INFLUENCE OF HOME ENVIRONMENT ON THE ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE OF SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS (A CASE STUDY OF SOME SELECTED SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN SURULERE LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA, LAGOS STATE)
ABSTRACT
The research was carried out to assess the influence of home environment on academic performance of secondary school students in Surulere Local Government Area of Lagos state. The major instrument used for the research was a fifteen item questionnaire which was designed to assess the influence of home environment on academic performance of secondary school students. Five schools were selected in Surulere Local Government. The chi-square statistical techniques were used in analyzing the responses. In the process of finding, there is a significant relationship between parental structure and academic performance of secondary school students. There is no significant relationship between parent-occupational status and academic performance of secondary school students, there is a significant relationship between parental involvement and academic performance of secondary school students and there is a significant relationship between location of students’ home and their academic performance in secondary school. Recommendations were later made.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Title page i
Certification ii
Dedication iii
Acknowledgement iv
Abstract v
Table of contents vi
CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION
Background of the Study 1
2 Purpose of the Study 7
Statement of Problems 7
Research Questions 8
Research Hypotheses 8
Significance of Study 9
Scope of the Study 10
Limitation of the Study 10
Operational definitions of terms 11
CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW
2.1 Introduction 13
2.2 The concept of family, Home, School, Media, Development, Learning and environment 14
2.3 Studies related to academic achievement 31
2.4 Studies related to parental encouragement 46
2.5 Studies related to achievement motivation 67
2.6 Studies related to intelligence 83
2.7 Overview 102
2.8 The Relationship between the Parental Structure and Pupils’ Academic performance 109
2.9 Two parent family and pupils academic performance 112
2.10 The single parent home and pupil academic Performance 113
2.11 Two parent and single parent with their Influence on academic performance 114
2.12 The Relationship between Parental Occupational Status and Pupils’ Academic Performance 117
2.13 The relationship between Parental involvements And Pupils’ Academic performance 121
CHAPTER THREE: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
3.0 Introduction 126
3.1 Research Design 126
3.2 Population of the Study 126
3.3 Sample and Sampling Techniques 127
3.4 Research Instrument 127
3.5 Method of Data Collection 127
3.6 Validation of Instrument 128
3.7 Reliability of Instrument 128
3.8 Data Analysis 129
CHAPTER FOUR: DATA ANALYSIS AND PRESENTATION OF RESULTS
4.1 Introduction 130
4.2 Demographic Data of the Respondents 131
4.3 Data Analysis and Presentation 134
CHAPTER FIVE: DISCUSSION, SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION
5.1 Discussion 142
5.2 Summary 146
5.3 Findings 146
5.4 Conclusion 148
5.5 Recommendations 148
References 150
Appendix I 163
Appendix II 166
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
- BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
Several researchers (Marjoribanks, 1972: Walberg, 1972; Kellaghan, 1997; Burns and Homel, 1985; Kurdek and Sinclair, 1988) have detected a link or a relationship between home environment and student academic performance in secondary schools. This relationship is attributed to numerous variables. These measurable variables include inter alia, parental structure, parent occupational status, parental involvement, parental managed learning programs and the location of the home of the student. The present study poses a question: can these variables impact upon students’ performance?
While the relationship between academic achievement and aspect of the home environment has been so studied in Nigeria. Such a study appears necessary at this time to provide some indications of impact which the home has on a student’s academic performance. It will be necessary to know which factor of the home environment appears to make the major influence in this regard. The home environment is a most powerful informal learning situation in which the family is in involves more especially parents, acts as educators.
Taylor(1984:138) states that the family is a place in which the whole range of human experiences take place.
Bloom (1984:71) demonstrates that, it is what parents do in the home that counts for learning development of children. It goes without saying that lack of encouragement, low quality of parents’ language and lack of stimulating activity in the home will reduces the home effectiveness as a learning environment.
