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ENVIRONMENTAL INFLUENCES AND SOCIAL STUDIES ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE OF JUNIOR SECONDARY STUDENTS

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1   Background of the Study

It is universally accepted, that education enables individuals to contribute to the development and improvement in the quality of life for themselves, their communities and the nation as a whole. Primary school is no doubt the foundation of education and has prominently been regarded as a fundamental human right. It is an essential component of human capital and it plays an important role in economic growth and development of a country. Social studies is one of the subject taught in primary and junior secondary schools today because of its usefulness to everyday life. Also social studies is the study of man and his totality (the study covers) where he lives, his activities in the past and present his culture, frame of mind and how he relates to others in the society. Furthermore, social studies are those common learning of man’s interaction with his social and physical environment, a way of life of how man influences his environment and in turn how environment influences man.

The introduction of social studies as one of the core subject in Junior Secondary School has continued to win the admiration and support of most Nigerian scholars and students. Adewuya et at (1982) contend that social studies education enables students to examine those norms and cultures of their core and immediate communities within the Nigerian milieu in order to strengthen their socializing and humanizing responsibilities. Social studies subject informs the child and helps him know about the physical, social and educational environment in which he lives and function. Social studies helps the child to realize that all the aspect of his environment are revolving or changing. According to Akpabio et at (2014) “Social studies, as a subject, is concerned with man’s way of life. It examines the way man lives and interacts with his social and physical environment”. The use of the available knowledge, skills, tools and technology may aid his interaction. It is important to note that man lives in the society of other human beings. As a rational being, man according to Akpabio et al needs the company, affection, protection, approval and attention of other human being for his comfort. At the same time, society demands the loyalty, cooperation and knowledge of its members in order to ensure development and continued survival of the society. Again, man lives in a physical environment or territory. He interacts with the resources of the physical environment to meet his need for water, food, clothing, shelter, exercise, sleep and rest. In order to interact successfully for the purpose of meeting his social and physical needs. Man as a general rule uses the knowledge, the ideas, the material objects that his society possesses.

Social Studies is not only a way of life, it studies how man influenced by his physical, social, political, economic, psychological and cultural environment. Uzoagulu (2011) observes that social studies is one of the social sciences disciplines which studies man as he interacts with his fellow men and with his environment. Social studies is the one area of study which relates to various social sciences and it also aims at analyzing the view of man and his world. Uzoagulu further stresses that social studies is not history plus geography plus anthropology and so on. All the social sciences are important in their own right but social studies had some relationship with them. The materials from the social sciences and humanities form the basis of the contents of social studies. Social studies is an attempt to reconcile conflicting and distracting statements about man. In other words, it is problem solving. According to Uzoagulu (2011) “In practical terms, social studies is the subject which considers man’s aspirations, hopes, dreams, resentment, hurts and frustrations in order to understand and interpret his behaviours at any particular time”.

For Ezewu (2015) social studies is the area of study made up of selections from other subject having to do with the art of living together peacefully and harmoniously in our family, community and society. For Obiadi (2010) Social studies is not the study of history, geography and civics. As a separate discipline social studies asks questions, raise issues, face problems, present needs and identifies realities. The concept of social studies has been drawn from the disciplines of social science and humanities namely: Sociology, Anthropology, Ethics, History, Geography, and Religion. From the above argument, it can be seen that the definition of social studies is embedded in its philosophy. Social studies cannot be simply defined in a few words, it can be analyzed because it is a powerful discipline. Social Studies is not just an integrated subject but it is also a way of life. But whether all the objectives of social studies can be achieved or realized, it is a core subject for Junior Secondary Schools in Nigeria.

Environmental influence before now have not been considered as one of the factors that affect academic performance in secondary schools hence it has little or no attention in educational discourse and consideration. But over the past decade remarkable studies have indicated a correlation between the environment and academic performance of students. Environment plays major role in the life of every individual whether a students, teachers, employer or employee. Though some people are yet to believe that environment brings about better performance. Udoh (1980) in his article "The Environmental Health Problems in Nigeria Schools", Identified some unhealthy practices in our schools. These include sitting of schools, inadequate facilities, poor ventilation etc.

