ABSTRACT
This study explored the influence of individual
differences influences students’ performance in schools by examining the
influence of socio-economic status, environment, heredity and gender
differences on the academic performance of secondary school students in Sacred
Heart Minor Seminary Akure. A sample of two hundred and forty students at
Junior Secondary School level in Akure that participated in the study was drawn
SACRED HEART MINOR SEMINARY AKURE using systematic sampling technique. A
researcher made questionnaire titled “The influence of individual differences
on academic performance” having 0.05 level of significance. The data collected
were analyzed using correlation analysis. Results indicated that there is
relationship between the varied students’ environment and academic performance.
It was recommended among others that
teachers should bear the individual differences of their students in mind in
the teaching and learning process. Guidance and counselling centres should also
be encouraged in secondary schools so that the students can be properly guided
on ways to harness their individual differences properly.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
TITLE PAGE
CERTIFICATION
DEDICATION
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
TABLE OF CONTENTS
ABSTRACT
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background to the study
1.2 Statement of the Problem
1.3 Purpose of the study
1.4 Research Question
1.5 Research Hypothesis
1.6 Significance of the study
1.7 Scope and Limitation of the study
1.8 Operational Definitions of the Terms
CHAPTER TWO
LITERATURE REVIEW/THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK
2.1 Conceptual framework
2.2 Theoretical Review
2.3 Personality Traits and Academic Performance
2.4 Cognitive Ability, Personality Traits and Behaviour
at School
2.5 Personality and Academic performance
2.6 Individual Differences in Behaviour at School
2.7 Implication for Educational Practice
2.8 Motivational Factors as
Determinants of Learning Achievement
CHAPTER THREE:
RESEARCH METHOD
3.1 Introduction
3.2 Research Design
3.3 Population of the study
3.4 Sample and Sampling Techniques
3.5 Research Instrument
3.6 Validation of the Instrument
3.7 Reliability of the Instrument
3.8 Administration of the Instrument
3.9 Analysis of Data
CHAPTER FOUR: ANALYSIS OF DATA AND RESULT
4.1 Introduction
4.2 Respondents’
Demographic Characteristics
4.3 Influence of Individual Differences
on Student’ Academic Performance
4.4 Test of Hypotheses
4.5 Discussion
of Findings
CHAPTER
FIVE: SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION
5.1 Summary
5.2 Conclusion
5.3 Recommendation
REFERENCES
APPENDIX
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1
Background of the Study
There are a variety of individual
differences that must be of concern to classroom teachers. Some of the most
prominent are academic ability (or intelligence), achievement level, gender, learning
style,
and ethnicity and
culture.
Most studies indicate that gender (Large et al., 2002; Roy et al., 2003) and
prior knowledge, from experts to novices (Calisir & Gurel, 2003; Wildemuth,
2004), benefit differently from hypermedia learning systems. Field-dependent
and field independent are probably the most well-known division of cognitive
styles. They reflect how a learner is able to restructure information based on
the use of relevant cues and field arrangements (Weller et al., 1994).
Field-independent learners have an impersonal behaviour and not interested in
others and show both physical and psychological distance from people. They tend
not to need external referencing methods to process information and are capable
of restructuring their knowledge and developing their own internal referencing
methods. Field-dependent learners, conversely, have interpersonal behaviour in
that they show strong interest in others and prefer to be physically close to
people. They make greater use of external social influences for structuring
their information (Chen & Liu, 2008). Many studies have engaged in
understanding performance of learners using web based systems. Some studies
have found that males process information at a more a superficial level than
females (Large, et al., 2002; Roy, et al., 2003, and Riding & Rayner,
1998).
Other findings have revealed that there is no relationship
between gender differences and search frequency (Hupfer & Detlor, 2006).
McDonald and Stevenson (1998) measured navigation performance in terms of speed
and accuracy in answering questions and locating particular nodes. Results
showed that performance of experts was better than novices. Conversely,
Mitchell et al. (2005) measured the performance by gain score calculated as
scores of post-test minus pre-test. They found that novices made a greater
improvement on the post test. Moreover, Ford and Chen (2000) found that experts
could browse more pages than novices. Kim (2001) investigated how differences
in cognitive style and online search experience influenced the search. The
findings show that online search experience affected navigational style, whereas
cognitive style influenced search time. Experienced searchers tended to
initiate jumps more frequently than novices. Additionally, field dependent
learners spent longer search time than field independent learners. Thus, for
number of visited pages, studies have found that male, field dependent, and
experts browse more pages than female, field-independent, and novices (Chen
& Liu, 2008; Ford & Chen, 2000; Large, et al., 2002; Roy, et al.,
2003).
