Qualitative insights into a scholarship scheme designed to optimise test scores and expedite SDG-4 actualisation in Nigeria

This study presents the qualitative component of a mixed-methods evaluation of the Ifedioramma Okafor Memorial Secondary School Academic (IFOMSSA) Scholarship Scheme in Southeastern Nigeria. The overarching research question asks: What are the perceptions and experiences of participants involved in a scholarship scheme that encourages community participation and adopts a hybrid (needs- and merit-based) selection criteria as key measures to simultaneously encourage large numbers of students towards improved test scores? The context is persistent challenges in education quality and equity in low-resource settings and the imperative to accelerate progress toward SDG-4. The scholarship model explicitly integrates three principles: hybrid needs-plus-merit selection with transparent processes; the capacity to motivate large cohorts concurrently (mass motivation); and active community involvement (families, teachers, principals, government stakeholders, community leaders, and media). The qualitative study seeks to explain the mechanisms behind previously observed quantitative gains in test scores and exam enrolments.

The literature indicates no consistently positive relationship between financial incentives and test scores in developing countries, highlighting gaps in evidence for sustainable models that improve learning outcomes. Prior work suggests transparency in merit selection can heighten incentive impact, while resource constraints necessitate strategies that generate spillover or mass effects. A Colombian study observed incidental peer and sibling spillovers in attendance, but mass motivation for test scores has not been deliberately studied. The Theory of Change Typology (TCT) posits that combining incentives with community participation (and/or supply-side inputs) is more effective than isolated interventions. In Nigeria, scholarship evaluations have largely focused on tertiary students, leaving gaps at the senior secondary level. The IFOMSSA model responds to these gaps by combining hybrid selection, mass motivation, and community integration to potentially raise test scores and enrolments.

Design: Sequential Explanatory mixed-methods design; this qualitative arm follows a 6-year quantitative controlled before-and-after study to explain observed effects. Qualitative approach: Case study interviews to explore experiences and perceptions related to IFOMSSA’s three principles and outcomes (test scores and exam enrolments). Setting: Ten public senior secondary schools in Anambra East LGA, Otuocha Educational Zone, Anambra State, Nigeria, a predominantly rural, low socio-economic farming area. Sampling and participants: Typical-case purposive sampling targeting informed stakeholders. Seven interviewee groups: student participant recipients (n=3 planned), student participant non-recipients (n=2), student non-participant non-recipients (n=2), parents/guardians (n=2), teachers/principals (n=2), government staff (n=2), and community leaders (n=2). Total intended interviews: 15; one student interview (poor audio) discarded, leaving 14 interviews analyzed (two per group). Inclusion: Students or family members eligible for IFOMSSA Senior Scholarship (2017–2022); teachers/principals in eligible schools; relevant community leaders and government staff. Data collection: Virtual in-depth semi-structured interviews (Zoom), conducted over four weekends (Oct 23–Nov 19, 2022); average duration ~38 minutes for students and ~43 minutes for non-students. Interview guide piloted with two non-participants; open-ended what/how/why questions with probing; consent obtained; anonymity preserved via coded initials. Data credibility: Professional transcription; author cross-checking; respondent validation of transcripts; reflexivity documented via reflective diary; lead researcher recused from interviewing to mitigate bias. Analysis: Framework Approach aligned with pre-defined themes reflecting the three principles (hybrid selection, mass motivation, community involvement), plus enrolment patterns for teachers. Mass motivation assessed across low, moderate, and high performing student categories for preparation and performance in WASSCE.

