ABSTRACT
The
study investigated the school population and students academic performance of
universal basic schools in Ilorin South Local Government Area, Kwara State.
The
study adopted descriptive research design, the population for this study
consisted teachers of all basic schools selected. Ten junior secondary school
teachers were selected in sampled school using proportional sampling
techniques. Research instrument used were two set of questionnaire, the first
questionnaire tagged school population and second question was profoma which
indicated the performance of student in English language and Mathematics
of basic schools between year 2014 t0
2016 academic years.
Two
research questions were raised in this study and analysed with percentage while
hypotheses generated were tested with Pearson Product Moment Correlation at
0.05 level of significance.
Findings
revealed that there was significant relationship between school population and
students academic performance in Ilorin South Local Government Area, Kwara
State.
On
the basis of findings, it was recommended that government should establish a policy which would control number
of student in the class in order to improve teacher’s job performance and
population of the school should be manageable and commensurate with available
resources while existing vacancy should be determinant factors of the numbers
of children to be adminitted and placed on school enrollment in each school.
TABLE OF CONTENT
TITLE
PAGE i
CERTIFICATION ii
DEDICATION iii
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT iv
ABSTRACT vi
TABLE
OF CONTENT vii
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION 1
Background to the Study 1
Statement of Problem 8
Purpose of the Study 9
Research Questions 10
Research Hypotheses 10
Main Hypotheses 11
Operational Hypothesis 11
Scope of the Study 11
Significance of the Study 12
Operational Definition of Terms 14
CHAPTER TWO
Literature Review 15
Concept of Universal Education 15
Concept of School Population 18
Factors Affecting School Population 22
Effects of school Population 25
Concept of students’ Academic Performance 28
Appraisal of Literature Reviewed 31
CHAPTER THREE
Research Design 33
Population Sample and Sampling Techniques 34
Instrumentation
34
Procedure for Data Collection 36
Method of Data Analysis 36
CHAPTER
FOUR
Hypotheses Testing 42
Operational Hypotheses 43
CHAPTER
FIVE
Conclusion 48
Recommendations 49
REFERENCES 50
QUESTIONNAIRE 55
CHAPTER
ONE
INTRODUCTION
Background to the Study
Basic
education is the bedrock of any meaningful and result oriented educational
system. Hence, the priority and attention it draws from successive governments
in Nigeria cannot be over emphasized. In the missionary and colonial era,
education was effectively utilized as an instrument of evangelism and
administration which was attained through the 3- R curriculum i.e (Arithmetic,
writing and religion). According to Fafunwa (1998), the curriculum was reviewed
and implemented through ordinances in line with the prevailing change and
uniformity. Nigeria at independence inherited education handed down by the
colonial masters as well as the Christian missionaries (Babarinde, 2005 and
Adaralegbe 2002).
According to Babarinde (2005) and Adaralegbe (2002), the school
curriculum (primary to tertiary) needed reform in order to build a more
realistic, virile and united country after the devastating civil war, prior to
Nigeria independence, education during missionaries, was received with
conditionality which included conversion to christianity among others and this
singularly deprived children or other faithful of western education. In
summary, only children and wards of the christian converted for the low
enrolment in the schools for fear of Christianization and westernization.
Although, the involvement of colonial administration in the establishment and
funding of schools brought succor to the needy children as they head access to
western education, teaming number of parent still expressed mixed feeding and
fears about their faith being marginalized and suppressed by the european
religion.
This scenario of low enrolment in schools in both cities and
rural areas of country continued unabated with the eventual exist of the
colonial masters and indigenization of political administration in educational
system. According to Fafunwa (2006), the successive military government
(1966-1979), intensified effort through several sensitization programmes and
policies to improve enrolment in school. Fafunwa (2006) reported that free primary
education programmes established in the defunct western region was replicated
in some states in northern Nigeria by providing school uniforms, textbooks and
exercise books, powder milk and some other school essentials in order to
attract school age children to school. Similarly, (Ijaiya 2013) in educational
lecture class observed that the strategy of free education in primary and post
primary schools increased enrolment in the schools dramatically.
School
population is a dynamic phenomenon in education hence empirical evidence would
go doing way to minimize the menace of educational development in Nigeria.
Studies in school population abound, therefore the present study would be
additional information that could promote enviable standard in universal basic
school.
In furtherance
of the United Nations declaration on literacy, Nigerian government pursued
vigorously and funded primary education through the introduction of Universal
Primary Education (U.P.E) in 1976 under the leadership of General Olusegun
Obasanjo of primary schools in nearly all communities in the country and
supported with coordinated campaigns, jingles and consultation, the enrolment
in primary schools increased geometrically. Adeshina (1986) reported that the
enrolment in primary schools in Nigeria rose from over a million to over twelve
million pupils in 1976 when Universal Primary Education program brought all
school age children to school. He also concluded that the period was the
beginning of a new era in school enrolment in Nigeria.
Although, Universal Primary Education and its flows was one
of the gigantic educational program of the century, and remains as a remarkable
and giant stride that overturned the fortune of the industry. Bolajoko (2001)
remarked that inadequate planning, over bloated data and corruption are some of
the factors that contributed to the short comings of the program and concluded
that its contributions to educational development remain memorable.
Annually, millions of Nigeria children enrolled in schools
and school patronage yearly in line with the annual increase in the country
population. Nigeria with a population of over 150 million and annual projection
of 2.2% , the country’s infrastructures including schools will continue to over
stretched today, the demand for education (primary tertiary) is increasing and
grossly inadequate to meet the yearning of Nigeria. Although, the involvement
of private organization and administration and individual in the establishment,
funding and administration of school have immense impacts on provision of
education for needy children but private schools exorbitant fees and charges
deprive sizeable number of children from patronizing them. Therefore, the
exiting government owned primary schools where minimal fees are paid, record
high patronage and subsequent over-stretching of the facilities.
