Parental Involvement and Students Academic Performance in Social Studies in Junior Secondary Schools
Abstract
This study examined the Parental Involvement and Students Academic Performance in Social Studies in Junior Secondary Schools in Ikono Local Government Area. Three research questions and three hypotheses were formulated to guide the study in null form. The ex-post facto research design was employed for the study. The population comprised 2,874 Junior Secondary School Students from eleven (11) public secondary schools. A sample size of 120 JSS3 students were selected for the study through simple random sampling. The Instruments a questionnaires titled “parental involvement and Students academic performance Questionnaire (PIFASPQ)”. The data generated from the study were analyzed using Pearson Product Moment Correlation (PPMC). The results implies that there is a significant influence between parental socio- economic status of the students influence the academic performance in social studies, It was also implies that there is a significant influence between parental educational backgrounds of the students influence academic performance in Social Studies. And also, implies that there is a significant influence between Parental Support and Students Academic Performance of Junior Secondary Schools. It was also concluded that, there is a significant influence between Parental Support and Students Academic Performance of Junior Secondary Schools. Consequently, a number of recommendations were made, one of which is that Parents should provide their children with essential materials that will help them improve their learning ability in Social Studies and Parents should have enough home learning facilities for the children to use.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
CONTENTS PAGES
CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background to the Study
1.2 Statement of the problem
1.3 Purpose Of the study
1.4 Significance of the Study
1.5 Research Questions
1.6 Research Hypotheses
1.7 Limitation of the Study
1.8 Delimitation of the study
1.9 Definition of Terms
CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW
2.1 Concept of Parental Involvement and students Academic
Performance in Social Studies
2.2 Parental Socio-Economic Status and Students’ academic
performance in social studies
2.3 Parental Educational Background and students Academic
Performance
2.4 Parental Support and Students Academic Performance
2.5 Summary of Literature Review
CHAPTER THREE: RESEARCH METHODS
3.1 Research Design
3.2 Area of the study
3.3 Population of the study
3.4 Sample and Sampling Techniques
3.5 Instrument for Data Collection
3.6 Validity of the Instrument
3.7 Administration of instrument
3.8 Method of Analysis
CHAPTER FOUR: RESULT AND DISCUSSION OF FINDINGS
4.1 Presentation of the Result
4.2 Discussion of Findings
CHAPTER FIVE: SUMMARY, RECOMMENDATIONS AND CONCLUSION
- Summary
- Conclusion
- Recommendations
REFERENCES
APPENDIX (S)
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background to the Study
The level of parental involvement has important implications for children’s academic performance. Social cognitive theory suggests that youth absorb messages about appropriate behavior and socially accepted goals by observing and talking with important people in their lives (Bandura, 2007). Based on this assumption, parents have the potential to model positive attitudes and behaviors toward school, and research in developed countries such as the United States has shown that parental involvement contributes to students academic success (Fan & Chen, 2001; & Conway, 2008; Jeynes, 2007). In fact, students are more likely to apply themselves and perform better in school when their parents show an interest in their school work, are willing to assist them with homework, and are willing to hold their children accountable for completion of school assignments.
Students who are not working hard at school may begin to perceive school as valuable when parents actively demonstrate that they value school through involvement. When schools, families, and community groups work together to support learning, children tend to do better in school, stay in school longer, and like school more. Parental involvement over the past decade, indicates that regardless of family income or background, “students would involved parents who are more likely to earn higher grades and test scores, enroll in higher-level programs, be promoted, pass their classes, earn credits, attend school regularly, have better social skills, show improved behavior, adapt well to school and graduate to postsecondary education” (Henderson & Map, 2009).
The structure of many schools can also deter parents from helping students. Organizing a nursery school so that at least one person knows each child well, keeping a “parent room” in the building, and sponsoring parent-to-parent communication and events are key parts of an effective parent-involvement program (Berla, Henderson, & Kerensky,2007).
Parental involvement at home can include activities such as discussions about school, helping with homework, and reading with children. Involvement at school may include parents volunteering in the classroom, attending workshops, or attending school plays and sporting events (Rain and William, 2011).
A parent is the child’s first and most important teacher in life and he or she is expected to play an active role in the child’s preschool journey because it is believed a parent and child should grow together and have a rewarding preschool experience. This follows subsequently by school life where academic performance is expected to be high. The parent is supposed to be supportive to the child in all aspects which include socially, physically, mentally and also emotionally (Epstein, 2001). Studies have indicated that children whose parents and/or other significant adults share in their formal education tend to do better in school. Some benefits that have been identified that measure parental involvement in education include; higher grades and test scores, long term academic achievement, positive attitudes and behaviors and more successful programs (Epstein, 2010).
