Impact of the Duration of Semester Examinations on Students’ Academic Performance in Colleges of Education in North-Central Nigeria

This study aimed to examine the impact of the duration of semester examinations on academic performance among students in four colleges of education in North Central Nigeria. A stratified sampling technique was applied to select 200 participants from the four Colleges of Education in the North-Central Zone of Nigeria (FCT COE Zuba, FCE Okene, COE Minna, and COE Akwanga). The four colleges of education were stratified based on location, and a proportional number of students were randomly selected from each stratum. The research employed a combination of focus group interview, questionnaires and examination scores to collect relevant data. Subsequently, the academic performance data of students from the short-duration calendar were compared to their performance data from the standard-duration calendar. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize the characteristics of the sample, such as mean, standard deviation, and frequency distribution. An analysis of variance (ANOVA) was conducted to compare the mean academic performance scores across different durations of semester examinations. The outcome of the study revealed that the current 4-week duration of semester examinations is the ideal duration, while a shorter duration was rejected. Moreover, the flexibility in duration based on subject complexity was also favored. The result further indicates that the duration of semester examinations does have a significant impact on academic performance. Therefore, educational institutions are advised to adopt a flexible approach to the duration of examinations, particularly for subjects with varied complexities and volumes, to promote better academic outcomes. The findings emphasize the need for educational institutions to adhere to a four-week duration of examinations to promote better academic outcomes.