IAFOR Journal of Education

Volume 7 – Issue 1 – Summer 2019

Quantitative and Verbal Aptitudes as Predictors of Senior Secondary School Students’
Performance in Economics
Innocent Uche Anazia
University of Benin, Nigeria

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Abstract
This study examined the predictive power of quantitative and verbal aptitudes on theperformance of senior secondary school students in Economics. The study arose from the poor
performance of students in the Senior School Certificate Examination and the General Certificate
in Education Economics. The study adopted descriptive survey research design. Multistage
sampling technique was employed in selecting a total of three hundred and thirty seniorsecondary two Economics students from ten schools comprising of five private and five publicschools. Data were gathered with three test instruments, namely the Economics Achievement
Test, the Quantitative Aptitude Test and the Verbal Aptitude Test. The reliability coefficient wasestablished using Pearson Product Moment correlation coefficient and was found to be 0.86 forthe first test, 0.81 for the second and 0.93 for the last. Data were analyzed using ANOVA andmultiple regression of the SPSS. The findings revealed that quantitative and verbal aptitudes
have predictive power on the performance of senior secondary school students in Economics.
However, quantitative aptitude has more predictive power (B = 0.339) than verbal aptitude (B =0.206). Based on the findings, it is recommended that school authorities should provide learningmaterials that will promote the acquisition of quantitative and verbal skills; teachers should use
appropriate teaching methods and promote high-order thinking and logical reasoning in thestudents; and government should recruit adequate and qualified teachers to teach Economics,
quantitative and verbal related subjects.
Keywords: quantitative aptitude, verbal aptitude, predictor, economics performance.

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Introduction
The essence of schooling is to provide learners the opportunity of acquiring requisite
education and training that will enable them to adjust meaningfully in the society andcontribute to the development of the nation. Education is a means for national transformation.
Coetzee (2011) noted that the success of a nation’s educational system is measured by theacademic achievement of the students. Dambudzo (2009) opined that a lot of emphasis has
been placed by the society on the academic achievement of its citizens for the past couple ofdecades (as cited in Coetzee, 2011). In fact, academic excellence remains the major index
used to evaluate the quality of education offered in schools.
Ascertaining the academic achievement of students involves the determination of the extent
to which they have benefitted from exposure to instruction and other academic tasks. This isdone using different methods or techniques. The results from this measurement are useful indecision making.
The academic achievement of senior secondary school students is an important factor that
determines their future academic pursuit. In Nigeria, the Senior School Certificate
Examination (SSCE) – which is conducted by the West African Examinations Council(WAEC), National Examination Council (NECO) and National Business and TechnicalExaminations Board (NABTEB) – is a prerequisite for entry into a tertiary institution. To beconsidered eligible for tertiary education, candidates are expected to obtain at least credit
grades in five subjects (especially for university admission) in the SSCE. Economics is one of
the subjects offered in this examination. According to the National Open University of
Nigeria (2006), Economics was first taken in the West African School Certificate
Examination as a school subject in 1967. It further stated that the teaching of Economics aspart of the Nigerian school curriculum probably started in 1966, after most other subjects had
been introduced. Since the introduction of the subject in secondary schools, there has been an
astronomical increase in the number of schools that teach it and the number of students thatenroll for the examination. Economics is among the most popular subjects in secondary
schools (National Open University of Nigeria, 2006).
The importance of Economics in any nation cannot be over-emphasized. It seeks to allocate
scarce resources towards the satisfaction of unlimited wants. In other words, it seeks toaddress economic problems facing our society (Anyanwuocha, 2006). The economic changes
in the world today require people who can cope with varying situations and adapt to harsheconomic realities. With increasing economic problems, particularly in developing countries
like Nigeria, the task is for citizens to be equipped with the skills that will enable them tomove out of these situations and contribute to the development of appropriate policies aimed
at mitigating the effects of these challenges. Adu, Galloway and Olabisi (2014) noted thatknowledge from the study of Economics could provide solutions to economic problems. The
teaching of the subject should reflect on development issues that occupy the minds of policy
makers and business people considering that it deals with real-world economic systems(Ongeri, 2009). Therefore, Economic literacy helps to build better citizens who will emerge
as good managers of their own resources and that of the nation. Besides, as a commercial
subject, Economics is important to secondary school students desirous of studyingcommercial disciplines in the university and other tertiary institutions.
Economics has been witnessing poor performance in recent years, particularly in public
examinations in Nigeria. An analysis conducted by Adu, Ojelabi and Hammed (2009) on the9

