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Full Project – INFLUENCE OF ACADEMIC ENVIRONMENT ON STUDENTS’ ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE

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CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

Background to the Study

Generally in the whole world, particularly in Nigeria, education has been considered to be the corner – stone for development. It forms the basis for literacy, skill acquisition, technological advancement and ability to harness human and material resources towards the achievement of societal goal, (FRN, 2004).

Education is very important in any given society. It is a process by which abilities and capabilities of individual are developed. These abilities might be physical abilities, emotional abilities, social abilities and intellectual abilities. It is the actualizing of human potential so that the individual can become something more than what he was before. According to Ugwuanyi (2003) education is the process by which society establishes to assist the young to learn and understand the heritage of the past, participate productively in the society and contribute meaningfully for the development of the society. Emeka (2008) citing Kneller (2000) sees education as a process by which any society through schools, colleges, universities and other institutions deliberately transmit knowledge, values and skills from one person to another. As a result of deregulation in Nigerian education, the system of education has two main interest groups – public education and private education.

Public education is the pillar or backbone of society which opens the door of equal educational opportunity to all citizens. It is a public owned property which attracts public attention constantly. According to Ukeje in Akpa, Udoh and Faghamiye (2005): Public school is concerned with the acquisition of appropriate skills, abilities and competencies of both mental and physical nature as equipment for the individual to live in this society, and acquisition of a relevant and balanced knowledge of facts about local and world phenomena. (P. 12-13). Public schools can also be seen as those schools controlled neither by individuals nor by private interest or agencies but by those who represent the society as a whole. In other words public schools are those schools which are supported and controlled by the government of the state or nation.

Secondary school is the stage of education following primary school. It is generally the final stage of compulsory education. Webster (2009) sees secondary school as a school intermediate between elementary school and collage usually offering general technical, vocational or college- preparatory course, while Collins (2003) refers to it as a school for young people, usually between the ages of eleven and eighteen. As for the National policy on education (FRN, 2004) it is the form of education children receive after primary education and before the tertiary stage.

In this study, environment includes all the external condition and influences in the school that affect the academic achievement of the student such as laboratory equipment, library facilities, qualified teachers, furniture, school building, good administrative management, teacher pupil relationship and school location among others. Environment for the purpose of this work can be divided into two parts home environment and academic environment.

Environment can be defined as a system within which living organisms interacts with the physical element while education environment is a learning place where the learner learn and interact with learning facilities in order to be socialized and face the challenges in the society. Agusiegbe (2004) sees environments as consisting of all elements existing around man and which exert some influence on him. These include physical, biological and social attributes. Environment can also be seen as aggregate of all the external condition and influence affecting the life and development of an organism.

The academic environment, which include the classroom, libraries, technical workshops, laboratories, as well as teachers effectiveness and school management etc are variables that affect students’ academic performance (Ajayi, 2008). Hence, the academic environment remains an important area that should be studied and well managed to enhance students’ academic performance.

However, the issue of poor academic performance of students in public secondary schools has been of major concern to the government, parents, teachers and even the students themselves. The quality of education is not only on the teacher as it reflected in the performance of their duties, but also in the effective coordination of the academic environment (Ajao, 2008). Teachers and students are essential in teaching learning process. The extent to which students learn could depend on the location within the school compound, the structure of the classroom, availability of instructural facilities and accessories. It is believed that a well planned school will gear up expected outcomes of education that will facilitate good social, political and economic that are geared towards effective teaching and learning process and academic performance of students.

Classroom environment aspect of instructional space school facilities were significantly related to students’ academic performance in schools. The three researchers also quoted (Glassman, 2010), asserting that a comfortable and carrying environment among other treatments helped to contribute to students’ academic performance.

The physical characteristics of the school have a variety of effects on teachers, students and learning process, poor lighting, noise, high level or carbon dioxide in classrooms, and inconsistent temperature make teaching and learning difficult. Poor maintenance and ineffective ventilation system lead to poor health among students as well as teachers, which lead to poor academic performance and higher absentee rates (Frazier, 2010) (Nylon, 2011) and (Ostentort, 2008). These factors can adversely affect student’s behaviour and lead to higher levels of frustration among poor learning attitude among students.

