ABSTRACT
This study investigated school mapping and students’ retention in public junior secondary schools in Kwara State, Nigeria. The study specifically sought to determine the pattern of the distribution of public junior secondary schools in Kwara State, the pattern of distribution of physical resources for public junior secondary schools in Kwara State, the extent of retention rate of the public junior secondary school students in Kwara State from 2013/14 to 2019/2020 based on gender and location as well as the level of enrolment rate in the public junior secondary schools in Kwara State during the period of investigation. To guide this study, five research questions were raised and answered while four hypotheses were formulated and tested at 0.05 level of significance.
The study was a descriptive survey research which adopted the correlation research design. The target population comprised all the 230 public junior secondary schools in the 6 LGAs selected from the three senatorial districts in Kwara State. The sample consisted of only JSS 3 students who were purposively selected and Multi-stage sampling technique was used at various stages to draw 10% of the 3593 JSS 3 students. Data on the students’ enrolment in public junior secondary schools in Kwara State from JSS1 to JSS 3 from 2013/14 to 2019/2020 for seven years consecutively was collected. The instrument for this study consisted of three checklists and titled Location of Schools Checklist (LSC); School Facilities Checklist (ScFC); and Students’ Flow Checklist (StFC). The data collected were analysed using geo-spatial analysis conducted with ArcGIS version 10.1, descriptive statistics, standard progression method and rate method, Pearson product moment correlation and t- test statistics.
The result of the data analysed revealed the following findings among others: The distribution of schools in the six (6) selected LGAs of the three senatorial districts in Kwara State revealed clustered, random, and dispersed pattern. The distribution of physical resources for public junior secondary schools in Kwara State was not adequate, the retention rate of the public junior secondary school students in Kwara State from 2013/14 to 2019/2020 based on gender and location was different. The level of enrolment rate in the public junior secondary schools in Kwara State from 2013/14 to 2019/2020 was not the same between the LGAs. There was significant relationship between school mapping and students’ retention in the public junior secondary schools in Kwara State school location, school type, and provision of physical resources. There was significant difference in the retention rates of students in public junior secondary schools in Kwara State between the LGAs. There was significant difference in the retention rates of students in the senatorial districts in public junior secondary schools in Kwara State between the LGAs based on gender. There was significant difference in the retention rates of students in the senatorial districts in public junior secondary schools in Kwara State between the LGAs based on location. Findings also concluded that; there was significant relationship school mapping and students’ retention in the public junior secondary schools in Kwara State. Based on these findings, the following recommendations were made among others: Kwara State Universal Basic Education Board (KSUBEB), the educational planners and school managers should use the primary data obtained from this study in subsequent establishment of public junior secondary schools in order to correct the random and dispersed pattern of distribution of schools in Kwara State.