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West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) May/June and Nov/Dec
Economics from 1996 – 2005 revealed a sharp decline in performance. Alade, Nwadingwe
and Igbinosa (2014) lamented that this poor performance has been an issue of great concern
to the government, parents and well-meaning Nigerians. Although researchers have been
examining factors responsible for this anomaly, not much attention has been paid to likely
contributory factors, particularly verbal aptitude.
The need to investigate these variables (quantitative and verbal aptitudes) as likely factors
influencing performance in Economics became necessary based on the assertion of
Anyawuchi (2010) that Economics problems could be solved using three approaches which
are quantitative, graphical and theoretical (as cited in Mawak and Wakdos, 2017). The
theoretical approach has to do with the use of verbal language. It therefore means that toexcel in Economics examination, candidates should demonstrate numerical and verbal
abilities as well as mastery of the subject knowledge. Quantitative and verbal skills come intoplay because candidates are expected to answer computational questions, as well as present
answers in a logical and analytical manner. Also, candidates are expected to use appropriate
terms, draw relationships between concepts, and interpret information/data clearly. Cohen
and Cohn (1994) argue that Economics students must present their economic arguments in a
logical sequence using verbal and graphical forms (as cited in Nguyen & Trimarchi, 2010).
This is in addition to the use of numerical language because the subject involves deductive
and abstract reasoning (National Open University of Nigeria, 2006).
Quantitative aptitude refers to the ability to solve numerical problems (Adu et al, 2009). It
means applying numerical and problem-solving skills in dealing with calculative tasks. This
aptitude is needed by Economics students when responding to tasks or questions that have to
do with mathematical and graphical presentation and analysis. Colander (2000) noted that
introductory Economics is often perceived by students as being boring because they are notfamiliar with mathematical concepts (as cited in Ongeri, 2009). Similarly, Adu et al (2009)
stated that the introduction of mathematical elements into the new Economics syllabus has
posed serious problem for senior secondary school students due to their poor attitude towards
mathematics. A lot of students have a phobia for figures which impacts negatively on theirlearning outcomes in Economics (Ayeni & Olasunkanmi, 2015).
Verbal aptitude encompasses the ability of a student to spell words correctly, use correct
grammar, understand word meanings, understand word relationships and interpret detailed
written information. Andrew, Cobb and Giampietro (2005) noted that verbal ability (oraptitude) is when a person is skilled at putting ideas into words, both in oral and written
forms. Verbal aptitude facilitates the interpretation of information in a logical and analyticalmanner. Such ability helps in organizing words coherently (Andrew et al, 2005).
Some of the reasons why students fail examinations could be due to the inability to frame
responses to questions and spell words correctly. Obe (1996) listed weakness incomprehension and the inability of students to express themselves, among others, as factors
responsible for mass failure in examinations (as cited in Adeyimi & Adeyimi, 2014).
Economics requires verbal skills as students are expected to analyze their answers, spell
relevant terminologies correctly, understand concepts, give detailed explanation, among
others.
The chief examiners’ reports of the WAEC on candidates’ performance in Economics tend tohighlight the importance of quantitative skills (Eleje & Esomonu, 2018) and also verbal

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skills. For instance, the reports for 2010 and 2012 May/June Economics pointed out thefollowing weaknesses of the candidates:••••

Poor grammatical expression: candidates could not express themselves in simple,
clear and correct language;
Scanty explanation: they merely listed the points without explaining them;
Poor knowledge of drawing graphs and inability to carry out simple calculations;
The use of wrong terminologies.

