CHAPTER ONE
1.1 Background to the Study
There have been several studies done within and outside Nigeria on the effects
of parenting involvement as well as the socio-economic status of parents on the
academic achievement of students. Research has found many factors that
influence how well a student does in school and the amount of confidence the
students have for themselves. However, in Nigeria, like other growing
economies, families are finding it more difficult to stay connected with their
children’s education. This is most common to families living in mega cities
such as Lagos where both parents work outside of the home. Carmen (2007) noted
that the extended family has become significantly less extended as mobility has
increased. Parents are becoming isolated from their children and finding it
difficult to keep a careful watch on what needs to be done to help them succeed
in school. Many families are not even led by a parent, but by a grandparent,
guardian, or some other adult.
Prior
to this time, in what is sometimes called a traditional Nigerian family
environment, parents were able to monitor the school work of their children
carefully and actively participated in Parents-Teachers Associations
purposely to monitor the progress of their children. Report cards were valued
and trusted in the home as an accurate reflection of academic achievement.
Parents were able to keep in touch with the school and the life of their
children in the school, and to monitor success or lack thereof. When children
came home from school, homework was completed, assignments finished, and other
school works were done.
With
the changes in family life and indeed in societal makeup, schools are now
finding it increasingly difficult to keep parents informed of and
actively engaged in the day-to-day progress of their children (Deslandes &
Bertrand, 2005). Teachers and administrators are discovering that the support
they once received in getting students to do their homework is not there,
because the parents are not home to insist that students complete their
assignments.
It
must be noted that while there are so many factors influencing the ability of
students to progress academically, Ozmert (2005) emphasized the importance of
environmental influence as a major factor in the development of students
academic performance. The family background of the student, however is the most
important factor that affects the student’s academic performance. In view of
this, Hussain (2006) noted that 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. They
have poor academic performance. This singular factor shows how important the
family is to academic achievement of students in secondary schools as well as
the centrality of parents to the academic performance of students.
Parental
involvement in students’ education has been a major topic of study for the
later part of the twentieth century. Baumrind (1971) has been credited
for defining three specific parental involvement and their consequences for
children. These are (a) authoritative, (b) authoritarian, and (c) permissive
involvement of parents in children’s schooling based on levels of warmth and
control used by the parent in disciplining the child. According to
Baumrind (1991), parental involvement is meant to capture normal variations in
parents attempts to socialize children. Parental involvement can be both
supportive and unsupportive in their tone, both of which affect developmental
outcomes and consequences to personality development. Baumrind described how
parental involvement affect measures of competence, achievement, and social
development.
Although,
students are primarily the ones for whom curricula are designed, textbooks are
written, and schools built, parents are primarily the ones held responsible for
preparing students for learning – preparation physically, psychologically,
behaviorally, attitudinally, emotionally, and motivationally, just to name a
few.
Over
the years, numerous theories and associated constructs have been formulated and
have evolved to describe and explain these two independent variables, that is,
parents and students. For example, the behavioral learning theories of
Thorndike, Watson, Skinner and, Hull, the cognitive learning theories of
Piaget, Kolhberg, and Vygotsky, and the social learning theories of Bandura,
have been used to pose and answer questions about students and parents.
Dornbusch (1996), found empirical evidence of what most parents and educators
know from experience – that parents have a strong influence on secondary school
students.
In
ways similar to the community, the peer group becomes an agency of
enculturation and learning. Even very young children develop a sense of self
from their perceptions of important people in their surroundings, including
relatives, teachers, and peers. Socioeconomic status, ethnic identity, and
parents’ occupations affect how families view themselves and the process by
which they socialize their children (Bornstein, 2002). Later, as children leave
the home setting, their self-perception and socializing skills become
influenced by how their peers view them. When children move out from family to
child-care centers, school, and the community at large, they begin to form
attachments, and friendships emerge through their play. These relationships
influence behavior. Even infants and toddlers are observed reacting to other
infants by touching them, by crying when others cry, and later by offering
nurturance or comfort. By about age three, early friendships begin to form and
children’s peers begin to have a more lasting influence (Parke, 1990).
Peer
influence on behavior gradually becomes more dominant. Harris (2002) maintained
that peer groups have an even stronger influence than that of parents, although
that extreme position has been refuted by other researchers (Berk, 2005).
