INFLUENCE OF STUDY HABIT AND TYPES OF HOME ON STUDENTS’ ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE IN OGBOMOSO NORTH LOCAL GOVERNMENT OF OYO STATE

ABSTRACT

Study habits are an individual ability. Some children like to read alone, some in a group, some read aloud and some silently; there is no strict yardstick to measure the type of study habits. Many students are unsuccessful in their examinations not because they are short of knowledge or ability, but because they do not have adequate study habits and study skills. Home as the first socialization unit which the child has continuous contact and it is also most powerful medium by which our value system develops. The present study was conducted on 150 senior secondary school II students to find out the influence of study habits and types of home on the students studying only in government schools as well as students belonging to either nuclear or extended family. Study habit and types of home influence questionnaire (SHTHIQ) was used to collect the relevant data. Mean, S.D.and t-test were used to analyze the data. It was observed that at 0.05 level of significance, there exist a significant relationship between study habit, home types and students’ academic performance.

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1     Background of the Study

Education is the process through which an individual is developed into individuality and a person into a personality. Each person is different from the other and every individual has some unique potential in some field or the other. Education doesn‟t simply refer to the number of years an individual spends in a school. It refers to the change in behavior, attitude and culture brought about in the individual as a result of his having undergone education during a particular period. Thus, the main characteristic of any educational process is to bring about the best in the individual. Educational activities are geared towards ensuring that students achieve mastery of educational objectives. In school , the extent to which these objectives have been achieved, is determined by their level of peer pressure, time management as students‟ success are reflected in their academic performance (Ashish, 2013).

Today‟s world is moving in a speed which was unheard in the past. Everyone wants to excel. Individual‟s success affects personal and social dimensions of life. In this regard, academic performance is one of the major factors that influence individual‟s success in any educational setting. It is any body‟s guess that good habits and skills will help us to promote efficiency in our tasks. In education, proper study habits and skills entail to proficiency as well as high quality of learning (Dehghani & Soltanalgharaei, 2014). Productive study requires conceptualization and intention. It could include some skills such as note-taking, observation, asking question, listening, thinking and presented idea regarding discovering new information. Thus, learner should be interested in learning and must be able to apply needed skills. On the other hand, inefficient study leads to waste of time and learner‟s energy (Hashemian & Hashemian, 2014).

Study habits and skills like other skills can be taught and learnt. Accordingly, educational researches intend to find out effective ways to improve students‟ study habits, and most suitable age of learners where they can learn those skills.

Study habit therefore, refers to the student ways of carrying out the task of studying by using various techniques and ways in the field of study to keep him afloat along with the wise use of his/her time in studying. Either the study habit is systematic or unsystematic there could always be an impact to student’s academic performance.

The concept of study habit comprises of study attitude, study method and study skill. Attitude towards study has great contribution in academic achievement and good study pattern. Successful students adopt positive attitude towards study and do not waste time or energy”. There are different studies which have studies study habits as a correlate of academic achievement. Anwar (2013) conducted a study to investigate the degree of relationship between study habits and academic achievement of senior secondary school students of Luck now city of

U.P. (India) and found that the academic achievement of the students having good and poor study habits differed significantly in favour of those who has good study habits.

Research indicated that in higher education institutions, academic success will increase by focus on some kind of interventions directed towards learning strategies, study skills, and study behaviors such as time management, using information resources, taking class notes, communicating with teachers, preparing for and taking examinations.

Ashish (2013) opines that if students must ensure academic success throughout the entire year, it is important to ditch bad study habits and establish good ones. He further maintains that no matter what age or academic level, employing effective study strategies can make all the difference between acing a class, barely passing or worse and failing miserably. She admits that many of today‟s most common study methods or habits can lead to utter disappointment despite best efforts and intentions. To Ashish (2013), knowing exactly what does and does not work on a personal level, even tracking study patterns and correlating it with related grades and then proactively creating a study plan and schedule around the proven effective methods, is the most powerful study tool of all.