Adeshina (2004) emphasizes that the issue of over population
dates back to 1980s and early 1990 and several attempts were made to check the
escalating enrolment to the public school in Nigeria, and these strategies
varied form states. In some metropolitan cities and towns like Lagos, Ibadan,
Ilorin etc. more schools were established and sited in a strategic areas in
order to de – congest the existing one (Adegunduro, 1998 and Salami, 2001).
According to them critics opined that although the infrastructures like
classrooms were far below standard, the over populated schools were decongested
which was the primary objectives of establishing the schools.
Similarly, Fashiku (2006) reported that some states in the
country introduced shifting system to minimize the menace of overpopulation and
this policy allowed school to operate morning and afternoon section. According
to him, the number of hours spent in school was reduce order to accommodate the
afternoon classes designed to cater for other arms and classes stated for the
section. Also the critics and opinions it did not spare the policy and
conducted that attention span of children is low in the afternoon which may
result in poor academic performance.
Successive government in the affected states including Kwara
abolished shifting system, and established more schools built new classrooms
and rehabilitated dilapidated one and also employ more teachers as an
alternative to minimize over population in schools (Abdullah, 2004). The
government’s strides according to him reduce congestions in schools and
learning condition improved considerably. This has also led to the creation of
school A and B that we have in our primary school today.
However, there are still schools with high population while
some have manageable size depending on the location of the schools. The school
in the towns may still record high enrolment in the towns may still record high
enrolment in view of rural-urban drift while those in rural area contend with
low enrolment. The school enrolment, no doubt have immense impacts on the
school lone including teachers productivity, pupils academic performance, class
management etc. hence the government annual budget committed to upgrading the
infrastructures in school is desirable, it is on this not therefore that this
study attempts to examine school population on primary school pupils academic
performance vis a vis Basic school pupils in Ilorin South Local Government
Area.
Statement of Problem
It is observed that academic performance of students of basic
schools is decreasing as a result of unqualified and incompent teachers, in
appropriate classroom management the size of class enrolment also contributed
to the decreasing performance of pupils/students and these can be curs when
competent teachers are introduced, when manageable class size are available in
the context studies such as Salami
(2001) and Ijaiya (2007) have carried out teacher productivity and class
population which concluded that
manageable class size are more effective in their professional duties than
those with large class size but none of them have carried a study on the school
population and students academic performance of basic schools in Ilorin South
Local Government Area, Kwara state.
Purpose of the Study
The major purpose of the study is to examine the relationship
between school population and students academic performance of universal basic
schools in Ilorin South Local Government Area, Kwara State.
Specifically the purposes are;
1. To investigate the relationship between
large class size and students academic performances in the selected universal
basic schools in Ilorin South Local Government Area of Kwara State
2. To investigate the relationship between
the students population and their academic performance in Ilorin South Local
Government Area of Kwara State.
3. To
find out the influence of teachers qualifications and studies academic performance of universal
basic schools in Ilorin South Local Government Area Kwara State.
Research Questions
1- What is the relationship between large
class size and the students’ academic performance in Ilorin South
2- What is the level of pupils enrolment in
schools in Ilorin south local government Area, kwara state.
Research Hypotheses
The following research
hypotheses are formulated to guide the study
Main Hypotheses
Ho: There is no significant relationship
between school population and students’ academic performance in Ilorin south
Local Government Area Kwara State.
Operational
Hypothesis
Ho1: There is no significant relationship
between large class size and students academic performance of in Ilorin South
Local Government Area Kwara State
Ho2: There is no significant relationship
between small class size and students’ academic performance in Ilorin South
local Government Area Kwara State
Scope of the Study
The study focuses on school population and students’ academic
performance of universal basic schools in Ilorin South Local Government Area
Kwara State. However, it will be limited to only 10 basic schools out of basic
schools in Ilorin South.
The main instruments to be used will be researcher’s designed
questionnaire tagged.
Significance of the
Study
The significance of the
study include but not limited to the following:
It will serve as
an eye opener for the curriculum planner on how a befitting basic school
curriculum can be formed to cater for the size and population of the students
to enhance students academic in Ilorin South
It will also
sensitize the government as well as private schools proprietors on the number
of students expected in a class so that learning can take place
Not only that
they will also be enlightened more on the normal size of class to be erected in
schools to cater for the students population in Ilorin South Local Government
This study no
doubt will serve as a guide and as an embodied body of knowledge to the
upcoming researchers in schools and universities. To cap it all, students of
educational department will derive an immeasurable benefit from the findings.
Similarly the findings would assist the government in
allocation of fund during the annual budget to required department and
agencies. Also school administrators would be quick
in their decision on provision of learning and teaching materials, allocation
of teachers to classes and other prevailing issues.
In addition the finding would guide the class and subject
teachers in the choice of appropriate teaching approaches depending on the
number of students in the class because selection of the effective
(pedagogical) steps in prerequisite for effective teaching learning process.
Also the learners’ world is informed on the merit and demerits of class
population with a view to adapting appropriately to the prevailing situation.
Furthermore, the findings would be an effective tool required
by school proprietors to operate a viable and result oriented school system in
view of the role of population in achievement drive of institution of learning.
Operational Definition
of Terms
School Population: this refers to the number of students
in the school. It will be measured by large class size and level of student
enrolment.
Large classroom: An average of 50 and above pupils in a
class.
Enrolment:- This refers to the actual number of students admitted in a
particular year
Students Academic
Performance: This is
student’s learning outcome in both English and mathematics in public
examination.
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