TABLE OF CONTENTS
Title page i
Approval ii
Dedication iii
Acknowledgement iv
Table of
Content vi
List of Tables ix
Abstract x
CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION
Background to
the Study 1
Statement of
the Problem 5
Research
Questions 6
Research
Hypotheses 7
Purpose of the
Study 7
Significance
of the Study 8
Scope of the
Study 9
Operational Definition of Terms 9
CHAPTER TWO: REVIEW OF RELATED
LITERATURE
Preamble 10
Concept of
Academic Performance 11
Concept of
School Environment 14
Influence of
School Environment on Students’ Academic Performance 20
Summary of the
Related Literature 22
CHAPTER THREE: METHODOLOGY
Preamble 23
Research
Design 23
Population,
Sample and Sampling Technique 24
Research
Instrument 24
Validity 25
Reliability 25
Procedure for
Data Administration and Collection 26
Data Analysis
Technique 26
CHAPTER
FOUR: RESULTS
Preamble 27
Demographic Data 27
Summary of Findings 35
CHAPTER
FIVE: DISCUSSION, CONCLUSION AND
RECOMMENDATIONS
Preamble 36
Discussion 36
Conclusion 38
Recommendations 38
Suggestions for Further Studies 39
REFERENCE 40
APPENDIX 44
LIST
OF TABLES
Tables Pages
1. Distribution
of Respondents on the basis of Age, Gender,
School type, Teaching
Experience and Education Qualification. 28
2. Mean
and Rank Order of Respondents on Influence of School
Environment
on Students’ Academic Performance 29
3. Mean,
Standard Deviation and t-value of Respondents on the
Influence of School
Environment on Students Academic
Performance on the
Basis of Age. 31
4. Mean,
Standard Deviation and t-value of respondent on
influence
of school environment on students’ academic
performance
on the basis of gender. 32
5. Mean,
Standard Deviation and t-value of respondents on
influence
of school environment on students’ academic
performance
on the basis of school type 33
6. Mean,
Standard Deviation and t-value of respondent on the
influence
of school environment on students’ academic
performance
on the basis of educational qualification. 33
7. ANOVA
of respondents on the influence of school environment
on students’ academic
performance on the basis of teaching
experience 34
ABSTRACT
School Environment is defined as school
having appropriate facilities, well-managed classroom, available school-based
health supports and a clear, fair disciplinary policy. Influence is the capacity or power of persons
or things to be a compelling force or produce effects on the actions,
behaviors, opinion e.t.c., of another or others. Students’ academic performance
represents performance outcomes that indicate the extent to which a person is
accomplished specific goals that were the focus of activities in instructional
environments, especially in school, college and university.
Data collected were from (10) secondary
schools in Ilorin West Local Government. Two hundred (200) respondents
(teachers) were engaged in the study. Percentage, t-test and ANOVA statistical
methods were used for the analysis of data collected. The distribution of
respondents based on the variables of Age, Gender, School type, Teaching
experience and Education qualification. The results derived from the analysis
revealed that School Environment influences academic performance of students as
perceived by the teachers in Ilorin West Local Government among others.
In the hypothesis for influence of
school environment on student’ academic performance on the basis of age, there
was no significant difference. In the
hypothesis for influence of school environment on students’ academic
performance on the basis of gender, there was no significant difference. In the
hypothesis for influence of school environment on students’ academic
performance on the basis of school type, there was no significant difference.
In the hypothesis for influence of school environment on students’ academic
performance on the basis of teaching experience, there was no significant
difference.
Based on these findings, it was
recommended that Kwara State Government should cater for motivational
facilities such as school library, laboratory, sport materials etc. which can
enhance teaching and learning process. It was recommended that academic staff
should be motivated to create a good social, psychological and physical climate
in the classroom. It was recommended that the school counselor should reflect
upon various factors that helps students in achieving their academic goals. It
was also recommended that school management should ensure that school are well suited, buildings are
adequately utilized and teaching aids are being provided to aid students’
understanding and bring about better academic performance.
