Influence of Parental Background on Student Academic Performance in Social Studies Among Junior Secondary School Student in Lagos Metropolis
CHAPTER ONE
OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY
The objectives of the study are;
- To ascertain the relationship between parental background and student academic performance on social studies in junior secondary school
- To ascertain the influence of parental occupation on students’ academic achievement.
- To ascertain the motivation of parent to their children on the study of social studies
CHAPTER TWO
REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE
Conceptual Framework
Concept of Family
Family has been described at the smallest, most personal and not intimate of social groups. It is the most important primary group and the smallest social unit in the society. Odo (1990:10) defined family as “a social group sharing a common residence and cooperating economically”. The author went further to assert that the institutions of the family is usually based on the marriage of one or more sexually co-habiting couples and usually there is the expectation of having children for whom the adults of the family accept responsibility. Alio (1995) observed that the family is also the most personal social organization, for nothing is more personal than the interaction and relationship between members of a family. He further said that married couple without children, though bound by the strongest personal ties do not constitute a family for such ties can conceivably exist among couples who are not married. For him, what gives a family its character are children, for only in such a family can that intimate, personal relationship be established by which the family can perform its functions of rearing, protecting and educating the children, transmitting to them the social values it has inherited and a special bond between all the members. This kind of family setting is similar to the Nigerian traditional idea of family. Traditionally, it is believed that it is the children that cement the union of a man and a woman together and makes it a lasting and a intimate one. The primary aim of this union is procreation. Family can be classified into nuclear and extended form. Nuclear family is basic form of family organization. It is made up of the father (husband), mother (wife) and children. The children may be the biological offspring; of the couple or/and the adopted members of the family. According to Okafor (1992), the adoption of a child into the family is a common culture in the British society, but less so in Nigerian society. He added that nuclear family is found common among the urban city elites in Nigerian society or as a component in both extended, nuclear and compound family in Nigerian rural areas. The author maintained that one of the characteristics of the nuclear family is that is tends to break up when the children marry, when the parents die or at any point in human cycle. According to him, the male raised in a nuclear family usually begins his life in house hold headed by his parents and concluded his life in a family that he himself heads. Extended family is the type of family that comprises of the father (husband) his wife (mother), their children, the husbands and the wife’s relations etc. Alio (1995) pointed out that the extended system is a dispersal version of the joint family and the members of the constituent groups do not all live together in one dwelling. To him, the extended kin-group includes a span of three or four generations within the total household or closely adjacent households.
CHAPTER THREE
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
Research design
The researcher used descriptive research survey design in building up this project work the choice of this research design was considered appropriate because of its advantages of identifying attributes of a large population from a group of individuals. The design was suitable for the study as the study sought to Influence of parental background on student academic performance in social studies among junior secondary school student in Lagos metropolis
CHAPTER FOUR
PRESENTATION ANALYSIS INTERPRETATION OF DATA
Introduction
Efforts will be made at this stage to present, analyze and interpret the data collected during the field survey. This presentation will be based on the responses from the completed questionnaires. The result of this exercise will be summarized in tabular forms for easy references and analysis. It will also show answers to questions relating to the research questions for this research study. The researcher employed simple percentage in the analysis.
CHAPTER FIVE
SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION
Introduction
It is important to ascertain that the objective of this study was to ascertain Influence of parental background on student academic performance in social studies among junior secondary school student in Lagos metropolis
In the preceding chapter, the relevant data collected for this study were presented, critically analyzed and appropriate interpretation given. In this chapter, certain recommendations made which in the opinion of the researcher will be of benefits in addressing the challenges of parental background on student academic performance in social studies among junior secondary school student in Lagos metropolis
Summary
This study was on Influence of parental background on student academic performance in social studies among junior secondary school student in Lagos metropolis. Three objectives were raised which included: To ascertain the relationship between parental background and student academic performance on social studies in junior secondary school, to ascertain the influence of parental occupation on students’ academic achievement, to ascertain the motivation of parent to their children on the study of social studies. In line with these objectives, two research hypotheses were formulated and two null hypotheses were posited. The total population for the study is 200 staff of selected secondary schools in Lagos metropolis. The researcher used questionnaires as the instrument for the data collection. Descriptive Survey research design was adopted for this study. A total of 133 respondents made up principals, vice principals adm, senior staff and junior staff were used for the study. The data collected were presented in tables and analyzed using simple percentages and frequencies
Conclusion
With the effort, parenting styles have been found to influence children’s well-being generally and their academic performance in specific. The findings in the study indicate that children from authoritarian family backgrounds (high in demandingness, but low in responsiveness) and those from uninvolved family background (low in both. responsiveness and demandingness) tend to perform poorly in school because they have poorer social skills, lower self-esteem and higher level of depression. On the other hand, children from authoritative parenting families (high in both demandingness and responsiveness) tend to perform well in schools while those whose parents are characterized with indulgent parenting style (high in responsiveness and low demandingness) tend to perform moderately well in schools since they tend to have higher self-esteem, better social skills and lower level of depression.
Recommendation
Based on the findings and discussion, the following recommendations are made: Since the parenting style adopted by the parents of the students influences the performance of the students, there is the need for the parents to adopt authoritative parenting style. This will enhance optimal performance of the students. There is also the need for training that will serve as parent training intervention so as to equip the parents with the skills an-dispensation required for being both responsive and demanding. Structures such as Parents Teachers Association should be strengthened. Enlightenment programmes on good parenting should be organized for the parents to expose them to different parenting styles and how they have contributed or influenced the performance of students in their school work.
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