CHAPTER
ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1
Background
of the study
It
is expected that the primary motive of any academic task provided to an
individual is to enable the individual access effectively and efficiently
his/her academic abilities and potentials to produce successful ends. In other
words, the goal of an academic task is to build in an individual a strong sense
of judgment and responsibility. This has always been the preoccupation of
educational psychologists and many stakeholders in educational industry. The
reason being that this has more often than not constitutes a hindrance to
academic achievement (Watson, 2002).
The focal point in this research work is to provide scientific prove to the
notion that there are strong relationships of certain personality variables
with students’ academic achievement. 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 reasons for
disparities in achievement emphasising external factors such as type of school,
teaching methods, school location, instructional materials, teachers
experience, and so on (West African Examination Council, 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 future achievement (Woolfolk, 2000). However, in
other for individual to secure achievements, there is need for such to put into
consideration the place of their personality. Human personality and achievement
are the most important issues of personality and educational psychology.
Personality is a multidimensional psychological construct that can influence
the way students engage in learning and their academic performance. This is
possible because Personality is the sum total of the characteristics that
differentiates people, or the stability of a person’s behavior across different
situations. In other words it means those qualities the individual is noted
for. Agbakwuru (2000), described personality traits as consistent differences
between the behaviors characteristic of two or more people. By implication,
personality does not only vary from one individual to another, it also, defined
a person or gives the total identification of person. Daft, (2005) opines
that the five major personality factors include, surgency, agreeableness,
adjustment, conscientiousness, or openness to experience. However this study
will focus on conscientiousness or counterfactual thinking factors and openness
to experience factors. Openness to experience involves being inventive
and curious. It makes a person cautious and conservative. These personality
dimensions and the poles of their traits appear as critical considerations for
academic achievement. Openness to experience is a measure of depth, breadth and
variability in a person’s imagination and urge for experience (Udoudo, 2012).
This factor relates to intellect, openness to new ideas, cultural interests,
educational aptitudes, and creativity including interest in varied sensory and
cognitive experiences.
As explained by Howard and Howard (1995) people with high openness to
experience have broad interests, are liberal and show great novelty while those
with low openness to experience are conventional, conservative and prefer
familiarity. The concept of openness to experience involves several levels of
bi-polar psychological abilities such as: Down-to-Earth–Imaginative,
Uncreative–Creative, Conventional– Original, Prefer routine–prefer variety,
Uncurious–curious, Conservation–liberal. More so, McCrae (2004) defined
openness factors as experience involves active imagination, aesthetic
sensitivity, attentiveness to inner feelings, preference to variety and
intellectual curiosity. Counterfactuals on the other hand are thoughts
about alternatives to past events, that is, thoughts of what might have been.
Counterfactual thoughts are mental representations of alternatives to past
events, actions, or states (Byrne, 2005). They are epitomized by the phrase
“what might have been,” which implicates a juxtaposition of an imagined versus
factual state of affairs. Crucially, counterfactual thoughts are often evaluative,
specifying alternatives that are in some tangible way better or worse than
actuality. Better alternatives are termed upward counterfactuals; worse
alternatives are termed downward counterfactuals (Markman, Gavanski, Sherman,
& McMullen, 1993; Roese, 1994). When upward counterfactuals focus on
personal choice, the resulting emotion is termed regret, which itself has
spawned a large literature emphasizing biased judgment and decision making
(Zeelenberg & Pieters, 2007). Counterfactual thinking is defined in terms
of cognitions about past events. Although anticipatory counterfactuals (or
“prefactuals”) and anticipatory regret have each been explored in earlier
research (e.g., Anderson, 2003; Byrne & Egan, 2004; Gleicher, Boninger,
Strathman, Armor, Hetts, & Ahn, 1995; Sanna, 2000), they fall outside the
scope of our overview. Counterfactual thinking seems to be a common
feature of people’s conscious mental landscape (Sanna, Stocker, & Clarke,
2003). The capacity to entertain counterfactual possibilities emerges early in
life (typically by age 2) and seems to be evident as soon as children have
mastered the lexical skills to express subjunctive ideas of “if only” (Beck,
Robinson, Carroll, & Apperly, 2006; German & Nichols, 2003; Perner,
Sprung, & Steinkogler, 2004). The primary function of counterfactual
thinking centres on management and coordination of ongoing behaviour. Thinking
about what might have been influences performance and facilitates improvement,
and it does so by way of several distinct mechanisms. Counterfactual thoughts
are deeply connected to goals and are a component of regulatory mechanisms that
keep behaviour on track, particularly within social interactions (Markman &
McMullen, 2003; Roese, 2001; Roese & Olson, 1997).
