ENHANCING BASIC EDUCATION LEARNERS COGNITIVE AND SOCIAL ACADEMIC ENGAGEMENTS IN DELTA STATE THROUGH EFFECTIVE ADMINISTRATION OF SCHOOL FEEDING PROGRAMME

Abstract

This study investigated the importance of enhancing basic education learners’ cognitive and social academic engagements in Delta State through effective administration of school feeding programme. Two research questions guided the study. The study adopted a descriptive survey research design. Only the 1,130 head teachers within 1,130 public primary schools operating in all the 25 LGAs within Delta State formed the study population. The sample for this study constituted a total of 565 public primary school head teachers from their schools in Delta State selected using the purposive sampling technique. The instrument for data collection was a self-structured questionnaire designed by the researcher, containing 18 items and titled: Enhancing Basic Education Learners’ Cognitive and Social Academic Engagements through Effective Administration of School Feeding Programme Questionnaire (EBELCSAEEASFPQ) which was structured on a 4-point scale of Very High Extent (VHE), High Extent (HE), Low Extent (LE) and Very Low Extent (VLE), for answering the research questions. The questionnaire was face validated by two Educational Administration and Planning experts from Educational Foundations Department and one Measurement and Evaluation expert, from Educational Psychology Department in Federal College of Education (Technical) Asaba, Delta State. Reliability of the instrument was established through a pilot-test. Thereafter, scores were collated and calculated using the Cronbach Alpha formula to arrive at an overall reliability value of 0.79. Data were analyzed using mean statistics rated at 2.50 and standard deviation statistics. Findings of the study generally indicated that effective administration of the School Feeding Programme (SFP) enhanced learners’ cognitive and social academic engagements in basic education in Delta State to a high extent. Based on these findings, recommendations were proffered. Among them include that there is need for the head teachers and teachers through adequate financial support and encouragements from the Delta State Universal Basic Education Board (DSUBEB) and external bodies like non-governmental organizations to improve on resource mobilization and infrastructure which has positive impact on effective administration of SFP for enhanced learners’ cognitive task engagement in basic education to a high extent in areas of applying higher-order thinking in learning tasks, willingness to tackle challenging tasks without easily giving up, ability to strive to create personal academic targets, among others.

Abstract

This study investigated the importance of enhancing basic education learners’ cognitive and social academic engagements in Delta State through effective administration of school feeding programme. Two research questions guided the study. The study adopted a descriptive survey research design. Only the 1,130 head teachers within 1,130 public primary schools operating in all the 25 LGAs within Delta State formed the study population. The sample for this study constituted a total of 565 public primary school head teachers from their schools in Delta State selected using the purposive sampling technique. The instrument for data collection was a self-structured questionnaire designed by the researcher, containing 18 items and titled: Enhancing Basic Education Learners’ Cognitive and Social Academic Engagements through Effective Administration of School Feeding Programme Questionnaire (EBELCSAEEASFPQ) which was structured on a 4-point scale of Very High Extent (VHE), High Extent (HE), Low Extent (LE) and Very Low Extent (VLE), for answering the research questions. The questionnaire was face validated by two Educational Administration and Planning experts from Educational Foundations Department and one Measurement and Evaluation expert, from Educational Psychology Department in Federal College of Education (Technical) Asaba, Delta State. Reliability of the instrument was established through a pilot-test. Thereafter, scores were collated and calculated using the Cronbach Alpha formula to arrive at an overall reliability value of 0.79. Data were analyzed using mean statistics rated at 2.50 and standard deviation statistics. Findings of the study generally indicated that effective administration of the School Feeding Programme (SFP) enhanced learners’ cognitive and social academic engagements in basic education in Delta State to a high extent. Based on these findings, recommendations were proffered. Among them include that there is need for the head teachers and teachers through adequate financial support and encouragements from the Delta State Universal Basic Education Board (DSUBEB) and external bodies like non-governmental organizations to improve on resource mobilization and infrastructure which has positive impact on effective administration of SFP for enhanced learners’ cognitive task engagement in basic education to a high extent in areas of applying higher-order thinking in learning tasks, willingness to tackle challenging tasks without easily giving up, ability to strive to create personal academic targets, among others.

Keywords

Academic, Administration, Basic, Cognitive, Education, Engagements, Learners, SFP, Social

Paper Information

• Author(s): Ndibueze, Scholar Ego (Mrs.), Ezugoh, Theodorah Chinelo PhD
• Journal: Journal of Education, the Teacher and Professional Practices
• Publisher: Journal of Education, the Teacher and Professional Practices
• Publication Date: 2026-06-11
• DOI: 10.0000/hont.2026.enhancing-basic-education-learners-cognitive-and-social-academic-engagements-in-delta-state-through-effective-administration-of-school-feeding-programme
• Pages: 1-13
• Keywords: Academic, Administration, Basic, Cognitive, Education, Engagements, Learners, SFP, Social

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