DEMOGRAPHIC VARIABLES AS PREDICTORS OF ACADEMIC PERFORMANCES AMONG UNDERGRADUATES

CHAPTER ONE

Introduction

1.1 Background of the Study

            One of the key demands of educators, students, and other stakeholders in education is academic accomplishment. Academic performance is determined by tests or continuous assessments, which measure how well students accomplish their short- and long-term learning objectives(Carvalho, 2010). Amidst the epidemic, distance and online learning have been established. Every school's main priority is students' academic success, which is determined by exam results. According to Fakeye (2017), the purpose of schools is to teach information and skills to their pupils, and the degree of knowledge and skills these students gain is demonstrated by their academic achievement.Actually, a number of variables have been connected to students' low performance in several Nigerian higher education institutions. Actually, this has been a common occurrence that has hampered students' ability to graduate from their course of study smoothly with excellent scores (Adetunde & Asare, 2009).

The growth of private postsecondary institutions in Nigeria has raised interest in the academic achievement of students at these schools. There is nowhere in the world where the value of academic achievement is lessened.High school performance is closely associated with the good results that are valued in any given community. Adults who excel intellectually and have high levels of education are more likely to hold a job. The performance measure or indicator of academic achievement is the academic performance shown in the class that was attained.

Nasir (2010) further stated that accomplishment scores are seen to be the main indicators of educational quality and that academic performance is the main factor used to determine the quality of education. On the other hand, the fact that pupils' accomplishment scores differ suggests that some factors influence this circumstance.  Simultaneously, a number of variables, including as job, money, the learning environment, and demography, can impact a student's academic achievement, especially in the current day where most schooling is done at home. According to Waters and Marzano (2010), a number of factors influence how well kids achieve academically. Because of this, a lot of factors need to be taken into account while figuring out what influences pupils' academic success. Henderson (2018) argued that a number of social scientists, economists, demographers, and other scholars have noted that sociodemographic variables have a major impact on pupils.

The study took into account a number of variables that may contribute to subpar academic performance, including age, gender, geography, a lack of suitable teaching resources, school climate, religious beliefs, educational attainment, and marital status. In line with Tinto's (1975) theory, a number of empirical studies, including those by Oredein (2016) and Alordiah, Akpadaka, & Oviogbodu (2015), have demonstrated that demographic factors, such as gender, degree of study, and specialisation, are significant factors in predicting students' academic success.

Several educational research have discovered that sociodemographic characteristics (parent education level, school type, and gender) can have a big influence on students' academic performance. For example, Urtel (2008) looked at the differences in academic achievement between in-person and distant learning for students in the United States. The findings demonstrated a strong correlation between academic success, gender, ethnicity, and student status. Andaya (2016) looked at the factors at the Philippine Normal University-North Luzon that affect indigenous students' academic progress. According to Andaya's research, "instructional factors" had a big influence on how well students performed academically. This means that in order for students to thrive in a classroom that encourages knowledge generation, teachers must include them in "meaningful and authentic learning activities." She came to the conclusion that although teachers and students had an influence on academic achievement, students ultimately had the final say in whether they succeeded or failed.

Furthermore, a number of educational research studies have demonstrated, according to Manuel (2019), that sociodemographic factors (such parents' educational background, gender, and kind of school) can have a major impact on children' chemistry performance. The gender, kind of elementary school graduates, mode of transportation, and educational level of the parents were found to be significant predictors of the academic success of the Chemistry students in this study.These characteristics were used to see if there was a favourable relationship between them and the students' performance. According to this study, children come from a variety of dynamic demographic backgrounds that might have an impact on how well they perform in the classroom.Despite the wide coverage of research on the predictors of academic performance, there is still a dearth on literature on how demographic factors predict academic performance among undergraduates in Nigeria. Hence, this study seeks to determine whether demographic factors (age, gender, socio-economic status and ethnicity)predictors of student's academic performance.

