ABSTRACT: The study investigated Parental Educational Status and Students’ Academic Performance in Government in Secondary Schools in Etinan Local Government Area. The population of the study comprised all senior secondary two (SS2) in the study area. The sample size used for the study was one hundred students (100) drawn from four public schools in the study. Two hypotheses were formulated and tested. A survey research design was adopted for the study. Questionnaire on Parental Educational Status and Academic Performance (QPESAP) and Government Performance Test (GPT) were the instruments used to collect data for the study. Data analysis was done using independent statistical technique. Findings showed that there is a significant difference in academic performance of students from high educational parental status and those students from low educational parental status in Government; also that there is no significant difference in academic performance of male and female students from high educational parental status in Government in secondary schools in Etinan Local Government Area.
Parental Educational Status and Students’ Academic Performance in Government in Secondary Schools
Based on these findings, it is recommended that Parents should attend adult education programme to increase their educational status so as to assist their children at home in doing their assignment and also to assist them in gaining employment in organizations that they can assist in providing school materials for the students. It was therefore concluded that parent educational status influence the academic performance of students in secondary schools especially in the formative age.
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background to the Study
The home is the child’s first place of contact with the world. The child as a result acquires initial education and socialization from present and other significant persons in the home. The home is where every child is born into and makes first interactions. These interactions can contribute positively or negatively to the child permanently. The destiny of mankind depends on the child and the welfare of the child is closely linked to the home in terms of the innate tendencies drawn from the genetic transcription and the home environment (Okujagu, 2012).
Home variables in this context includes parent’s educational attained, socio-economic status of parents, level of social class placement are those factors that vary from one home to another, such abnormal effect may affect the academic performance of the child. If students from homes with unstable and low socio-economic status background are compared with those from rich and stable background, it would be observed that those from rich and stable background perform academically better than those from poor and unstable background who may be experiencing social, emotional and psychological problems. The environment in which the child finds his or herself can either make the child generation after generation geniuses die without being noticed as a result of their circumstances of birth. Parents are probably the actions with the dearest undimensional interest in a high level of their students’ academic performance. To some extent, there is simple evidence to show that mental instability which is one of the effects of home variables brings about stress, tension lack of motivation and frustration among students of nursery schools age (Levin, 2010).
Obviously, these manifestation acts negatively on a child’s academic performance in school. Students of unmarried parents, separated families, poor socio-economic status, and low educational attainment amongst others, often perform poorly and are at risk emotionally and academically. However, this may not be completely applicable in all instances of poor home background or structure as students from this background may work hard through the influence of the school environment and become successful academically.
Moreover, Hoff (2014) opined that the environment which a child finds his or herself at the early stage of development influences the learning ability of the child and ultimately, this therefore from the background that this study was conducted.
1.2 Statement of the Problem
Government is a subject offered by students and undergraduate from secondary school to colleges and universities as political science in Nigeria. Secondary education as contained in the National Policy on Education (NPE) is the education provided in institutions for students who have graduated from primary education (FRN, 2014).Since the foundation of the educational system is built upon the secondary education, it is the foundation and hence the key to success or failure of the child academically.
However, government as an academic field study involves the study of political institutions in the state, ideas, values and doctrines about politics, the view of the political thinkers on what constitutes the welfare of the people. It is core social science subject in the secondary school curriculum because its knowledge is indispensable to the educated man about his fundamental rights and obligations. The aim of government teaching is to prepare the child to learn and understand the more specialized techniques provided later in life. In spite of much emphasis laid on this subject, the study of government has not been encouraging in Nigeria as some students’ dropout on the way. This is attributed to factors related to parents, such as poverty and educational background.
Similarly, students in secondary schools in Etinan Local Government Area have been performing so poorly, academically in most of their school subject like government. This poor performance among students has caused serious concern among teachers, parents, educational planner and the society at large. This motivated the researcher to ask whether the level of education of the parents have exerted any effect on the academic performance of the students. It was therefore necessary to examine the parental education and students’ academic performance in Government in Etinan Local Government Area.
Parental Educational Status and Students’ Academic Performance in Government in Secondary Schools
1.3 Purpose of the Study
1.4 Research Questions
1.5 Research Hypotheses
1.6 Significance of the study
The findings of this study will be significant in the following ways:
- It will be of significant benefits to teachers as they will modify their teaching strategies to suit all categories of students irrespective of their parental educational status.
- The findings of the study will help parent in understanding their background as it affect their children academic performance in school.
- It will also help educational planners and curriculum planners to design a curriculum that will make learning of Government and other school subject interesting to students irrespective of their parental educational status.
- The study will provide useful information for guidance counselors in effectively counseling both parents and students as it highlight the effect of parental educational status on students’ academic performance.
- The findings will also provide bases for further studies on parental educational status and academic performance of students in secondary schools.
