UTILIZATION OF SCHOOL FACILITIES AND ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT IN AGRICULTURAL SCIENCE AMONG SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS

    UTILIZATION OF SCHOOL FACILITIES AND ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT IN AGRICULTURAL SCIENCE AMONG SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS

    Abstract

    The study determined relationship between utilization of school facilities and academic achievement in agricultural science among secondary school students in Etim Ekpo Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State. Two objectives, two research questions and two null hypotheses were formulated to guide the study. A survey research design was adopted.

    Random sampling technique was utilized to select 180 junior secondary three students (JSS3) out of 2,560 (JSS3) agricultural science from four secondary schools in Etim Ekpo Local Government Area, a total of four secondary schools were randomly selected by balloting to take part in the study.

    A twenty items structured questionnaire and result sheet of 2015 examination was used as an instrument. Pearson Product Moment Correlation (PPMC) was used to analyze the data. This result shows that the use of school facilities significantly affect academic performance of students in Agricultural Science.

    Some recommendations were made among others that teachers should ensure that students are well exposed to the use of school facilities to boost their pace of learning and skill acquisition and that government should provide adequate material resources to schools in order to enhance teaching and learning process effectively.

    CHAPTER ONE

    INTRODUCTION

    1.1   Background to the Study

    Education in every human community is an indispensable instrument for human progress, empowerment and effecting national development. This suggests that a nation that lacks sound educational culture and philosophy stands the risk of decay where a nation that sees to the development of its education sector is bounded to achieve great success.

    School are established for the purpose of teaching and learning, it is also more important that the teachers are properly accommodated to facilities, the teaching learning process that go on there. This is the essence of the school plant and facilities (Alimi, 2004).

    Akinfolarin, (2006) identified facilities as a major contributing factors to academic achievement in the school system. Bandele, (2003) noted that the importance of school facilities cannot be relegated. Facilities like modern laboratories, libraries and classrooms are to be put in place in all school.

    Ajayi and Ogunyeni (2004) stated that when facilities are provided to meet relative needs for school system, students will not only have access to the reference materials mentioned by the   teacher, but individual student will also learn at their own pace. Student performance is also referred to as academic achievement (Adedivura and Tay, 2007).

    Academic performance according to the Cambridge University Reporters, (2003) is frequently defined in terms of examination performance. Academic achievement refers to what the students have learned an what skills the student has learned and is usually measured through assessments like standardized tests, performance which is measured by the examination results is one of the major goals of a school (Hoyle, 2003).

    Harb (2006) mentioned two types of factors affecting student’s academic achievement as internal and external classroom factors. Internal classroom factors include.

    Student’s competence, class schedules, class size textbooks, class test results, school environment, complexity of course material, teacher role in the class, technology used in the class and examination systems and that  of external factors includes extra-curricular activities, family problems and financial problems, social and other problems.

    Noble (2006) emphasized that students achievement and activities, perception of their coping strategies and positive attribution and background characteristics (i.e. family income parent level of education, guidance from parents and number of situation in the home) were indirectly related to their composite scores through academic achievement in high school.

    Hussan (2006), opined that guidance from the parent and teachers indirectly affects the performance of the students. Socio-economic factors like family income, parent education, teacher- student ration, prescreen of trained teachers in school are also factors influencing the performance of the students (Amivatea & Majundari, 2010).

    Moreover, school facilities have been observed as a potent factor to quality education. Its importance to the teaching and learning process cannot be over-emphasized. Effective learning can occur through one’s interaction with the environment. Environment here refers to the facilities that are available to facilitate student learning outcome or achievement.

    These facilities go a long way to affect student’s performance. This can be realized when there are quality teachers to handle the subject and the facilities available (Akande, 2002). Oni (2002) opined that facilities constitute strategic factors in any organizational functioning. This is so because they determine a very large extent the smooth functioning schools.

