TABLE OF CONTENTS
CHAPTER
ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background to the Study
1.2 Statement of the Problem
1.3 Research Questions
1.4 Research Hypotheses:
1.5 Purpose of the Study
1.6 Significance of the Study
1.7 Scope of the Study
1.8 Definition of Terms
CHAPTER
TWO
REVIEW
OF RELATED LITERATURE
Introduction
2.1 Theoretical
Background to the Study
2.2 Conceptual
Framework
2.3 Socio-economic
Status and its Classification
2.4 Academic
Performance
2.5 Financial
Accounting
2.6 Relevance
of Financial Accounting to the Users
2.7 Teachers
as factor in Academic Performance of Students
2.8 Students’
Academic Performance in Nigerian Secondary Schools
2.9 Parental
Educational Status and Students’ Academic Performance
2.10 Parental
Influence on Students’ Academic performance
2.11 Impediments
to Quality Education in the Nigerian Education System
2.12 Parental
Social Standing in the Society
2.13 Review
of Empirical Studies
2.14 Summary
of Reviewed Literature.
CHAPTER
THREE
RESEARCH
METHOD
Introduction
3.1 Research Design
3.2 Population, Sample and Sampling
Techniques
3.3 Research Instrument
3.4 Validity and Reliability of the Study
3.5 Procedure for Data Collection
3.6 Method of Data Analysis
CHAPTER
FOUR
PRESENTATION, ANALYSIS OF DATA AND DISCUSSION
4.0 Introduction
4.1 Demographic
Data
4.2 Hypotheses
Testing
4.3 Summary
of the Findings
4.4 Discussion of the Findings
CHAPTER
FIVE
SUMMARY,
CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS
5.1 Summary
5.2 Conclusions
5.3 Recommendation
REFERENCES
CHAPTER
ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background to the Study
Historically,
all societies usually establish hierarchies, among their members,
social-stratification is universal. Human beings have invented numerous ways to
classify people by wealth, power, prestige, ability, education, occupation:
even through where they live. According to person, Stephanie and Deborah
(2001), socio economic status is an expression which is used to differenciate
between people’s relative status in the community regarding family income,
political power, educational background and occupational status. The academic
performance of a child is usually determined by parental education level,
parental occupational statist and income level (Jeynes, 2002). The term “social
class” originally referred to group of people holding similar roles in the
economic processes of production and exchange such as landowners or tenants,
employers or employees. Such position correspond to different levels of status,
prestige, and access to political power. However, social class eventually took
on a more generic meaning and to refer to all aspects of a person’s rank on the
social hierarchy (Gale Encyclopedia of Public Health, 2002).
Belonging
to social class is generally accompanied by a perception of class identity. In
this sense, social class is not merely a personal attribute, but also a
contextual variable that characterizes a group of people. The shared culture of
a particular class influences, and is influenced by people’s attitude and life
styles. Social class may be ascribed at both as with royalty or nobility, or
with castes in human societies. More commonly, however, a person’s position at
birth is modified by their children’s achievement, typically through education,
occupational, or income. Class can not be measured directly: instead,
indicators of socio-economic status, typically based on educational attainment,
income, wealth, or occupation are used. Education is the best legacy parents
can give to their children, the development of the nation starts from the
family. When the family succeed in teaching and impacting good value to their
children, the country becomes a better country and place to line.
It
is generally believed that the basis for any true development must commence
with the development of human resources and will help to make education a fundamental
development of the nation. This is because the development of any nation or
country depends largely on the quality of education.
A
socio-economic status is a definite background variable that represents a
feature of the social structure in the society (Oakes & Rossi 2003), it is
a fact that families where the parents are privileged educationally, socially
and economically promote a higher level of achievement in their offspring. It
is understood that low socio-economic status of parents may negatively and
depressingly affect students’ academic performance and achievement because due
to low socio-economic status of parents, a student does not have access to
important resources and that generate additional stress and tension at home
(Eamon, 2005), Henyneman (2005) stated that student’s may not show effective
performance in school where parental socio-economic status is low. Saifi and
Mchmood (2011) stated that socio-economic status is a combined measure of
economic and social position of an individual or a family relative to others on
the basis of income, education and occupation. Farooq, Chaudhry, Shafiq and
Berhanu (2011) concluded that the higher level of socio-economic status of
parents is the best indicator which plays a fundamental role in promoting
quality of students’ achievement. In a nutshell, the influence of
socio-economic status of parents on their children’s academic performance
cannot be undermind
Socio-economic
status is the combination of economic and sociological measures of an individual’s
work experience and economic and social position of an individual or family in
relation to others on the basis of income, educational level and occupational
status. For the analysis of a family socio-economic status, the household
income, education of earner and occupation are checked as well combined income
compared with an individual, when their own attributes are assessed.