However, the direct effect those poor facilities have on students’ ability to learn, the combination of poor facilities, which create an uncomfortable and uninviting workplace for teachers, combined with frustrating behaviour by students including poor concentration and higher activity, lethargy or apathy, creates a stressful set of working conditions and common pre-cursors to lowered teachers’ enthusiasm, it is possible that the aforementioned characteristics of school facilities have effect upon the academic performance of the students.

Statement of the Problem

Emphasizing the importance of academic environment to students’ academic performance, academic environment is an essential aspect of educational planning unless schools are well suited, buildings are adequately utilized and teaching aid are being provided to aid students understanding and bring about better academic performance.

The high levels of students’ academic performance may not be guaranteed where instructional space such as classrooms, libraries, technical workshops and laboratories are structurally defective. However, little is known on the Influence of academic environment on students’ academic performance in Ilorin West Local Government Area.

However, problems with students’ teacher ratio, school population, class ventilation poor lighting in the classroom and inconsistent temperature in the classroom with, students health problems have been studied before. To complement these studies, therefore, the present research effort will examine the school location, school facilities, class size as variables and how they can affect student academic performance in public secondary schools of Ilorin West Local Government Area.

Research Questions

The following research questions have been generated to guide the conduct of the study;

What is the influence of academic environment on students’ academic performance in Ilorin West?
Is there any difference in the influence of academic environment on students’ academic performance as perceived by teachers on the basis of gender?
Is there any difference in the influence of academic environment on students’ academic performance as perceived by teachers on the basis of qualification?
Is there any difference in the influence of academic environment on students’ academic performance as perceived by teachers on the basis of years of teaching experience?

Research Hypotheses

The following research hypotheses have been formulated to guide the conduct of the study:

There is no significant difference in the influence of academic environment on students’ academic performance on the basis of gender.
There is no significant difference in the influence of academic environment on students’ academic performance on the basis of qualification.
There is no significant difference in the influence of academic environment on students’ academic performance on the basis of teaching experience.

Purpose of the Study

The purpose of this study is to investigate the Influence of Academic environment on Students’ Academic performance in Ilorin West Local Government Area.

Significance of the Study

It is hoped that this study would provide information for parents, educators, school administrators, Government, counselors and the society at large to reflect upon various factors that help students in achieving their academic goals. In so doing, they can investigate the possibility of introducing those factors to their school, which may consequently lead to enhancing students’ educational outcomes in schools. In addition, the fact that this study is conducted in public schools, it shares quite a lot of similarities with many other counterparts. In this connection, this study provides a valuable reference for other schools to reflect upon the academic environment as it affect the academic performance of students in secondary schools.

Academic environment includes the school building workshop, library, laboratory, playing field and the school surrounding which has great effect on students’ academic performance.

This particular study is of great significance because the result of the study would reveal to educational managers/administrators, principals and teacher’s in Ilorin west local government area of Kwara state, the true effect of academic environment on students academic performance among public secondary schools students’

The study is also significance, because it is likely to open and broaden the minds of the government to the role they need to play in ensuring the provision of the necessary facilities needed in the schools environment that can enhance teaching and learning process and aid better academic performance to the students.

Scope of the Study

This research work focuses on influence of academic environment on students’ academic performance in 23 public secondary schools in Ilorin West Local Government Area, Kwara State. However, this study was limited to 10 out of 23 selected public secondary schools in Ilorin West Local Government Area, Kwara State. Two hundred respondents took part in the study, who were randomly selected. The t-test and analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to analyse the data collected for the study. A self-developed questionnaire titled “Influence of Academic environment on Students’ Academic Performance Questionnaire” (ISESAPQ) was used for the study

Operational Definition of Terms

Student Academic Performance: Academic achievement represents performance outcomes that indicate the extent to which a person has accomplished specific goals that were the focus of activities in instructional environments, specifically in school, college and university.

Academic environment: A academic environment is defined as a school having appropriate facilities, well-managed classrooms, available school-based health supports, and a clear, fair disciplinary policy. There are many hallmarks of the academic, disciplinary, and physical environments of schools with a positive climate.

Influence: The capacity or power of persons or things to be a compelling force on or produce effects on the actions, behavior, opinions, etc., of others: the action or process of producing effects on the actions, behavior, opinions, etc., of another or others: a person or thing that exerts influence

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