According to Bradley (1985:11) home environment shows generally stronger relation to cognitive development. This holds true because Scarr and Weinberg(1976:738) examined test performance of black American children of educationally average parents. These children were adopted by educationally advantaged American white families. Researchers found that the adopted black American children scored as highly on Intelligent Quotient tests as did white children. They attributed this finding to the added home stimulation provided by the adoptive families, Intelligent Quotient scores would be higher than the scores under poor living situations. Burns and Homel (1985:524) support the assertion that stimulating environment of the home has an in influence on the intellectual development of the children.
Marjoribanks (1984:690) hypothesized that the two-parent family setting has the edge over other family structures concerning school performance. He detected a difference in comparison between children living with both parents and those living with those living with other types of families. Kurdek and Sinclair (1988:90) asserted that the single-parent and other types of family affect school performance more negatively than does two-parent family.
Several researchers (Bloom1984; Rosman 1973; Zajonc 1979) have found relationship between home environment, parental occupation, father’s educational qualifications, family size and school performance. Du plooy (1988:316) argues that it is the mother who is most influential on the child’s intellectual development. It is the mother who interacts mostly and all the time with the child. The child learns his or her first language from the mother. Jubber (1990:5) assumed that this fact is popularly recognized by calling this language, mother-tongue. Her attitudes, abilities, and her own knowledge play a major role in the home. Shaw (1964:371) maintains that children born to mothers who have received high education and having positive attitudes enjoy a distinct advantage over children not so fortunate. One measure of the quality of mother is the level and amount of formal education which she gives to her child. Kellaghan (1979:754) asserts that if the mother was herself successful at school and achieved a high level of formal education, the transmission of knowledge can be possible.
Jubber (1990:5) anticipated that the children of formally better educated mothers are more likely to be good academic achievers compared to the children of poorly educated mothers. In his study he discovered that over 60% of the children rated as good performers came from graduate or post graduate mothers.
Gordon(1986:74) maintains that life style of urban and rural black dwellers include inadequate provision of basic requirements such as health, educational facilities, and accommodation and job opportunities. Individuals, mutually interact with their environment. The influence of the home is not a simple one characterized by the student’s relationship with other householders. It is complicated by a wide range of outside influences such as the tasks of the adults, the types of people considered successful in the society, what competencies people try to inculcate in their children and what kind of adults; parents want their children to be.
Ogbu (1981:414) has analyzed the school-work performance of blacks in America. His finding indicate that that their lower performance is an adaptation maintained by two processes. The first is that blacks occupy social and occupational positions that do not require high educational qualifications. Secondly that job shortages and other hindrances generate doubts about the value of education.
Increased parental-involvement at school is one of the central plans of government policies. Hobson (1990:64) asserts that whilst parental involvement is easy to establish during the initial stages of school’s setting, it is more difficult over a long term.
Traditionally, parental-school relations have to operate at a low-level involvement. Such involvement is usually of a formal nature. Hobson (1990:65) states that parents visit schools when invited for parent-teacher association, open days and occasionally to discuss problems, often of a disciplinary nature.
CONCEPT OF ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE:
Performance can be define as the act or process of carrying out something or execute of an action. According to Farrant ( 2005), performance is define as an assessment of an individual through a course of the institution as opposed to terminal assessment which takes place only at overhand is the process of organizing measurement of data in to interpretable forms of a number of variables. While measurement is a process of assigning numeral to objects. It requires quantification of attributes according to specific rules that is measurement gives quantitative meaning to a quality.
Academic performance is use to mean to cognitive ability of students in various subjects as measured by terminal or sectional examination. It can be co-tremendously use as academic achievement.
Alasan (2000)sees academic performances as the level of an individual attainment or learning task which may be high of low. Learning theory has been divergently study, it is generally seen as the capacity for thinking that school must provide intellectual training very field of activity where systematic thinking is an important component of success.
Thus, it is an element of achievement, academic performance can be regarded as the score obtained to attain success and avoid failure. Academic performance of the child is influences among other things by the state of mind, mind is regarded as a matter of content while learning is consider as a compound of element bind together by impression unfolded.
In learning situation, mental discipline agrees that knowledge is inborn, but they insisted that learners need expert help to enable them to rescue it. Therefore Finalayson (2003) holds the view that the source of learning is not only the norms of cultural groups but also information derives from one environment, to him, is that sense of mastering could not be conceived as simple, the internalization social norms but rather a consequence in the society, in a play and in other situation to which he has successfully adopted.