Adegbile and Alabi (2007) state that students’ grades to a large extent, are associated withverbal ability. Lamenting on the poor language skill possessed by black South Africans,
Stephen, Welman and Jordan (2004) reported a study conducted by Stanley (1998) at a
tertiary institution in South Africa which showed that over 90% of black students lacked
comprehension skills for successful completion of their courses. The success of students in an
examination is greatly dependent on the ability to comprehend the examination questions andprovide the required answers. Iyamu (2005) stated that most research on school improvement
and academic achievement in Nigeria have not given adequate attention to verbal ability as afactor that most likely affect students’ performance.
Information from this study is vital in shaping the teaching and learning of Economics at thesecondary school level. Understanding the influence of quantitative and verbal aptitudes
could help teachers in designing their lessons by using appropriate teaching methodologies
that would simplify concepts considering the abstract nature of the subject and encourage
students to develop higher-order thinking skills. Schools and the government could utilize
findings from this study to invest more in academic tasks that would promote the acquisitionof quantitative and verbal skills by the students.
Literature Review
Investigations into the factors affecting performance of students have dominated research inrecent times. This is because the goals of learning or education can only be achieved whenlearners are doing well as evidenced by the level of their academic achievement. Efforts areconstantly being made by researchers and educators to examine multiple-variables that
influence performance in Economics. Studies have attributed performance in the subject toparents, schools, teachers, learning materials and students’ characteristics such as emotional
intelligence, interest, curiosity and aptitude.
Adesoji and Oginni (2012) in their study noted that students’ aptitude is a factor responsible
for poor performance. They lamented that studies have not paid adequate attention to
students’ aptitude while concentration has been on teachers, schools and the learning
environment as variables responsible for this poor performance. Adeyemo (2010)
recommended that the development of students’ abilities (aptitudes) should be of great
importance as it shows a high and positive significance in problem solving which also relates
to effective learning and bring about high achievement. However, the aptitudes of interest in
this study are quantitative and verbal aptitudes.
Adu et al (2009) argued that no student will do well in Economics without quantitative ability(or aptitude). In their study, which sought to determine the correlation between quantitative
ability and achievement in secondary school Economics in Oyo State, Nigeria, they

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Volume 7 – Issue 1 – Summer 2019concluded that any student who possesses good quantitative ability would perform better in
any Economics examination.
Schuhmann, McGoldrick and Burrus (2005) conducted a study to determine the correlation
between quantitative literacy and economic literacy of university students. Their findings
showed that quantitative literacy is a very important determinant of economic literacy. They
concluded that the ability to perform quantitative tasks would result in higher economic
knowledge. Students without basic quantitative skills may find it difficult to understand andinterpret economic concepts. Quantitative ability implies that students are able to separate
concepts in its constituent parts (Eleje et al, 2018) and relate abstract concepts to various
phenomena.
Bray and Spaulding (2014) reported a study conducted by Stock, Siedgried and Finegan(2011) on the predictive validity of the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores on
Economics Ph.D. The findings revealed that GRE–Quantitative (or GRE-Q) scores showed
the probability of completing the programme. It therefore means that GRE-Q has morepredictive power in determining success of doctoral students in Economics than GRE-verbal(or GRE-V). However, Mitchell, et al (1994) asserted that measures of verbal ability should
predict, to some degree of accuracy, relevant performance criteria (as cited in Adegbile &Alabi, 2007). A study conducted by Rothstein, Paunonen, Rush and King (1994) in Sujata(2005) showed that verbal reasoning and numerical ability had significant influence on theacademic achievement of students in various academic programmes.
Corengia, Pita, Mesurado and Centeno (2013) carried out a study to analyze whether
educational aptitudes can predict academic performance and attrition among undergraduate
students. The Differential Aptitude Test (DAT) was employed as a measure of educational
aptitudes. The result showed that verbal reasoning and numerical ability were among theindependent variables that related significantly to academic performance of the students in
Business (Accounting and Business Economics). From their study, they noted that the reason
why verbal reasoning was one of the best predictors of academic performance could be that it
evaluates the basic reasoning issues of learning process. Oliver (2008) maintained that
Economics students require four cognitive skills (knowledge, comprehension, application andanalysis) in order to perform well in the subject (as cited in Wyk, 2012). These cognitive
skills promote critical thinking and reasoning ability.
Most of the available studies (Schuhmann et al, 2005; Stock et al, 2011, as cited in Bray &Spaulding, 2011; Rothstein et al, 1994, as cited in Sujata, 2005; Corengia et al, 2013) on
quantitative and verbal aptitudes (or abilities) are based on university achievement in
Economics in developed countries. With regards to Nigeria, there are limited studies on theinfluence of quantitative ability or aptitude on performance in Economics and no study on theinfluence of verbal aptitude was found in the literature. Some researchers who examinedverbal variable in other subjects or areas made generalizations regarding its effect onacademic performance. Therefore, this study sought to address these gaps. It is expected that
this study can add to the limited empirical findings and provide a springboard for futurestudies in Nigeria, with regards to verbal aptitude.

