CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background to the study

Educational performance is the outcome of education; it is the extent to which a student,

teacher or institution has achieved the educational goals. Educational performance according to

Ezenwafor and Obidile (2016), refers to student's effort in examinations. In some countries, the

achievement of school is measured by the eduactional performance index. In Nigeria,

educational performance is measured majorly by the student’s performance in external

examinations like WEAC Examinations both Senior and Junior WEAC, NECO examinations and

JAMB examinations.

Educational performance is the ultimate goal expected by learners, teachers and other

educational stakeholders. Chukwudi( 2013) , discovered that individual differences in

educational performance have been linked to differences in intelligence and personality. He

explained that students with higher mental abilities as demonstrated by IQ test (quick learners)

and those who are higher in conscientiousness (linked to effort and achievement motivation)

tend to achieve highly in academic settings.

However,It has also been discovered that certain factors like peer group influence, location

of the home,modern gadgets at home and so on can either influence or hinder the educational

performance of students at any level of education. Ajila & Otutola(2000), stated that parent of

all classes realized the importance of education. They also pointed out that different families
create environment that influences children’s intellectual growth and educational motivation in

different ways. The function of the family among others includes rearing, protecting and

educating the children and such function can be performed in the home, thus a home is an

essential agent of education.

A home is a place where one lives permanently, especially as a member of a family or

household. It is a place of residence or refuge. A home is not a mere transient shelter. Its

essence lies in the personalities of the people who live in it. Home Environment is the

surroundings, where one live. The home-environment is a most powerful informal learning

situation in which the family, more specially parents, acts as an educator. Chukwudi, O.C (2013 )

investigated the effect of home environment on academic performance of secondary school in

Nigeria, results indicated that parents with high educational background tend to motivate their

children to have an interest in their academic work; this also enhances the performance of

students in school.

Several researchers such as Ajila and Otutola(2000),Osunloye(2008) and others have found

relationships between home environment and educational performance. Children, who have

received good home environment and positive attitudes from parents, can academically

perform well. Parents are different from one another, both in their relationship with their own

children and their feelings or reactions towards schooling of their children. They have their own

backgrounds, their own difficulties with relationships and their own tensions. Some parents are

better able to relate to their children than others. Some are warm and supporting, others may

be rejecting or even negligent. Some parents are intelligent, competent people; others may be
uneducated, illiterate and unable to grasp the meaning of situations involving their children.

Some have a high regard for education, but others look upon education as something required

by law and society. Values differ among parents, goals and standards for their individuals’

families will differ from one another. According to Ogbemudia and Aiasa (2013), the parents or

guidance of these pupils are responsible for providing the right home environment that will

facilitate effective learning for their wards. Furthermore, in pupil’s home environment some

factors that influences their academic performance: parental educational background,

background, parental economic status (At least an average financial status), parental marital

status and parental home location.

According to Osunloye (2008), children’s homes can either accelerate or hinder academic

achievement. Particularly, a home influences children at the most vital time of life because the

children often see the parents, siblings and things in their immediate environment as the most

significant. Therefore, home environment becomes a significant factor for learning and

development of children. Studies from different countries have indicated the place of parents

and home environmental factors on pupils’ achievement. The home influences the students 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 performance

(Ekanem,2004). This suggests that parents as significant actors in a home environment can

positively or negatively influence their children’s academic outcome through participation or

non-participation in learning at the home. The participation involves such activities as engaging
in cognitively stimulating tasks like reading together, managing children’s school-related

behaviors and organizing and monitoring children’s time. It can help children adjust to

environment by providing encouragement, love, and acceptance. It can also help children

practice. The amount that parents talk to babies and young children and the way they talk to

them have been shown to have a direct positive impact on children’s linguistic and intellectual

ability. At the age of 3 and 10, parents can provide the building blocks for literacy and cognitive

development by; chatting as much as possible during normal daily life, using a wide vocabulary

praising rather than criticizing, talking to children about things, using language with a high

information content, giving children choices rather than simply directing them, listening and

responding to what children say. It is not out of place to imagine that the type of family,

parents’ level of education and their socio-economic background can have possible effects on

the academic performance of children in school. Whatsoever affect the development

environment of children would possibly affect their education or disposition to it.

Education being one other major means of providing an opportunity in life and belong to a

suitable social class, modern Nigeria family now plays crucial roles in the performance of

children in school. It is widely recognized that many factors are involved in child’s academic

performance such factors as parental education level, occupation, income, social class and type

of parenthood for instance the socio-economic characteristics of the family in school. They have

a bearing also on the duration of his stay and achievement at school. The type of family and

level of parents’ education and their socio-economic status influence the choice of school they

place their children. Children from families with low socio-economic status are at a greater risk

of hunger, homeless, sickness, physical and mental disabilities, violence, teen parenthood,
family stress and educational failure. Student from low socio economic background that

encounter these environmental factors are four times more likely to have learning disabilities

than students from high socio-economic background while a combination of these

environmental factors accelerate academic success. A student, who has not eaten for days and

has clothes that do not fit, cannot maintain focus in a classroom.

