Influence of Parent’s Scientific Background on Students` Achievement and Career Aspiration in Basic Science in Selected Secondary Schools in Kosofe Local Government Area Lagos
Chapter One
Objectives of the study
This study sought to address the following objectives;
- To establish the extent to which the parents’ level of science education influences students’ career aspirations in Lagos State.
- To establish the extent to which the parent’s level of education in science influences the academic achievement of students in Lagos State
- To assess the extent of how the parent-child relationship influences the career aspirations of students in Lagos State
CHAPTER TWO
LITERATURE REVIEW
Concept of Science
According to the Science Teachers Association of Nigeria (STAN 1970) in Omiko(2015), general science continued until 1970 when Integrated Science, now Science, was introduced as a base to express the fundamental unity of scientific thought. The teaching and learning of integrated science replaced the general science and was taught in Nigerian schools up to 1980 when the Federal Government restructured the 5-years secondary school system into 6-3-3-4 system. That is 6 years primary Education, 3-years junior secondary school (JSS) Education, 3-years Senior Secondary School (SSS) Education and 4-years tertiary education (FRN, 1981). The teaching and learning of integrated science in Nigerian schools especially at the Junior Secondary school level continued till 2009 when the Federal Government of Nigeria restructured the 6-year secondary school system into 9-3-4 system. The reform Agenda in Education in Nigeria brought a change in integrated science both in content and name. The content was broadened and the name changed from integrated science to science. Oka (2015) and Nwafor (2012) observed that science formally known as integrated science is a subject taught at both public and private schools at the Junior Secondary school level. Science is an introductory course to the study of the sciences in the senior secondary school. The definition of integrated science (Science) as was given by UNESCO (1973), and Omiko (2005) is a science in which concepts and principles are presented so as to express the fundamental unit of scientific taught and avoiding premature or undue stress on the distinction between various scientific fields. Ukpabi (1985) in Omiko (2005) defined Science as a science in undifferentiated form which stresses the fundamental unity of science. Science involves the study of elementary biology, anatomy, earth/solar system, ecology, genetics, chemistry and physics as a single science subject in the Junior Secondary school. It offers the basic training in scientific skills required for human survival, sustainable development and societal transformation. Science studies also involve bringing together traditionally separate science subjects so that students grasp a more authentic understanding of science.
The study of Science (Integrated science) is a new way of studying science, according to Omiko (2012) and Anaekwe et al (2010), Science was introduced into this country Nigeria a few decades ago. It started with few schools, and now all the junior secondary schools in the country have adopted it. According to the National Policy on Education (FRN, 2004) the aims of Science (Formerly Integrated Science) should be directed at enabling students who are exposed in it, to acquire the following skills:
- Observe carefully and thoroughly
- Report completely and accurately what is observed.
- Organise information acquired
- Generalizing on the basis of the acquired information
- Predicting as a result of the generalization
- Designing experiments (including control where necessary) to check predictions.
- Using models to explain phenomena where appropriate; and
- Continuing the process of inquiry when new data do not conform to predictions.
To achieve these objectives, it is suggested that the teaching and learning of Science should involve the use of innovative methods of teaching like discovery, problem-solving, open-ended field trips and laboratory methods and among others. Omebe and Omiko (2015) observed that these suggested methods of teaching Science have been utilized for several years by the integrated science teachers and yet the results of the students in the Junior Secondary School Certificate Examination (JSSCE) has not been encouraging.
Okeke (2000) in his own word sees science as an approach to the teaching of science in which concepts and principles are presented so as to express a fundamental unity of scientific thought and avoid undue stress or distinctions between the various scientific fields.
Also, stressing the unified nature of science, Cohem (2007) reported that ‘a science course eliminates the repetition of subject matter from various sciences and does not recognize the traditional boundaries when presenting topics or theme’. Howell (2007) also alludes to science when he wrote that the essence of beginning course in science is to begin to teach students what science is and how scientists work. Science fulfilled these functions and can be regarded as a form of unified science.
CHAPTER THREE
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
Research Design
The study used the descriptive survey design approach. According to Orodho (2003, 2012), the descriptive survey design is effective, and easy to conduct and it also ensures ease in accessing information. The descriptive survey design allows the researcher to gather information, summarize and interpret data for purposes of clarification. The descriptive survey design is useful in collecting information about people’s attitudes, opinions, habits or perceptions about issues under investigation (Orodho & Kombo, 2002).
Target population
The target population for this study comprised of SS3 candidates in Lagos State who had registered for the final National Examinations Council (NECO) examinations for year 2020. The choice of this group was based on the assumption that they had already selected a career which they intend to pursue. The NECO nominal roll for 2020 – run on May 2020 – gave a total of 27,614 registered candidates for this year’s examinations. This was taken to be the target population.