As for time spent in browsing WBI programs, some studies
have found that male and field-independent users spent less time than female
field-dependent (Chen & Liu, 2008; Lee, et al., 2009; Roy, et al., 2003).
Other studies have found that novices achieved a higher g-score than experts
(Mitchell, et al., 2005; McDonald and Stevenson, 1998). However, there is a
lack of studies demonstrating the influence of related individual differences
on learners’ performance using such measurements together after interacting
with a WBI system. Experimental research on learning cannot be limited to
predicting and explaining the outcomes of simple learning processes in highly
controlled settings. How theoretical generalizations derived from such
experimental analyses can be applied in practice is an integral question in all
modern learning research. 'Ibis is particularly the case within the field of
education. True, the relationship between experimental learning research and
educational psychology has a century-long history - a continuous story of
disappointed hopes. In the past, some educators argued that after many years of
careful and sometimes even excellent research into the nature of learning,
learning theorists were apparently the only people to have derived any
practical benefit from their theories. But is such a sceptical attitude still
justified today, some twenty five years after the end of the behaviourist
movement in psychology and the beginning of the so called "cognitive
revolution"? Of course even today, even in cognitive learning and memory
research the calls for the ecological validity of research designs are
emphatic. This is particularly true for research concerned with the development
of learning and memory. The reason given for current critiques of learning and
memory research is that "our present understanding of memory is limited by
the restricted focus on only a very special kind of memory, that is on the
deliberate memory of symbolic information over-short time intervals in
extremely sterile situations" (Perlmutter, 1988). Fortunately, there are
currently a number of research efforts trying to overcome these restrictions
and focusing on everyday memory and its functions under multiple context
conditions (Weinert & Perlmutter, 1988).
Another reason why
the results of cognitive learning and memory research have bad limited
application in education is the almost exclusive focus on a search for
universal regularities and therefore neglect of individual differences.
Omitting some interesting exceptions (for a review see Ackerman, 1987),
experimental research into leaning still firmly follows the tradition
established by Hermann Ebbinghaus (1885); little attention is given to
describing and explaining individual differences in leaning outcomes. Only
recently has this situation begun to change (cf. Weinert et al., 1988). Tue
neglect of individual differences in experimental research, however, was never
typical in research on learning processes and academic achievement in classroom
settings. Differences in achievement gains in school are so obvious, and the
needs both to explain the development of such differences and to reduce some of
these differences are so pressing, that even theoretically focused research has
been oriented towards individual differences (Farley & Gordon, 1981). Many
models of school learning are good illustrations of this approach (Bloom, 1976;
Glaser, 1980; see also Haertel et al., 1983; Fraser et al., 1987). lt may
appear somewhat naive to attempt any systematic comparison of the
conceptualizations of individual differences in experimental and applied
learning research. Quite obviously, the current models are still too
fragmentary and too divergent to allow coherent theoretical conclusions.
However, in spite
of this, we will venture to make a comparative analysis between individual
differences in achievement outcomes observed under experimental conditions, and
those that occur in the classroom. Tue main goal underlying this attempt is to
enable experimental and applied research to complement each other. Tue value of
such a comparative perspective is that it makes it not only possible - but
almost self-evident - that applied research can profit from experimental
research and that, conversely, experimental research derives stimulating ideas
from classroom studies (Cronbach, 1982). This is particularly true for attempts
to explain individual differences in achievement outcomes, where parallel
developments as well as interesting differences are observable in the two
research traditions.
The
aim of education is to enable each student to attain all-round development
according to his or her own attributes. To achieve this, students should be
provided with suitable assistance and guidance in accordance with their
abilities and learning needs, so that they can develop their potential to the
full.
Each
student is a unique individual, different in cognitive and affective
development, social maturity, ability, motivation, aspiration, learning styles,
needs, interests and potential. Apart from this, there are other factors
underlying student differences. These include innate differences in
intelligence, differences in social and economic background, variations in past
learning experiences, and perhaps variations in the level of congruence between
the learner and the curriculum. In view of these factors, catering for
individual differences is intended neither to narrow the gap between
individuals nor to even out their abilities and performance. It should aim for
understanding why students are able or unable to learn well and finding
appropriate ways to help them learn better.
