INFLUENCE OF FARMER-HERDER CONFLICT AND EMOTIONAL BEHAVIOUR ON ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT OF JUNIOR SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS IN BENUE STATE, NIGERIA

The study investigated the influence of farmer-herder conflict and emotional behaviour on the academic achievement of Junior Secondary School Students in Benue State. Three research questions were answered, while three hypotheses were tested at 0.05 level of significance. A descriptive survey research design was adopted. The population of the study was 15433 and the sample was 377students (male andfemale). Multi-stage sampling techniques were used to draw up the sample for the study. Three instruments were used to collect data, a questionnaire developed by the researcher and an Achievement test in Mathematics and English. The validity index for the questionnaires is 0.86, 0.85 and 0.83: for the achievement test instrument, Mathematics and English respectively. The reliability index for the questionnaires was 0.82 while that of mathematics was 0.87 and English Language was 0.79 for the achievement test. Descriptive statistics of Mean and Standard deviation were used to answer the research questions while Chi-square was used to test hypotheses 1-3 at 0.05 level of significance. The findings of this study revealed that aggression, depression and anxiety influence the academic achievement of Junior Secondary School students in Benue State. Hence, it was recommended, among others, that government should, as a matter of urgency, constitute a fora for all parties involved to profer a lasting solution to the conflicts between herdsmen and farmers.