Investigation of the Relationship Between Member Education Level and Cooperative Participation in Ondo State

Educational attainment is theoretically linked to cooperative participation, as higher-educated members may better understand cooperative principles, engage with financial records, and contribute to governance processes. This study investigated the relationship between member education level and participation in cooperative societies in Ondo State, South West Nigeria. A descriptive correlational design was employed, with 200 members from sixteen cooperatives in Akure, Ondo, and Owo LGAs completing structured questionnaires. Participation was operationalised across four dimensions: financial contribution regularity, attendance at meetings, involvement in leadership, and cooperative education engagement. Educational attainment was categorised as primary, secondary, and tertiary. Pearson correlation and one-way ANOVA were applied. Results showed significant differences in participation levels across educational groups (F = 14.7; p < 0.001), with tertiary-educated members scoring highest on all four participation dimensions. Attendance at general meetings was the dimension most weakly differentiated by education, while leadership participation showed the strongest education gradient. However, primary school-educated members demonstrated surprisingly high financial contribution regularity, suggesting that income rather than education may be the stronger predictor of financial engagement. The study concludes that education level shapes the nature more than the overall level of cooperative participation in Ondo State cooperatives and recommends targeted participatory tools, such as visual summaries of financial reports, to facilitate meaningful engagement regardless of educational background. Keywords: education level, cooperative participation, Ondo State, member engagement, South West Nigeria