ABSTRACT: This study was carried out to assess the Environmental Factors and Primary School Pupils Social Behaviours. The population for the study comprised of 7,490 pupils drawn from 28 public primary schools in Abak Local Government Area. An Environmental Factors and Pupil’ Social Behaviours Questionnaire (E.F.P.S.B.Q) was designed for data collection. Three research purposes, research questions and hypotheses were formulated to guide the analysis of data. Findings revealed that environmental factors such as family nutritional level, family size, parental provision of learning materials has a significant influence on the pupils social behavior like Absenteeism. Recommendations were made.
Environmental Factors and Primary School Pupils Social Behaviours
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background of the Study
All over the country, there is consensus of opinion about the fallen standard of education in Nigeria (Adebule, 2004). Parents, guardian and government are in total agreement that their huge investment on education is not yielding the desired result. Teachers also complain of students’ low performance at both Internal and External Examinations. These problems have posed a serious threat to the future of Education in our nation.
Teachers Students and Environmental factors have been traced to be some of the factors militating against Effective teaching and learning process in Nigeria. Looking at the Akwa Ibom State free and compulsory Education, the stakeholders have also complained of inadequate facilities to gather for the pupils and the students. The teachers are, not left out. Their salaries and allowances are issues of great concern which lead to strike action on the part of the teachers recently. The classrooms are congesting and some of the pupils are seeing loitering around the street and the school environment. Some of these pupils absent themselves from school because of some obvious reasons. These constitute a impediment to our Educational progress.
Absenteeism is a serious social behavior exhibited by the pupils in the primary schools. Absenteeism is defined as a situation where the pupils absent themselves from school for reasons best known to them. These reasons can be as a result of environmental factors such as hunger (which this study will look at it as “Nutritional level of the family”, size (where parents cannot take care of their wards because of large family size) and a host of other factors. This social behavior can adversely affects the academic performance of pupils. These Environmental factors can exert pressure on the pupils so that their interest and focus now turn to some menial jobs and hawking. Once these set in the child’s will now absent his or herself from school, and this will constitute “a social behavior called Absenteeism” which is detrimental to child’s academic upliftment visa-vis the nation’s Educational progress at large.
The Nutrition (feeding modes) of the family is very important in the educational progress of a child. A child who has not feed well will not be able to study at school. Hunger pangs will affect his concentration in the classroom during lesion. If this problem persists the child may take to menial jobs and thereby lead to Absenteeism.
Family size is another factor that can cause the child to be absent from school. Parents with a large family size will not be able to take of the need and aspirations of the children and once this survival by fending for himself. This is a big risk that can lead to Absenteeism in school. Educational needs (Uniforms, school fees, school lurch etc) are necessary ingredient of Education attainment of the child. But once many of these items are not there, the child will fell short change by parents. And for him to avoid shame, the child will absent his I herself from school. Therefore based on the aforementioned, this study will focus on Environmental factors and primary school pupils’ social behavior (Absenteeism) on Abak Local Government Area.
1.2 Statement of the problem
There has been regular poor performance of pupils in primary schools in Akwa Ibom State. Pupils at this level of education perform below Expectation or average in both Internal and External (Placement) Examinations. This performance is visible in all subjects. The stakeholders (Parents, Teachers and Government) at this level of Education are deeply concerned about this problem.
The teachers themselves are putting in their best in terms of teaching processes but the problems still persist. A careful Evaluation of the School system and the pupils’ academic performances has shown that the problem of environmental factors and social behavior (Absenteeism) of pupils are major influences to this problem of pupils’ poor academic performance. Therefore, this study looked at family Nutritional level, provision of learning materials by parents and Family size (Environmental factors) and their influence on Absenteeism (Social behavior) of pupils in School and their attendance effect on pupils academic performance as major problems that this study will find solutions to them.
Environmental Factors and Primary School Pupils Social Behaviours
1.3 Purpose of the study
1.4 Significance of the study
This research study discusses the Environmental factors and primary School pupils’ social behavior (Absenteeism) in Abak Local Government Area. The result of these finding is significant in the following ways:
(i) It will point out to the parents the areas to improve their children’s welfare.
(ii) It will ex pose various factors that cause Absenteeism in school.
(iii) It will help the Teachers to know how to deal with the issue of Absenteeism as a social behavior in primary school.
(iv) The study will also allow the Government and School Administrators to know how to deal with Absenteeism among pupils.
