NIGERIA PROJECT 2025

Background of Study
The transition from junior to senior secondary school is a critical phase in a student’s
academic journey, often influencing future career paths and educational outcomes.
However, this transition is fraught with challenges, including mismatched academic stream
placements (science, arts, or commerce), poor performance, and high dropout rates (Al
Husaini et al., 2022). Traditional placement methods often rely on limited criteria, such as
past academic performance, neglecting other crucial factors like socio-economic
background, psychological state, and cognitive-affective attributes.
The influence of socio-economic background on student academic performance is a very
notable factor and that is why there are several studies in the literature available that
highlight the impact of socio-economic status on the academic performance of students,
(Munir et al., 2023) says children with strong socio-economic status show better academic
performance in comparison to those with poor socio-economic status who showed poor
and unsatisfactory academic performance.
Cognitive factors refer to the intellectual and mental processes that influence learning and
academic performance, (Albreiki, 2024). These include abilities such as critical thinking,
problem-solving, memory, and reasoning. In the context of the transition from junior to
senior secondary school, cognitive factors represent the measurable academic and
intellectual capabilities of students, such as prior grades, performance in standardized tests,
and understanding of core subjects, (Shi & Qu, 2022). These factors help determine a
student’s suitability for specific academic streams, like science, arts, or commerce.