Gradually, children discover that others can share their feelings or
attitudes or have quite different ones. The perspectives of others will affect
how children feel about their own families. Children usually have a “family”
view of their own and of other cultures. So, when confronted with other
perspectives, they often need to rethink their own viewpoints. It is often
difficult for children to adjust to the idea that other families can function
radically differently from their own and yet hold many of the same attitudes
and beliefs and be equally nurturing and secure. The peer group serves as a
barometer for children examining themselves and their feelings about self and
family.
The
peer group also influences development of children’s socializing skills. These
early friendships help children learn how to negotiate and relate to others,
including their siblings and other family members. They learn from peers how to
cooperate and socialize according to group norms and group-sanctioned modes of behavior.
The
peer group can influence what the child values, knows, wears, eats, and learns.
The extent of this influence, however, depends on other situational
constraints, such as the age and personality of children and the nature
of the group (Harris, 1998; Hartup, 1983).
The
aforementioned studies are not the only ones that speak to the issue of
parenting involvement and peer group influence, but, here, serve only as a way
of introducing the broader sphere. In this present study, parenting involvement
and peer group was studied in reference to its influence on the academic
performance of students’ in secondary school.
1.2 Statement of the Problem
Although,
scholars have identified the correlation between parental and peer group
influences on children academic performance in the primary school, it must be
noted that secondary school students are different from the typical
elementary-aged children and therefore reacts differently to direct parent
involvement in their academics. The focus and indeed the intent of this study
concern the relationship between parenting style, socio-economic status of
parents and peer group influence on secondary school students’ academic
performance.
1.3. Objectives of the Study
The
primary aim of this study was to examine the influence of parenting style and
socio-economic status on students’ academic performance. This general aim is
expressed in the following specific objectives which are to:
1. Examine the correlation between
parental involvement and academic performance of students in secondary school
2. Examine the relationship between
peer group pressure and academic performance of adolescents
3. Investigate the effects of the
socio-economic status of parents on student’s academic performance;
4. Examine the perceptions of students
towards their parents in regards to parenting style and their academic
performance.
1.4 Research Questions
1. Does any relationship exist between
the type of parental involvement and secondary school student academic
achievement?
2. Do socio-economic and educational
background of parents affect their involvement in their children in secondary
schools?
3. Do parenting style and
parental involvement directly affect students academic performance?
4. Do peer group affect the
academic performance of students?
1.5 Scope and
Limitations of the Study
The
study was limited by a convenience sample of approximately (100) sample
consisting of students, teachers and parents from Ijebu-Ode Local
Government Area of Ogun State. The sample was limited to students in secondary
school from Ijebu-Ode Local Government Area of Ogun State.
Apart
from the shortage of fund and time frame, the following limits were found in
the study:
1. It is recognized that not every
parent will fit neatly into a particular parenting style. These parent-child
pairs will be discarded from the sample.
2. Some children will rate their
parents as fair when in actuality they are not, therefore there will be some
bias in the parents nominations.
3. It is recognized that a parenting
style may be chosen by a family due need rather than desire.
4. The study was limited to the
students whose parents gave consent for their participation, as well as,
receiving the students’ assent.
5. The accuracy of the data was limited
by the skills of the researcher and validity of the tests administered.
1.6 Significance of the Study
This
study will be useful to many people who may want to know the factors that could
make or mar student’s academic performance. Therefore, the study is significant
in the following regards:
1. It has provide empirical evidence to
schools, parents, and students about the nature of parental involvement and how
it affects the academic performance of students
2. It offers a reference for future
research that might investigate the same variables.
1.7 Operational Definition of Primary Variables
Parent:
The term parent as used in this study includes, in addition to a natural
parent, a legal guardian or other person standing in loco parentis,
such as a grandparent or stepparent with whom the child lives, or a
person who is legally responsible for a child’s welfare.
Parental Involvement: any form of verbal or non-verbal communication or assistance
in reference to a child’s homework.
Parenting Style: The overall emotional climate of the parent-child
relationship- an affective context of sorts that sets the tone for the parents
interactions with the child.
Student academic achievement: This term refers to the student’s
overall average in science, social studies, English, and math, expressed
as a percent grade.
Peer group: A peer group is a primary group of people, typically
informal, who share a similar or equal status and who are usually or roughly
the same age, tended to travel around and interact within the social aggregate
Peer influence: peer influence can be described as the pressure
adolescents feel from their peers. Also, it can be the pressure planned or
unplanned.
Adolescence
: refers to the transitory period where a child moves
to adulthood. The adolescent years fall within 12-18 years.