CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1            Background of the Study

It is a known and widely accepted fact that environmental influences have always contributed positively or negatively to the success or failure of the students in school. The success or failure in academic achievement does not always depend entirely on the intellectual endowment of the students but also on a number of other variables. Environmental influences appear to form a cluster of challenges to the educational progress or attainment of learned in their attempt to learn.

Environmental influences could be physical or otherwise but the most concerned or important aspect as far as this study is concerned is that students performance to a significant extent are grossly pre-determined by the contribution of the environment they find themselves. This in reality means that the era of putting blames and counter blames on the teacher as the sole reason for poor performance in academic is over.The current research work conducted by expert to find out certain information on the place of other factors that have much to do with environmental influences. Environmental influenceson the context of this study and by its definition include everything surrounding the learners; studying ability that are not directly or indirectly controlled or determined by the learner.

Furthermore, if a close observation is made about how certain influence in our environment affect education, one will not only be forced to believe the negative trend but accept the fact that there is need to accord a second thought at the interplay between Environmental influences and student’s academic performance in most of our core school subjects including English. Federal Government in 2004 stated in the National policy on Education that the aim of education is to inculcate in the child, the spirit of inquiring and creativity through the exploration of nature. But this can only be attained and made possible when other things like Environmental influences are incorporated into curriculum and instruction of the school. However, but the study took a look at the most obvious ones which tend to cause major upset to the students academic performance particularly in Englishas a subject in secondary schools. This study is therefore aimed at investigating the effect of environmental influences such as the school location, parents, income, parents’ occupation and peer group on academic performance of English.

1.2            Statement of the Problem

Paying too much attention to intellectual endowment of the students by the teachers and parents a like has been one of the most cited problems not only in English as a core subject but in all learnable courses or subjects in the school. stakeholders in education including teachers themselves have always been ignorant of the fact that there are other independent variables that could afford students opportunity to learn well and also improve upon their performances. No one seems to bother to find out aside from the students themselves whether other influences from the environment could post a challenge to their performance.

On the other hands, some educators have attributed to the problem of poor academic performance to the believe that many English teachers in our secondary schools may not be teaching English,the way they should. This could be that the teachers were not well prepared in their institutions of training or they lack the ability to select appropriate instructional material that contain information on other variable that could promote effectiveness and efficiency in their teaching. It could also be that English students and their teachers could not reach an agreement on alternatives that could be considered to be responsible for their poor academic performance. These are some of the circumstances or questions that have necessitated this study on Environmental influences and students academic performance in English.

1.3            Purpose of the Study

The study aimed at investigating the effect of Environmental influences on students’ academic performance in English in Junior secondary schools. Specifically, the study aimed at the following in the academic performance of students in English based on school location. Specifically, the study aimed at the following objectives.

1. 1.                  To assess the difference in the academic performance of students in English  based on school location
2. 2.                 To examine the difference in the academic performance of studentsEnglish based on parents’ income.
3. 3.                 To ascertain the difference in the academic performance of students in English based on the parent’s occupation.
4. 4.                 To determine the difference in the academic performance of the student in English based on peer group.

1.4            Significant of the Study

This research work will be significant and of great benefit to all and sundry both in the academic environment and the secular society. It will also help everyone particularly parents and guardians to appreciate the need to consider the variables in addition to personal intellectual endowment when mounting blames on their children or wards for poor academic performance.

The finding will equally encourage teachers and parents to accord their students and children a better and conducive learning environment having known those environmental influences. The research work will also be of benefit to students who may want to undertake further research on this or related topic in future. The findings equally improve the students, academic performance in English as they will come to understand that certain environmental influences could either mar or make education.

Finally, it will further broaden the minds of people in general about the contribution of other environmental variables in relation to academic performance

1.5            Research Questions

The study sought answers to the following research questions.

1. To what extent does school location influence academic performance of students in English in SECONDARY SCHOOLS?
2. To what extent does parents’ income influence academic performance of students in English in SECONDARY SCHOOLS?
3. How does parents’ occupation influence students academic performance in English in SECONDARY SCHOOLS?
4. To what extent does the presence of social peer groupeffect academic performance of students in English in SECONDARY SCHOOLS?

1.6            Research Hypothesis

The following research hypothesis were formulated to guide this study.

1. There is no significant difference in the academic performance of students in English based on the school location
2. There is no significant difference in the academic performance of students in English based on the parents; income
3. There is no significance difference in the academic performance of students in English academic performance of students in English based on the parents’ occupation.
4. There is no significant difference in the academic performance of students in English based on the presence of peer group.

1.7            Basic Assumptions

The following assumptions underlie the study. The study took into consideration the environmental influences such as school location, parents income, parents’ occupation and the presence of social group. These variables when critically examined will go to a large extent to improve the academic performance of English students in SECONDARY SCHOOLS.

Furthermore, careful selection of the above variable prove the expected workability of the research work in anticipation.

1.8            Delimitation of the Study

This study was restricted to English students in Junior Secondary II (public) within Ibadan South West Local Government Area and only ten (10) schools were selected for the study. The study was on environmental influences such as school location, parents’ income, parents’ occupation and the presence of social group on students’ academic performance in English.

1.9            Limitation of the Study

The general belief in the process of writing research of this nature is that, limitations are likely to occur. Poor access to the ten schools selected as a result of bad road network in the area posed a big challenge. Another limitation was respondents attitude to the questionnaireadministered only 95 respondents actually carried out the assignment and returned the work.

1.10       Definition of Terms

The flowing terms are defined in the context of this research study:

Environmental Influences: this refers to external conditions surrounding the learner that pose challenges in the course of learning. These conditions can help improve or retard academic performance of the learner.

Academic Performance: it refers to the score that a student obtains from researcher made English Achievement Test (SSAT). It is a failure grade from E to F9 and a pass grade from A1 to D7.