Abstract

In teaching and learning, the teacher is seen as playing the crucial role of harnessing all resources for classroom successes. Improper harnessing of resources could lead to failure, which is a serious issue in education today. The study anchored on the relationship between over schooling (caused by career choice, curriculum overload, and parenting style) and students’ achievement in curriculum content of Junior Secondary Education. A correlation design was used for the study. This research was carried out in Ebonyi state. A total of 840 secondary schools in Basic Science and Technology JSS 2 students constituted the population for the study, out of which 678 was used as sample. Stratified random sampling technique was used to select the sample for the study based on the Local Government Areas that make up the State. Data were collected using: (1) structured questionnaire (Over schooling Questionnaire, OSQ); (2) Basic Science and Technology Achievement Test (BSTAT). These instruments were face validated by three experts in psychology, basic science and technology, and measurement and evaluation. The reliability of BSTAT was determined through Kurder- Richardson-20 and had a reliability coefficient of 0.88 index while the reliability of the OSQ determined by the Cronbach Alpha statistics with a coefficient index of 0.74. Three research questions and three null hypotheses were involved in the study. Correlation coefficient based on Pearson Product Moment Correlation (PPMC) was used to answer the research questions. The hypotheses were tested using linear regression analysis at 0.05 level of significance. The findings showed that (1) career choice had a high positive relationship with students’ achievement. (2) Curriculum overload had a remarkably high positive relationship with students’ achievement. (3). Parenting style had a high positive relationship with students’ achievement. Based on the findings, it was recommended that students should choose their careers based on their discovered abilities; curriculum reviewers should take into cognizance the field situation before merging curriculum from phased out educational systems; and parents should not choose courses for their children in order to read certain programmed/courses.