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Purpose of the Study
The main purpose of the study was to examine the predictive power of quantitative andverbal aptitudes on the performance of senior secondary school students in Economics.
Research Questions
1. Does quantitative aptitude significantly predict the performance of senior secondary
school students in Economics?
2. Does verbal aptitude significantly predict the performance of senior secondary school
students in Economics?
3. Does the combined effect of quantitative and verbal aptitudes significantly predict theperformance of senior secondary school students in Economics?
Methodology
The population of the study comprised senior secondary two (SS2) Economics students in
Oshodi-Isolo Local Government Area of Lagos State, Nigeria. This included both public andprivate school students. The study adopted descriptive survey research design. Multistage
sampling technique was employed in selecting a total of 330 senior secondary two
Economics students from 10 schools comprising five private and five public schools. Data
was gathered with three test instruments namely the Economics Achievement Test (EAT), theQuantitative Aptitude Test (QAT) and the Verbal Aptitude Test (VAT). The reliability
coefficient of the instruments was established using the Pearson Product Moment correlation
coefficient and was found to be 0.86 for EAT, 0.81 for QAT and 0.93 for VAT respectively.
Data was analyzed using ANOVA and multiple regression of the SPSS.
Results
Table 1 shows an F-value of 72.451 and a p-value of 0.000. This finding indicates thatquantitative aptitude significantly predicts the performance of senior secondary school
students in Economics and this has answered research question number one.
Table 1: ANOVA of quantitative aptitude as a predictor of performance of senior secondary
school students in Economics
Model1

Regression
Residual
Total

Sum ofSquares
2790.118
12631.336
15421.455

Df
1
328
329

Mean
Square2790.118
38.510F

Sig.

72.451.000(a)Table 2 shows an F-value of 45.113 and a p-value of 0.000. This finding indicates that verbal
aptitude also significantly predicts the performance of senior secondary school students in
Economics and this has answered research question number two.

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Table 2: ANOVA of verbal aptitude as a predictor of performance of senior secondary school
students in Economics
Model1

Sum ofSquares1864.601
13556.853
15421.455

Regression
Residual
Total

Df
1
328
329

Mean
Square1864.601
41.332F

Sig.

45.113.000(a)Table 3 shows an F-value of 45.041 and a p-value of 0.000. This finding indicates that the
combined effect of quantitative and verbal aptitudes significantly predicts the performance ofsenior secondary school students in Economics and this has answered research question
number three. The table shows R2 values of 0.216, indicating that 21.6% of the variance inthe achievement of senior secondary school students in Economics is accounted for by the
combined effect of the two variables.
Table 3: ANOVA, model summary and coefficients of the multiple regression analysis of the
combined effect of quantitative and verbal aptitudes in predicting performance of seniorsecondary school students in Economics
Model1

Sum ofSquares
3330.734
12090.721
15421.455

Regression
Residual
Total
Model

R

1

.465(a)Model

1(Constant)verbalaptitudequantitative
aptitude

df
2
327
329

R Square.216

Mean
Square1665.367
36.975Adjusted R
Square
.211

F

Sig.

45.041.000(a)Std. Error of theEstimate
6.081

Unstandardized Standardized
Coefficients
Coefficients
Std.
B
Beta
Error
7.750 1.550

5.001

Std.
Error
.000

.239

.063

.206

3.824

.000

.352

.056

.339

6.297

.000

T
B

Sig.

From the table, quantitative aptitude (B = 0.339) has more predictive power on the academic
performance of senior secondary school students in Economics than verbal aptitude (B =0.206).

