ABSTRACT
This study sought to determine the influence of home environment and perceived self-efficacy on the mathematics achievements of senior secondary school students. This desire was motivated by the need to determine the influence of parental expectation, social class of family and perceived self-efficacy on mathematics mean achievement scores of senior secondary school students. Three research questions and three null hypotheses guided the study. The research design adopted in this study was an ex-post factor or causal comparative design. A total of 378 (144 males and 234 females) senior secondary class two students which were drawn from co-educational public secondary schools in Obollo Afor Education Zone using proportionate sampling techniques were sampled and used for study. This number represents 20 percent of the total number of SSII students. Two instruments namely: Home Environmental Factor Questionnaire (HEFQ) and Students’ Self-Efficacy Rating Scale (SSERS) were developed, validated and used for the study. The internal consistency reliability of the instruments were calculated using Cronbach Alpha procedure and reliability estimates of .77 and .77 were gotten for the HEFQ and SSERS respectively. Data obtained through the administration of the two instruments were and analyzed using means and standard deviations to answer the three research questions while the null hypotheses were tested using t-test statistic, ANOVA and multiple regression analysis at 0.05 levels of significance which revealed the following findings: Parental expectation significantly influenced mathematics achievement of senior secondary school students. Students from parents with high parental expectation achieved more in mathematics than students from parents with low parental expectation; social class of families significantly influenced mathematics achievement of senior secondary school students. The direction of the significance is in favour of students whose families are in high social class, who had the highest mean score as against the mean scores for the students from moderate and low social classes respectively; and perceived self-efficacy significantly influenced Mathematics achievement of students. Students who had high self-efficacy belief achieved more in mathematics than students who had low self-efficacy belief. A major educational implication of the findings was that the youths could be educated on the importance of home environment and perceived self-efficacy on the academic achievements of students. It was thus recommended that emphasis should be given to educating youths on the importance of home environment and perceived self-efficacy on the academic achievements of students and that the conflicting signals from the societal system that are causing confusion of interpretation for young persons should be checked.
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
Background of the Study
Education at secondary school level is supposed to be the bedrock and the foundation towards higher knowledge at tertiary institutions. It is an investment as well as an instrument that can be used to achieve a more rapid economic, social political, technological, scientific and cultural development in the country. Regrettably, there has been a woeful achievement of students at that level. The academic achievements of students have been a source of worry not only to parents and students but to the wider society (Epunam, 1999). Academic has to do with studying from books as opposed to practical work. The academic achievement of a child could be defined as the learning outcome of the child. Academic achievement or (academic) performance is the outcome of education; that is the extent to which a student, teacher or institution has achieved their educational goals. Academic achievement is commonly measured by examinations or continuous assessment but there is no general agreement on how it is best tested or which aspects are most important — procedural knowledge such as skills or declarative knowledge such as facts (Ward and Ward, 2006). In California, for instance, the achievement of schools is measured by the Academic Performance Index. The achievement of students could be measured by their scores in different school subjects.
However, it is often remarked that students’ achievements in many school subjects have always been below expectation (Ooyode and Ojo, 2006). The trend of poor achievements in different school subjects in Obollo-Afor Education Zone of Enugu State has been confirmed by the recent West African Examinations councils’ (WAEC) Chief Examiners’ Reports for the years: 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2014. These reports show that students’ achievements were poor in many subjects. For instance, the West African Examinations Councils’ (WAEC) report of 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2014 indicated that only 24.94%, 30.99%, 25.99%, 29.27% and 31.28% of the candidates who sat for the examinations obtained five credits including Mathematics and English language, which are the basic requirements for admission into Nigerian universities (WAEC, 2010-2014). Mathematics is a very important subject in secondary school education because it is one of the compulsory subjects and a mandatory requirement for admission. Agwah and Usman (2003) related the importance of mathematics to the scientific, industrial technology and school progress of any society. Furthermore, that mathematics is an important subject is indubitable, but it is very sad to note that the performance by secondary school students, especially at WAEC and GCE results in recent times is not encouraging (WAEC, 2010-2014).
These uninspiring achievements in the Senior Secondary School Certificate Examinations (SSCE) are causes for concern. It becomes more worrisome when one considers the poor achievement in Mathematics. Mathematics is the body of knowledge that centres on such concepts as quantity, structure, space and change; and also a discipline that studies them (March and Hou, 2003). Mathematics is regarded as a necessary tool for effective functioning in any society, and the foundation for all science and technological development. The study of Mathematics in secondary schools is necessary in building up basic skills and competencies needed for scientific and technological development (Ohakwe, 1997). The importance of Mathematics towards the attainment of technological development necessitated its being made a compulsory subject at primary and secondary levels of education. Unlike other subjects, more days with double periods of teaching are assigned to its learning. Ironically, students’ achievements in this core subject have been consistently low (WAEC, 2010-2013).
Researchers such as Ezeahurukwe (2010), Oloyode and Ojo (2006), Ayotola (2001) have made several efforts to diagnose the problems of Mathematics and proffer a lasting solution to the poor achievements in the subject. Suggestions have been made regarding the identification of teaching methods and learning strategies to make the study of Mathematics interesting and improve students’ achievements in it. Also, the federal and state governments as well as some cooperate organizations, recognizing the fundamental role of Mathematics in economic development, have established different programmes to improve students’ cognitive and affective outcomes in Mathematics. For example, the federal government established the National Mathematics Centre (NMC) in 1989 and the Mathematics Improvement Project in Akure in 2007 to develop and deploy appropriate initiative and resources of international standing to rekindle and sustain interest in the study of Mathematics and mathematical sciences at all levels. In spite of these efforts, the achievement of students in Mathematics is yet to improve to satisfactory level.
