British Journal of Education Vol.6, No.10, pp.43-56, October 2018 ___Published by European Centre for Research Training and Development UK (www.eajournals.org) 43 Print ISSN: 2054-6351 (print), Online ISSN: 2054-636X (online) FACTORS AFFECTING STUDENTS’ ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE IN COLLEGES OF EDUCATION IN SOUTHWEST, NIGERIA Oladebinu Tokunbo Olufemi 1 , Amos Adekunle Adediran (Ph.D) 1 and Dr. W.O. Oyediran 2 1 Federal College of Education, Abeokuta, Ogun State, Nigeria 2Department of Agricultural Extension and Rural Development, Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, Ogun State, Nigeria. ABSTRACT: This study was carried out to assess factors affecting st udents’ academic performance in Colleges of Education in southwest, Nigeria. Four hundred and eighty students from six Colleges of Education were randomly selected for this study. Data collected were analyzed with descriptive and inferential statistics. The results obtained showed that 52.4% of the respondents were between 20 – 24 years of age, predominantly female (67.6%), supported by family/guardian (88.9%), stayed off-campus (69.8%), had personal motivation for studying Education (65.8%) and bold (91.1%). Also, results of parental background revealed that the parents were married (63.8%), educated (68.2%), and earned average income of ₦60,604.5/month. The study concludes that students’ factors, parental background, school factors, and teachers’ factors have serious influence on students’ academic performance. It is hereby recommended that school facilities should be adequately provided; Colleges of Education should be given appropriate attention and funding while government should provide alternative power supply by purchasing generator plant for Colleges of Education. KEYWORDS: Performance, Factor, Affecting, Academics, Education. INTRODUCTION Background to the study Education is one of the most important aspects of human resource development. The students’performance plays an important role in producing bestquality graduates who will become great leaders and manpower for the country thus responsible for the country’seconomic and social development. Academic achievement is one of the major factors considered by employers in hiring workers especially for the fresh graduates. Thus, studentshave to put the greatest effort in their study to obtain good grades and to prepare themselves for future opportunities in their career at the same time to fulfil the employer’s demand.Academic performance in the Colleges of Education determines whether the students will proceed to university for higher degree or be able to secure a teaching job. Students’ performance alsodeterminesquality of education that will be passing to the students by the potential teachers at primary and secondary school levels. Poor performancein Colleges of Education spells doom for the students whose life becomes uncertain and full of misery. Students’ academic performance is affected by several factors which include students’ learning skills, parental background, peer influence, teachers’ quality, learning infrastructure among others. Governmentefforts to improve academic performance have led to series of interventions like scholarship, training of the lecturers, providing of infrastructure and so on. Yet, academic