IMPACT OF SOME DEMOGRAPHIC VARIABLES ON ACADEMIC NEEDS ACHIEVEMENT AMONG UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS OF TWO NIGERIA UNIVERSITIES: COUNSELLING IMPLICATIONS

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1         Background to the Study

It is expected that any secondary school leaver proceeding to higher institution of learning must have been motivated by one reason or the other and this motivation is usually accompany with the spirit of academic need achievement, base on which a goal will be set

Having been admitted into higher institution, some demographic variables which include location, gender and course of study may influence the internal energy of such student which was earlier directed towards achieving the goal sets and such variables have the capacity to impact positively or otherwise on the academic need achievement of such students (Adeaga&Akinleke-, 2002).

Demographic variables such as location, gender and course of study play a very important role in the academic need achievement of individual student. In fact success and failure depend upon some of these variables which include Income, Location, age, gender that constitute individual personal statistics.

This point was further explained by Adeaga and Akinleke (2002) that many students do perform below expectation in their academic striving due to factors other than low intellectual capacity, stressing that such factors are demographic variables which often result in poor academic performance even among the naturally bright students.

A modern society cannot achieve its aim of economic growth, technical development and cultural achievement without harnessing talent and some demographic variables of its citizens.

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One of the major tasks of Education is to help children to develop the skills which promote a lifetime of learning. Educationist and counsellors in Educational setting are often confronted with students who appear to have above average scholastic aptitudes but are very poor in their studies. A recurring question baffling them has been why some students succeed in their study and while others do not. This question is sometimes considered to be closely related to academic need achievement. Efficient learning depends not only on good teaching method but also satisfactory learning procedures. Adeaga and Akinleke (2002) are also of the view that students do badly academically on account of factors other than low intellectual capacity. Tiwan and Basal (1994) mentioned that a child with high academic achievement is likely to be well-treated and well behaved and independent and low achievers are incapable and deprived of employment which may lead to maladjustment in life.

Education is synonymous to knowledge and knowledge is synonymous to high academic need achievement. In the views of Alaba (2004) Education, is the total experiences an individual acquired from the day he/she is born till death. It is crystal clear that all human experiences in life both within the school and outside the school setting constitute Education such as learning to eat, dance.

IMPACT OF SOME DEMOGRAPHIC VARIABLES ON ACADEMIC NEEDS ACHIEVEMENT AMONG UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS OF TWO NIGERIA UNIVERSITIES: COUNSELLING IMPLICATIONS