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CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

 1.1 Background of the Study

Education is the key to development and it has the capacity to upgrade teaching effectiveness as well as learning efficiency among learners. Efforts by have being made by school administrators to improve the performance of Public secondary school students. The school environment, which include the classrooms, libraries, technical workshops, laboratories, teachers’ quality, school management, teaching methods, peers, etc are variables that affect students’ academic achievement (Ajayi, and Oluchukwu, in Mba 2018).  Hence, the school environment remains an important area that has to studied and well managed to enhance students’ academic performance.

According to Jam  (2009) academic performance is the ability to study and remember facts and being able to communicate your knowledge verbally or on paper. In other words, academic performance refers to how students deal with their studies and how they cope with or accomplish different tasks given to them by their teachers.  Academic performance generally refers to how well a student is accomplishing his or her tasks or studies. There are quite a number of factors that determine the level and quality of students' academic performance. (Scottk, 2002). 

According to Hussain (2006) secondary school students in public schools often come from economically poor and average income families. These families face various problems causing emotional disturbance among their children. This singular factor has caused serious damage to the achievement status to secondary school students.

        Achievement is generally a pedagogical terminology used while determining learners’ success in formal education and which is measured through reports examinations, researches, and ratings with numerous factors of variables exerting influence. Essentially, the National Policy on education (Federal Republic of Nigeria, 2004) has identified school achievement contents according to school subjects which are classified as core or elective subjects.

Although studies abound on the causative and predictive nature of factors of study habit on students academic achievement. all factors or variables tend to focus on poor study habit while the effects are yet to be fully accessed on the nations educational development.

The issue of poor academic performance of students in Nigeria has been of much concern to the government, parents, teachers and even student themselves. The quality of education not only depends on the teachers as reflected in the performance of their duties, but also in the effective coordination of the school environment (Ajao 2001). The issue of poor academic performance of students in Nigeria has been of much concern to all and sundry. The problem is so much that it has led to the widely acclaimed fallen standard of education in Delta State and Nigeria at large. The quality of education depends on the teachers as reflected in the performance of their duties. Over time pupils’ academic performance in both internal and external examinations had been used to determine excellence in teachers and teaching (Ajao 2001). Teachers have been shown to have an important influence on students’ academic achievement and they also play a crucial role in educational attainment because the teacher is ultimately responsible for translating policy into action and principles based on practice during interaction with the students (Afe 2001). Both teaching and learning depends on teachers: no wonder an effective teacher has been conceptualized as one who produces desired results in the course of his duty as a teacher (Uchefuna 2001). Considering governments’ huge investment in public education, its output in terms of quality of students have been observed to be unequal with government expenditure.

In Nigeria, there are so many factors influencing the ability of students to cultivate effective and efficient study habit. Ozmert (2005) emphasized the importance of environmental influence as a major factor in the development of students studying habit. In the same vein, Adetunji and Oladeji (2007) submit that the environment of most children is not conducive for studying; it is in the light of this that made some parents to prefer their children to go to boarding school for proper discipline and to inculcate better reading habit.

  The development of any nation or community largely depends upon the quality of education available to its citizens. It is generally believed that the basis for any true development must commence with the development of human resources. Hence, formal education remains the vehicle for socio-economic development and social mobilization in any society. Secondary education is the foundation on which further education is built. Secondary education has two (2) main purposes. The first purpose is to produce a literate and numerate population that can jointly deal with problems both at home and work. It also serves as a foundation on which further education is built (Akanle, 2013).

 Poor academic performance of secondary school student has been on the increase in both in internal and external examination. Okeye (2009) defines poor academic performance of the individual or candidate in a learning situation as one in which a candidate fails to attain a set standard of performance in a given evaluation exercise such as test, examination or series of continuous assessment. Usually, that standard is based on a number of stipulated objectives and other school activities. A candidate who scores less or below the standard I regarded as showing a poor academic performance in school. Some people blame students themselves and others blame government while, others blame teachers. That is why Nwana (2010) stated that one may hear  elderly parents, retired civil servants and persons say that school leavers of nowadays are not able to speak correct and fluent English, they cannot solve simple arithmetic problem and they do not know their basic time tables.

  Teachers, students, parents/ and ministry of education, science and technology have different factors that contribute the rapid growth of poor academic performance in schools today.  For instance teachers perceive the following as causes of poor performance; non use of verbal reinforcement, poor attendance to lesson, poor method of teaching, teacher work load, emotional problems, study habits, teachers consultation, poor interpersonal relationship, self esteem and motivation orientation. While students perceive the following causes of poor performance; low motivation, students effort, abilities and traits and role perception. Parents perceived low income, illiteracy, nutrition type of discipline at home, lack of role model, finance, poor parenting and poor teaching as causes of poor performance. Finally, the ministry of education perceives the following as a cause of poor performance; attitude of teachers to their work, poor methods of teaching, poor attendance to lesson, performance failure to offer guidance and counseling to students poor management. This became an issue of concern to the researcher and it prompted a research on factors contributing to poor academic performance in government among senior secondary school in Enugu east local government area.

Poor academic  performance according to Aremu (2003) is a performance that is adjudged by the examine/testee and some other significant as falling below an expected standard. Poor academic performance has been observed in school subjects especially Mathematics and English language among primary school pupils (Adesemowo, 2005). Aremu (2000) stresses that academic failure is not only frustrating to the pupils and the parents, its effects are equally grave on the society in terms of dearth of manpower in all spheres of the economy and politics.

Education at secondary school level is supposed to be the bedrock and the foundation towards higher knowledge in tertiary institutions. It is an investment as well as an instrument that can be used to achieve a more rapid economic, social, political, technological, scientific and cultural development in the country. The National Policy on Education (2004) stipulated that primary education is an instrument for national development that fosters the worth and development of the individual for further education and development, general development of the society and equality of educational opportunities to all Nigerian children irrespective of any real or marginal disabilities.

Oredo Local Government Area is one of the areas that make up Edo State of Nigeria. The investigation is concerned with the primary schools and junior secondary schools. At this level of education all students offer. The study of  has a tremendous role to play in the development of a country. It is concerned with the development of a country. It is concerned with the development of a responsibility for the socializing and humanizing of the child. The focus of this objective is the inculcation of these desirable norms, values, attitudes and behaviour in the growing child to make him fit into the society.In the light of the above, the objectives of in primary schools and junior secondary schools cannot be overemphasized.

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