Level of Civic Knowledge and Attitude as Antidotes of Civic Engagement among Secondary School Students in Oyo State, Nigeria

Abstract

The study investigated the level of civic knowledge and attitude as antidotes of civic engagement of secondary institution students in Oyo State. It also examined their attitude towards civic engagement. The research design is descriptive of the survey type. Population comprised all 411,912 public schools in urban and rural areas in Oyo State. Sample was 600 public school students selected using multistage sampling procedure. The instrument used was titled ‘Students’ Civic Engagement Questionnaire’ (SCEQ). The instrument was validated through face and content validity while reliability of the tool was established using Cronbach’s alpha method and a coefficient of 0.72 was obtained. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics for the research questions raised. It was found that the level of secondary school students’ civic knowledge and engagement was moderate, while their attitude towards civic engagement was negative. Based on the results it is suggested that students be enlightened to take part in civic obligations in order to develop positive attitudes towards civic engagement. Additionally, non- governmental organisations should intensify efforts in campaigning and promoting civic duties as this could increase the awareness of the citizens.