Socio-economic status is generally divided into two categories i.e., high
socio-economic and low socio-economic, to explain the two aspects, a family
which an individual may fall into, Suleman, Aslam, Shakir, Akhtar, Hussaini
& Akhtar (2012) found that those children whose socio-economic status was
strong are likely to show better academic performance and those with poor socio-economic
status may show poor and unsatisfactory academic performance.
It
is obvious that the students’ performance is a product of some factors such as
gender, intelligence, aptitude and attitude. Inborn traits are organic factor
that sustain other structures. Cultural values, social influence and school
system influence (Adeleke, 2012).
Academic
performance refers to how students deal with their studies and how they cope
with or accomplish different tasks given to them by their teachers. Academic
performance is the ability to study and remember facts and being able to
communicate the facts and knowledge verbally or down on papers. The academic
performance of students may be negatively correlated with the low parental
status or parental socio-economic level as it may prevent individual in gaining
access to sources and resources of learning (Duke, 2000 & Eamon, 2005).
Flegin (2005) reported that in educational institutions, success is measured by
academic performance or how well as student meets the standards set out by the
institution. Performance of students in accounting has not been impressive as
reported by researchers such as Drennan and Rhoda (2010), and the reason for
this needs to be investigated.
Financial
accounting is a business subject offered by students in Nigeria secondary
schools. According to Udoh (2003), financial accounting is a specialized area
of instruction that deals directly with business skills and techniques,
business knowledge and facts, others include business, understanding, economic
understanding, business attitude and appreciation necessary to understand and
adjust to the economic and social institution called “business”. Financial
accounting is a process involving gathering, storing, recording, classifying,
verifying, measuring and summarizing financial transactions and subsequently
interpreting and communicating information the owner and users of accounting
information for decision making.
The
central focus of this research study is Ogun State. Ogun State is a state in
Southwestern Nigeria created in 1976. It borders Lagos State to the state, Oyo
and Osun States to the north, Ondo to the east and the Republic of Benin to the
west. Abeokuta is the capital and largest city in the state. As an indigene and
resident of Abeokuta and for the fact that I attended both my primary and
secondary school in Ogun State constitute the background in which this study on
“parental status and students’ academic performance of senior secondary school
students in accounting in Abeokuta, Ogun State, Nigeria” is based.
1.2 Statement of the Problem
The issue of students’ poor performance in Nigeria
secondary schools in which financial accounting is no exception is very
alarming. Akinsolu (2002) observed that the students performance does not
commensurate with the amount invested in educational sector.
Previous researches show that the students performance
in West African Examination Council (2000) was not encouraging. West African
Senior School Certificate Examination in 1998, 1999 and 2000 revealed 52.48%,
58.38% and 51.21% failure in financial accounting.
The mass failure in financial accounting might be
attributed to many factors such as: poor method of teaching, incompetence on
the part of the teachers, laziness on the part of the students, low socio-economic
status of parents, inadequate time allocated to teaching and learning of
financial accounting, poor E-learning environment and fall in general standard
of education.
1.3 Research Questions
In
line with each specific objectives of the study, answers were sought for the
following research questions.
1.
What is the influence of parental level of
education on secondary school student’s academic performance in financial
accounting in secondary schools in Ogun State, Nigeria?
2.
What is the influence of parental
occupation on secondary school students’ academic performance in financial
accounting in some selected secondary school in Abeokuta?
3.
What is the influence of parental social
standing on secondary school students’ academic performance in financial accounting
in some selected secondary school in Abeokuta Ogun State, Nigeria?
1.4 Research Hypotheses:
The following null
hypotheses were tested in the cause of this study with central focus on
secondary schools.
Main
Hypothesis:
There is no significant difference
between parental status and academic performance of senior school accounting
students, in Ake Abeokuta, Ogun State.
H01: There
is no significant difference between the parental level of education and
students’ academic performance in financial accounting in Abeokuta Ogun state.
