EMOTIONAL CREATIVITY SKILLS AND CRITICAL THINKING SKILL AS CORRELATE OF SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS’ ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT IN MATHEMATICS IN ANAMBRA STATE

The impact of emotional creativity skills, and critical thinking on academic achievement has long been an important issue in developmental research. The study aimed to examine the students? emotional creativity skills, and critical thinking, as correlates of academic achievement in mathematics in Anambra State. Four research questions and four null hypotheses guided the study. The study adopted a correlational research design to provide answers to the research questions and testing of the hypothesis. The population comprised of 21204 SS II students from which a sample of 660 was drawn using multi-stage procedure. Two standardized research instruments namely; Emotional Creativity Questionnaire (ECQ), and Critical Thinking Questionnaire (CTQ), as well as scores from students? promotional examination were used for data collection. Cronbach?s alpha was used to determine the reliability of the items in the instruments. A reliability index of 0.73 novelty, 0.69, for effectiveness, 0.71, for authenticity, 0.81, for preparedness, and 0.74, for critical thinking skill were obtained. The overall reliability coefficient was 0.74 was obtained which shows that the instruments were reliable and good for the study. The Pearson Product Moment Correlation was used to answer research questions 1 to 3 and as well as testing the hypotheses 1 to 3. The research question 4 and hypothesis 4 were answered and tested at 0.05 level of significance using multiple correlation. Findings showed that the four dimensions of students? emotional creativity skills recorded negative relationship with their academic achievement in mathematics. Findings also revealed that the multiple correlation of the study stated that the relationship among students? emotional creativity skill, critical thinking skill and their academic achievement in mathematics is significantly related with one another. Based on these findings, it was recommended that emotional creativity skills and critical thinking skill should be thought, facilitated and assessed in the educational system.

Emotional creativity skills, Critical thinking skill, Academic achievement,

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