School Environment and Academic Performance of Students In Economics
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background to the study
Human beings are born into different environmental conditions. Though people may have different hereditary potentials, the environment in which they find themselves may have greater influence on their lives producing what people may become in the future. To this Onniebe (2002), opined that the child is the product of his total environment. The child’s environments influence what he or she would be able to learn and achieve in life.
Also many researchers recognize environment as significant factor which determines the extent to which any organization may either succeed or fail. This is because for a particular business to thrive certain inputs that can enhance growth and development such business organization must be readily available. These inputs include human and material resources such as adequate and qualified work force, physical and infrastructural resources as well as tools for carrying out the business activities.
In educational field, Owalabi (2006), Kayode and Uzorka (2006), pointed out that physical environment infrastructure and in structural facilities play importance roles in effective teaching and learning process. Any educational activity therefore require availability and utilization of adequate space, classrooms blocks, relevant textbooks, chairs, desks, libraries, technical workshops, quality teachers, school management and teaching methods. They uphold that students will learn better if they are taught with relevance instructional materials and facilities because these materials will arouse their interest in the lesson and turn abstract concepts to real life situations.
A school physical environment include the school building and the surrounding ground such as noise, temperature and lighting as well as physical biological or chemical agents.
In a psychological perspective Eneh and Nkang (2001) and Etokebe (2006), posite4d that children learn better in environments that are conducive in terms of physical and mental readiness and for greater social and interpersonal relationship. They also found positive influence of peer group on academic achievement in school, reason that learning attitude and study habit of one peers group was more likely to influence the other either positive or adversely.
The environment according to Denga, (2006) is those aspects of individuals behavoiur which response to exposure at a given time which is actually physical or psychological in nature. Udeozor, (2002) states that in context of education conducive environment is then the type environment which possess favourable of desirable, physical, social and psychological or emotional dimensions, such environment all have a positive influence on learning.
School Environment and Academic Performance of Students In Economics
Based on this background, therefore the researcher in intends to find out the extent to which school environment such as adequate physical environmental infrastructure and instructional facilities as well as the classroom size can influence student’s academic achievement. To complement these studies, the present research will examine the aforementioned areas of school environment as it affects students’ performance in Nigerian school.
1.2 Statement of the Problem
The researcher observed over the years, that student’s academic performance in Economics was experiencing a downward surge especially in public examinations such as the senior school certificate examinations (WAEC/NECO) as well as the Joint Tertiary and Matriculation Examination (JAMES) this situation has affected many candidates who failed to secure admission intothe universities, polytechnics and Colleges of Education.
The researcher also observed with dismay the low status of facilities for teaching and learning of Economics. Poor conditions and unavailability of learning infrastructures and also poor study culture among secondary school students on the increase.Based on this premise, the researcher intends to finds out whether unconducive teaching and learning environment such as inadequate and low utilization of physical, infrastructural and instructional facilities as well as large class size could be responsible for poor achievement in economics among secondary school students in Nsit Ibom Local Government Area.
1.3 Purpose of the study
In general the study seeks to investigate the influence of school environment on the academic performance if students in economics in Nsit Ibom Local Government Area. In specific trems, the study will:
- Examine the influence of instructional facilities on the academic performance of students in economics.
- Assess the influence of infrastructural facilities on the academic performance of students in economics.
- Examine the effect of class size on the academic performance of students in economics.
1.4 Significance of the study:
Finding obtained from the study will be significant in the following ways.
- It will serve as a reference manual for future researchers on related topics.
- It will enlighten teachers on the importance of material resources utilization in the teaching of economics in secondary schools.
- It will provide empirical evidence to schools, parents and students about the nature of learning environment and how it affects the academic performance of students.
- It will also help government especially school administrators especially when making policy statement concerning provision of school facilities.
1.5 Research Questions
In the course of carrying out the research, it was imperative to ask the following questions to guide the study.
Is there any difference between the academic performance of student in economics taught with sufficient instructional facilities.
What difference exists in academic performance in economics between students taught in schools with adequate infrastructural facilities and those taught without.
To what extend does class size affect students’ academic performance in Economics.
1.6 Research Hypothesis
The following null hypotheses were formulated to guide the study:
- There is no significant different between the academic performance of students taught with sufficient instructional facilities and those taught without.
- There is no significant difference in academic performance in Economics between students in schools with adequate infrastructures and those in schools without.
- There is no significant difference in the academic performance of students of large and small classes in Economics.