H02: There
is no significant difference between the parental profession and student’
academic performance in financial accounting in Abeokuta Ogun State.
H03: There
is no significant difference between the parental social standing and students’
academic performance in financial accounting in Abeokuta Ogun State.
1.5 Purpose of the Study
The
general objective of this work is to assess the influence of parental status on
students’ academic performance in financial accounting in secondary school in
Ogun State Nigeria.
The
specific objectives are to:
1.
Assess the influence of parental level of
education on secondary school students’ academic performance in financial
accounting in some selected secondary schools, in Abeokuta, Ogun State,
Nigeria.
2.
Determine the influence of parental
profession in secondary school students’ academic performance in financial
accounting in Abeokuta Ogun State, Nigeria.
3.
Assess the influence of parental social
standing on secondary school students’ academic performance in financial
accounting in some selected secondary schools in Abeokuta Ogun State, Nigeria.
1.6 Significance of the Study
Findings of this study
will be of immense benefit to teachers, parents, students, and education
authorities. The result will be of benefit to teachers because they will be
able to identify the students from both high and low socio-economic status
based on the parental level of education, parents’ occupational status, and
social standing of the parents of the students and then be able to formulate
and employ the methods suitable for teaching both the students from high and
low socio-economic status.
The study will be of
benefit to parents because it will provide information to them that there
status determines the academic performance of their children, which can make or
mar the academic performance of their children. The information provided will
erase the erroneous belief of blaming the teachers for poor academic
performance of their children.
The findings of the study
will equally be of benefit to students because it will provide information to
them on how socio-economic status of their parents make or mar their academic
performance, and this can be of help to the students that are from the parents
of low socio-economic status to be studious and ambitious for high
socio-economic status in future.
It will also be benefits
to educational authorities such as Ministry of Education and Policy makers in
education sector by using the findings in this study to address the problem of
poor academic performance in financial accounting in Abeokuta Ogun State.
Finally, this study will
contribute to the body of knowledge in general by providing direction to future
researchers who may wish to further their investigation on similar topic.
1.7 Scope of the Study
The
scope of the study was confined to SS II students because they have a full year
to spend and their cumulative record for the whole year could be obtained
compared to SS III that would not spend the whole year in the school. Also,
they were capable of giving thorough explanation to their parents or guardians
on the need to fill the questionnaire especially those parents that were not
educated and they could attach importance to the questionnaire given to them
and return it to school.
The
study was also delimited to 3rd term examination result 2016/17 of
SS II students to assess the performance of students because the 3rd
term result is the average cumulative of first, second and third term and it
will measure actual performance of students in accounting for the whole year.
Why the study was confined to financial accounting is because it is only
offered in secondary school, while cost accounting, managerial accounting are
offered in higher institution of learning. The study was also delimited to
socio-economic status of parent such as educational qualification, occupational
status and social standing.
The
study was limited to commercial classes in senior secondary schools in
Abeokuta south Ogun State because
financial accounting is offered only in commercial classes in senior secondary
schools.
1.8 Definition of Terms
For
the purpose of this study, some important terms as they apply to this work, are
defined below:
Academic
Performance: How well students are doing in their
studies. It is measured by the scores or grades the students get in an
examination.
High
Economic Class: A class whose members are highly
educated, engaged in lucrative jobs, they have access to desirable resources
such as money, goods, and services or personal gratification such as prestige
or respect in the society.
Higher
Education: Education that is above secondary education.
High
social standing: Is the position occupied in the society
because of the title, power and committee membership in community that accords
respect, dignity, and make him to have influence in the society.
Low
Economic Class: Social classes of which members have low
or no education, engaged in blue-collar jobs, have little or no access to
desirable resources such as money, goods and services or personal gratification
such as prestige or respect in the society.
Low
Education: Secondary education and below.
Low
social standing: Is the position occupied in the society
that commands little or no recognition because of low status and does not have
much influence in the society.
Occupation:
Is the activity engaged in by which the person earns a living.
Parent:
Fathers and guardians. In the case of guardians, it can be male or female.
Socio-economic
status: Is generally considered as characteristic of
individuals, contextual measure of social class by level of income, wealth,
occupation, education, economic class, residence and title as rated by the
society where he lives.
Social
Standing: Is the position occupied in the society such as that
of traditional ruler, membership of committee etc. that makes one to perform
social functions and gain recognition in the society.
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