JCARM Journal of Contemporary Academic Research and Methodologies JCARM 3139-7247 Ivory and Finch Publishers 10.5281/zenodo.21351675 JCARM_JUN_26_050 Original Research Article Ascertaining the psychosocial determinants of academic success: A predictive analysis of motivation and self-efficacy among secondary school students in Bayelsa State, Nigeria. Musah Ebikabowei https://orcid.org/https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8894-6260 Department of Educational Psychology and Counselling, University of Africa, Toru-Orua. mshebikabowei@gmail.com Diema Enoch Ebiketone https://orcid.org/https://0009-0002-8486-2282 Department of Educational Psychology and Counselling, University of Africa, Toru-Orua. T. Bruce-Agbogidi Esther Isaac Jasper Boro College of Education, Sagbama. 14 07 2026 1 5

This study examined the predictive influence of academic motivation and self-efficacy on learning outcomes among secondary school students in Bayelsa State, Nigeria. A descriptive correlational research design was adopted, involving 600 Senior Secondary School II students selected through multi-stage stratified random sampling. Data were collected using adapted versions of the Academic Motivation Scale and the General Self-Efficacy Scale, alongside students’ terminal examination scores in English Language and Mathematics. Pearson correlation and multiple regression analyses were employed at the 0.05 level of significance. Results revealed significant positive relationships between academic motivation, self-efficacy, and learning outcomes. The regression model indicated that academic motivation and self-efficacy jointly accounted for 46.8% of the variance in students’ learning outcomes, with self-efficacy emerging as the strongest predictor. The findings underscore the importance of strengthening students’ efficacy beliefs alongside motivational strategies to enhance academic performance in secondary schools.

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