Socio-Economic Background of Parents and Academic Performance of Students in Economics

Socio-Economic Background of Parents and Academic Performance of Students in Economics

Abstract

The study was carried out to examine socio-economic background of parents and academic performance of students in Economics in Uyo Local Government Area. Survey research design was adopted for the study. Three (3) questions and three research hypotheses were formulated to guide the study. The population of the study was made up of all the fourteen (14) public secondary schools in the study area which were comprises of one thousands, eight hundred and fifty (1,850) SS1 – SS3 Economics Students in the 2020/2021 academic session.

Simple random sampling technique was use to select four (4) public secondary schools and two hundred students (200) in the study area and used for the study. The instrument for data collection was a questionnaire. The data generated from the instrument was analyzed using Pearson Product Moment Correlation (PPMC). The findings of the study revealed that parent income, parent educational status and parent occupation significantly relates with academic performance of students’ in Economics in secondary schools in Uyo Local Government Area.

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background to the Study

Education is essential for the development of society. The more educated the people of a society are, the more civilized and well-disciplined. Mainly, family has responsibility to socialize children for making them productive members of society. The more the parents involve in the process of imparting education to their children, the more the children might excel in their academic career and to become the productive and responsible members of society. The social and economic development of the country is directly linked with student academic performance. The students’ performance (academic achievement) plays an important role in producing the best quality graduates who will become great leader and manpower for the country thus responsible for the country’s economic and social development.

The family is an important agent of education and its contributions are basic to the factors that influence the study habit and performance of the students. The skills and abilities in learning are first acquired in the family through interaction among members. All that parents need to do in addition is to make their children attain a high level of performance and awareness by providing learning materials such as textbooks that will provide the learning among the children (Mbride, 2016).

The fundamental habits which are recognized as normal by the family are built into the lives of young children by parents. In accordance with the famous saying “charity begins at home”. Learning and upbringing of a child start from the home.

Indeed, no one is in a better place to know and understand a child better than the parents (Adebayo, 2014). Parents with good socio economic background, seem to be able to provide better opportunity for qualitative education to their children than parents with poor social and economic background (Gzewo, 2016).

Experience and research have shown that children from poor family background at times do not complete any stage of education they find themselves in the reason might be due to low income of the family that may not cater for family needs as parents finds it difficult to meet their children educational demands. Udofia (2019) noted that students family background plays an important part in their academic achievement. Observation shows that students who are well provided and catered for at home seem to stay comfortably and conveniently to study successfully than those who are not.

However, there is a great difference between academic achievements of students from illiterate parents. This seem to be so because literate parents know the value of education than illiterate ones and as such, do everything possible to make sure that their children are provided with all the necessary materials to prepare them and get them ready for learning.

Colman (2018), noted that the family is the best single predictor of the academic performance and future achievement level of a child. This is so because it is within the family that the child or student is exposed to instructional aids such as books, toys, magazines, television set, and radio etc. it was against this background that this study on the influence of socio economic status of parents on students’ academic achievement was carried out.

1.2 Statement of the Problem

The failure of parents to recognize and realize that the ability of their children to perform well is greatly influenced by the home and this is a serious problem because of their belief that the standard of education of nowadays has fallen.

Some scholars have argued that the immediate and remote causes of the problem militating against students academic performance is the level of socio-economic status of their parents. The governments to some extent also contribute to the poor economy of the country making parents not able to send their children to school, family size, educational background, influence of home, place of residence, family structure, influence of peer group etc.

However, the disparity in the distribution of wealth and income in our society is very great. The gap between the rich and the poor astronomically widens and continues to grow daily. Yet our public and private schools draw their strength from children whose parents are of different socio-economic background in the society. At school, students are expected to interact, learn, play, and work together. Such interaction is however bound to be saddled with a number of problems ranging from physical, social, economic to psychological deprivation to the children of the less privilege socio-economic class.

On this note, the researcher is to examine socio-economic background of parents and academic performance of students in Economics in Uyo Local Government Area.

1.3 Purpose of the Study

The main purpose of the study was to examine Socio-Economic Background of Parents and Academic Performance of students in Economics in Uyo Local Government Area. Specifically the study sought to:

1. Assess how parental income status relates to academic performance of students in secondary schools.
2. Examine how parental educational status relates to students’ academic performance in secondary schools.
3. Investigate how parent’s occupation relates to academic performance of students in secondary schools.

1.4 Significance of the Study

The study of this nature is significant to the following individuals, parents, as it will made known to them, the number of children they should have and cater for academically since it will affect their academic achievement in school. It will also aid them to know the important of home training on their children education aspiration

The findings from this study would enable the teachers to adopt a variety of teaching methods so as to allow all category of students to benefit from their teaching irrespective of parental economic background.

The study will also help the policy makers and curriculum planners to know the fact that students come from different diversify cultural background as such, policies make on the curriculum should be planned in a reasonable amount of flexibility to cater for all the learner irrespective of their cultural background.

The work will also add to the existing knowledge-base in order to provide frame work to future researchers in this area of study especially in Nigeria secondary school.

1.5 Research Questions

The following research study were formulated to guide the study:

1. How parents’ income status does relates to academic performance of students in Economics in secondary schools?
2. How does parents’ educational status relates to academic performance of students in Economics in secondary schools?
3. To what extent does the parents’ occupational status relates to academic performance of students in Economics in secondary schools?

1.6 Research Hypotheses

1. There is no significant relationship between parents income status academic performance of students in Economics in secondary schools.
2. There is no significant relationship between parents Educational status and academic performance of students in Economics in secondary schools.
3. There is no significant relationship between parents occupation and academic performance of students in Economics in secondary schools.

 1.7   Limitation of the Study

Limitation has to do with financial constraints which made the researcher unable to study all or a greater number of secondary schools in the study area.

Another constraint was time: Both the teachers and students were busy in serious academic activities which demanded their serious attention.

Lack of empirical data: The researcher did not have enough print and unprinted materials on the related topic which was a challenge to the researcher.

1.8 Delimitation of the Study

This study was delimited to socio-economic background of parents and academic performance of students in Economics in Uyo Local Government Area. The sub-variables considered in this study were parental income status, parental education and parental occupation.

1.9 Definition of Terms

1. Socio-economic background: This is defined as a persons’ position in any group, society or culture as determined by wealth, occupation, residence, family, education and social class.
2. Parental education: This refers to the level of academic attainment of ones parents.
3. Parents income: This is the amount of money earn by the one parents
4. Parent occupation: This is the type of work engaged by one parent.
5. Academic performance: This is the level of knowledge of skills attained by students in a given subject usually designed for them during the process of assessment.
6. Economics: Is a subject taught in the senior secondary schools SS1 – SS3.
7. Parent: A parent is a caregiver of the offspring in their own species. In humans, a parent is the caretaker of a child.
8. Students: This refers to a person who is studying or learning at a place of secondary or higher institution of learning.