The Influence of Family Variable on Academic Performance of Pupils

THE INFLUENCE OF FAMILY VARIABLE ON ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE OF PUPILS

 

ABSTRACT

This study was on family variables and pupils’ academic performance in primary school social studies in Nsit Ibom Local Government Area. The population for the study was 3500 primary two pupils. A sample of 200 pupils was randomly selected from ten primary schools in the study area. Three research hypotheses were formulated to guide the study. The instrument for data collection was the questionnaires (FVPAPPS). The statistical tool was the independent t-test. The findings revealed that family variables have significant influence on the academic performance of pupils. The following recommendations were made that parents should always raise a sizable number of children they would be able to cater for their educational needs and their welfare. The study concluded that socio-economic status of parents determines the types of school the child will go.

 

The Influence of Family Variable on Academic Performance of Pupils

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1    Background to the Study 

Every parent wants his or her child to do well in school parents expect their children to imbibe acceptable norms, value and attitude of the society, the society generally expect its citizenry to be loyal and educated. This is why the (NPE 2002) has among its aims to inculcate the right type of values and attitudes in the child. The school is a mirror of the society and parents depend upon the school to make their children where they are supposed to be.

Many Nigerians, government, educationist and the public alike are deeply worried over the problem of poor performance in school as reported in the 2005 Joint Admission and matriculation Board Examination result (Jams, 2005), they argued that if the issue of poor performance in Nigerians schools is left unchecked, the aim and objectives of education would perpetually remain an illusion.

However, the blame of this poor performance and lower achievement is place only on the4 school (Albert, 2012). It is necessary to realize that the school is not the only agency for the education of the education of the child. Home or family variables equally plays significant role and there is family. School relationship as stipulated in family- school relationship model.

According to Ryan and Adams (2010), it is within the family that the child acquires and organizes his first experience and then move to his school for his secondary experience. One question often addressed focuses on children’s academic success and the effectiveness of the school and the family in assisting intellectual development of the child.

As community, leaders, reaches and parents become more involved in their children academic growth, there is increased consideration of how the parents and school have unique and interacting influences. It is intending and explicitly clear that poor achievement of some pupils may not entirely be attributed to the school environment alone. It is generally acknowledged that family variable is the most powerful influence in deterring a child academic performance (Ceci 2014). This is as a result of the confusing situation that prompted the researcher to carry out this study.

The interest of the researcher therefore is in determining if parents’ socio-economic status, parents academic level and family size, have similar or different predictable influence on primary school pupils academic performance in social studies.  It is based on this premise that the researcher decides to carryout the study titled, family variable and pupils’ academic performance in primary school social studies in Nsit Ibom Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State. The question therefore is how does family variables. Influence primary school pupils; academic performance in social studies in Nsit Ibom Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State.

 

The Influence of Family Variable on Academic Performance of Pupils

1.2 Statement of the Problem

Most families in our society seems not to give adequate attention to    the education of their children it often appears some of the parents have the erroneous notion that the performance of the child, especially in social studies rest squarely on the teachers only. Some even do not care much about the performance of their children in social studies. In the light of this, they do not seem to fulfill their roles of guidance and encouragement in their child’s academic performance in social studies.

Some people have the notion that the mass failure or success in school could be traced back to family issues or variables like parental educational level, socio-economic status, and family size among other variables. It is rudely recognized that many other factors seem to b e involved in the child’s academic performance in social studies based on this premise.

The major problem facing the researcher is to examine the influence of family variables on primary school pupil’s academic performance in social studies in Nsit Ibom Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State.

 

1.3 Objectives of the Study

The main objective of the study is to examine the influence of family variable on academic performance, of pupils in Nsit Ibom Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State. Specifically, the study intends to determine whether?

• Pupils from high socio-economic status family differ significantly from pupils of low socio-economic status
• Pupils with educated parents differ significantly from pupils with uneducated parents in their academic performance in social studies.
• Pupils from large family differ significantly from pupils from small family in their academic performance.

 

1.4 Significance of the Study

This study when computed will be great benefit to both the educational planners, parents, teachers and the general public.

1. To the parents they will make parents to be aware of the influence of their home background on their children negatively or positively.
2. The study also features the essential achievement made by family as result of good performance recorded by the family harness as a factor that can improve students teaching and learning.
3. Another justification of this study deemed necessary for the parents is to give their children the positive insight and supportive roles, they should play at home.
4. The study will also help the educational administrators in the system to plan their academic program that will benefit the Nigeria child.

The Influence of Family Variable on Academic Performance of Pupils

1.5 Research Questions 

      The following research question were posed to guide the study,

1. To what extent does a pupil from upper socio-economic status family differ from those of lower socio-economic status family in their academic achievement?
2. To what extent does a pupil with educated parents differ from those with uneducated parents in their academic performance?
3. To what extent does a pupil from large family differ from those from small family in their academic performance?

1.6 Research Hypotheses

       The following hypotheses were formulated for the purpose of this study to be realized:

• There is no significant different between academic performances of pupils from upper socio-economic status family and pupils from lower socio-economic status family.
• There is no significant different between academic performances of pupils with educated parents and pupils with uneducated parents.
• There is no significant difference between academic performance of pupils from large family size and pupils from small family size.

 

 

1.7 Limitation of the Study

There are many primary schools in Nsit Ibom Local Government Area, but this study was limited to Ten (10) public primary schools only. The population of primary school pupils is relatively large. As such, the sample size was limited to 200 respondents within the study Area. The researcher encountered financials constraints, insufficient time and merge the research work with assignment, term paper, lectures and other extra-curricular activities.

 

1.8 Definition of Terms

  The following terms will be used in the study as they are operational defined.

• Family variables: There are home factors when in one way or the other affect ones’ life. In this study, it includes socio-economic status, parental educational level and family size.
• Academic performance: This is defined in this study as the assigned grades attained by pupils in a test of pupils achievement in school.
• Socio-economic status: This is defined in this context as the amount of money, materials goods are posses, self-esteem, prestige and social acceptability of are in the society.
• Family size: This is defined in this study as the number of children or relatives present in the family.
• Family: This is a group consisting of two
• Parents (father and mother) and their children living together as a unit.
• Large family: This is a family with more than three children.
• Small family: This is a family with less than three children.