CHAPTER FOUR
DATA ANALYSIS, RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
Characteristics of the Respondents
Distribution of respondents by gender
A total of 189 male students and 194 female students took part in the survey corresponding to 49.3% and 50.7% of the total respondents respectively. Table 4-1 gives a summary of the distribution of the respondents by gender.
CHAPTER FIVE
SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS
Summary of research findings
This section gives the summary of the results on the influence of parental factors on the career aspiration of SS3 students in Lagos State.
Career aspirations of the Students
The study found out that 81.5% of the respondents were pursuing science based subjects while only 18.5% of the total number of respondents was pursuing art based subjects at SS3 level. The results obtained indicated that 76.2% of the respondents had arrived at a career aspiration while 23.8% of the respondents were yet to decide on a career. More than 60% of the respondents indicated had chosen science based careers like engineering, medicine, research among others which was a reflection of their subject choices at SS3.
Influence of parents’ educational background in science on career aspiration and educational performance
Parents of students attending Lagos State schools were found to have a high level education with52.2% and 39.4% of the fathers and mothers having university degrees respectively. This has an influence on career aspiration of the students, since parents with a university qualification are able to pass its importance to their children and are more likely to offer their children an opportunity for a better education by enrolling them in good schools and in careers of their own choice. It was also established that there was a relationship between parental level of education and the career aspiration of students. However, while the father’s education level was insignificantly and negatively correlated with the students career aspiration (r = -.012, p = .836) that of the mother’s was positively and significantly correlated (r = .132, p = .023). This was an indication that the mother’s level of education influenced the students’ future career more than the father’s.
Influence of parent-child relationship on students’ career aspiration
Results of the study showed that a healthy parent-child relationship greatly influences the career aspiration of students. The results indicated that, 86.2% of the respondents strongly agreed/agreed that their parents told them that they were proud of them, 86.6% strongly agreed/agreed that parents encouraged them to choose whatever career they wanted, 88.3% strongly agreed/agreed that parents encouraged them to make their own decisions, while another 84.9% strongly agreed/agreed that parents expressed interest in various school issues that were important to the student. In addition, 69.4% agreed/strongly agreed that their parents helped them feel better when they were worried or concerned about choosing a career.
There was a significant relationships between students career aspiration and their parents stating that they were proud of them (r = .112*, p = .046), their parents encouraging them to try new things (r = .182**, p = .002), parents encouraging them to make their own decisions (r = .165*, p =.040), and parents supporting their interestin a specific career(r = .163**, p= .005).
Conclusion
From the findings of the study, it can be concluded that parental factors influence the career aspiration of students in Lagos State. Results from the study lead us to conclude that a high parental educational background in science has an influence on the career aspiration of students. In this respect, it is concluded that the mother’s level of education influenced the students’ future career aspiration more than that of the father.
In addition it can also be concluded that, students in Lagos State would choose careers that are different from those of their parents, siblings and close relatives. It can further be concluded that the father’s occupation had a more significant influence on the students’ career aspiration than that of the mother.It was found that there was no significant relationship between the socio- economic status of the family and the students’ career aspiration. It may therefore be concluded that the socio-economic status of the family did not have an influence on the students’ career aspiration.
Further it was established that parental values and expectations played a major role in shaping the students careers. In this respect it can be concluded that parental values and expectations have a significant relationship with the career aspiration of students. Finally it is can also be concluded that a healthy parent-child relationship in which they spend time together sharing ideas on different career aspirations greatly influences the students’ career aspiration.
Recommendations
It has been established that parental factors have an influence on the career aspiration of students’ in Lagos State schools. In light of this, it is recommended that teachers and career guidance counsellors should take this into cognizance when advising students on their future career aspirations. In particular;
- Teachers and career guidance and counsellors should realise a high level parental education influences students’ career aspiration and should therefore pass the importance of higher education to the students in relation to their
- Parents should not force students to pursue careers similar to their own against their will. This is because majority of the students indicated they would not choose careers similar to those of their heir
- Teachers should recognize that parents from Lagos State were willing to support the education and career aspirations of their In this regard it is recommended that the teachers should motivate the students to achieve their utmost potential since the parents are able to support any career aspirations of their children.
- Parents should realise that their values and expectations influence the career aspiration to a great In this respect it is recommended that parents should deliberately communicate their expectations to their children without being overly persuasive.
- A strong parent-child relationship is essential in shaping the students career aspiration. In this regard, it is recommended that parents should take time to discuss different career aspirations with their children. Whenever necessary, the parents should express satisfaction with the child’s
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