Socio-economic Status as a Predictor of Students Academic Performance
CHAPTER ONE
OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY
The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between socioeconomic background or factors and students’ academic performance in secondary schools in Ifako-Ijaiye Local Government Area of Lagos State.
Also, it is necessary to find out the different socio-economic factors that are responsible for their academic Performance.
CHAPTER TWO
LITERATURE REVIEW
Introduction
The review of literature in this chapter is organized in these following sub-headings:
- Socio-Economic Background
- The effect of Broken home on the Achievement of Children.
- Family Background as it affects the Academic Performance of a Child.
- Parents’ Educational attainment as it affects the academic performance of children.
- Reviewed of some Empirical Studies.
- Summary
Socio-Economic Background
It is a common saying that all fingers are not equal, this informed the background of George Orwell’s book, “Animal Farm”, wherein he said, “All animals are equal but some are more equal than others”.
The inequality that exists in the society shows that some members of the society cannot afford three square meals in a day, basic primary education, etc. Whereas others can afford qualitative education, balance three square meals, good jobs and other things that make one live comfortable.
This or status of individual can either be borne with or achieved as a result of his effort in society. It must be noted that in most African countries, both the latter and former are usually combined. But in recent times, the latter status has gained dominance over the former.
There is no gain saying the fact that students from different social, political and economic classes do not achieved the same parity of qualification or requirement in academic pursuit. And some school of thought have it that the social class as a parameter in the society constitutes of people considered as equal because of similarities of interest in the same occupation and income, common background and the same level of educational status.
CHAPTER THREE
METHODOLOGY
Introduction
The research method and procedure use in this chapter is organized and presented in the following order:
- Research Design
- Population
- Sample and Sampling Technique
- Research Instrument
- Validity of Instrument
- Reliability of Instrument
- Method of Data Collection
- Method of Data Analysis
Research Design
This study is a descriptive survey research using questionnaire to find out the effects of socio-economic background of parents on the academic achievement of their children in school.
Population
The target population of this study comprised the students of the secondary schools in Ifako-Ijaiye Local Government Area of Lagos State.
Sample and Sampling Technique
Out of the whole schools in Ifako-Ijaiye Local Government Area, six schools were selected for study. One hundred and twenty students of SSS III from the six selected schools were sampled; the stratified sampling technique was used in the selection of the six schools out of the lots in the local government area, while the simple sampling techniques was utilized to select 20 students each from the six secondary schools amounting to the total of 120 students.
Research Instrument
The major instrument used for this study was the questionnaire, which was constructed in order to conform to the proposed hypotheses raised for this study. The questionnaire was formulated to extract information from the students about their parents.
CHAPTER FOUR
ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION OF DATA
Introduction
This chapter deals with the statistical presentation, analysis and discussion of finding of the data collected. It hopes to examine the validity of the hypotheses of this research work.
The items in the questionnaire utilized for this study were structured in such a way that, the validation of the hypotheses would be established by the time they were analyzed.
The above table shows that 20% of the sample students were between the age of 11-14, 68% between the ages of 15-20 and the remaining 12% between the ages of 20 and above.
CHAPTER FIVE
SUMMARY, FINDINGS, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS
Introduction
This chapter deals with the summary of findings, educational implications, conclusion, recommendations and suggestion for further research.
Summary
The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of socio-economic background of parents on the achievement of their children in Ifako-Ijaiye Local Government Area.
To investigate the study, five research questions/hypotheses were raised, they were:
- There is no significant difference between children from wealthy parents and those from poor parents in terms of academic achievement.
- There is no difference in the academic performance of children from polygamous families and the children from monogamous families.
- There is no significant difference in academic performance between children from large family and those from small family.
- There is no significant difference in the academic achievement of children from educated homes and those from uneducated homes.
- There is no major difference in the academic achievements of children from broken homes and children from unbroken homes.
The study adopted the survey design employing the descriptive method. The data collected for this research work were obtained with the aid of questionnaire constructed for the study and administered to the 100 students in the selected schools after special permission sort from each of the school principals.
The hypotheses were tested for 0.5% of significant, using percentages value. At the end of the analysis, the following findings were arrived at.
Findings
From the research work, it was discovered that:
- There is significant relationship between the socio-economic background of parents and their children’s academic performance in school.
- There is significant difference between the academic achievement of children from broken homes and those from unbroken homes.
- There is a significant difference in academic performance between children from large family and those from small family.
- There is a significant difference between the academic achievement of children from educated homes and those from uneducated homes.
- There is a significant difference between the academic achievement of children from polygamous families and those from monogamous families.
Conclusion
From the findings of this study, it is clear that the socio-economic status, educational qualification, types of homes whether intact/separate, monogamous/polygamous significantly affect the educational achievements of children in school.
Recommendations
In view of the findings obtained from the research work, the following recommendations are made:
- The Federal Government should make the mass literacy campaign a more effective venture than it is today. Parents should be given proper orientation on the importance of education and as it affects their children’s performance at school.
- In the Ministry of Education, curriculum planners should be informed about the two sets of students in school so that in designing the curriculum provision should be made for the privileged and less privileged ones.
- Teachers should be vigilant to identify those that are affected by parental variables, so as to give them necessary assistance.
- The Government should increase minimum wages of employees so that the wide gap between the high and low class could be bridged. In this case, equal opportunities of the parental background. When this is done, the standard of living of low income earners and low levels of parental education will be raised.
- Government should undertake a wide campaign both at Federal, State and Local Government levels on the adverse effect of broken home and polygamous homes on the education of children at school.
- Government should ensure that school employs the services of guidance counselors who will from time to time check those students and identify their problems. They can do this by extending their services to the parents where the roots of most of the problems students encounter at school originated from.
REFERENCES
- Akinboye, L.O. (1993). “The Relationship between the parental socio-economic background of students and academic performance in secondary school”. A research work submitted to the school of Education, Delta State University, Abraka, Sept. 1997.
- Bremback, C. (1971). Cultural challenges to education. The influence of cultural factors in school learning: Massachusetts, Lexington Books.
- Coleman, J.S. (1975). “Method of result and the inequality in educational achievement (IEA): A study of the effects of school on learning”. Review of Educational Research. 45 (3), page 45.
- Durbey, et al (1999). An introduction to the sociology of Nigeria Education”. London: Macmillan Publication.
- Fagbamiye, A.I. (1977). “The home background and the child. West African Journal on Education, Vol. XXVII, No. 4, pp. 177-179.
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- Levine, S.U. and Harighurt, R.J. (1975). Society and Education. Massachusetts: Simen and Schuster Inc.
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