EFFECT OF DRUGS ABUSE ON STUDENTS’ ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE A CASE STUDY OF FEDERAL POLYTECHNIC BAUCHI

ABSTRACT This study examined the effect of drugs abuse on students’ academic performance at Federal Polytechnic Bauchi. A descriptive survey design was employed with a sample of 385 students selected using stratified random sampling. Data were collected through structured questionnaires, of which 341 were valid and analyzed using descriptive statistics and regression analysis. Results indicated that drug abuse is highly prevalent among students, with 88.6% of respondents acknowledging its presence on campus. Descriptive findings showed strong agreement that drug abuse affects academic engagement, with mean values ranging between 3.45 and 4.19 on a 5-point scale. Regression analysis revealed that demographic predictors explained 17.7% of the variance in perceived drug abuse rate (R² = .177, F(3,337) = 24.88, p < .001). Furthermore, drug abuse rate significantly predicted academic impact, explaining 38.4% of the variance (R² = .384, F(1,339) = 210.50, p < .001). When peer pressure and academic stress were included, the model explained 46.9% of the variance in academic outcomes (R² = .469, F(3,337) = 73.68, p < .001). The findings confirm that drug abuse negatively influences students’ attendance, concentration, assignment completion, examination performance, and overall motivation. The study concludes that drug abuse poses a serious threat to academic success at Federal Polytechnic Bauchi and recommends comprehensive preventive, counseling, and policy enforcement measures to curb the menace.