Parental Involvement and Students Academic Performance in Social Studies in Junior Secondary Schools
The ideology of “motherhood” portrays mothers as being the ultimate caregivers. They invest most if not all of their time on their children which sometimes affects their job and role in the labor market. Although “stays at home mums” are less common, women are seen as spending more time with children than men. They are commonly the nurturers of the children and support emotional growth and stability. Fathers now more than ever are spending more time with their children. Whereas in the past, fathers were the breadwinners and the mothers stayed at home to cook, clean and take care of children. The roles are starting to reverse. Fathers are participating more in parenting roles and taking on responsibilities such as bathing, dressing, feeding, changing diapers and comforting children (Rain and William, 2011). In the morning, the first thing before the child report to school, he or she has to take breakfast, which gives him or her energy to stay in class comfortably. The child needs to take another snack at ten o’clock since energy is highly required. At lunch time the child is expected to take a well balanced diet. At 3 or 4 o’clock the child need to have a bite again for example a snack can be provided.
When the child is comfortable and not hungry he/ she can listen to the teacher well and follow the instructions hence performs well when given an examination. The other requirement the child needs is playing materials. Parent must provide some of demonstration and instructional materials. These materials are important because they help the child to be able to play, assist in concept building, promotion of discovery and creativity and enhance interaction with others as they play. These playing materials include the balls, track suits, toys, Picture books, clay ,paints, blackboard, beads, large blocks, medium blocks, dishes, flower title, concentric figures, nest of eggs, nest of dolls, nest of rings, nest of trays, cars, puzzles, pyramid, wooden animals, balls, pull toys, cars, trains, trucks, wagon, seesaw and slides (Frost, Wortham & Reifel, 2008). Therefore, for the parental involvement of students in Social Studies to be ensured and addressed urgent step must be taken to enhance the academic performance despite their socio-economic background.
Parental Involvement and Students Academic Performance in Social Studies in Junior Secondary Schools
1.2 Statement of the problem
Parents of junior secondary school students are often faced with unique challenges that hinder them from meeting the learners’ needs. They include; insufficient time, career or job type, level of education, order of priority, set home environment, opinion to voluntary work at school, time taken to respond to school activities for example buying instruction materials, attending parents meetings, conferences, sports ,academic clinic day, disciplinary cases and also discussing the academic progress of the students. If the above needs are not attended to, there is a likelihood of child not performing well because he or she is not adequately supported. Insufficient parental involvement may lead to poor performance of the child academically, Federal Republic of Nigeria (FRN Report, 2006). Parents from private secondary schools have been found to be more involved than parents from public secondary schools in areas such as attending academic clinic day, parents meetings, paying motivation fees, buying reading materials and buying television, radios, computer for computer games while in public secondary schools this is taken as extra expenses.
The parents from public schools tend to be reluctant and therefore, the junior secondary students are not exposed to varied earning opportunities. This affects their acquisition of learning skills such as numeracy and literacy skills as compared to children from private secondary schools. Underachievement at school or failure to reach a satisfactory level of literacy and numeracy is a national problem and its caused by various factors such as poor parental involvement as reported by research done by federal republic of Nigerian Federal Republic of Nigeria (FRN, 2009) on learners’ achievement. Reading, counting, grouping, pairing, sorting, comparing, matching, writing, designing, speaking and listening are among the skills inadequately acquired at early childhood education level. This is a common problem found in the results examined by Ikono divisional evaluation tests results analysis.
A difference in performance has also been noted between the public and private schools in the same area whereby public school record a lower mean grade compared to private schools. Academic performance in Ikono Local Government has remained very low for a very long time as compared to other educational divisions in the Local Government. The study therefore sought to examined the Parental Involvement And Academic Performance in Social Studies in Junior Secondary Schools in Ikono Local Government Area.
1.3 Purpose of the study
The purpose of the study was to examine the Parental Involvement And Academic Performance in Social Studies in Junior Secondary Schools in Ikono Local Government Area. Specifically the study seek to:
i) Examine parental Socio-Economic Status and students academic performance in Social Studies in Junior Secondary Schools in Ikono Local Government Area.
ii) Examine parental educational background and students academic performance in Social Studies in Junior Secondary Schools in Ikono Local Government Area
iii) To determine parental support and students academic performance of Junior Secondary Schools in Ikono Local Government Area.