    He further stated that their availability, adequacy and relevance influence efficiency and high productivity. Adesola (2008) found that the level of available resources is indeed a plus to the teacher and goes a long way to show the level of ingenuity and commitment towards effective delivery of lesson.

    Akinfolarin (2006) identified facilities as a major contributing factor to academic achievement in the school system. Vandiver (2011) showed that a positive relationship exists between availability of facilities and students’ academic achievement. Balogun (2004) submitted that effective science education programmed cannot exist without facilities for teaching. This is because facilities help learners to develop scientific attitude and problem solving skills.

    1.2   Statement of problem

    It is observed that schools may have school facilities but teachers do not have full knowledge to utilize those facilities and it is becoming difficult in guiding or interacting with the individual student to discover the concept or principle of lessons.

    More so, it is seen that lack of science equipment and laboratories, and other factors like seat, class size, books etc, are the major causes of poor performance in science subject in secondary schools in Nigeria. Academic achievement of student also depend on parents socio-economic status, so students belonging to background form higher socio-economic status and would perform better than those students associated with low socio-economic status.

    The above background therefore prompted the researcher to embark on this study to see how school facilities influence academic achievement in secondary school in Etim Ekpo Local Government Area.

    1.3   Purpose of the Study

    The main purpose of this study is the utilization of school facilities and academic achievement in Agricultural science among secondary school students in Etim Ekpo Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State. Specifically, the study sought to;

    (1) Investigate the relationship between utilization of Laboratory facilities and students’ academic achievement in agricultural science in secondary school in Etim Ekpo Local Government Area.

    (2) Examine the relationship between utilization of library facilities and students academic achievement in agricultural science in secondary schools in Etim Ekpo Local Government Area.

    1.4   Significance of the Study

    This study and its findings would be of immense benefits to many agencies of educational system like teachers, parents, researchers and stakeholders.

    The study would help the teachers to determine what extent the availability of necessary facilities like laboratories, libraries, school buildings, and textbooks in schools would facilitate effective teaching of Agricultural science as well as attaining high academic achievement of students. It would also help teachers to enhance students’ interest in agricultural science.

    The finding of this study would help parents to   improve upon their economic status since low socio-economic status leads to low academic achievement. The finding of this study would, enlightened students on the need of using the available school facilities for effective learning of agricultural science it would serve as a reference material for future researchers.

    The finding of the study would be of great importance to the stakeholders, by informing them in the education sector such as policy makers, government functionaries, school administrators, academicians the need for the provision of these school facilities to all public secondary   schools.

    1.5   Research Questions

    The study sought answers to the following research questions.

    (1) What relationship exists between utilization of laboratory facilities and students’ academic achievement in agricultural science?

    (2) What relationship exists between utilization of library facilities and students’ academic achievement in agricultural science?

    1.6   Research Hypotheses

    The following null hypotheses were postulated to guide the study and tested at 0.05 level of significance.

    Ho1: No significant relationship exists between utilization of laboratory facilities and student’ academic achievement in agricultural science.

    Ho2: No significant relationship exists between utilization of library facilities and students’ academic achievement in agricultural science.

    1.7   Limitation of the Study

    This study encountered some forms of limitation during the process of its finding which included:

    (1) Financial constraints: the economic situation of the country posts some financial meltdown which post serious challenge in gathering facts and material for findings of the study.

    (2)  Poor access to remote areas: Some of the schools in Etim Ekpo Local Government Area are located in very interior and remote area where access roads are not motorable.

    (3) Time factors: the greatest among this limitation had been time factor. Conducting a research of this kind should have taken up to one year of study. Therefore, the research was narrowed down to the time allowed in carrying out this research study.

    1.8   Definition of Terms

    To avoid ambiguity and misconception, certain terms that are used in the study are explained below:

    Facilities: Facilities are described as buildings, services, equipment etc that are provided for a particular purpose.

    Utilization: It is the degree or extent to which an item has been put to effective use.

    School: it is an institution designed to provide learning space and learning environment for the teaching of students.

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