CHAPTER ONE
1.1 INTRODUCTION: IMPACT OF SCHOOL ENVIRONMENT ON STUDENTS’ PYSCHOSOCIAL DEVELOPMENT AND ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE: A CASE STUDY OF SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS IN IKEJA LOCAL GOVERNMENT
Education is highly imperative to all countries of the world regardless of their level of development. Education is the process of transmitting knowledge, skills, facts, judgment etc. either formally or informally. It is the channel through which human, physical, social, emotional and intellectual abilities are harnessed. Education to Kneller (2000) is the process by which individuals go through schools, colleges, universities and other institutions of learning for transmission of values and knowledge.
Education in the submission of the 1st black president of South Africa, Nelson Mandela, is the most potent weapon to fight poverty, ignorance and provoke positive reforms in the world. Quality education allows for acquisition of skills, technological advancement and creates an avenue for the exploration of human resources towards the attainment of economic development.
School environment is a concept that goes beyond the physical location of a school; it covers the teacher-student relationship, aesthetic structure of classrooms, libraries, laboratories, quality of teachers, teaching methods, etc, which are crucial in the process of teaching and learning. These elements of school environment affect the academic performance of students (Ajao, 2001). The extent to which student learning is propelled is at the mercy of the location of the school compound, availability of instructional materials and classroom structure. It has been universally agreed among scholars that schools with conducive environment for the activities of teaching and learning will produce positive results of education that will speed up effective teaching-learning synergy, education emancipation and the academic performance of the students.
The physical features of a school have strong influence on students’ performance and the attitude of their teachers in assiduously discharging their duties. In a situation where a school environment is faced with menace such as poor lighting, poor ventilation system, dilapidated facilities, high noise level, high discharge of toxic substances, high student-teacher ratio etc, the process of teaching and learning will be difficult, which will eventually produce poor academic performance of the students. (Ajayi, 2004). The combination of uncomfortable work place for teachers and poor state of school facilities generates stress and job dissatisfaction among teachers. In furtherance, it will also results in indolence and demotivation among the students.
In addition to these, the structure of a school environment influences the level of psychosocial development of the students. The definition of “psychosocial” according to the American Psychiatric Association (APA) is the combination of psychological and social factors that determines the mental stability of an individual. Social influence like peer pressure, religious belief, self-esteem, family background, stress, hospitality, depression, hopelessness, socialization, style of parental upbringing, family-child relationship and interpersonal relationship helps to shape the personality and psychological makeup of individuals. Students with psychosocial deficiency will surely have difficulty to function in social events and may have challenges in communicating effectively to others (Asoquo & Kalu, 2015).
The alarming rate of woeful academic performance among students in Nigeria has been of much concern to teachers, parents, government and the students themselves. The quality of education is not only dependent on the number and qualifications of teachers, but on the location and coordination of school environment, because the school environment is an essential area that should be well-managed to attain higher student academic performance.
1.2 STATEMENT OF PROBLEM
All schools in Nigeria are situated at various places by private individuals, government, corporate and religious organizations. Thus, the process of teaching and learning takes place under different environment.
Every school owns different kind of facilities and classroom structures at varying efficiency level. All students are expected to sit for the same examination at the final year of either their junior or senior secondary school education (Junior Secondary School Certificate Examination at junior level and Senior School Certificate Examination at senior level). Uniform academic performance is also expected to be achieved among the students since they were taught with similar syllabus and curriculum.
In reality, some students in some schools perform better than their counterparts in other schools. This indicates there are peculiar determinants that influence the success or failure of students in examinations. A particular example of such determinants is the school environment. Students taught in a conducive environment tend to perform better than their peers taught in an uncomfortable environment. To this end, it is apt to examine the impact of school environment on the academic performance of students and on their psychosocial development.
1.3 OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY: IMPACT OF SCHOOL ENVIRONMENT ON STUDENTS’ PYSCHOSOCIAL DEVELOPMENT AND ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE: A CASE STUDY OF SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS IN IKEJA LOCAL GOVERNMENT
The main objective of the study is to examine the impact of school environment on students’ academic performance and psychosocial development in Nigeria using a case study of secondary students in Ikeja local government area of Lagos state.
The specific objectives of the study are:
To ascertain the extent to which the quality of physical school environment affects students’ academic performance.
To assess the extent to which school location affects students’ academic performance.
To find out the extent to which school facilities and equipments affects students’ academic performance.
To explore the extent to which school environment influences students’ psychosocial development by considering factors like peer pressure, self-esteem, depression and parenting style.
1.4 RESEARCH QUESTIONS
The questions of interest raised in study include:
What is the impact of the physical school environment on students’ academic performance?
What is the impact of school location on students’ academic performance?
What is the impact of school facilities and equipments on students’ academic performance?
What is the effect of school environment on students’ psychosocial development?