ABSTRACT
The study examined the influence of socio-economic status of parents on the academic performance of secondary school students in Nigeria. Main objectives of the study were to examine the effect of socio-economic status, health and educational background of parents on secondary school students’ performance in Nigeria. Concerning methodology, the researcher employed both primary and secondary data for the study. Secondary data for the study was gotten from textbooks, research journals and the internet. The researcher used questionnaire for the collection of data from the respondents. A sample of 200 students from five (5) secondary schools were used for the study. Data was analysed using the chi-square method of hypothesis testing and formulation. Findings from the study revealed that socio-economic status of parents affect the academic performance of students. Out of 200 students used for the study, majority asserted to this and the alternate hypothesis was accepted. Other findings from the study showed that there is a relation between student health status and their academic performance as well as parents educational background. The researcher recommended that various strategies should be put in place to reduce peer to peer influence.
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
The relevance of education in the upbringing of children can not be overemphasized. Since the children of today constitutes the leaders of tomorrow, there is the need for every society to educate its children as this will contribute to the overall growth and development, thereby reducing the rate of crime and illiteracy in the society. For this is to make manifest, certain things should be inculcated in the individual such as skills, habits, attitude, moral values and prohibits disapproved ones. There should be a combination of formal and informal education given to them in order for them to make a constructive development of the society and themselves.
The interest of educators is well pronounced as to what influence the socio-economic status of parents have on their behaviour and learning ability. It is believed that if such influence exists, it should vary widely according to the sophistication of the learning contingencies provided by such factor. But what we see around these days, nothing but nonchalant attitudes of the parents towards their children education. This is done in various ways, such as parents no longer stay at home to see after the affairs of their children, simply because of the guests by for the means of survival. Due to the fact that these children are not properly cared for, some of them grow up to create problems for the family and at times to the society entirely. This is simply from their unwillingness towards the educational pursuit. Also academic performance depending on the availability of learning materials or facilities, funds and otherwise in situation whereby students from school A perform better in terms of academic than school B, students lie on the above mentioned problems. So without parents not being ready to train their children, their performance in school might be discouraging due to the theory of individual differences. Even when some are being cared for properly, you discover that they still not cope with the system thereby leading to their failure or poor academic performance.
The home is viewed as one of the factors that cause poor performance of students in secondary schools. The problems of why children achieve of fail to achieve in school has always been of interest to philosophers. The home background of students, physical condition of home, genetic and endowment, poor methodology of teacher have been put forth and possible answer and has received a great deal of attention. Socio-economic background is one of the greatest factors that influence secondary school students.
With these observations, the poor performance of secondary school students in school work could be traced to the schools’ parental attitudes, socio-economic status, family size etc. the main aim of this study is to examine the influence of socio-economic background of parent on the academic performance of secondary school students in Oredo Local Government Area of Edo state. Confidentially, the researcher intends to provide solutions to most of these problems above in the course of study.
STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
The failure of parents to recognize and realize that the ability of their children to perform well is greatly influenced by the home and this is a serious problem because of their belief that the standard of education of nowadays has fallen. Some scholars have argued that the immediate and remote causes of the problem militating against the influence of socio-economic status of students’ performance in secondary schools. The governments to some extent also contribute to the poor economy of the country making parents not able to send their children to school, and also socio-economic status, family size, educational background, influence of home, place of residence, family structure, influence of peer group etc.
PURPOSE OF THE STUDY
The main purpose of carrying out this study is to examine the influence of socio-economic status of parents on the academic performance of secondary school students and also to know the extent to which educational status of parents affect students’ academic performance. this is why the study is being carried out to suggest possible solutions that would help to solve the problems in the society.
RESEARCH QUESTIONS
Some of the research questions a study on the influence of socio-economic status of parents on the academic performance of secondary school students in Oredo Local Government Area of Edo state.
Does socio-economic status affect the academic performance of students?
Do you think parents contribute to students’ performance in school?
Do parents’ occupations affect students’ performance in school?
Do you think family size influence students’ academic performance?
Do you think family structure influence academic performance of students?
SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY
This study will be of help to the educational planner in designing school programmes and curriculum to the call of their parents towards their children’s academic performance. it will also help to awaken the family even the society at large from their slumbering state of the educational career of their youth. The discovered information of this researcher will help the teachers, educators and curriculum specialists and school administrators to plan ways or means of meeting the needs of children from different home backgrounds. This will also help the children to see their own ways of contributing to their poor performance in school. The society through this finding can help to provide educational facilities such as good classrooms, qualified teachers, chairs, desks and apparatus for practical etc. in order to alliance the educational standard of the children.
SCOPE OF THE STUDY
This study is restricted to Oredo Local Government Area of Edo state. The researcher will focus on secondary schools in the above Mentioned local government.
LIMITATION OF THE STUDY
In order for any research work to be reasonability successful, a lot of time, energy, work and money is required rather unfortunately time is not a free factor in this particular research study because the researcher has runs currently with normal academic session of the researchers. This research work is carried out in Oredo Local Government Area of Edo state. This makes the area quite a narrow one as the researcher would have used like the study to have been broader in out look so as to note the area of generalization for the study to be more authentic.
DEFINITION OF TERMS
STATUS: the legal position of a person, group or country.
SOCIO: connected with the trade industry and development of the wealth of a country, area or a society.
INFLUENCE: the effect that something has on the way a person thinks or behaves or on the way that something works or develops.
PERFORMANCE: the act of performing a play, concert, or other forms of entertainment.