1.2 Statement of Problem

            Parents, school administrators, policy officials, and other governments in charge of student education are deeply concerned about the performance gap between kids and academic genius, and it also causes them tremendous humiliation(Adewale, Adenuga, Idowu &Soyombo, 2022). Experience has demonstrated that there are disparities among pupils that have an impact on their academic success. A few examples of these differences include the school's prompt location and the dearth of educational resources. Similarly, certain kids get better academic results than others, and some students arrive at school sooner than others(Igboegwu& Okonkwo, 2013). Researchers have conducted a variety of studies on the sociodemographic factors that influence students' academic performance because of the high rates of failure at tertiary institutions. These factors have led to unacceptable attrition rates, a decline in the number of graduates nationwide, and an increase in the cost of labour force training, which has created the foundation for the nation's declining educational standards. Thus, the goal of this study was to examine the demographic traits of students at Nigerian tertiary institutions as a predictor of academic achievement.

1.3 Research Questions

            The following questions will guide the present study;

1. Will age predict academic performance among undergraduates?
2. Will gender predict academic performance among undergraduates?
3. Will socio-economic status predict academic performance among undergraduates?
4. Will ethnicity predict academic performance among undergraduates?

1.4 Research Objectives

            The main objective of this study is to examine the if demographic variables will predict academic performance among undergraduates. Specific objectives of the study include;

1. To determine if age will predict academic performance among undergraduates
2. To examine if gender will predict academic performance among undergraduates
3. To ascertain if socio-economic status will predict academic performance among undergraduates
4. To determine if ethnicity will predict academic performance among undergraduates

1.5 Research Hypotheses

            The following will be hypothesized in the present study;

Hypothesis one

H0: Age will not significantly predict academic performance among undergraduates

H1: Age will significantly predict academic performance among undergraduates

Hypothesis Two

H0: Gender will not significantly predict academic performance among undergraduates

H1: Gender will significantly predict academic performance among undergraduates.

Hypothesis Three

H0: Socio-economic status will not significantly predict academic performance among undergraduates

H1: Socio-economic status will significantly predict academic performance among undergraduates.

Hypothesis Four

H0: Ethnicity will not significantly predict academic performance among undergraduates

H1: Ethnicitywill significantly predict academic performance among undergraduates.

1.6 Scope and Limitation of the Study

            This study is limited to the if demographic variables will predict academic performance among undergraduates. The participants that will be used in this study will only students in tertiary institutions.

1.7 Significance of the Study

            This study will be of significance to the management and staffs in tertiary institutions, other organizations be it private or public, researchers and the general populace by highlighting demographic variables as factors predicting academic performance among undergraduates.

            First, the findings of this study will help the parents to know how to train their children in such as way that they will be able to do proper in the academic pursuit.

            The findings of this study will help the college administration to design and implement the policies to improve the students’ performance and the quality of education by changing the attitude of students towards learning, facilitating students and improving the teaching procedures.

The findings of this study will help parents to solve the students’ problems especially financial problems and to look after them. It may also create awareness among students about their rights and responsibilities to achieve quality education.

            The findings of this study will fill the dearth in literature and act as a source of reference to other researchers who may be interested in a study of this nature in other geopolitical regions.

CHAPTER TWO

2.0 Literature Review

2.1 Conceptual Review

2.1.1 The Concept of Academic Performance

            The academic performance of students can be defined as the knowledge gained by the student which is assessed by marks by a teacher and/or educational goals set by students and teachers to be achieved over a specific period of time(Narad and Abdullah, 2016; Rono, Onderi & Owino, 2014). The attainment of academic excellence of students through making them portray better academic performance is the foremost motive of academic institutions (Adeyemo, 2001). Further, academic performance is something immensely significant for anyone who has a concern with education (Osiki, 2001). In fact, academic performance can be understood as the nucleus, around which a whole lot of significant components of education system revolve, which is why the academic performance of students, specifically belonging to Higher Education Institutions (HEIs), has been the area of interest among researchers, parents, policy framers and planners. Since a sound academic performance is considered as a pre-requisite for securing good jobs, a better career and subsequently a quality life, significance of the students’ academic performance is immense. Although it may seem to be a simple outcome of education, but the impact of academic performance of students in any nation is multi-faceted.