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Discussion
The result of the analysis in table one revealed that quantitative aptitude predicts theperformance of senior secondary school students in Economics. This finding agrees with thefindings of Adu et al, (2009); Schuhmann et al, (2005); Stock et al, 2011, as cited in Bray et
al, 2014) and Corengia et al, (2013) that reported that quantitative aptitude or ability
influences academic performance in Economics. As Adu et al (2009) noted from their study,
no student can perform well in Economics without good quantitative ability. Similarly,
Schuhmann et al (2005) maintained that higher economic knowledge is dependent on thepossession of quantitative skills. Economics is taught using quantitative language and so thisfinding demonstrates the importance of quantitative skills in facilitating learning outcomes.
The result of the analysis in table two showed that verbal aptitude predicts the performance ofsenior secondary school students in Economics. This finding is in line with the findings ofRothstein et al (1994), as cited in Sujata (2005) which showed that verbal reasoning
significantly influenced academic achievements in various undergraduate programmes andalso those of Corengia, et al (2013) which showed that verbal ability significantly predictedperformance in Business Economics. As asserted by Mitchell, et al (1994), as cited in
Adegbile, et al (2007), verbal ability should have some level of predictive power on academic
performance.
The result of the analysis in table three showed the significant combined effect of quantitativeand verbal aptitudes in predicting the performance of senior secondary school students in
Economics. This finding agrees with the findings of Rothstein, et al (1994), as cited in Sujata(2005) and Corengia, et al (2013) which revealed that verbal reasoning and numerical ability
had significant influence on the academic achievement of students in various undergraduate
programmes, including Business Economics. However, the finding from this study showedthat quantitative aptitude has more predictive ability than verbal aptitude. The study
conducted by Stock, et al (2011), as cited in Bray, et al (2014) revealed that GRE –Quantitative (GRE – Q) scores showed the probability of completing PhD Economics
programme, meaning that GRE-Q has more predictive power than GRE-verbal (or GRE-V) atthat level of studies. The predictive ability of verbal aptitude in the study of Stock, et al(2011), as cited in Bray, et al (2014) appears to be in contrast with the study of Corengia, etal (2012) where it was reported that verbal reasoning was among the best predictors ofachievement in undergraduate Economics. It should be noted that the study carried out by
Stock, et al (2011), as cited in Bray, et al (2014) focused on PhD studies in Economics wheremuch of the contents cover quantitative and graphical topics, requiring greater quantitativeskills. The same can be said of undergraduate programmes in Economics when comparedwith secondary school Economics. It is therefore quite surprising that verbal aptitude has alower predictive ability in this study compared to quantitative aptitude considering that few
quantitative topics are covered in Economics at the secondary school level in Nigeria. Mostof the tasks in Economics at this level of education are theoretical – more of writing thancalculation. More empirical findings are needed as to which variable has more predictive
power at the secondary school level. Regardless of the fact that the predictive ability ofverbal aptitude is not as strong as that of quantitative aptitude in this study, an improvementin verbal aptitude or skill will contribute towards the performance of students in Economics.
As Adegbile, et al (2007) noted, students’ grades to a large extent are associated with verbal
ability. Going by the assertion of Oliver (2008) that Economics students require four
cognitive skills (knowledge, comprehension, application and analysis) in order to perform

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Volume 7 – Issue 1 – Summer 2019well in the subject (as cited in Wyk, 2012), achievement outcomes will improve if these
cognitive skills are properly applied as they are related to verbal aptitude.
Recommendations
From the findings of the study, the recommendations are as follows:
School authorities should provide learning materials that will help improve quantitative andverbal skills of students.
Students should be encouraged to be more liberal in their learning by availing themselves ofevery opportunity to sharpen their reasoning, verbal and numerical (quantitative) skills. They
should read widely, consult materials on these variables, and pay attention to the learning ofEnglish and Mathematics as well as other subjects.
Teachers should encourage learners to develop higher-order thinking skills by presenting
questions and tasks that demand logical and critical reasoning. They should also explore allareas that will help students to sharpen their verbal and quantitative skills. Apart from having
a mastery of the subject matter, it is necessary that they simplify concepts, especiallymathematical and graphical topics, by utilizing different instructional methodologies andusing appropriate teaching aids.
The government should ensure that adequate and well qualified teachers are employed toteach Economics, and quantitative and verbal related subjects. Some researchers havesuggested the introduction of critical thinking as a subject in senior secondary schools. If thisis done, it will enhance the learning of students in quantitative subjects.
Conclusion
This study was necessitated by the growing concern over the poor performance of secondary
school students in Economics, especially in public examinations as reported from previous
studies and the limited empirical findings on the variables investigated in Nigeria. There is
scarcely any study on the verbal variable as it pertains to performance in Economics to thebest of the researcher’s knowledge. Findings from the study have revealed that quantitativeand verbal aptitudes predict performance in Economics at the senior secondary school.
Economics is a subject that utilizes mathematical, graphical and theoretical or abstract
languages in examining and explaining concepts which makes the subject appear to bedifficult for many students. This is why the teaching and learning of the subject should be
simplified and students encouraged to develop quantitative and verbal skills. The study
therefore concludes that possession of these aptitudes or skills by students will enhance theirperformance in the subject. Considering the effects of these variables on Economics, it isnecessary for more empirical studies to be made available in Nigeria using a larger sample
size.

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Corresponding author: Innocent Uche Anazia
Contact email: innocentanazia@yahoo.com

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