ANALYSIS OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL INFLUENCE ON STUDENTS’ ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE

CHAPTER ONE 

INTRODUCTION

Background of Study 

        Today’s modern society expects everyone/students to be a high achiever.  And the key criteria to judge one’s true potentialities and capabilities are perhaps academic achievement/performance which has become an index of a child/the students’ future.  As a result, there is a great pressure on the minds of the child and their parents on how to attain the societal expectations.           The educational institution/school that is charged with the responsibility of impacting teaching and learning processes do not exist in a vacuum.  Since it has been discovered that the student’s academic achievement is a function of various factors based on the learning environment which comprises of all the student is exposed to in the school and outside the school that can facilitate or inhibit learning.           Hence this study is geared towards examining the conditions and possible influences of supportive environment in the home, school, neighbourhood, peer group and other environmental factors that could enhance the students’ academic achievement in Ikpoba-Okha Local Government Area of Edo State.           Poor academic performance of students have given rise to accusations and counter accusations by the government and school proprietors, the teachers as well as the parents as to who could be responsible for the problem of poor academic performance.           The world fastest growing economic today is in Asia.  The Asian Government particular by Japan and South Korea took some desired steps to develop their educational system with a very strict assessment process.  This compels students to learn to be able to achieve high scores that can guarantee them places in choice employment.  Japan ever requires parents to take examination before their children are allowed into primary school as they believe that home is a vital contributor to the achievement of students in the school system.           Fraser (1981) found that students learn through interacting with their environment and that most of the observable variance in students’ performance is attributed to students’ characteristics and environment of learning.  McRobbie, Roth and Lucys (1997) assert that the nature of classroom, environment can have a direct impact not only on their achievement but also on their personal-social behaviours.           Schareider (2003) in his study counted school faulty condition to effective teaching and learning in schools.  More and Lackney (1994) in their handbook on educational facilities concluded that physical setting has both direct and mediated efforts on social and achievement outcomes. 

Statement of Problem      

     The Nigerian Nation is in hurry to join the league of developed and industrialized nations of the world.  To be able to attain this lofty goal, education of the citizenry had been identified as the panacea.  The question that comes to mind therefore is “Can the environment under which learning is taking place in our schools lead to the attainment of the goals of education?  More specifically, does school environment influence academic achievements?  Does the neighbourhood, peer group and parental education influence academic achievement of students?