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
Background to the Study
Generally in the whole world, particularly in
Nigeria, education has been considered to be the corner - stone for
development. It forms the basis for literacy, skill acquisition, technological
advancement and ability to harness human and material resources towards the
achievement of societal goal, (FRN, 2004).
Education is very important in any given society. It
is a process by which abilities and capabilities of individual are developed.
These abilities might be physical abilities, emotional abilities, social
abilities and intellectual abilities. It is the actualizing of human potential
so that the individual can become something more than what he was before.
According to Ugwuanyi (2003) education is the process by which society
establishes to assist the young to learn and understand the heritage of the
past, participate productively in the society and contribute meaningfully for
the development of the society. Emeka (2008) citing Kneller (2000) sees education
as a process by which any society through schools, colleges, universities and
other institutions deliberately transmit knowledge, values and skills from one
person to another. As a result of deregulation in Nigerian education, the
system of education has two main interest groups – public education and private
education.
Public education is the pillar or backbone of
society which opens the door of equal educational opportunity to all citizens.
It is a public owned property which attracts public attention constantly.
According to Ukeje in Akpa, Udoh and Faghamiye (2005): Public school is concerned with the acquisition of appropriate skills,
abilities and competencies of both mental and physical nature as equipment for
the individual to live in this society, and acquisition of a relevant and
balanced knowledge of facts about local and world phenomena. (P. 12-13). Public
schools can also be seen as those schools controlled neither by individuals nor
by private interest or agencies but by those who represent the society as a
whole. In other words public schools are those schools which are supported and
controlled by the government of the state or nation.
Secondary school is the stage of education following
primary school. It is generally the final stage of compulsory education.
Webster (2009) sees secondary school as a school intermediate between
elementary school and collage usually offering general technical, vocational or
college- preparatory course, while Collins (2003) refers to it as a school for
young people, usually between the ages of eleven and eighteen. As for the
National policy on education (FRN, 2004) it is the form of education children
receive after primary education and before the tertiary stage.
In this study, environment includes all the external
condition and influences in the school that affect the academic achievement of
the student such as laboratory equipment, library facilities, qualified
teachers, furniture, school building, good administrative management, teacher
pupil relationship and school location among others. Environment for the
purpose of this work can be divided into two parts home environment and school
environment.
Environment can be defined as a system within which
living organisms interacts with the physical element while education
environment is a learning place where the learner learn and interact with
learning facilities in order to be socialized and face the challenges in the society.
Agusiegbe (2004) sees environments as consisting of all elements existing
around man and which exert some influence on him. These include physical,
biological and social attributes. Environment can also be seen as aggregate of
all the external condition and influence affecting the life and development of
an organism.
The school environment,
which include the classroom, libraries, technical workshops, laboratories, as
well as teachers effectiveness and school management etc are variables that affect
students’ academic performance (Ajayi, 2008). Hence, the school environment
remains an important area that should be studied and well managed to enhance
students’ academic performance.
However, the issue of
poor academic performance of students in public secondary schools has been of
major concern to the government, parents, teachers and even the students
themselves. The quality of education is not only on the teacher as it reflected
in the performance of their duties, but also in the effective coordination of
the school environment (Ajao, 2008). Teachers and students are essential in
teaching learning process. The extent to which students learn could depend on
the location within the school compound, the structure of the classroom,
availability of instructural 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 that are geared towards
effective teaching and learning process and academic performance of students.
Classroom environment
aspect of instructional space school facilities were significantly related to students’
academic performance in schools. The three researchers also quoted (Glassman, 2010),
asserting that a comfortable and carrying environment among other treatments
helped to contribute to students’ academic performance.
The physical
characteristics of the school have a variety of effects on teachers, students
and learning process, poor lighting, noise, high level or carbon dioxide in
classrooms, and inconsistent temperature make teaching and learning difficult.
Poor maintenance and ineffective ventilation system lead to poor health among
students as well as teachers, which lead to poor academic performance and
higher absentee rates (Frazier, 2010) (Nylon, 2011) and (Ostentort, 2008).
These factors can adversely affect student’s behaviour and lead to higher levels
of frustration among poor learning attitude among students.
