Why Secondary School Geography Students Perform Poorly in External Examinations

The perpetual decline of students’ performance in external geography examinations necessitated this enquiry to identify causes of failure reported by examiners. This study, therefore, adopted a qualitative approach to analyze West African Examination Council (WAEC) chief examiners’ reports from 2008 to 2018 to extract vital information on why Nigerian students perform poorly in geography, using the grounded theory methodology and RQDA for data analyses. Poor map work, inadequate preparation and scanty explanation of points were identified. Ideal geography teachers ought to be multiplied in schools, with the utilization of relevant instructional resources and student-centered teaching strategies for improvements. © 2021 National Council for Geographic Education.