In the school, the child performance will be affected by some factors, the school environment, home environment, his relationship with his classmate and the teachers.
In conclusion, all of the listed factors above are responsible for determining the performance of secondary school student irrespective of the location of their homes either in rural or urban centers.
- PURPOSE OF THE STUDY
The purpose of this study is to explicate the nature of home environment influences as determinants to students’ academic performance in secondary school. Specifically, investigation will be done to find out how relevant home environmental factors are associated with students’ academic performance in secondary school. In short, the aim of the investigation is to find out the association, if any and towards providing solution to improving the home environment in order to enhance high academic performance of secondary school student as long as we know that the first contact of a child is, his or her parent (that is family) and a child’s home depict his personality formation.
- STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
In this research work our attention will be focus on home environment. We will want to know what parents do in home environment to prepare and to promote the academic performance of secondary school students. Hence the title of our study is “Influence of home environment on academic performance of secondary school students” with particular reference to selected secondary schools in Surulere Local Government area of Lagos State.
1.4 RESEARCH QUESTIONS
- Is there any relationship between the parental structure and academic performance of secondary school students?
- Is there any relationship between parent-occupational status and academic performance of secondary school students?
- Is there any relationship between parental-involvement and academic performance of secondary school students?
- Is there any relationship between the location of students home and their academic performance in secondary school?
- RESEARCH HYPOTHESES
The following hypotheses were formulated to fulfil the aims of investigation
- There will be no significant relationship between Parental Structure and Academic Performance of Secondary School Students
- There will be no significant relationship between Parent-occupational Status and Academic Performance of Secondary School Students.
- There will be no significant relationship between Parental involvement and Academic Performance of Secondary School Students. 1.5.4 There will be no relationship between the location of students’ home and their academic performance in secondary school.
- SIGNIFICANCE OF STUDY
This research work is significant for a number of reasons:
The study will enable researchers to know to what extent parental structure affects the performance of students in secondary schools.
The study will also avail the public to know the adverse effect of residing in an environment that is not learning stimulating on the performance of their children in secondary school.
The study will enable government to see reasons for proper town planning as a factor that influences the academic performance of secondary school student.
The study will enable teachers to understand the differences in home environment and how it can affect the academic performance of secondary school student towards helping them.
- SCOPE OF THE STUDY
The study is carried out to investigate the academic performance of secondary school students in Surulere Local Government Area of Lagos in relation to their respective home environment (Five selected secondary schools).
- LIMITATION OF STUDY
There are certain problems encountered in carrying out this project and they include;
- The problem of transportation
- Inadequate finance
- The delay encountered in returning of questionnaires by respondents
- Inaccessibility to adequate reference materials
- OPERATIONAL DEFINITIONS OF TERMS
Home-environment
In this study, home environment shall be operationalized as parental structure, parent-occupational status, parental-involvement and the location of the home of the student.
Students Academic Performance.
A readymade secondary school students academic achievement measurement will be obtainable from examination schedules. Students’ academic performance will be measured in terms of student achievement as in end of the year examination schedules.
Parental Structure:
Parental-Structure is the composition of a household. In this study it shall mean someone accountable for the payment of school fund. This variable will be divided into these levels, mother, father, guardian (Mthembu, 1996)
Parent-occupational status or rank
Parent-occupational status variable will operate in this study as Professionals, Labourers, and Skilled, clerical.
Parental Involvement
Parental involvement will be measured in terms of financial support. This variable will be divided into these levels, those who have paid and those who have not paid.
Parental-managed learning programmes
Parental-managed programmes will operate as parental supervision of children’s homework at home. This variable will be measured in terms of communication between the home and the school. This variable will be divided into two levels, namely evidence of communication with the school and those parents who have no subsequent contact beyond registration day with the school.
Location of home of the student
In this study, the location of the home of the student will be divided into two namely; the locations that are learning stimulating and the location that are not learning stimulating.
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