CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
Background to the Study
It is generally
believed that the basis for any true development must commence with the
development of human resources. According to Shittu (2004), formal education
remains the vehicle for socio-economic development and social mobilisation in
any society. Education is the hope, development and future of every individual,
family and the society to which the individual is expected to integrate.
Therefore, it is the goal of every individual as they grow, to acquire useful
knowledge to ensure the care of their body for the sake of the soul (Plato).
Thus either consciously or unconsciously, education takes place throughout the
life-long process of the human existence- beginning from birth and lasts till
death.
Education
has its roots in the family from which the individual hails, then to the four
walls of the formal school setting. However, student’s academic performance
varies in the school. While a number of factors such as individual differences,
classroom size and learning environment
have been adduced to this variation, current researches have revealed
that parental socioeconomic
characteristics, to a greater extent, also determine student’s performance in
school and their adjustment to life.
According
to Graetz (1995),the relationship between family socio-economic status and the
academic performance of children is well established in sociological research.
While there is disagreement over how best to measure socio-economic status,
most studies indicate that children from low socioeconomic status families do
not perform as well as the potentially endowed children could at school.
In recent times, the poor performance of students in
examinations could be attributed to the changing life pattern in some families
coupled with the present economic hardship which has made most families unable
to meet up with their responsibilities of ensuring a healthy and literate
family. The status of the family in which a child grows affects his
intellectual development; this is because in a low socio-economic family, a
child may not be given the required attention especially in his or her
academics as such family may find it difficult to cater for the ever-demanding
nature of what child’s former education has become. The issue of home works,
payment of school fees, provision of materials such as textbooks, school
uniforms and shoes which facilitate easy attainment of educational goals, may
pose a serious threat to such a family. However, children are well cared for
and perform better in a socio-economically buoyant family.
According to Ramey and Ramey (1994), they describe the
relationship between family and socio-economic status of children’s readiness
for school. They opined that across all socio-economic groups, parents face
major challenges when it comes to providing optimal care and education for
their children. For poor families, these challenges can be formidable. Parental
financial resources, which are associated with parents’ occupation and
educational attainment, often imply work. In Nigeria, most families are poor
and cannot adequately afford three-square meals not to talk of meeting increased
learning opportunities both at home and in school. Better-educated parents can
contribute to their children’s learning through their day-to-day interactions
with their children and involving themselves in their children’s school work.
Parents
of different occupation classes often have different styles of child rearing,
disciplining and reacting to their children. These differences do not express
themselves consistently as expected in the case of every family; rather they
influence the average tendencies of families for different occupational classes
(Rothestein, 2004). In consonance with the above assertion, Hill, N.E
Castelino, O.R. Lansford, J.E. Nowlin, E. Dodge, P. Bates, K.A. and G.S.
Pettit(2004), also argued that socio-economic status of parents do not only
affect the academic performance, but also makes it impossible for children from
low background to compete with their counterparts from high socio-economic
status under the same academic environment.
This
research study is therefore motivated by the fact that some students are
exceptionally good in the area of their academics, while some are academically
inefficient. Such variations in scores, when traced, it is more often discovered
that family background is a contributory factor. Therefore, it is expedient
that the levels of such contributions and the influence these have on children
be examined so as to arrive at useful suggestions to parents, teachers,
educational planners and the government.
Statement of the Problem
It is
observed that secondary school students’ performance in Government varies. The
difference is further discovered that some students often tend to perform
better than others. This variance is believed to be caused by some factors such
as: lack of parental care; poverty and little or no interest in education.
Though,
several studies have been carried out on the influence of parents’
socio-economic status on the academic performance of students in various subject
or discipline, none has in specific term worked on the relationship between
socio-economic status and students’ academic performance of Government students in Ilorin West Local
Government. For instance, Ashonibare (2013) researched on the
socio-economic factors and academic performance of secondary school students in
Economics in Oke-Ero Local Government Area of Kwara State. Also, Oyeniyi
(2011) worked on the influence of parental socio-economic background on
academic performance as perceived by University of Ilorin undergraduate
students.
Hence, this study intends to, in specific terms, research into the
influence of parents’ socio-economic status on the academic performance of
secondary school Government students in Ilorin West Local Government Area of
Kwara State.
Purpose of the Study
The general
purpose of this study is to determine the influence of parent’s socio-economic
status on the academic performance of Government students in Ilorin West. The
specific purposes of the study are to:
1.
