ABSTRACT
The summary of this
finding is on teachers and students perception of factors affecting students
performance in Geography
Examinations.
The study has been able to identify the
three hypotheses statement that were tested and rejected using chi-square
methods of statistics. Hence, the three hypotheses were
rejected. The
three hypotheses identified the teachers and students perception of factors affecting
students performance in Geography Examinations. The
findings showed that many factors were affecting academic performance of students
in school. Hence that successful students have significant motivation
for achievement from unsuccessful students.
Also academic achievement is highly correlated with parents socio
economic status which lends a good support to the present findings. However, as a result of lack of motivation,
students have negative attitude in their studies which automatically resulted
into poor performance in their studies.
It is therefore concluded that interest and attitude of students towards
a particular subject is determined by the level of socio economic status
of their parents. Hence, high motivating factor mostly from the
parents and teachers lead to a better achievement on the part of the student as
a whole. In order to improve
the student academic excellence in their
need to encourage the student in order to display good attitude and
better interest in all their subject mostly in geography, while the teacher is
motivated in reciprocal as a result of good academic performance by the
students. there is need for a
good impact on academic knowledge on the students, teacher and parents coupled
with the student’s interest in the subject and the display of positive attitude
as earlier pointed out are good motivating factors which when combine together
is assumed will result to a better achievement in geography.
CHAPTER
ONE
1.0 INTRODUCTION
1.1
BACKGROUND
TO THE STUDY
1.2 Statement of problem
1.3 Purpose of the study
1.4 Research questions
1.5 Research Hypothesis
1.6 Significance of the study
1.7
Scope of the study
CHAPTER
TWO
LITERATURE
REVIEW
2.1.
The concept of perception
2.1.1.
Geography Teachers and Students
Perception of Factors Affecting Students’
Performance
2.1.2.
Factors affecting students’
performance in geography examinations
2.2.1. Family Background and Students
Performance in Geography Examinations
2.2.2.
Family Type and Students’
Performance in Geography Examinations
2.2.3.
Family Size, Position/Discipline
and Students’ Performance in Geography Examinations
2.2.4.
Educational Background, Socio-Economic Status of
the parents/ Funds and students’
Performance in Geography Examinations
2.2.5.
Peer Group Influence
2.3.1. Inadequate Finance & Equipments,
Government Policies and Students Performance
in Geography Examinations
2.3.2. Learning
Environment/ School Location, Infrastructural Facilities/ Structures and
Students Performance in Geography Examinations
2.4.1. Teacher
Qualification, Methodology, Training, Motivation and Students’ Performance in Geography
2.4.2.
Teachers’ Personality/ Attitude,
Methodology and Students Performance in
Geography Examinations
2.5.1.
Textbooks/Curriculum and Students’
Performance in Geography Examinations
2.5.2.
Observational Fieldwork and
Students Performance in Geography Examinations
CHAPTER
THREE
RESEARCH
METHODOLOGY
3.1.
RESEARCH DESIGN
3.2.
THE POPULATION OF THE STUDY
3.3. SAMPLE AND SAMPLING TECHNIQUE
3.4.
INSTRUMENTATION
3.5.
VALIDATION OF THE INSTRUMENT
3.6.
PROCEDURE FOR DATA COLLECTION
3.7.
METHOD OF DATA ANALYSIS
CHAPTER FOUR
DATA
PRESENTATION, ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION OF FINDINGS
4.0
Introduction
4.2
Testing
of Hypotheses
CHAPTER
FIVE
SUMMARY
OF THE FINDINGS, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS
5.1 Summary of the Findings
5.2
Conclusion
5.3
Recommendation
5.4
Suggestion
for further study
5.6 Counseling Implication
REFERENCES
QUESTIONNAIRES
CHAPTER
ONE
1.0 INTRODUCTION
The term
‘‘examination’’ or ‘‘test’ has been defined as an instrument or systematic
procedure for measuring a sample of a person’s behaviour with a view to
evaluating that behaviour against standards i.e. in comparism with a given
domain of performance tasks (criterion-referenced) or against norms i.e in
comparism with others in the group (norm-referenced) (Gage and Berliner, 1979,
Gronlund,1985).
Geography’s role
is specifically stated in Section 4(6A) where geography has been
listed as one of the core subjects at the Senior secondary level (now section
5(25A)). Students are expected to select ;One of
Literature-in-English, History, Geography or Religious Studies as the core
subject. Geography has also been grouped as part of the body of elective
subjects. Therefore, every student will be expected to select three of those
subjects depending on the choice of career up to the end of the second year and
may drop one of the non-compulsory subjects out of the nine subjects in the
last year of the senior high school course. The geography curriculum has
special feature which include:
a.
The
provision of a geography curriculum that is based on the choice of suitable and
relevant themes,units, contents, teaching materials, sstudents’ activitiies,
teaching aids and evaluation.
b.
The
reductionn in the scope and content of the subject matter of senior secondary
school geography without loosing the high quality required at that level.
c.
The
inclusion of innovative elements into the teaching of syllabus through the
emphasis placed on ther practical geography throughout the 3-year course and
the introduction of geographic principles, concepts and skills that are
relevant to current trends in the discipline and useful for solving
environmental problems.
