Home Environment and Academic Achievement of Primary School Pupils in English Language
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background of the Study
A home is a place where pupils live with their parents, guardians or relation. It is a place where the pupils begin to learn the norms and values of the society in which they find themselves. The home influences the child at the most possible time of his life at a time when his mind is most receptive. It provides the first impression which may last through the whole of the child’s life. The child often sees the parents, siblings, and things in their immediate environment to be most significant and they are capable of promoting or diminishing him in self-worth and academic Achievement. Thus, the parents or guidance of these pupils are responsible for providing the right home environment that will facilitate effective learning of their wards (Ekanem, 2014).
The training and development of a child naturally are placed in the hand of the parents. This is harmonious with the common assertion of sociologists that education can be an instrument of cultural change whose foundation begins from home. It is not out of place to imagine that parental socio-economic background can have an effect on the academic achievement of children in school as observed by many scholars. Anything that affects the development of the environment to children will possibly affect their education or disposition to education. When a woman’s nutritional status improves so does the nutrition of her young children pupil academic performance measurement has received considerable attention in previous research.
It is the challenging aspects of academic literature, and science pupils’ performances are affected due to social, psychological, economic, environmental and personal factors. These factors strongly influence the pupil’s performance but vary from individual to individual and country to country previous studies on pupil’s academic performance had been conducted on such issues as gender difference teachers’ education and teaching styles, class environment, socio-economic factors and family educational background. Educational services are often not tangible and difficult to measure because they result in the form of transformation of knowledge, life skills and behavior modification of learners.
The environment and the personal characteristics of learners play important roles in their academic success. The school personal, supports from members of the families and communities help determine the quality of academic performance and also this social assistance has crucial roles for the accomplishment of performance goals of pupil at school. Besides the social structure, parent’s motivation in their children’s education increases the rate of academic success of the children. More specifically this study aims at identifying and analyzing parental factors that affect the quality of pupil’s academic performance. In the light of this, Otudeko (2013) pointed out that most children from homes where English is not spoken perform poorly in the subject. He also stated that the grammatical nature of the subject makes it difficult for pupils especially those from public schools who are mainly from low-income families lack the basic vocabulary for communication. This poor understanding of grammar is basically due to the background of pupils’ right from the early years of education. He reiterated that most of our children come from backgrounds where English is not spoken at home. Children who speak the refined type are those ones from middle and high socio-economic and literate backgrounds.
Home Environment and Academic Achievement of Primary School Pupils in English Language
Similarly, Olayinka (2012) has linked the poor Achievement of children in written and oral English to the adverse socio-economic status of the family. Accepting that some children are exceptional in oral and written English in primary schools, he attributed such categories as those from high-income and well-exposed families where refined English is spoken. He affirmed that the majority of children in public schools are from low-income families and backgrounds. The idea of communicating effectively in spoken and written English is part of the problems pupils in this category face in public examinations. Interestingly, the background or setting of the home has a crucial role to play in the academic achievement of children in the English Language.
1.2 Statement of the Problem
Reading is one of the basic skills which form the foundation of English Language in pre-primary school, other skills is listening, speaking, and writing.
However, it has been observed that with such importance attached to reading the Achievement of pupils in the subject has not been very impressive. There has been concern expressed by parents, teachers and other stakeholders about this ugly scenario. Several indices have been considered but the researcher is of the belief that home background can influence achievement in English Language.
In a nutshell, the problem which has necessitated this study is the poor achievement of pupils in reading; the researcher is therefore interested in investigating the influence of home environmental factors and academic achievement of pupils in English Language in primary schools in Etinan Local Local Government Area.
1.3 Purpose of the Study
The primary aim of this study was to examine the influence of home environmental factors on the academic achievement of children in English Language. The specific aim of this study is to:
(i) examine parental motivation and academic Achievement of pupils in English Language;
(ii) examine parent socio-economic status and academic achievement of pupils in English Language.
1.4 Research Questions:
The following research questions were formulated for the study:
- Is there any significant influence of parental motivation on pupils’ academic Achievement in the English Language?
- Is there any significant influence of socio-economic background on pupils’ academic AchievementinEnglish Language?
1.5 Research Hypotheses
In order to give this study a guide, the following hypotheses were propounded:
(i) There is no significant influence of parental motivation on pupils’ academic AchievementinEnglish Language.
(ii) There is no significant influence of socio-economic background on pupils’ Academic Achievement in English Language.
Home Environment and Academic Achievement of Primary School Pupils in English Language