HOME VARIABLES AND STUDENTS ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE IN AGRICULTURAL SCIENCE
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background to the study
The academic performance of any child cannot be separated from the home environment in which the child grows up. A healthy home background offers emotional security to child (Agholor, 2005). The investigation that has adopted refined measures of family influence on child home tended to show that they are related more strongly to the academic outcome than a global measure of family background. The impact of the home environment in agricultural science subjects in school is today receiving wide acknowledgment in many educational circles around the globe.
The attention in this factor is receiving its globes. The attention in this factor is receiving its tends credence to this point of view that, the influence the home environment, has on the child’s learning. Asanga, (2006) observed that the home environment and parent occupy the most important position in a child’s educational environment and whatever he could make out in the same way. Akinboye(1996) traced this view from the time the child is born into the family and felt that the tone of the child’s mother or child’s father’s interaction and the style of discipline in the family may have effect on the learning rate of the child in agricultural science.
Research on academic achievement studies revealed that various variables have been identified as correlates of academic achievement of senior secondary school students in agricultural science (Kutniks and Layne,(2008). Research has also suggested that the academic performance of students can be predicted through creativity, and testing (Hirch and Peterson, (2008). Moreover, studies conducted on the home environment in today’s modern society expect everyone to be a high achiever. The key criteria to judge one’s true potentialities and capabilities are perhaps scholastic, academic achievement. Academic performance has become an index of a child’s future.
HOME VARIABLES AND STUDENTS ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE IN AGRICULTURAL SCIENCE
Therefore, it is putting great pressure on the mind of children and their parents. Scholastic achievement is a function of a cognitive and non-cognitive aspect of personality and is the result of various factors like personal, social, economic, and other environmental factors. Research studies have proved that a good supportive environment at home, school, and neighborhood could enhance a child’s scholastic achievement. Family is the first and major agency of socialization has great influence and bearing on the development of the child. It has been shown by various studies that most of the children who are successful/great achievers and well adjusted came from families where sustaining wholesome relationships exist. So it is the home that set the pattern for the child’s attitude towards people and society, aids intellectual growth in the child and supports his aspirations and achievement. A highly significant positive relationship between the variables, academic achievement and family score has been assessed Shaha and Shama (2007).
An ordinary observation suggests that the home environment has a great deal of changing influence either positive or negative on the academic performance of students. And as such parents play the most important roles as one of the powerful determinants in educational progress among students which may lead to success or failure, it can no longer be disputed that home involvement enhances the learning experience of the student.
The home environment can create conditions, such as forces and external stimuli that affect the individual cognitive development. Bloom (2003) opined that learning goes on in both the home and the school and it is of significant difference between these two institutions that explains much of the learning success of some students and the failure of other students. The important duty of the parents at this point is to ascertain the home and if possible improve and coordinate the school activities so that they can function together to achieve maximum learning experience and help to eliminate or reduce any negative impact.
HOME VARIABLES AND STUDENTS ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE IN AGRICULTURAL SCIENCE
In this capacity, parents can serve as facilitators by creating a bridge between two cultures that will impact the ultimate success or failure of the students in their academic performance in agricultural science in senior secondary schools. It is therefore upon this background that the researcher intends to investigate ways in which these home variables could influence students’ academic performance in agricultural science. Recommendations ions are expected to serve as a solution to the issue of poor academic performance in the teaching and learning of agricultural science with regard to senior secondary schools in Ikot Abasi Local Government Area.
1.2 Statement of the Problem
The main problem that attracted the attention of the researcher is the issue of poor academic performance in Ikot Abasi Local Government Area. Many of these problems among others are parental income, parental educational background, unconducive environment, parenting style of parents of socioeconomic status of parents, inadequate facilities for learning, etc. Actually, the education standard in Nigeria has fallen greatly compared to that of the past blame the parents for refusing to provide their wards with the required school materials that would have enhanced effective learning of agricultural science.
Consequently, upon the observed deterioration or trend in the academic performance, attitude, and values of secondary schools one wonders if the failure rate is caused by the home background of parents and parenting style may be the cause of such poor performance of students in schools since it is believed that a good foundation for education starts from the home. However, owing to the poor results of Nigerian candidates almost every year, the researcher seeks to ascertain whether home variable is one of the contributory factors that influence the academic performance of students in agricultural science in Ikot Abasi Local Government Area.
1.3 Purpose of the study
The main aim of the study is to evaluate the influence of home variables on the academic performance of senior secondary students in agricultural science in Ikot Abasi Local Government Area. Specifically, this study will intend to;
- To find out the performance of students in agricultural science who come from educated and un-educated home backgrounds.
- To determine the performance of students in agricultural science whose parenting style is democratic and autocratic?
- To determine the academic performance of students in agricultural science whose socio-economic status of parent is rich and those of poor home background?
1.4 Significance of the study
The study which aimed at finding out the impact of the home environment on the academic performance of students is significant to parents and aids them to choose a better learning environment for their wards in both rural and urban areas as this will help to increase the academic achievement of their children in schools. However, this study will also help students in the choice of school and aid them to see the effect of the environment on the study of several subjects not in agricultural science alone. Additionally, the study will give an insight to the educational planners, researchers, teachers, students, and the entire communities to give useful suggestions on how to eradicate the negative form or deference and encourage positive influence to enhance the high level of academic performance of students in secondary schools.
1.5 Research Questions
- How does home background influence the academic performance of students in agricultural science?
- Does parenting style influence the academic performance of students in agricultural science?
- How does the socio-economic status of parents influence the academic performance of students in agricultural science?
1.6 Research Hypotheses
The following hypotheses have been generated to guide this study.
- There is no significant difference between academic performance of students in agricultural science who come from educated and un-educated home backgrounds.
- There is no significant difference between academic performances of students in agricultural science whose parenting style is democratic and autocratic.
- There is no significant difference in the academic performance of students of rich and those of poor parents.