Trends in research as Woofolk (2010) and Katz (1999) in Western Europe tend to suggest that home environment and perceived self-efficacy have the potential of influencing the achievements of students in Mathematics. Some home environmental factors may influence the learning capabilities of a child, either positively or negatively, and thus affect the child’s academic achievement. Such factors may include parental expectations and social class of the family (Woofolk, 2010).
Parental expectations are parents’ desires, set standards, and aspiration for their children. Parental expectations of early childhood education are the focus of social psychology, child developmental psychology, and family education (Li, 2002). Parents who set high standards and have high aspiration for their children are more likely to have high achieving children. When parents’ expectations for their child are made known to the child, it appears to energize the child’s self-efficacy beliefs and achievement motivation (Lareau, 2000). Parents’ expectations on their children are more likely to have influence on the children when the parent-child’s relationship is characterized by warmth and closeness (Family Study, 2009). Katz (1999) maintained that high expectations without caring can result in setting goals that are impossible for students to attain. Parents who have high expectations for their children try to provide them with nurturing support. Children from such homes tend to do well in school because they know that their parents love them and expect them to do well in school (Woofolk, 2010).
Low parental expectation may also make a child to be dull and unserious with the child’s studies and life as well. Parental expectation seems to be best when it is moderately high. Parental expectation is moderately high when it is attainable and realistic. That is, when parents expect their child to do well in school, but in event the child did not do well, they encourage the child. It is unfortunate that despite the types of parental expectations different parents make for their children’ education, their Mathematics achievements in the Senior Secondary Certificate Examinations have continued to decline steadily; hence the need to find out the influence of parental expectation on students’’ achievements in Mathematics (Ndukwe, 2012).
Concepts of social class often assume three general categories: a very wealthy and powerful upperclass that owns and controls the means of production; a middle class of professional workers, small business owners, and low-level managers; and a lowerclass, who rely on low-paying wage jobs for their livelihood and often experience poverty. The cultural capital of middle-and upper-class children-for instance, those with educated mothers impart useful resources for educational experiences (Rosenwig, 1994), whereas that of lower classes do not provide such resources (Lareau, 2000). Higher-class parents may be active in taking part in their children’s education at home and at school, whereas lower-class parents do what the school asks but not more. Parents of higher working-class tend to feel more comfortable with teachers and are more involved in school activities than parents of low working-class (Lareau, 1999). Middle class families tend to have more educational materials at home and they read a lot at home and score higher than lower-class students’ in reading achievement tests (Entwisle & Alexander, 1995); these are all activities that may reinforce values of education and supplement learning.
Another factor that has been suspected to influence students’ achievements in Mathematics is perceived self-efficacy. While at school, children develop a sense of themselves both as students and social beings, and the beliefs they form about their academic abilities may affect their classroom achievements. In fact, academic self-efficacy has been suggested as a predictor of academic achievement beyond what can be explained by prior achievement (Marsh and Hou, 2003). Research studies have indicated that self-efficacy is an important factor in school achievement (Friedrnsn, 1998).
Perceived self-efficacy is defined as people’s beliefs about their capabilities to produce designated levels of achievement that exercise influence over events that affect their lives (Bandura, 1997). A high or positive self-efficacy may lead to higher academic achievement and vice versa. Perceived self-efficacy can operationally be looked at as people’s beliefs in their capability to exercise control over their own functioning and over events that affect their lives. Mathematics self-efficacy is an individual’s belief in his ability to solve Mathematics problems. Bandura maintained that people with high self-efficacy belief related to specific task show greater willingness to engage in the task; persist longer in the face of difficulties; use a variety of problem solving strategies and hence have higher likelihood of success with the tasks. The importance of Mathematics as a tool for effective functioning in any society, and the foundation for all science and technological development cannot be over estimated. Yet, the prevailing problem in Nigeria is that the achievements of students in Mathematics in the Senor Secondary School Certificate Examinations have been declining steadily. Regrettably, many people have attributed the poor achievements of students in Mathematics to the students’ perception of Mathematics as a difficult and abstract subject. This situation then motivated the researcher to embark on this study to determine the influence which home environment and perceived self-efficacy have on the achievements of students in Mathematics.
Statement of the Problem
Mathematics has been shown to be a very important tool for effective functioning in any society, and the foundation for all science and technological development. It is a core instrument used to understand and further explore the world. However, the prevailing problem in Nigeria is that the achievements of students in Mathematics in the Senior Secondary School Certificate Examinations have been declining steadily. This situation has attracted the concern of teachers, parents, curriculum experts and evaluators; especially when all the recommended Mathematics teaching and learning strategies/materials seem to have failed to yield the expected results. The situation becomes more worrisome when one considers the views that if the achievements of students in the SSCE Mathematics remain as poor as this, it may affect both the economic and technological development of Nigeria. Research trends in the western countries tend to suggest that home environment and perceived self-efficacy of students have the potential of influencing students’ achievements in Mathematics. Whether the achievements of Nigerian students who operate in a peculiar social cultural environment would be influenced by such home environmental factors like parental expectations, social class of family, as well as perceived self-efficacy is yet to be determined.
Therefore, the problem of this study put in a question form is: To what extent would home environmental factors like parental expectation, family size, social class of family, as well as perceived self-efficacy influence the Mathematics achievements of senior secondary class II students?
