Impact of Socio-economic Background on Secondary School Students’ Academic Achievement

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

The duty for training a child is always the parent’s. This is consistent with sociologists’ widespread claim that education may be used as a tool for cultural change when taught at home. It is not implausible to believe that a parent’s economic background may have an influence on a child’s intellectual ability in school. Whatever influences children’s growth environment may have an effect on their education or propensity toward it. One of these criteria is parental status. When a woman’s nutritional health improves, her young children’s nutrition also improves (Ogunshola & Adewale, 2012).

Parents from different socioeconomic strata frequently have disparate approaches to child upbringing, disparate methods of punishing their children, and disparate responses to their children. These distinctions do not manifest themselves consistently in every family; rather, they impact the average inclinations of families belonging to various occupational groups (Rothestein, 2004). The house has a significant impact on the psychological, emotional, social, and economic development of a child. According to Ajila & Olutola (2000), the status of the house has an effect on the person since parents are the primary socializing agents in the child’s life. This is because a child’s familial background and environment have an effect on how he responds to life circumstances and on his degree of performance.

Education being another significant way of offering opportunities in life and belonging to a proper social class, the contemporary Nigerian family today plays a critical part in children’s academic achievement. Numerous factors influence a child’s academic achievement, including the parent’s educational level, employment, income, social status, and kind of parenthood, for example, the socioeconomic aspects of the family at school. All of these elements also have an effect on the length of a student’s stay and academic progress. On this assumption, Hill (2004) asserted that parents’ socioeconomic situation has an effect on their children’s academic achievement.

Socioeconomic status is a combined economic and sociological complete assessment of a person’s work experience and of an individual’s or family’s economic and social standing in relation to others, calculated using income and education, as well as occupation (Marmot & Michael, 2004). When determining a family’s social economic standing, the household income, the earners’ education and employment, as well as the combined income, are compared to an individual’s personal qualities.

According to Lareau (2003), socioeconomic status is typically classified into three categories: high, middle, and low, to denote the three areas into which a family or an individual may fall. When categorizing a family or an individual into one of these categories, any or all of the three variables income, education, and occupation can be assessed.

Additionally, poor income and a lack of education have been proven to be major predictors of a variety of physical and mental health issues, possibly because environmental factors were the primary source of the individual’s social dilemma in the first place.

Simiyu, (2001) contends that the term “family income” include wages, salaries, profit, rentals, and any other kind of revenue.

Additionally, income might be received in the form of unemployment or workers compensation, social security, pensions, interest or dividends, royalties, trusts, alimony, or other forms of governmental, public, or familial financial aid. Income may be seen in two ways: in relative terms and in absolute terms. Absolute income, as economist Keynes defined it, is the connection in which when income grows, consumption increases as well, but not at the same rate.

Low income households prioritize fulfilling urgent necessities above accumulating money to pass on to future generations, hence increasing inequality. Families with a larger disposable income may create money and prioritize immediate necessities while still consuming and enjoying luxury and weathering catastrophes (Okoh, 2015).

Ominde (2010) finds that education has a significant impact on both the skill sets required for job acquisition and the specific characteristics that differentiate persons with greater and lower socioeconomic level. Annette Lareau discusses the concept of concerted cultivation, in which middle-class parents actively participate in their children’s education and development through the use of supervised planned activities and the instilling of a sense of entitlement through encouraged dialogue. Laureau contends that low-income families are excluded from this movement, creating a sense of limitation in their children. Thus, a schism in educational performance results from these two disparities in child rearing. According to Gachathi (1976), occupational prestige is a component of socioeconomic standing that includes both income and educational accomplishment.

Occupational status represents the educational requirements for the work and the salary levels associated with different jobs and occupational rankings. Additionally, it demonstrates mastery of job-related abilities. Occupational status is a social position indicator that describes work features, decision-making power and control, and job-related psychological demands (Erick &Nyakundietal, 2012). As a result, this study focuses on the impact of socioeconomic status on the academic performance of secondary school students.

STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

Children of high socioeconomic class parents have been reported to exhibit greater “disengagement” behaviors than their less fortunate counterparts. In this perspective, disengagement behaviors such as fiddling with other things and sketching images while being addressed are considered representations. When individuals born into less fortunate circumstances were placed in an engaged social situation, they tended to make more eye contact and nods as indicators of contentment. The more fortunate peers were less likely to develop rapport with their group because they anticipated no future need for their aid (Ajila & Olutola 2000).

Frederick (2013) states that the socioeconomic position of a family is determined by its income, parental education level, parental employment, and social standing within the community, which includes contacts within the community, group associations, and the family’s academic success within the community. Families with a higher socioeconomic standing frequently have a better chance of successfully preparing their early children for school because they generally have access to a variety of services that encourage and support young children’s development. They are able to give their young children with high-quality child care, books, and toys that enable youngsters to participate in a variety of home-based learning activities. Additionally, they have easy access to information about their children’s health and development on all fronts, including social, emotional, and cognitive. Additionally, high-income families frequently seek information to assist them in better preparing their children for school (Frederick, 2013).

OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY

The primary objective of this study is to examine the impact of socio-economic background on secondary school students’ academic achievement. Specifically, other objectives of this study are:

i.          To investigate whether family background has an impact on the academic achievement of senior secondary school students.

ii.        To find out whether home environment has an impact on the academic achievement of students in senior secondary schools.

iii.      To determine whether parents’ educational attainment has an impact on their children’s academic success.

iv.      To investigate whether parents income has as an impact on secondary school students’ academic achievement.

 RESEARCH QUESTIONS

The following research questions will guide this study:

i.          Does family background have an impact on the academic achievement of senior secondary school students?

ii.        Does home environment have an impact on the academic achievement of students in senior secondary schools?

iii.      Does parents’ educational attainment have an impact on their children’s academic success?

iv.      Does parents income have an impact on secondary school students’ academic achievement?

 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

The study’s conclusions are applicable to students, instructors, parents, guardians, and school administration. To students, the study elucidates the effect of certain socioeconomic factors on their academic performance; home environment influence has been identified as a significant factor contributing to low academic performance among secondary students.

Because parental financial resources are a significant influence in determining children’ academic achievement, this study educates parents about their financial duties in maintaining their wards’ financial security.

A terrible school atmosphere is also an influence in pupils’ academic achievement. Additionally, this study assists school administrators in understanding their duties in generating a favorable learning environment for children.

By considering sections of the literature that have not been researched or explored previously and adding these aspects into the current study, this study will add to the existing body of knowledge. Thus, the work will serve as a springboard for future research in the topic.

SCOPE OF THE STUDY

This study will be focused on examining the impact of socio-economic background on secondary school students’ academic achievement. Specifically, it will be focused on investigating whether family background has an impact on the academic achievement of senior secondary school students, finding out whether home environment has an impact on the academic achievement of students in senior secondary schools, determining whether parents’ educational attainment has an impact on their children’s academic success and investigating whether parents income has as an impact on secondary school students’ academic achievement.

Students of selected secondary schools in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State will serve as participants for the survey of this study.

LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY

This study will be limited to examining the impact of socio-economic background on secondary school students’ academic achievement. Specifically, it will be limited to investigating whether family background has an impact on the academic achievement of senior secondary school students, finding out whether home environment has an impact on the academic achievement of students in senior secondary schools, determining whether parents’ educational attainment has an impact on their children’s academic success and investigating whether parents income has as an impact on secondary school students’ academic achievement.

Students of selected secondary schools in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State will serve as participants for the survey of this study, thus the sample size was limited because only a few respondents were chosen to answer the research instrument, therefore the results cannot be generalized to other secondary schools outside the state.

DEFINITION OF TERMS

Impact: A marked effect or influence

Socio economic background: Socioeconomic status is an economic and sociological combined total measure of a person’s work experience and of an individual’s or family’s economic access to resources and social position in relation to others.

Academic achievement: Academic achievement or academic performance is the extent to which a student, teacher or institution has attained their short or long-term educational goals. Completion of educational benchmarks such as secondary school diplomas and bachelor’s degrees represent academic achievement.