Social climate refers to social characteristics of a school in terms of relationships among

students and staff/teachers, learning and teaching emphasis, values and norms, and shared

approaches and practices. Adejumobi and Ojikutu (2013) defined social climate as a broad term

that refers to teachers’ perceptions of the general work environment of the school. It is a

relatively enduring quality of the school environment that is experienced by participants,

affects their behaviour, and is based on their collective perceptions of behaviour in school.

Aliyu (2015) viewed social climate as those enduring characteristics that describe a

particular school, distinguish it from other schools and serve as a major force influencing the

behavior of teachers and students.

Social Climate also refers to the quality and character of school life. It has been described

as "the heart and soul of the school;that essence of a school that leads a child, a teacher, and

an administrator to love the school and to look forward to being there each school day.

According to Jumare (2018), social climate is the atmospheric setting which covers member’s

internal relationship that influences the external relation and shapes the understanding of each

other and subsequently determines the success or failure of the school.

 A positive social climate helps people feel socially, emotionally and physically safe in

schools. It includes students', parents' and school personnel's norms, beliefs, relationships,

teaching and learning practices, as well as organizational and structural features of the school.

According to the National School Climate Council,a sustainable, positive school climate

promotes students' academic and social emotional development.Many factors can affect the

quality and character of school life. There is no consensus on the definition or dimensions of

social climate.

Positive social climate is related to many positive student outcomes. For example, positive

social climate is associated to higher academic performance, better mental health, and less

bullying.Improving social climate can be used as a preventative approach to reduce disruptive

behavior and improve attendance, achievement, and student and parent satisfaction with

school.

Social climate plays a role in student development through the quality of interactions with

others. For example, setting appropriate academic expectations, promoting supportive teacher-

student relationships, and creating a safe and secure environment where students' feel

comfortable taking academic risks, all play a role in student development. Research has shown

that people have the natural tendency to affiliate with others. Therefore, students living in a

cooperative, helpful class are more likely to feel identity safe as they develop a sense of

belonging and contribute to their class community. When students cooperate, it is evident that

their learning is increased, and they develop a positive attachment to school.

1.2 Statement of the problem

Good education does not happen by chance. It is a product of effective teaching and

learning coupled with the effort of the teacher, the school, the students, parents and their

various home environments. Often a time the blames on the poor performance of students in

school are shifted to the teachers and the school authorities. Most families in our society seem

not to give adequate attention to the education of their children. It appears some of the

parents have erroneous notion about the performance of their children, they do not know and

seem to fulfill their role of guidance and encouragement in the child’s performance in schools.

Some people also have the notion that the mass failure or success in schools could be traced

back to the teachers and the school authorities. While other people see socio-economic status

of the family as an influence to the child’s academic performance.

However, some research works have revealed that the performance of the students is a

joint effort of both the school authorities and that of the parents in different home

environment. It is on this premise that this study was set out to identify the influence of home

environment and social climate on the academic performance of students in Secondary Schools

in Ijebu Ode.

1.3 Purpose of the study

The purpose of the study was to identify the influence of home environment and social

climate on the academic performance of students in secondary schools in Ijebu Ode local

government. The study set out to achieve the following objectives:

To identify the home environmental factors responsible for the students' academic

performance in some Secondary Schools in Ijebu Ode;

To examine the influence of parent's socio-economic status on the academic performance of

Students in some Secondary Schools in Ijebu Ode;

To ascertain the contribution of school's social climate on the academic performance of

Students in some Secondary Schools in Ijebu Ode;

To suggest ways of enhancing the students' academic performance in Secondary Schools in

Ijebu Ode.

1.4 Research questions

The following research questions were formulated in order to guide this research:

i. What are the home environmental factors that contributed to the students' academic

performances?

ii. To what extent does parent's socio-economic status affect the students' academic

performance?

iii. To what extent does social climate contribute to the students' academic performance?

iv. What are the possible ways of enhancing the academic performance of the students?

1.5 Significance of the study

The study on the influence of home environment and social climate on the students' academic

performance can be found useful to both educational and policy makers in giving guidance to

the Parents, agents of Socialization and Government on necessary course of action to enhance

academic performance. It may also enable the parent to understand the critical roles they play

for their children to perform well in school. The finding may be useful feedback to curriculum

designers into kind of experiences in secondary school needed to aid in successful academic

performance. Finally, the study may help the future researchers in identifying priority areas in

which to carry more research in students’ academic performance in secondary school.

1.6 Scope of the study

This study covers some selected secondary schools in Ijebu Ode local government, Ogun

State. It covers only the influence of home environment and social climate on the academic

performance of students in selected secondary schools in Ijebu Ode.

1.7 Limitations of the study

In the course of this research work, the researcher encountered time constraints, dearth of

literature materials in the study area and insufficient financial base at the researcher’s disposal.

1.8 Delimitation of the study

The study was conducted only in Ijebu Ode local government in Ogun state. This is a

dominantly rural district and hence the result may not be generalized to urban areas.

1.9 Definitions of significant terms

 Home environment: refers to aspects of peoples domestic lives that contribute to their

living conditions.

Social climate: refers to social characteristics of a school in terms of relationships among

students and staff/teachers, learning and teaching emphasis, values and norms, and shared

approaches and practices

Educational performance: refers to the outcome of education; it is the extent to which a

student, teacher or institution has achieved the educational goals.