The above shows that both openness factors and counterfactual thinking factors
as personality traits are much relevant in an individual’s attempt to gain good
academic achievements. This is evidenced as openness covers individuals urge to
attain good academic achievement, while counterfactual thinking factor study
alternative to a past event. On this basis, this study investigates
Openness-values and counterfactual thinking factors influencing secondary
school students’ academic achievement in Ondo Nigeria.
1.2 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
In
the quest to measure various factors influencing academic achievement among
students become an important issue in other to work on the productivity in the
educational system of the country. although various researcher have indicted governmental,
family and environmental factors as major determinants of academic achievement,
yet only a few researchers have attempted to study effect off personality
factors, let alone placing emphasis of factors of personality that deals
directly with thought regarding themselves and event like Openness-values
and counterfactual thinking factors. This study, therefore, is set to bridge
the gap.
1.3 PURPOSE OF THE STUDY
The
main purpose of this study is to investigate Openness-values and counterfactual
thinking factors influencing secondary school students’ academic achievement in
Ondo Nigeria. Specifically this study shall;
1. Identify various openness values influencing secondary school students’
academic achievement in Ondo Nigeria
2. Identify
various counterfactual thinking factors influencing secondary school students’
academic achievement in Ondo Nigeria
3.
Investigate the influence of Openness values on secondary school students’
academic achievement
4.
Investigate counterfactual thinking factors influence secondary school
students’ academic achievement.
1.4 RESEARCH HYPOTHESES
The
following hypotheses were formulated by the researcher to aid the completion of
the study;
H0: there
is no factors influencing counterfactual thinking of secondary school student
academic achievement
H1: there
is a factors influencing counterfactual thinking of secondary school student
academic achievement
H0: there
are no factor thatinfluence
Openness values on secondary school students’ academic achievement
H2: there
are factor thatinfluence Openness
values on secondary school students’ academic achievement
1.5 RESEARCH QUESTIONS
The
following question pilot this study:
1.
What is the combined influence of openness values influencing secondary school
students’ academic achievement?
2.
What is the relative influence of counterfactual thinking factors on secondary
school students’ academic achievement?
1.5 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY
The
students would benefit from this study in that, this study would create a
familiarity between students and those personality factors in view with
reference to their academic achievement. This study would enable teachers to
understand their students better and learn to work with them based on their strength
on the bases of traits they possess. Also, teachers will also learn to rebrand
their methods of teaching to sooth the learning environment as predicted by
student’s personality traits. Counsellors and policy makers would have
indicator from this study, which will help them in counselling students and in
the conduction of examination respectively. Also the government will
benefit from this study as the findings of this study would serve as a vital
information for them towards making a good plan that will help education in
Nigeria in the nearest future.
1.6 SCOPE AND LIMITATION OF THE STUDY
This
study operate within the scope of finding the influence of Openness-values and
counterfactual thinking factors on secondary school students’ academic achievement
in Ondo Nigeria.
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.
c) Finance:
Limited Access to the required finance was a major constrain to the scope of
the study.
1.7 DEFINITION OF TERMS
The
following terms are defined based on how they are used in this study:
Personality- This is the sum total
of the characteristics that differentiates people, or the stability of a
person’s behavior across different situations.
Openness-values- This is a measure
of depth, breadth and variability in a person’s imagination and urge for
experience.
Counterfactual thinking- This are
thoughts about alternatives to past events, that is, thoughts of what might
have been.
Academic Achievement- This signifies
the results of the total output of every effort put into academics
1.8 ORGANIZATION OF
THE STUDY
This
research work is organized in five chapters, for easy understanding, as follows
Chapter
one is concern with the introduction, which consist of the (overview, of the
study), historical background, statement of problem, objectives of the study,
research hypotheses, significance of the study, scope and limitation of the
study, definition of terms and historical background of the study. Chapter two
highlights the theoretical framework on which the study is based, thus the
review of related literature. Chapter three deals on the research design and
methodology adopted in the study. Chapter four concentrate on the data
collection and analysis and presentation of finding. Chapter five gives summary, conclusion, and
recommendations made of the study