The main purpose of the study was to find out if interest in extra-curricular activities has any influence on self-efficacy with reference to social self-efficacy, academic self-efficacy, language self-efficacy and moral self-efficacy. The ex-post facto design was adopted for the study. A sample of 1,586 students was randomly selected from the public secondary schools in Cross River State for the study. A questionnaire titled “Interest in Extra Curricular Activity and Self-Efficacy (IECASEQ) was the instrument used for data collection. The face validity of the instrument was determined by two experts in test and measurement and two in educational psychology. The reliability of the instrument was determined using Cronbach Alpha reliability method. The data collected were analysed using descriptive statistics. The results revealed that interest in co-curricular activities significantly influenced social self-efficacy, academic self-efficacy, language self-efficacy, moral self-efficacy and overall self-efficacy. Based on the findings of this study, it was recommended among others that teacher and school administrators should create opportunities for students to travel for excursions, and not see involvement in co-curricular activities as a distraction to students.

The study was aimed at determining the impact of stress from workload on professional effectiveness of secondary school teachers in Cross River State, Nigeria. The ex post facto design was used in a survey of 600 public secondary school teachers. Result of the data analyses indicated that stress from workload has no significant influence on seven dimensions (lesson presentation, use of instructional aids, evaluation of students, learning motivation, classroom management, supervision of co-curricular activities and personal/professional qualities) of professional effectiveness. Based on the data recommendations were made on how management of organization should tackle the issue of workload.

Over the years, the public secondary schools in Calabar municipality in Cross River State, Nigeria were operating at the mercy of God. Little wonder the students after graduation faces a lot of educational, vocational and personal-social problems. This study investigated whether there is change now that there is the introduction of counseling services vis-à-vis the Universal Basic Education Programme. To carry out this investigation, two hundred respondents (certificated teachers) drawn from selected public secondary schools in the study area constituted the sample of the study. Pearson product moment correlation statistic at 0.05 level of significance with 198 degree of freedom was employed to analyze the data collected with a selfdesigned questionnaire -counseling services and Universal Basic Education Questionnaire (CSUBEQ). The result of hypothesis tested revealed a significant relationship between educational and vocational services and Universal Basic Education. However, it was found that little relationship exist between -social service and Universal Basic Education. The results were discussed and a conclusion was made. A number of useful recommendations were proffered.

Handling of issues and challenges in education at the primary school level believed to be the foundation on which other levels of education rest on will either promote or mar the onward movement of individuals to the other levels of education and the achievement of the objective of education as an instrument for national development. It is against this background that this study attempted to examine the causes of school absenteeism among primary school pupils in the three senatorial zones of Cross River State and proffer solution to remedy the problem. Two research questions were posed to direct the study. Data were collected with the researcher's developed and structured questionnaire captioned: School Absenteeism Questionnaire (SAQ). Multi-stage sampling technique involving stratified and simple random sampling procedures were used to select three hundred and twenty (320) pupils out of three hundred and two thousand, two hundred and ten (302,210) primary six pupils in public schools in Cross River State. They were drawn from 16 primary schools in eight (8) randomly selected local government areas across the three (3) senatorial Zones in Cross River State. Frequencies and simple percentages were utilized to answer the research questions. The finding revealed that financial constraints, lack of interest, illnesses, pampering from family members, location of school were the major causes of absenteeism among pupils. It was recommended among others that parents and their children and/or wards should be counselled on the effect of absenteeism on school performance and its long term consequences on national development.

Given the laudable purposes attached to study of Basic Technology in JSS, it is therefore important that students retain the skills and knowledge acquired in the course of studying the subject in the school. However, sadly, the intended effect Basic Technology as a subject in the secondary school system should have, has not been seen in the generation of able manpower readily employable for the economy. The study investigated the difference between the retention ability of male and female senior secondary students in Basic Technology, and how school type (public/private) influence retention. Two research hypotheses were formulated for the purpose of the study. The research design used in carrying out this study is Ex–post facto design. This study covered the Southern Educational Zone of Cross River State, Nigeria. The population of the study comprised all senior secondary school three (SS3) students in the government-owned secondary schools and private-owned secondary schools in the southern educational zone of Cross River State. The sampling technique used is stratified random sampling technique. The sample size for this study was 487 senior secondary school three (SS3) students drawn from fourteen schools in seven local government areas of southern educational zone. The research instrument used in the study is the achievement test. The statistical analyses techniques adopted to analyze the data collected were dependent t-test and independent t-test respectively. Findings of the study showed that there is no significant difference in retention between males and females, public and private schools in senior secondary school in Basic Technology. Based on the findings of the study, recommendations were made which include that there is a need to focus on the female folks in the execution of national policy on education. This study shows that the female folk arecapable of achieving and retaining as much the male folks during learning. Much effort should be made by the government to bridge the disparity between male and female folks in enrolment into and completion of the secondary school education. Keywords: gender, retention ability, achievement, technology, school type