- Hybrid needs-plus-merit selection: All participants agreed beneficiaries came from low socio-economic backgrounds and schools. Thirteen of fourteen interviewees viewed the selection and exam processes as fair, transparent, and merit-based (on-the-spot marking, external oversight, and publicized results). One dissenting student alleged local bias, but school-level participant data (2017–2021) did not support systematic favoritism. - Mass motivation: Low-performing non-recipients reported being motivated to study harder due to the prospect of fee coverage; they perceived improvements in preparation and WASSCE performance. Many moderate/high performers reported increased focus, with some exceptions (a high performer and one moderate performer who felt preparation was unchanged but acknowledged performance benefits from exposure to similar questions). Teachers, government staff, and parents/guardians corroborated improved preparation and results among participants. - Community involvement: Families of IFOMSSA Challenge participants (winners and non-winners) adjusted chores and provided support; low performers reported minimal family adjustments. Friends encouraged and engaged in healthy academic rivalry. Teachers/principals widely announced and reinforced the scheme during assemblies and classes, encouraging sustained study toward both IFOMSSA and WASSCE. Government staff approved and facilitated the scheme, conducted outreach (including PTAs and traditional ruler meetings), and integrated IFOMSSA into zonal education activities. Community leaders attended ceremonies, offered encouragement and logistical support. Media exposure (especially Facebook) enhanced credibility and trust, motivated students, and encouraged parental engagement; some saw coverage on radio, TV, and newspapers. - Enrolment patterns: One teacher provided a time series showing increases in WAEC registrations post-2017: 2015 ~30+, 2016: 18, then 2017: 34; 2018: 43; 2019: 53; 2020: 63; 2021: 68; 2022: 77. Neighboring non-eligible schools did not show similar increases, attributing gains to IFOMSSA. - Quantitative outcomes (context from prior arm): Lateral comparisons (2017–2019) showed higher odds of achieving passing/target scores in intervention vs control for English (OR 1.58, 95% CI 1.33–1.88), Mathematics (OR 3.57, 2.74–4.66), Biology (OR 1.84, 1.48–2.30), and Civic Education (OR 2.07, 1.69–2.54). Longitudinally within intervention, before-intervention years (2014–2016) had lower odds vs after-intervention for English (OR 0.45), Mathematics (OR 0.11), and Civic Education (OR 0.34). Exam enrolments increased in intervention post-2017 and not in controls. The quantitative study concluded improvements were en masse, not limited to high-ability recipients. Overall: The qualitative data support the three design principles as plausible mechanisms for improved test scores and increased exam enrolments, including evidence of mass motivation beyond scholarship winners.

The qualitative findings address the research question by elucidating how IFOMSSA’s design features operate in a low-resource context. Hybrid needs-plus-merit selection aligns scarce resources to disadvantaged students while ensuring transparent merit processes that heighten incentive salience and perceived fairness, which literature associates with stronger impacts. Mass motivation appears to arise from universal eligibility messaging, peer dynamics, teacher reinforcement, and the tangible prospect of fee coverage, motivating entire cohorts to study toward term exams and WASSCE, not just likely scholarship winners. While a few high/moderate performers reported limited added effect on preparation (already high effort), most students and all non-student stakeholders perceived improved preparation and performance, consistent with the quantitative en-masse gains. Community participation functioned as an enabling environment consistent with the Theory of Change Typology: family adjustments, teacher/principal advocacy, government facilitation, community leader endorsement, and media publicity collectively built credibility, trust, and persistence, strengthening both uptake and outcomes. The triangulation of qualitative mechanisms with prior quantitative effects offers a coherent explanation for improved test scores and increased enrolments, and supports the proposition that combining incentives with community engagement can overcome limitations of pure supply- or incentive-only approaches in disadvantaged settings.

The IFOMSSA Scholarship Scheme’s integrated model—hybrid needs-plus-merit selection, mass motivation of entire cohorts, and deep community participation—is effective at improving test scores and increasing exam enrolments in a low-resource Nigerian context. Policy implications include: embedding transparent hybrid selection to target need while preserving merit; designing scholarship processes that motivate entire final-year cohorts; and institutionalizing community engagement and media outreach to build trust and sustained participation. Given links between learning outcomes and economic growth, wider adoption could contribute to SDG-4 progress in Nigeria and similar settings, with potential applicability to other disadvantaged populations globally. The study recommends policymakers and funders adopt all three principles without necessarily increasing funding levels, emphasizing cost-efficiency and sustainability. Future research could test scalability across regions, examine long-term educational and economic trajectories, and experimentally isolate contributions of each component (merit transparency, mass motivation levers, and specific community engagement modalities).

- Generalisability: As a case study in one educational zone, findings may not generalize broadly. Mitigations included wise case selection (model embodies target principles) and prior quantitative evidence offering generalizable trends. - Potential bias: The lead author founded the implementing Foundation. Mitigations included interviewer independence, recusal of the lead author from interviews, reflexivity through a reflective diary, professional transcription, and respondent validation. - Data scope: One student interview was discarded due to poor audio, leaving 14 analyzed. Self-reported perceptions may entail recall or social desirability biases. An isolated allegation of selection bias underscores the need for ongoing transparency safeguards and independent monitoring.