School environment and academic achievement of students in Social Studies

School environment and academic achievement of students in Social Studies

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1     Background to the Study

          School is one of the social institutions that are responsible for the development and training of the mind and skill of man. It is also for the preparation of man for the challenges and responsibility in the society at large. School environment encompasses the factors within the school that may or may not provide suitable conditions for the promotion of effective teaching and learning. The school environment, which includes the classroom, libraries, technical workshops, laboratories, teachers, quality, school management, teaching methods, peers to mention a few, are variables that affect students ’ academic achievement. Hence, the school environment remains an important area that should be studied and well managed to enhance students’ academic achievement.

          The issue of poor academic achievement of students in Nigeria has been of much the concern to the government, parents, teachers and even students themselves. The quality of education not only depends on the teachers as reflected in the performance of their duties, but also in the effective coordination of the school environment Ajao (2010).

          School an environment which also includes instructional spaces planning, administration places planning, curriculum spaces planning, spaces for convenience planning, facilities planning, the teachers as well as the students  themselves are essential in teaching-learning process. The extent to which students learning could be enhanced depends on their location within the school compound, the structure of their classroom; availability of instructional facilities and accessories. It is believed that a well planned school will gear up expected outcomes of education that will facilitate good social, political and economic well being of students.

          The physical characteristics of the school have a variety of effects on teachers, students, and the learning process. Poor lighting, noise, high levels of carbon dioxide in classrooms, and inconsistent temperatures make teaching and leaning default. Poor maintenance and ineffective ventilation systems lead to poor health among students as well as teachers, which leads to poor performance and higher absentee rates (Frazier, 2012). These factors can adversely affect students’ behaviour and lead to higher levels of frustration among teachers, and poor learning attitude among students.

          Beyond the direct effects that poor facilities have on students  ability to learn, the combination of poor facilities, which create an uncomfortable and uninviting workplace for teachers, combined with frustrating behaviour by students  including poor concentration and hyperactivity, lethargy, or apathy, creates a stressful set of working conditions for teachers. Because stresses and job dissatisfaction are common pre-cursors to lowered teachers enthusiasm, it is possible that the aforementioned characteristics of school facilities have an effect upon the academic achievement of students.

1.2     Statements of the Problem

          The influence of the school environment on the academic achievement of students has been an issue of concern to all stakeholders in education. This is evident in the rate of mass failure of students in both internal and external examinations, as revealed by research studies. Despite the Akwa Ibom State Government’s effort toward the provision and renovation of infrastructures in primary schools, students performance in both internal and external examination such as national common entrance and state common entrance examinations and other entrance examinations into secondary schools are still very low and below expectation.   

          The researcher has observed with dismay that the school environment in the study the area is nothing to write home about. The school climate is not interesting for teaching and learning, instructional facilities are in dilapidated conditions, lack of trained teachers and other facilities that promote teaching and learning are also in shortfall which tends to influence students ’ academic achievement in school. It is on this premise that the researcher is motivated to appraise the impact of the school environment on the achievement of primary school students in Abak Local Government Area.  

1.3     Purpose of the Study

The main purpose of the study is to investigate the impact of the school environment on the academic achievement of students  in social studies among students  in primary schools in Abak Local Government Area. 

Specifically, the study intends to:

(i)   examine the influence of instructional materials availability/utilization on the academic performance of students in social studies. 

(ii)     find out the impact of school location on academic performance in social studies among students  in primary school in Abak Local Government Area.

(iii)   assess the influence of school physical facilities on students  academic achievement in social studies in primary schools in Abak Local Government Area. 

1.4     Significance of the Study

It is believed that this study will be of immense benefit to teachers, parents, educators and school administrators to reflect upon various factors that help students in achieving their academic goals. In so doing, they can investigate the possibility of introducing those factors to their schools, which may consequently lead to enhancing students ’ educational outcomes in schools. This study will also assist school administrators and curriculum planners to develop strategies that would reduce the negative effects of poor learning environment on the academic performance of students in primary schools. It will also be important to students themselves as it will be made known to them the effects of the school environment on their academic performance. Finally, the findings of the study will act as a reference point to other an interested researcher interested in this area of research.

1.5     Research Questions

In order to guide the study the following research questions were formulated to guide the study

(i)      what is the difference in academic achievement of students  taught with instructional materials and those taught without instructional materials in social studies.

(ii)     what is the effect of school physical facilities on the academic achievement of students in social studies?

(iii)    in what ways do a performance in social studies differ between students in urban and those in rural school location?

1.6     Research Hypotheses

 The following research hypotheses guided the study

(i)      There is no significant difference in academic achievement of students  taught using instructional materials and those taught without instructional materials

(ii)     There is no significant effect of school physical facilities on the academic achievement of students in social studies in primary school.

(iii)   There is no significant difference in performance between students  in urban school and rural school location social studies.

1.7     Delimitation of the Study

This research work focuses on the influence of school environment on the academic achievement of primary school students  in some selected primary schools in Abak Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State. This research work covers only all public primary schools students  in Abak Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State. However, ten public primary schools were selected for the study.

1.8     Limitation of the Study

The researcher encountered some difficulties in obtaining information for the study such as time-frame and a shortage of finance. The research was also limited due to   the inability of the researcher to cover all the public primary schools in Abak Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State as the title suggests.

1.9   Definition of Terms

School: A school is an institution designed for the teaching of students (or “students ”) under the direction of teachers

School Environment: A school environment includes the school building and the surrounding.

Academic Achievement: Is a knowledge attained or skills developed in school subjects by test scores or examination.

Primary school­: Is an educational institution where the first stage of schooling, known as elementary and usually compulsory up to a specified age. It follows secondary education.

Students: This term is principally used to describe individual or person who undergoes studies in primary or nursery school.