Generally, study habits can be classified into two-good study habits, and bad study habits. Good study habits according to Katelyn (2013) are sometimes referred to as positive or productive study habits. As the name implies, they are those pleasant study habits which have the tendency to improve the academic performance of students or that seem to produce good results. They are the study habits which make students successful in their studies after developing and applying them throughout their academic career.

Good study habits occur as a result of practice and knowing what methods are most effective for you as a student. When studying, stay away from distractions, such as the computer. Instead of procrastinating, work on a long term assignment daily, instead of studying the night before, study a little each night. Review what you learned in class every day when you get home, before starting homework. Also, a good tip is to review what you did in class the previous day at the beginning of class when you have a few minutes before the teacher starts talking. By learning the ways that you learn the best, you will be successful in your studies.

Katelyn (2013) therefore, identifies fourteen positive or good study habits which students can employ in order to improve their academic performance. They are: attending all classes, reviewing your notes daily, reading material prior to it being covered in class, study daily, have at least one conference with the professor, develop and learn a word list for the course, read materials to improve your background in the course (other than text), attend help session, attend learning resource lab when available, develop a list of possible questions, ask questions in class, study an old exam (when available), avoid a last minute cram session, and sleep at least 8hours the night before exams commence.

However, bad study habits generally range from procrastination, truancy, not taking note, selective reading, studying while watching television or what is generally regarded as distractive study etc. Nikki (2013) identifies bad reading habits to include studying with friends, listening to loud music, studying in uncomfortable conditions, cramming, etc.

There are several factors that tend to affect students study habits. Anything can affect students‟ study habits. Their ability to study and concentrate can be increased by finding a quiet place where they can concentrate.

Distractions such as phones, chat rooms, TM and text messaging, TV, video games, music and computers can all decrease students‟ ability to learn. Whatever is going on around and within a student‟s own mind is going to affect his study habits.

According to Cerna & pavliushchenko (2015), study habits can be affected by factors such as:

1. Age of a student
2. Home environment
3. Studying materials
4. Television and computer games
5. Social network (face book)
6. Students‟ determination and aspiration
7. Financial and economic status of parents
8. Surrounding such as entertainment center, games center
9. The rule of the schools
10. The teaching style of teachers
11. The leisure of the students
12. Some activities in schools
13. Availability of library
14. The nature friends and peer group
15. Assignments and homework restriction
16. Students‟ parents educational background
17. Parents not interested and supportive in helping their children study
18. Household chores
19. Family problems
20. Procrastination and poor time management
21. Students‟ comfort level
22. The noise level
23. The lighting level and the availability of items that might be necessary to study or to enhance

The issue of the upsurge of academic failure among the youths is a menace that has stirred both the government and stakeholders in the face. There is a consensus of opinion about the fallen standard of education as a big problem that is hindering the posterity of the nation in terms of man power resources. Most students in secondary school experience academic problem that manifests itself in the form of poor academic performance. Many educational authorities have sought to find out the reasons for the downward trend in the academic achievement of secondary school students.

The family, being a powerful influence on the child and its importance as a primary agent of socialization could in no doubt enhance or hinder the academic achievement of the child depending on the social climate in the family. Variance in psycho-social emotional fortification in the monogamy and polygamy family background could be an indicator to high or low academic performance of students. Research on this aspect has not been exhaustively looked into in Nigeria where the two types of family system is actively practiced bearing in mind the intervening effect of high and low socio-economic status and emotional stability of students which is a pre-requisite to academic achievement.

