Academic Self-Efficacy and Performance in Mathematics Among Female Secondary Students in Adamawa State

This study examines academic self-efficacy and its relationship to mathematics performance among female secondary school students in Adamawa State, North East Nigeria. Despite national campaigns to improve female participation in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, performance gaps in mathematics persist among female students in North East Nigeria, where sociocultural factors further compound academic inequality. The study adopts a descriptive correlational design, engaging 270 female SS2 students from eight secondary schools across Yola North and Mubi North Local Government Areas. The Mathematics Self-Efficacy Scale and students' most recent mathematics examination scores were used as instruments. Data were analysed using Pearson correlation and simple linear regression. Findings reveal a significant positive relationship between mathematics self-efficacy and examination performance, with higher self-efficacy scores predicting stronger performance outcomes. Classroom experiences, particularly teacher encouragement and peer modelling by high-achieving female classmates, emerged as significant sources of self-efficacy. Students who had participated in mathematics clubs and extracurricular STEM activities demonstrated higher self-efficacy levels. These findings extend Bandura's self-efficacy theory to the North East Nigerian female secondary school context, highlighting the social and instructional conditions under which academic confidence in mathematics is cultivated. School authorities in Adamawa State are encouraged to establish gender-targeted mathematics clubs and to provide training for teachers on equity-responsive pedagogy in STEM subjects. Keywords: academic self-efficacy, mathematics performance, female students, Adamawa State, STEM education.