However, the direct
effect those 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 higher activity, lethargy or apathy, creates a
stressful set of working conditions and common pre-cursors to lowered teachers’
enthusiasm, it is possible that the aforementioned characteristics of school
facilities have effect upon the academic performance of the students.
Statement of the Problem
Emphasizing the
importance of school environment to students’ academic performance, school
environment is an essential aspect of educational planning unless schools are
well suited, buildings are adequately utilized and teaching aid are being
provided to aid students understanding and bring about better academic
performance.
The high levels of students’ academic performance may
not be guaranteed where instructional space such as classrooms, libraries,
technical workshops and laboratories are structurally defective. However,
little is known on the Influence of school environment on students’ academic
performance in Ilorin West Local Government Area.
However, problems with
students’ teacher ratio, school population, class ventilation poor lighting in
the classroom and inconsistent temperature in the classroom with, students
health problems have been studied before. To complement these studies,
therefore, the present research effort will examine the school location, school
facilities, class size as variables and how they can affect student academic
performance in public secondary schools of Ilorin West Local Government Area.
Research Questions
The following research questions have been generated to guide the conduct
of the study;
1. What is the influence of school environment on
students’ academic performance in Ilorin West?
2. Is there any difference in the influence of school
environment on students’ academic performance as perceived by teachers on the
basis of gender?
3. Is there any difference in the influence of school
environment on students’ academic performance as perceived by teachers on the
basis of qualification?
4. Is there any difference in the influence of school
environment on students’ academic performance as perceived by teachers on the
basis of years of teaching experience?
Research Hypotheses
The following research hypotheses have been formulated to guide the
conduct of the study:
1.
There is no significant difference in the influence of
school environment on students’ academic performance on the basis of gender.
2.
There is no significant difference in the influence of
school environment on students’ academic performance on the basis of
qualification.
3.
There is no significant difference in the influence of
school environment on students’ academic performance on the basis of teaching
experience.
Purpose of the Study
The purpose of this study is to
investigate the Influence of School Environment on Students’ Academic performance
in Ilorin West Local Government Area.
Significance of the Study
It is hoped that this study would provide information
for parents, educators, school administrators, Government, counselors and the
society at large 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 school, which may
consequently lead to enhancing students’ educational outcomes in schools. In
addition, the fact that this study is conducted in public schools, it shares
quite a lot of similarities with many other counterparts. In this
connection, this study provides a valuable reference for other schools to
reflect upon the school environment as it affect the academic performance of
students in secondary schools.
School environment
includes the school building workshop, library, laboratory, playing field and
the school surrounding which has great effect on students’ academic
performance.
This
particular study is of great significance because the result of the study would
reveal to educational managers/administrators, principals and teacher’s in
Ilorin west local government area of Kwara state, the true effect of school environment on students academic
performance among public secondary schools
students’
The study is also
significance, because it is likely to open and broaden the minds of the
government to the role they need to play in ensuring the provision of the
necessary facilities needed in the schools environment that can enhance
teaching and learning process and aid better academic performance to the
students.
Scope of the Study
This
research work focuses on influence of school environment on students’ academic
performance in 23 public secondary schools in Ilorin West Local Government Area,
Kwara State. However, this study was limited to 10 out of 23 selected public
secondary schools in Ilorin West Local Government Area, Kwara State. Two hundred
respondents took part in the study, who were randomly selected. The t-test and
analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to analyse the data collected for the
study. A self-developed questionnaire titled “Influence of School Environment
on Students’ Academic Performance Questionnaire” (ISESAPQ) was used for the
study
Operational Definition
of Terms
Student Academic Performance: Academic achievement represents performance
outcomes that indicate the extent to which a person has accomplished specific
goals that were the focus of activities in instructional environments,
specifically in school, college and university.
School Environment: A school environment is defined as
a school having
appropriate facilities, well-managed classrooms, available school-based health supports, and a
clear, fair disciplinary policy. There are many hallmarks of the academic,
disciplinary, and physical environments of schools with a positive climate.
Influence: The capacity or power of persons or things to be a compelling force on or produce effects on the actions, behavior, opinions, etc., of others: the action or process of producing
effects on the actions, behavior, opinions, etc., of another or others: a person or thing that exerts influence
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