Abstract: The study was conducted to find out the influence of home variables on academic achievement of pupils in Basic science in Abak Local Government Area. The population of the study was 2,555 primary six pupils in the study area. A sample size of 210 primary six pupils was adopted using simple random sampling technique. Two research questions and hypotheses were formulated to guide the study. Plain sheets were used in extracting pupils’ scores in Basic science. The statistical method was independent t-test. The results of the finding revealed that pupils from monogamous and small family size performed significantly better than their counterparts from polygamous and large family size. It was therefore recommended among others that, Government, institutions and agencies should concentrate in human development that will produce and enrich people who can raise the status of their families.
Chapter One
Introduction
1.1 Background to the Study
Family is visualized as a group consisting of one or two parents and their children. Hornby (2001), Clark (2000) look at family as any group of people that are related by blood and marriage, that could be a group of two grown-up people and their children.
Naturally, there are two types of families:
(a) Nuclear family consists of father, mother and children
(b) Extended family consists of father, mother, children other relations living together in a large family compound.
In every family, the development and achievement of the child is important, the future and his relevance to the society he finds himself depends most unavoidably on the fundamental care and training he receives from home. The nature of family of which a child belongs has a lot of influence on the general life pattern of the child. In our society whether developed or undeveloped, the quality of children as well as their academic attainment so far determine the nature of the family they come from and anticipation of the family economic status and the maturing by which the family handles matters of unrest and difficulties. The family primary initiatives and decision making can be constrained by a range of alternatives thereby influencing his ultimate choice in academic future career and occupation. So, every child needs a conducive and not attractive environment and union, found the family or home where counseling, utmost guidance and other organized activities are generated for posterity. May be, this is one of the reasons the decision of a child is crucial but becomes so expedient for some help in the form of counseling; to be extended to the child at these times. This role can most regularly be played by the family which includes the father, mother, sister, brother, and other siblings.
As Clark (2000) defined the family is a group of people that are related by blood or marriage, especially a group of two grown-up people and their children. Usually, there are two major types of family, nuclear and extended.
A nuclear family consists only of the father, mother and children. Extended family involves the father, mother, the children and other relations living together in a large family environment or compound. The extended family system is very popular in the traditional African setting while the nuclear family system is Western and mostly practical in Europe, America and some parts of the world.
However, in an ideal and intact family structures where the father and the mother play their roles as expected, and where there is genuine cooperation and congenial relationship among the members of the family, the children genuinely perform well in their academic engagement and general development in families where the husband and wives are not in good accord or always in disagreements, there will be little or no attention to the children and this will definitely affect their academic achievement adversely. Academic achievement of children in a family can shape the character formation of the kids as well as maintenance of peaceful and normal conditions of the entire home.
The mother being the first educator of her children in the early years in life if the children are responsible for molding the character and temperament the children must grow with. But what happens in a single parents’ family, where the control and guidance of the child is only done by one parent? How does a single parent cater for the children academically and what influence or impact does a single parent exert on the academic and personality? Literature has indicated that single parenting has overwhelming relative impact on the academic development of the child.
1.2 Statement of the Problem
For half a decade, pupils’ academic achievement in Basic Science in primary schools has become a problem. Since the home of the pupils has several variables that the academic achievement of pupils will be affected as well. At home, family size and parental socio–economic status affect pupils’ academic achievement in schools.
In comparison of home variables with pupils’ academic achievement in schools, pupils tend to find some difficulties in their academic achievement in schools. Pupils’ family should be able to create a home environment that encourages learning and express high expectation at schools and in the home.
However, the research seeks to investigate on home variables and pupils’ academic achievement in basic science in Abak Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State.
1.3 Purpose of the Study
The main purpose of the study was to investigate the influence of home variables on academic achievement of pupils in Basic science in Abak Local Government Area; specifically, this study intended to:
- examine the academic achievement of pupils from monogamous and polygamous homes in Basic science.
- assess the academic achievement of pupils from small and large family size in Basic science.