Students’ performance is considered a vital indicator of good schooling, so the poor performance of students at the basic level of education has not only led to public outcry, but also educationists have been increasingly occupied in their attempt to identify factors that influence students’ performance especially in junior secondary School Certificate Examination in Nigeria. For example, Diaz (2003), an educationist attributed the phenomenon to lack of effective supervision and monitoring at school, lack of motivation for teachers and inadequate number of qualified teachers to fill empty classrooms. Also, Etsey (2005) attributed the cause of poor academic performance in Nigeria are the combination of factors relating to the school environment, teachers, students and parents. In the same vein, Diaz (2003) found factors such as intellectual ability, poor study habit, achievement motivation, lack of vocational goals, low self-concept, low socio-economic status of the family, poor family structure and anxiety as contributing to educational performance.

1.2   Statement of the Problem

Social studies is one of the subject that teaches man his environment, it enables him to know his norms, cultures, beliefs, and rules in the society. therefore the importance of social studies to man cannot be overemphasized. It is therefore very necessary that man learns about this subject. A lot of difficulties is been faced by man in learning this subject. However, the researcher through discussion with some of the social studies teachers in secondary schools and through interaction with some of the students at secondary school level realized that social stuudies has not recorded a remarkable success. Many of the students that offered the subject in JSCE have failed woefully as a result of some factors, such as environment influence.

Most of our schools have no light, insufficient facilities, sick buildings and no ventilation. Under these conditions the health of students and teachers according to Udoh (1980) may be adversely affected, which will in turn reflect on students performance. Therefore, for the students to carry his learning effectively and efficiently, it is necessary that learning takes place in conducive environment. Hence it is pertinent to critically look at the environmental factors that influences academic performance of students, measures that can help improve them and make some recommendation because at the very heart of our educational mission is the goal of improving academic performance.

Studies have shown that environmental factors to a large extent affect both the physical and psychological potentials of an individuals. This has led to the contention that many students fail to develop their potentials due to inadequate environmental stimulation. However, there are some environmental factors which have contributed to this poor performance of students which are home background, inadequate school facilities, misuse of technology such as internet and school climate such as teacher-student relationship etc. Based on this backdrop, the study tends to examine the relationship between environmental influence and social studies academic performance of junior secondary students.

1.3   Objectives of the Study

The study sought to know the relationship between environmental influence and social studies academic performance of junior secondary students. Specifically, the study sought to;

1.   examine the factors that affect student use of school facilities.

2.   examine the climate factors that affect student's academic performance.

3.   examine the influence of home background on the academic performance of students.

4.   examine the influence of instructional materials/technology on student's performance.

1.4   Research Questions

1.   What factors affect student use of school facilities?

2.   What are the climate factors that affect student's academic performance?

3.   What influence has home background on the academic performance of students?

4.   What influence has technology on student's performance?

1.5   Research Hypotheses

Ho:   There is no relationship between environmental influence and social studies academic performance of junior secondary students.

Hi:   There is a relationship between environmental influence and social studies academic performance of junior secondary students.

1.6   Significance of the Study

This study will be of immense benefit to other researchers who intend to know more on this study and can also be used by non-researchers to build more on their research work. This study contributes to knowledge and could serve as a guide for other study.

1.7   Scope/Limitations of the Study

This study is on environmental influence and social studies academic performance of junior secondary students. The study will be conducted in Uyo Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State.

Limitations of study

Financial constraint: Insufficient fund tends to impede the efficiency of the researcher in sourcing for the relevant materials, literature or information and in the process of data collection (internet, questionnaire and interview).

Time constraint: The researcher will simultaneously engage in this study with other academic work. This consequently will cut down on the time devoted for the research work.

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