Wholesome maximum development of the child is the primary concern of any established educational system. Varied views have been advanced regarding this optimum wholesome development and ways of attaining it. Despite differences of views, there is agreement on one point that academic achievement of the individual is the most important component of wholesome development. However, the goal of education cannot be restricted merely to develop the competence only in the student. In fact, it aims at developing the well-integrated person so as to enable him to get adjusted in the society. Hence, the aim of education may be put as bringing out broad personality changes in the individual which includes attitudes, interests, ideals, ways of thinking, work habits, personal and social adaptability etc. besides imparting subject matter knowledge to him. The education of a child starts at very young stage in the family. The parents are the first teachers of a child. This education is called informal education. The education plays the role of an instrument of social change which is imparted to the children initially it the home environment. Here, it is of great consideration that the socio-economic status (Socio-economic status of parents‟ means educational level of parents, the income of family, environment in the family and standard of living of the family) of parents plays an important role in the academic achievement and social behavior of the students.

In home environment there are a number of factors which contribute towards the wholesome development of the child namely, staying facilities, means of recreation, parental personality, administrative and supervisory policies at homes, humanistic relations and democratic discipline among the family members etc. All these factors help in creating conducive home environment for learning and development. The income of family, education level of parents, the quality of life in family, home environment and standard of living influence the educational and social development of children.

The family is the child’s first place of contact with the world. The child as a result, acquires initial education and socialization from parents and other significant persons in the family.

Family structure suggests whether a family is intact or broken. A broken family in the context of this research work is a family that has split or separated for various reasons such as death of a parent, separation, divorce or abandonment that may lead to children being raised by single parents, stepparents or relatives. On the other hand, an intact family refers to a family in which both biological parents are present and living together in the home.

The intactness of a family may not necessarily mean that it functions well or that the children are being well catered for, as all manners of normal conflicts and problems as well as life threatening issues do occur in intact families as well. Structural analysis of families is important because family is the most important and informal socializing agent that moulds the child in society and the future of the child depends upon it. It helps children to recognize and achieve important societal goals. Impliedly, family setting and background play important role in strengthening or upsetting student‟s academic performance. The purpose of this study is to examine the probable contributions of family structure to the academic performance of secondary school students in Ogbomoso North Local Government Area of Oyo State.

It is appropriate to say that families are different in terms of various factors – socioeconomic status, level of education, size, cultural background, parental involvement in both academic and extra-curriculum activities of the children, domestic issues, organizational and physical closeness, and so on – that affect student’s academic performance.

In the same vein, socio-economic background is another factor that may affect academic performance of students. This background refers to the parent’s educational attainment, occupation, level of income and social class placement. When a child’s needs are not properly addressed, his learning ability could be affected due to lack of motivation.

Generally, the home has been identified as an overwhelming factor affecting students‟ performance academically. It would appear, then, that broken homes may present a very serious danger to the emotional, personality, and mental adjustment of the young adolescent. This impinges on students‟ academic achievement.

How a student takes his or her studies, greatly determines his/her level of academic achievements. The level of preparation and learning strategies developed and employed consciously by students, go a long way to influence their level of academic performance (Ebele & Olofu, 2017).

Thus, study habit is one of the greatest students or learning factors that hugely influences students‟ academic achievements. If undermined by students at all levels, teachers, administrators, parents and guardians, school counselors and the government, then, the trend and menace of students‟ abysmal performance in both internal and external examinations would continue to boom and become more devastating and alarming(Grades are certainly the most well-known indicator of academic performance. Grades are the student‟s “score” for their classes and overall tenure. Grades are most often a tallying or average of assignment and test scores and may often be affected by factors such as attendance an instructor opinion of the student as well. Grading systems vary greatly by county and school; common scales include a percentage form 1- 100, lettering systems from A-F, and grade point averages (GPA) from 0-4.0 or above. Academic performance is a key aspect of educational system. It is a yardstick through which students’ progress, teacher`s effectiveness and over all educational standard is determine. It could be defined as the ability of the students in school work which meet or exceeds the expected grades. Study habits are usually defined as students‟ ability to manage time and other resource to complete an academic task successfully. „Study habit‟ is the amount and kind of studying routines which the student is used during regular period of study occurred in conducive environment.

