The Relationship Between School Distance And Academic Achievement Of Primary School Pupils In Ovia North-East Lga Edo State Nigeria.

The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between school distance and academic achievement of primary school pupils in Ovia North-East LGA. As a guide to this study four research questions as well as three hypotheses were tested the correlational research design was adopted for this study. The population of the study comprised all primary schools in Ovia North-East LGA. There are one hundred and one primary schools out of which twenty schools 20 were sampled using the random sampling technique and one hundred teachers were used as sample for the study. The research instrument was a structured questionnaire on relationship between school distance and academic achievement of primary school pupils S.D.A.A.Q. The reliability of the instrument was established through the use of test re-test method. The collected data were analyzed using simple percentage and Pearson Product Moment Correlation PPMC statistic was used in testing the hypotheses at 0.05 level of significance. The instrument was trial tested in Uselu primary school Egor Local Government Area in Edo State using 20 teachers. The reliability coefficient was 0.86. The findings of the study revealed that pupils in Ovia North-East LGA covered long distance to school there is significant relationship between school distance and academic achievement of primary school pupils there is a relationship between school distance and academic achievement of male primary school pupils While for the female there is no significant relationship between school distance and academic achievement. It was thus recommended that primary schools should be located in different strategic locations in the Local Government Area to reduce the distance covered by the pupils. Alternatively school buses should be made available to convey the pupils to and from schools to overcome the problem of late coming and tiredness on the part of the pupils thereby by enhancing their academic achievement. Parents and guardians should locate schools closer to their place of residence so as to prevent the pupils from walking long distance to schools which may reduce the level of their academic achievement. Furthermore the Government should ensure that the available primary schools are made conducive for effective learning so as to improve the academic achievement of the pupils. Again pupils should be motivated as well as reinforced on regular basis to encourage them to attend school regularly.