THE EFFECT OF MARITAL STATUS AND INSTITUTIONAL TYPE ON POSTGRADUATE COMPLETION OUTCOMES IN CROSS RIVER STATE

Abstract

The primary aim of this study was to determine the relationship that exists between marital status, affiliation of institutions, and the probability of postgraduate students graduating from Cross River State public universities, Nigeria. Three hypotheses were developed to guide the inquiry process. The inquiry utilized a survey-based descriptive approach, where a sample of 5,114 postgraduate students of Cross River State University of Science and Calabar University of Science were sampled using a questionnaire. The postgraduate students of the aforementioned institutions were sampled using the Taro Yamane formula, where there were 383 postgraduate students sampled for use in the study. A questionnaire created by researchers had reliability indices of 0.070 to 0.082, where it was utilized to gather data. The analyzed data were assessed using inferential tests of statistical analysis, including independent t-tests and one-way, two-way, and three-way Analysis of Variance, together with descriptive measures of mean and standard deviation. The findings indicated that students' marital status and affiliation of institutions have great impacts on postgraduate students' probability of graduating within institutions of higher learning in Cross River State. Based on findings, lecturers and instructors are advised to focus on differences that exist in attitudes of students on marital issues regarding responsibilities, group activities, and activities of taking part in responsibilities of institutions