Religious and Linguistic Diversity as Predictors of Students' Educational Outcome in Social Studies in Junior Secondary Schools in Takum Education Zone, Taraba State, Nigeria

Abstract

Social diversities encompassing religious, linguistic, cultural, ethnic, and lifestyle differences among learners constitute a significant but under examined dimension of students' educational outcome in Social Studies. In Takum Education Zone of Taraba State, Nigeria, persistent below-50% pass rates in Social Studies from 2018 to 2021 signal a systemic educational challenge whose social diversity dimensions require empirical investigation. This article examines the influence of two social diversity variables religious diversity and linguistic diversity on the educational outcome of Junior Secondary School III (JSS III) students in Social Studies in Takum Education Zone. It further establishes the level of students' educational outcome as the dependent variable baseline. A survey research design was employed. The population comprised 3,581 JSS III students from 42 public secondary schools in Takum Education Zone. Using stratified random sampling and the Taro Yamane (1967) formula, a sample of 400 students was drawn from 13 schools across five Local Government Areas (Donga, Ibi, Takum, Ussa, and Wukari). Two instruments were used: the Social and Cultural Diversities Questionnaire (SCDQ, Cronbach α = 0.82–0.86) and a 60-item Social Studies Achievement Test (SST, KR-20 = 0.81). Simple linear regression was employed to test each hypothesis at the 0.05 level of significance.  Findings: The mean score of students in Social Studies was 53.08 (SD = 7.84), indicating moderate performance. Religious diversity significantly influenced students' educational outcome (F = 3.497, p = .003, Adj. R² = .097), accounting for 9.7% of the variance. Linguistic diversity significantly influenced students' educational outcome (F = 12.646, p = .000, Adj. R² = .206), accounting for 20.6% of the variance the strongest predictor in the study.  Conclusion: Both religious and linguistic diversity are statistically significant predictors of JSS III students' educational outcome in Social Studies in Takum Education Zone. Linguistic diversity exerts a stronger predictive influence than religious diversity. Policy attention must address language-of-instruction mismatches and religious-diversity-informed pedagogy to improve educational outcomes in this culturally heterogeneous zone.