THE INFLUENCE OF PARENT’S SOCIO-ECONOMIC STATUS ON STUDENTS’ ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE IN SOCIAL STUDIES

THE INFLUENCE OF PARENT’S SOCIO-ECONOMIC STATUS  ON STUDENTS’ ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE IN SOCIAL STUDIES 

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

Background of the Study

          The differences in the academic performances of students of Social studies has motivated the interest of many scholars into finding out the factors responsible for the differences in their performance.

          Research project by Tomori  (2002:3.8) reported on the poor performance by students in the written and spoken aspects of the language.

          Scholar’s researches into the differences in the academic performance of students have revealed that certain strong hereditary and environmental influences among which are parent’s socio-economic statuses.

          Researcher’s interest was geared into examining this problem cause of her experience during  her teaching practice exercise at Irepodun Junior High School Ijero-Ekiti, where he observed the different between the performances of various students with deference home backgrounds.

          Douglass (1994) is of the view that the influence of parental interest on test performance is greater that of any of the other factors: size of family, standard of home, and academic record of the School.  He also opined that at an earlier age, waste of talent may occur through the effects of an adverse home environment or through lack of stimulation in early life.

Jenson (1968) maintains that the social class to which a family belongs effects both the form and the amount of verbal interaction and this eventually creates differences  in student’s learning abilities (Bernstein 1958).

          Hobbs and Blanks (19614) indicate that the family’s function in socialization has a vital impact on personality formation and the way in which the child becomes an adult, will respond to various life situation.

          Bron Fenbrenner (1957) claims that parental expectation from the education of their children varies by social class.  He concludes that the expectation is influential on the children’s academic activities.  In Nigeria, many students who comes from poor homes  where they have no access to newspapers, radio and television, or even their parents, have little or no education, the motivation of students, succeeding on school may be fluctuating.  Rich parents who have enough money to pay their children’s school fees and buy them necessary books are directly indirectly aiding the enhanced academic  performances of their children.

Datta (1986) opined that family size affects the learning process of the child at home because it is assumed that, the larger the family, the less the attention that the child would  receive from parents.  Eamon (2005) viewed that students with fewer siblings are likely to receive more parental attention and have ore access to resources that children fro large families.  The additional attention and support leads to better school performance.

          Not minding the general assumptions, this study  intends to find out if the parents’ socio-economic is actually affecting the academic performances of students.

Purpose of the Study.

          The purpose of this study is to examine the influence  of parents’ socio-economic status on students’ academic performance.  It is also intended to find out the various aspect of parents’ socio-