Family Types and Pupils Academic Achievement in Social Studies

FAMILY TYPES AND PUPILS ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT IN SOCIAL STUDIES

 

ABSTRACT

The research on family types and pupils’ academic achievement in Social Studies was conducted in Nsit Ibom Local Government Area. Two thousand, four hundred and seventy-four (2,474) primary five pupils formed the population for the study. A simple random sampling technique was used to select 100 respondents for the study. Two research questions and their corresponding hypotheses were formulated to guide the study. Pupil’s performance in First Terminal Examination in Social Studies was obtained from the four sampled schools and used for the study as the major instrument. The scores of pupils obtained from those schools were analyzed using independent t-test statistics.

The results indicated that there is a significant difference between academic achievement of pupils from monogamous and polygamous family in Social Studies. It equally reveled that there is a significant difference between academic achievement of pupils from single parents and double parent’s family in Social Studies. The study therefore recommended among others that parents should devote more of their time to the upholding of their children by providing academic imperative like textbooks, good nutrition, writing materials etc to ensure effective learning and academic achievement of their wards irrespective of family type. The study finally concluded that family type is a significant factor influencing the academic achievement of primary school pupils in Social Studies.

 

Family Types and Pupils Academic Achievement in Social Studies

 

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1    Background to the study

Over the years, many educational authorities have sought to find out the reasons for the downward trend in the academic achievement of primary school pupils. Daramola (2014) attributed it to the pupil’s background that is, the type of home environment where the child is raised. He stressed that the environmental condition and the nature of social interaction that goes on in the family may have some positive or negative influence on the academic achievement of a child. Daramola (2014) further started that the factors affecting a child’s educational achievement include the occupational status of the parents the attitude of parents to their children’s education, and the values transmitted by the parents.

In Nigeria like in other countries in Africa, two family types are recognized and they form legal part of living. The two dominant family types are monogamy and polygamy. Children from either of these families or family background are believed to differ in their academic achievement as a result of variant conditions they experience which could be an indicator for high or low academic performance. The social interaction as well as environmental condition that exist in a family is known by scholars to have positive and negative effect on the academic achievement of a child (Ali, 2012). The emotional stability of pupils from either of these families is a precondition to their academic condition.

Wilkins (2016) noted that in monogamous family, both parents show active interest in what their child is doing at school. They also encourage his reading habits, and this enables their children to have obvious advantage over their peers from polygamous families. He further noted that the child from a polygamous family may have just few textbooks, while the child from monogamous family may have almost all the books recommended at school. In polygamous families also, it may be the mother’s responsibility to see that the children do their home work, provide them with materials need for academic work and, in most cases, manage to pay the children’s fees. This is contrary to what happens in the monogamous families.

The family, being a powerful influence on the child and its importance as a primary agent of socialization could in no doubt enhance or hinder the academic achievement of the child in social studies depending on the social climate in the family. Variance in psycho-social emotional fortification in the monogamy and polygamy family background could be an indicator to high or low academic achievement of pupils in social studies. Research on this aspect has not been exhaustively looked into in Nigeria where the two types of family system is actively practiced bearing in mind the intervening effect of high and low social-economic status and emotions stability of pupils which is a pre-requisite to including social studies (Adebule, 2014).

Ekpo (2016), asserted that the responsibility of training a child always is in the hands of the parents. This is congment with the common assertion of sociologist that education can be an instrument of culture change which is being taught from home. It places to imagine that family types of parents can have some effects on the academic achievement of children in school.

What over affect the family of the learners would possibly affect their education or disposition to it family type of the learners is one of such variables. Amalo (2017), posited that the nature of family from which a child belongs have a lot of influence on the general life pattern of the child as well as academic achievement in school. It is in the light of the foregoing that this study seeks to investigate the influence of family types on pupils’ academic achievement in social studies in Nsit Ibom Local Government Area.

 

Effect of family background to students’ academic achievement education essay

1.2    Statement of the Problem

It is a known fact that pupil’s academic achievement is largely influenced by the family life and family relationships. As such, the problem of this study is pupil’s academic achievement in social studies in primary schools. It has been observed that academic achievement of pupils in this core subject has been poor.

Also, pupil’s well-being in school as an institution of learning continues to depend on the quality of family interactions. But most parents do not give their wards positive interaction that will help them in building their self concepts and academic achievement in school. This explains why many pupils are not bold enough to contribute and participate during class activities.

Considering the power influence of the family on the child and its importance as a primary agent of socialization, there is no doubt that the academic achievement of the child can be enhanced or hindered depending on the social climate in the family. It appears that many people have not yet recognized that their family type has a great impact on their children’s academic achievement. It was based on the above fact that this study was carried out to determine how family types (monogamous, polygamous, single parent and double family) influence people academic achievement in social studies in Nsit Ibom Local Government Area.

 

1.3    Purpose of the Study

The general purpose of the study was to investigate the influence of family types on pupil’s academic achievement in social studies in Nsit Ibom Local Government Area. Specifically, the objectives of the study were:

1. To find out the influence of monogamous and polygamous family on academic achievement of pupil’s in social studies.
2. To examine the influence of single-parent and double-parents family on academic achievement of pupils in social studies.

1.4    Research Questions

The following research questions were formulated to guide the study:

1. To what extent does academic achievement of pupils from monogamous family differ from that of polygamous family in social studies?
2. To what extent does academic achievement of pupils from single-parent family differ from double parent’s family in social studies?

Relationship between family background and academic performance of secondary schools students

1.5    Research Hypotheses

The following null hypotheses were formulated for the study.

1. There is no significant difference between academic achievement of pupils from monogamous and polygamous family in Social Studies.
2. There is no significant difference between academic achievement of pupils from single parents and double parent’s family in Social Studies.

 

1.6    Significance of the Study

The research on the family types and pupil’s academic achievement in social studies is significant because of the following:

1. It would help parents to develop their children with positive attitude that will help them to have positive self concept both in school and at home irrespective of family type.
2. The findings of this study would reveal to teachers and parents the effect of the social climate at home and its impact on pupil’s academic performance.
3. The outcomes of the study would also aid parents to provide conducive learning environment at home for pupil’s learning to enhance better academic achievement of their wards.
4. Finally, results of the findings would assist teachers to adequately act as “loco-parents” and as counselors to pupils while in school to boost in them positive pupil’s self concepts that will help to promote their academic achievement in many school subjects.

 

1.7    Delimitation of the Study

This study was restricted to family types and academic achievement of pupils in social studies in Nsit Ibom Local Government Area. Among the variables related to family types, only monogamous, polygamous, single-parents and double parents families were include in the study.

1.8    Limitation of the Study

This study had some limitation that was unavoidable. The problem to transportation was encountered by the researcher in course of getting information from pupils in primary schools included in the study.

Also, the researcher was confronted with lack of enough financial resources to help expand the dimension of the study. The time given for the completion and submission of the project could not permit for a wider coverage and more in-depth into the problem situation.

 

1.9    Definition of Terms

Family: A family is a group of people who live together. They share the house work and take care of one another.

Family Type: As viewed in this study refers to the type of family which a pupil finds his or herself such as monogamous, polygamous, single-parents and double-parent families.

Monogamous Family: This is a family consisting of father, mother and children.

Polygamous Family: This is a family consisting of father and more than one wife as well as their children.

Single-Parent Family: This is a family where only father or mother is caring for the children in the family.

Double-Parent Family: This is a family where the pupil is in the care of both the father and mother.

Academic Achievement: This is refers to the score of exhibited ability of pupils in school test, examination and other related activities in the school.

Social Studies: This is the studies of man and his physical environment.