1.2
Statement Of The Problem
Academic achievement is a major issue among students,
teachers, parents, school administrators, and the community at large. Attempts
have been made by researchers to unravel the complexities surrounding academic
achievement. Psychologists have put forward a lot of reasons why these
disparities in achievement exist. A lot of attention had been paid to external
factors such as type of school, teaching methods, school location,
instructional materials, teachers experience, and so on (WAEC, 2005).
Many spend lots of money in order to secure good schools
either for their children or themselves and those who can afford it even invest
on education abroad as they believe this will enhance achievement, and which in
turn gives an added advantage in terms of securing gainful employment. Opinions
vary as to why some students excel academically while others appear to be
underachievers.
Many psychologists have consistently attempted to
identify the major predictors of individual academic achievement. Factors such
as intelligence, self concept, gender, study habit, maturation, home
background, amongst others, just to mention a few, have been extensively
explored as being responsible for academic achievement, especially in secondary
school students. Other factors that have been researched into in the past
include: child rearing patterns, peer group influence, socio-economic
background and learning environment. Another major factor that is believed to
be responsible for academic achievement in students is their personality
traits. It is in view of this that the researchers intend to investigate the
influence of individual difference on the academic performance of secondary
school student using Sacred Heart Minor Seminary Akure as a case study.
1.3
Purpose of the Study
The general purpose of this study is to find out the
influence of individual differences on academic performances of secondary
school students. The specific objectives are to:
i.
Examine the influence of memory capacity of individual students on their
academic performances;
ii.
Investigate the influence of Intellectual abilities of individual
students on their academic performances;
iii.
Access the influence of quantity and quality of available knowledge that
is semantically related to the content of the information to be learned and re
called of individual students on their academic performances;
iv.
Examine the factors influencing individual differences on academic
performances of secondary school students.
1.4 Research Questions
In
an attempt to come up with relevant findings in this study, the following
questions were raised to guide and give focus to the
study:
i.
How does memory
capacity of individual students affect their academic performance in senior
secondary schools?
ii.
How do intellectual
abilities of individual students affect their academic performance in senior
secondary schools?
iii.
What is the effect of
domain-specific knowledge of individual students on their academic performance?
iv.
What are the factors
influencing academic performance of individual students?
1.5 Research
Hypotheses
The following null hypotheses were formulated to guide
the study.
1
There is no significance relationship between memory capacity of
individual students and their academic
performance.
2
There is no significance relationship between intellectual abilities of
individual students and their
academic performance.
3
There is no significance relationship between domain-specific knowledge
of individual students and their
academic performance.
4
There is no significance relationship between the factors influencing
individual differences and its
effects on academic performances of secondary schoo students.
1.6 Significance of the Study
It is believed that at the completion of the study, the
findings will be useful to the management of secondary schools as the study
seek to explore the influence of individual difference on the collective
academic performance of secondary school student, the study will also be useful
to the student as the study will help them understand the influence of
individual difference on their collective academic performance, the study will
also be of great importance to researcher, academia, students and the general
public as the study will add to the pool of existing literature, the study will
also be of importance to researchers who intends to embark on study on a
similar topic on the subject matter.
1.7 Delimitation of the study
The scope of the study covers the influence of individual
difference on academic performance of secondary school students, in the cause
of the study, there were some factors which limited the scope of the study
a) Availability Of Research Material: The
research material available to the researcher is insufficient, thereby limiting
the study.
b) Time: The time frame allocated to the
study does not enhance wider coverage as the researcher has to combine other
academic activities and examinations with the study as well as other social
factors.
c) Finance: The finance available for the
research work does not allow for wider coverage as resources are very limited
as the researcher has other academic bills to cover.
1.8 Operational Definition of Terms
Individual
difference: Individual differences are
a cornerstone subject area in modern psychology. In many ways, it is the
"classic" psychology that the general public refers to.
Academic
performance: Academic achievement or (academic) performance is
the extent to which a student, teacher or institution has achieved their short
or long-term educational goals.
Secondary
school: A secondary school is
both an organization that provides secondary education and the building where this takes
place. Some secondary schools can provide both lower secondary education and upper secondary education.