Examine the
relationship between the parents’ socio-economic status and academic
performance of secondary school students in Government in Ilorin West Local
Government;
2.
Determine the
effect of parental occupation on the academic performance of secondary school
students in Government in Ilorin West Local Government;
3.
Determine the
influence of parents’ level of education on the academic performance of
secondary school students in Government in Ilorin West Local Government.
4.
Examine the
influence of parents’ level of income on the academic performance of secondary
school students in Government in Ilorin West Local Government.
Research Questions
The following research questions were developed to assist the researcher
in carrying out this study:
1.
Is there any significant relationship between the parents’ socio-economic
status and the academic performance secondary school students in Government
Ilorin West Local Government?
2.
Is there any significant
influence of parental occupation on the academic performance of secondary
school students in Government in Ilorin West Local Government?
3.
Is there any influence of
parents’ level of education on the academic performance of secondary school
students in Government in Ilorin West Local Government?
4.
Is there any
significant influence of parents’ level of income on the academic performance
of secondary school students in Government in Ilorin West Local Government?
Research Hypotheses
The following hypotheses, which are deduced from the research questions,
were tested:
H01: There is no significant
relationship between parents’ socio-economic status and the academic
performance of secondary school students in Government in Ilorin West Local
Government.
H02: There is no
significant influence of parental occupation on the academic performance of
secondary school students in Government in Ilorin West Local Government.
H03:There is no significant influence
of parents’ level of education on the academic performance of secondary school
Government students in Ilorin West Local Government.
H04:
There is no significant influence of parents’ level of income on the
academic performance of secondary school students in Government in Ilorin West
Local Government.
Scope of the Study
It
would be much demanding to undertake a complete study of the influence of
socio-economic status of parents on the academic performance of students in the
entire Ilorin West L.G Area, therefore, only five secondary schools were sampled.
Sampled schools were selected based on their population characteristics. This
study was confined to senior secondary school (SS1) Government students of the
selected schools. The reason for this is that, SS1 is the beginning of senior
secondary school class; if family background affects students in SS1, it is
assumed that it likely affects their performances in senior secondary school
certificates examinations and even worse in their higher academic performance.
The variables used for the purpose of the study are parental level of education
(literate and illiterate parents), parental occupation (parent of low working
class and high working class) and parental income.
Operational Definitions of
Terms
As words
may mean differently in different contexts, the following definitions are given
as words are used as intended to be understood for the purpose of this study.
Parent: somebody’s mother or father, or legal guardian.
Family: is a unit comprising of husband,
wife and children.
Educational level: this term is used for social process in which one
achieves social competence and individual growth, carried on in a selected or
controlled setting, which can be institutionalised as a school or college
Occupation: person’s trade, vocation or principal means of
livelihood, which could be professional or non-professional
Socio-economic status: this refers to position of
recognition in which one finds oneself in the society. Such a position may not
be hereditary, but acquired through personal efforts like education, wealth,
occupation and social class.
Academic performance: refers to the student’s achievement, scores within
the class, and his position relative to all other subjected to the same test.
Influence: the ability of parents’ socio-economic status to
affect the academic performance of students
Significance of the Study
The primary
objective of any education research is to increase the existing stock of
knowledge on educational phenomenon and issues which will help us to provide
appropriate solution to educational problem and to take rational decision on
educational issues and improve upon the existing educational practices and
enhance sustainable development in education. Result from this study would be
of use to teachers, learners, school administrators and government.
The
significance of the study to the teacher is that they would find the results
useful in administering and controlling some issues in class-based performance
of their students. The parents would find it useful in the sense that it would
expose them to the several effects that their socio-economic status on the
academic performance of their children. In that wise, it would enable them to
make adjustment where and when needed in ensuring better performance of their
children academically.
Furthermore,
the outcome of this study may as serve a lime light to the school
administrators as it would enable them to handle students whose parents’
socio-economic stands differ in the society. In this sense, they would be able
to encourage students whose parents’ socio-economic status has influence on
their performance by all forms of encouragement, motivation and standard
guidance and counselling.
To the
learners and readers, it may expose them to issues pertaining to the study of
Government (or Political Science as is called in the higher institution) as a
subject in school environment. Finally, to the government it may help them on
making policies that would favour all sorts of students in the school,
irrespective of their parents’ social-economic stands.
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