1.2
BACKGROUND
TO THE STUDY
Education is noted as an instrument
of change by different experts and professionals in the field of education.
Education has been defined in various ways to emphasize different aspect of
this crucial concept. According to
Obafemi Awolowo “education is that process of physical and mental culture
whereby a man’s personality is developed to the fullest. Also, Alfred North White says that “education
is not just the acquisition of the art of the utilization of knowledge. This is the concept of education for functional
living within one’s milieu, the art of utilizing knowledge for one’s benefit
and for the betterment of the society.
Educational activities in Nigeria
were first carried out informally. This
was known as indigenous education where the aim was to transmit the cultural
heritage of the society through generations).
After which is the Islamic education which came to Nigeria around the 14th
century following the arrival of Islamic Religion. The arrival of the Europeans in 1842 (the
arrival of the Wesley Missionary Society) was the beginning of Western
Education. The western education
later-on metamorphosed or led to Nigeria developing her own educational system
that suits it. This subsequently brought
about the 6-3-3-4 system of education (though there were others before it i.e.
7-5-3 system) which was developed in 1969 (the 1969 National curriculum
conference), which implies six (6) years of primary school, three (3) years
of junior secondary, three (3) years of
senior secondary’ and at least four (4) years of tertiary education.
Secondary education is defined as
“education beyond the elementary grades or primary school”, it could also be
said as the education provided by a high school or college preparatory
school. In the 6-3-3-4 system, the emphasis
for us here is of the second -3- level, which is the senior secondary level, in
which geography is offered or taken during the 3 years duration. The subjects in the senior secondary are
Maths, English, a major Nigerian language and other electives depending on the
students area of interest or department (commercial, arts and sciences), in
which geography is included.
According to the National Policy on
Education (N.P.E, 2004:7a), one of the national objectives states.
“The training of the mind and understanding of the world around us”.
Therefore, it is believed that
perhaps geography as a school subject can achieve this stated objective.
Geography is the physical – social
science which describes, maps, and seeks to explain the inter-relationship between
man and his physical environs. On the
one hand, it deals with the natural setting or physical environs in which man
live (some of the elements of the physical environs are the surface or the
topography of the earth, soil, rocks and minerals climate, land and water
bodies, native plant and animal life, and location on the earth’s surface).
From the afore
mentioned it can be seen that the teaching and
learning of Geography as a subject is also being influenced by various factors in
secondary schools and is faced with diverse problems. These factors could be external factors,
cultural, social, political and economic etc which operate differentially from
place to place and from time to time, which are relative and not absolute. Specifically, some of these factors include:
inadequate staffing, lack of suitable texts, unqualified teachers, shortage of
qualified teachers, lack of fund to schools, poor students perception of the
subject and poor methods of teaching amongst others.
1.2 Statement of problem
Despite the nature and importance of
geography to the society, there is still a persistent worrisome poor
performance of students in geography. For this reason, this study attempts to
identify the factors affecting students’ performance in geography examinations
in Nigerian secondary schools.
1.3 Purpose of the study
This research work is basically to
identify Geography teachers and students’ perception of factors affecting
students’ performance in geography examinations. The purpose of the study will
include:
(1)
To access socio-economic
background and its effect on performance of students in geography examinations
in senior secondary schools.
(2)
To evaluate the extent to
which teacher qualification and training affect students’ performance in
geography examinations in senior secondary schools.
(3)
To access the extent to
which students’ perception of geography affects their performance in geography
examinations.
(4)
To examine the extent to
which inadequate teaching and learning materials affect students’ performance
in geography examinations.
1.4 Research questions
1.
Does the socio economic
background of the students
affect the
performance of students in geography examinations in Secondary schools?
2.
How do (To what extent)
teacher qualification and training affect the performance of students in
geography examinations in secondary schools?
3.
How does students’
perception of geography affect their performance in geography examinations in
secondary schools?
4.
How does inadequate
provision of textbooks affect students’ performance in geography examinations
in senior secondary schools?
1.5 Research Hypothesis
1. There
is no significant relationship between socio-economic background and
performance of students in geography examinations in secondary schools.
2. There
is no significant relationship between teachers qualification and training and the performance of
students in geography examinations in secondary schools.
3. There
is no significant relationship between students perception of geography and
their performance in geography examinations in secondary schools .
1.6 Significance of the study
This study will contribute to the
findings in the literature on the factors affecting students performance in
geography examinations and benefit the students, teachers, parents, curriculum
developers, government, and the society at large in the following ways: by
informing the government on the need to provide schools with adequate
infrastructure, enlighten the teachers on how to better appreciate their work
and help in moulding their students understanding of the subject, the need for
parents to provide books for their children/wards in helping to mould their
knowledge of geography. And also informing the curriculum developers into
looking into the actual period of teaching and learning of geography in order
to bring it to a good standard, as well as coming up with adequate timing for
the subject.
Also it will inform policy makers and
geography teachers on the factors responsible for students’ performance in
geography examinations in secondary schools.
It may also provide a guide for students (as too the relevance of
geography to future careers, and other relevant professions)
1.7
Scope of the study
This is limited to accessing
geography teachers and students perception of factors that affect students’
poor performance in geography examinations in public secondary schools in Lagos
Mainland (Yaba Local Government Area), in Lagos State.
Login To Comment