The Effect of Poverty in the Home and Implication on Student’s Academic Performance (A Case Study Selected Secondary Schools in Ojo Local Government Area in Lagos State)
Chapter One
Objectives of the Study
The main objective of the study is to investigate the effect of household incomes on student academic performance in Secondary schools in Ojo Local Government Area.
Specific research objectives:
- To investigate the income levels of senior studentsand how they influence student’s academic performance in secondary schools
- To find out how do household income affect academic performance of a student in NECO
CHAPTER TWO
LITERATURE REVIEW
Household Characteristics Affecting Student’s Achievement in Primary Education
Household characteristic is vital to a student’s life in and outside of school; it is considered the most important factor influencing students learning and achievement (Majoribanks, 1996). Majoribanks also states these household characteristics include home environment, socioeconomic status (SES), child-rearing practices and ambitions of the student. These characteristics are highly believed to influence students’ academic performance in an examination and future ambitions.
Studies by (Barry, 2005) found that SES of a student has the highest effect on achievement. He further quotes studies by (Jeynes 2002; Majoribanks 1996, and Eamon 2005) as supporting the same view. Low socio economic status are said to deny households access to useful resources which in turn affects households stability leading to poor academic performance of a student (Eamon 2005). Barry, (2005 page 8) referring (Seyfried, 1998) posits that low SES students’ scores about ten per cent lower on the national exams than higher SES students. It is therefore, evident that SES has also upper hand over other educational influences such as parental involvement (McNeal 2001).
Factors affecting academic performance are related to each other, for instance SES is said to be closely tied to household setting. Household setting here refers to home environment/surroundings (Barry, 2005)-referring to a study by Eamon, (2005) who found students living in wealthy households perform better in school than those who live in poor households. Eamon (2005) attributes this to the fact that poor households lack enough resources, role models, and networks to better schools. This type of setting may hinder children from establishing good social networks which could contribute to lack of motivation hence leading to poor academic performance. This study therefore hypothesises positive effect of poverty in the home on academic performance of a student in secondary schools.
Besides socio economic status (SES) and home environment factors; Research has shown parental marital status as a factor influencing students’ academic performance. Barry, (2005) quoting Majoribanks, (1996) reports that students from single-parent households do not perform well in school compared to students from household with two parents because of scarcity of resources and time spent by single parents in motivating their children is inadequate leading to poor performance compared to two parents. Eamon, (2005) quoted by Barry (2005) links small household size with high academic performance. Her argument is that children with few siblings are likely to get more parental care and have more access to capital than students from large households who are expected to compete for scarce resources available. Barry concludes her observation by reviewing findings of a research done by (Domina, 2005) who found out more conclusively that parental involvement helps a child to prevent behavioural problems which in turn boost his/her concentration in class.
Household social capital is another key factor that is argued to affect academic performance of a student (Eamon, 2005). Barry, (2005 pg. 9) observes that despite both parents education being important in the household. Mothers’ level of education plays a significant role in students’ performance. This is because mothers with high education have higher self-esteem which intrinsically motivates a student to work extra hard for better results.
Theoretical Framework
This study will employ the Human Development Approach as the broad approach covering both poverty in the home. The study specifically used Asset-Based Approach as the main analytical approach for asset portfolios (capitals), because education is considered as one of the basic human needs. Further, Asset-Based Approach focuses on defining such concepts as assets, vulnerabilities, capabilities and endowments, and developing policies to address the impacts of shocks by focusing on the assets and entitlements of the poor (World Bank, 2001). The rationale behind these approaches is to invite policy makers to economically empower households, especially poor households; through accumulation of assets. This will go a long way in the belief that; ‘when people begin to accumulate assets, their thinking and behaviour changes as well’, thus the ability to perform well i.e. in examinations.
CHAPTER THREE
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
Research Design
This study used both quantitative and qualitative research techniques in order to provide a better understanding of the research problem. Quantitative strategies were used to collect and analyse hard data (involving numbers), while qualitative strategies were used to complement quantitative methods as a way of obtaining in- depth information.
The study used ex-post facto research design. Ex-post facto research design is defined by Mohit Jain in (www.preservearticles.com) website as a systematic empirical inquiry in which scientists do not have direct control of independent variables because they cannot be inherently manipulated. This design was used to investigate if household income has an effect on students’ academic performance in NECO results.
Population and Sampling Procedure
The target population were senior students from secondary schools in Ojo Local Government Area. The entire population of senior candidates in all these schools would be too large a sample to study.
Stratified sampling applies to a study in which a drawn sample does not constitute a homogeneous group (Konthari, 1984).
At least four schools were purposively sampled out of the 85 schools in the stratums, and twenty five senior students were systematically randomly selected from each school to fill the questionnaires.
CHAPTER FOUR
DATA ANALYSIS AND RESULT PRESENTATION
TYPE OFLIGHTING
Of the total sampled households, (60% or 48) reported to be using electricity for lighting, (10%) using solar, 26.3% using paraffin, and lastly 3.8% using firewood. This high percentage usage of electricity by the majority (60%) could explain why majority of the students sampled performed well in their SSCE performance leading to a mean grade of (323.15/500 marks).
