ABSTRACT

This study explored the influence of individual differences influences students’ performance in schools by examining the influence of socio-economic status, environment, heredity and gender differences on the academic performance of secondary school students in Abeokuta.

A sample of two hundred and forty students both male and female at Junior Secondary School level in Ilorin that participated in the study, was drawn across 12 selected secondary schools in Ilorin metropolis using systematic sampling technique. A researcher made questionnaire titled “The influence of individual differences on academic performance” having 0.67 reliability co-efficient was used to elicit data. The data collected were analyzed using Pearson Product Moment Correlation and t-test statistics.

Results indicated that there is relationship between the varied students’ environment and academic performance. It was also found that gender had influence on their academic performance.

It was recommended among others that teachers should bear the individual differences of their students in mind in the teaching and learning process. Guidance and counseling centres should also be encouraged in secondary schools so that the students can be properly guided on ways to harness their individual differences properly