UTME
were not statistically
significant predictors of
students CGPA at .05 level
of probability in the
Faculty of Management
Sciences while POST-UTME was
a statistically significant
predictor of students CGPA
in the Faculty of Management
Sciences. Also, SSCE and
UTME when considered
separately significantly
predict students CGPA in the
Faculty of Sciences while
the POST-UTME variable does
not significantly predict
students CGPA in the Faculty
of Sciences. It was then
recommended that teachers,
WAEC, JAMB and Universities
as stakeholders should take
a deeper look into how
examinations is conducted in
terms of focus and emphasis
vis-à-vis the actual skills
and competences the
universities do emphasize.
Also authorities in charge
of the development,
administration and
conduction of the various
examinations should improve
on the quality of the items
that are used for the
testing of the candidates in
the various examinations.
Finally, the implications of
the results and suggestions
for further studies were
also made.
Key words: Prediction,
validity, academic entry
requirement, grade points,
universities.
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