CHAPTER FIVE
SUMMARY OF THE FINDINGS, CONLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
Summary of the Findings
Students’ Academic Performance
The study found that the majority of the sampled students’ (68.7%) scored above the mean mark of (323.15 out of 500) this could be attributed to the effect of poverty in the home and asset-portfolios (capital). After grouping students’ into high, average and low achievers in national exams (SSCE); more than half scored highly with over 350 marks. A quarter of the remaining students’ scored below average and only 18.8% of the students performed averagely. The overall County mean grade was far higher than the national mean mark implying that students from Ojo Local Government Area performed highly despite the region being classified as ASALs.
Household Characteristics and Academic Performance in secondary schools
The findings of the effects of poverty in the home on students’ academic performance in secondary schools shows mixed correlation with majority of the characteristics showing high correlation with a Chi-square significance of between (0.000 – 0.016). These characteristics include: students’ sex, household marital status, head of the household, lighting type, source of water, type of fuel used for cooking, language use at the household, ownership of house help, and finally all school related factors i.e. type, nature, distance, and means of transport to and from school daily proved to influence students’ academic performance in secondary schools positively. On the other hand students’ age, religion, household size, school location and distance showed low correlation in influencing academic performance of a student in SSCE. It can conclusively be said that poverty in the home influences students’ academic performance despite the small number of indicators proving the opposite.
Household Income
Like poverty in the home; household income do also affect students’ academic performance positively or negatively. For instance: under physical capital; household building materials is significantly related to students’ academic performance with (0.000) significance level. On the other hand some consumer durables such as ownership of a vehicle, computer, mobile phone, television, gas cooker, and refrigerator affect academic performance positively with a significance level of (0.000). While ownership of durables such as motorbike, bicycle, radio, and washing machine do not fully affect students’ performance in an examination i.e. SSCE.
Household ownership of productive capital such as tractor and plough, sewing machine, solar panel, posho mill and rental houses are proved to affects students’ academic performance negatively therefore no clear correlation. But high correlation of (0.000) significance is seen in the relationship between parental level of education and students’ level of academic performance. Hence, human capital findings can therefore be said to be useful in predicting students’ performance in national examinations.
Conclusions
Academic performance is an educational goal that ensures that every child does well in school both in cognitive and non-cognitive skills. Children’s success in school, to a large extent, determines their success as adults—where they will go to college, what professions they will be engaged in, and how much they will be paid. Increasingly researchers are reaching conclusion that it is not educational attainment, but rather what students actually know that is important for the economic growth of nations (Hanushek and Kimko 2000).
This study finds that household wealth (measured as household income) has an effect on students’ academic performance. This study further presents evidence of the importance of the influence of family income levels on students’ academic performance. Policies need to target children from poor households to provide the important resources that are missing in their home environment. These policies may include both long- and short-term interventions. Long-term interventions or policies may include opportunities to build wealth for poor families to enable these families to provide the necessary resources to respond to their children’s educational needs. In the short-term the government will do well to expand the current cash transfers program for the elderly that gives direct cash to extremely poor elderly individuals to help meet basic needs that enhance livelihood sustainability. While bursary fund has made good progress in providing tuition-free basic education for the poor, there are still other school-related costs that parents have to bear. Households that cannot make ends meet may be unable to afford these school-related expenses, thereby depriving children of important resources for positive educational experience. Targeted long-term plans should be put in place to assist such households to meet their children’s school needs. This would go a long way to helping primary school students’ have better educational experience and outcomes.
It should be noted again, at this juncture, that the only way by which students’ can meaningfully contribute to national development, nation building and technological advancement now and in the future is by doing well in their academics. Thus, whatever hinders good academic performance in Nigeria should be identified and looked into so that the gains of teaching would be fully realized. Further national research needs to be done on the effect of household assets on students’ academic performance at both basic and tertiary level of education.
This study researched on the effect of household background characteristics and asset portfolio on students’ academic performance in secondary schools. The finding shows that there is high likelihood of a relationship between these two independent variables i.e. positive relationship is expected between household size and any asset item selected from the portfolios. It is worthy that this relationship is looked at in future.
Recommendations
Although Nigeria has introduced free education since 2003 for primary and secondary schools, poor households still struggle with additional costs of sending children to these free schools which include transportation, text books, and uniforms (UNESCO, 2005). This study found gaps in the effect a household assets portfolio has on students’ academic performance in secondary schools. The study therefore proposes the following policy recommendations.
Policy Recommendation
Asset and cash transfers for very poor families towards educational resource similar to cash transfer policies for the elderly in Nigeria should be put in place.
Increase both liquid and illiquid assets for families to increase their economic well-being. This would increase the purchasing power of poor families to address the educational needs of their children. This would also include savings for the families and savings for their children’s
Adult education should be made free to encourage most of the parents to better their academic qualification. This is because several studies together with this one have found that parental level of education influences students’ academic
Government should device a way in which students’ from public schools accesses services similar to those of private schools. This is because private schools students have greater advantage against those of public schools who are disadvantaged in the household and at school, leading to majority of them performing poorly. Such a move would ensure neutrality in doing national exams between students from household with different asset portfolios in society.
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