According to Cerna & Pavliushchenko (2015), academic performance refers to the outcome of education; the extent to which the student, teacher or institution have achieved their educational goals. Academic performance is the ability to study and remember facts and being able to communicate one‟s knowledge verbally or written on paper (Answers, 2010). In the context of this study, academic achievement refers to the extent to which students have achieved mastery of the objectives of the subjects they are exposed to in school. According to (Aremu and Sokan 2003) academic achievement has been observed in school subjects‟ especially Mathematic and English language among secondary school students. The trend of poor achievement of secondary school students has also been confirmed by the West African Examination Council (WAEC). The WAEC result analysis for the years 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011 revealed the following statistics of the performance of Nigerian student in secondary schools in public examination. The percentages of students who passed during the years were report to be 22, 54, 13.76, 22.54, 24.94, and 25.99 percent respectively. That is, on the average, less than a quarter (21.94 percent) of the students that sat for the May/June West African Senior Secondary School Certificate Examinations obtained credits in five subjects including English and mathematics during the five years (WAEC, 2007-2011).

According to the West African Examination Council Zonal Coordinator, revealed the statistics of the 2012/2013 WAEC. A total of 324, 998 candidates registered for the Examination 168,835 are Males: while 141,242 are Females: candidates who registered for the WAEC examination. Withheld results, the results of 51,876 candidates, representing 16. 73% of candidates are being withheld by the WAEC Board, based on various reports, mostly for these candidates alleged involvement in examination malpractice, while another Statistics shows that a whooping number of 250,487 candidates representing 80. 78% have 2 credits and above, while 217,161 candidates, representing 70. 03 of the total 2012 WAEC candidates, have three credits and above. Several factors have generally been identified as causes of poor academic performance. Morakinyo (2003) believes that the falling level of academic performance is attributable to teachers‟ non-use of verbal reinforcement strategy. Welsh (2007) also found that the attitude of some teachers to their job, poor teaching methods and the like influence students‟ academic performance.

Academic performance is a key aspect of education system. It is a yardstick through which students‟ progress, teacher`s effectiveness and over-all educational standard is determine. Academic performance can be measured through some instruments (Sikhwari, 2014) such as examination and test and the marks, grades and percentage obtained are giving as the results (Awan, Noureen, & Naz, 2011). This result is, what is used to determine student progress, teacher`s effectiveness and the standard of education. Academic performance of students is conceived as the reflection of their ability in academic work (Okeke, & Attah, 2010). Olibie and Ezeoba (2013) see it as how well a student performs in test and examination. The scores of the students indicate their performance which could be either low or high depending on the standard that is set. Student’s score that meets the standard or is above is said to be good or excellent performance and scores below is a poor performance. Ashish (2013) defines poor academic performance as a performance that is adjudged by the examinee/testee and some other significant as falling below an expected standard

Academic performance of a student is a key to educational progress. It determines whether the student will be due for admission, promotion and transition or not (Nyagosia, et al 2013). One other thing tie to academic performance is that it indicates teacher’s effectiveness. Akiri (2013) submits that academic scores of students` are predictors of teachers` effectiveness. This means that high academic performance of students indicates the teacher is effective while poor academic performance indicates teachers` ineffectiveness. The view of Olorundare (2011) is in that direction but, noted that a student could possibly have a good grade in a class of ineffective teacher likewise, in a class an effective teacher, a student could possibly fail. Factors that contribute to teachers‟ effectiveness according to Oredein (cited in Akiri, 2013) includes; teachers relationship with students, teaching experience and qualification, which influence on teaching and learning could be positive or negative that would in either good or poor academic performance (Akiri, 2013). Academic performance of student has been used to describe the quality or standard of the educational system. The prevailing poor performance of students in school and public examination has been seen as the outcome of poor quality of the educational system in Nigeria. Educationist such as Olorundare (2011:4) doubt if the poor performances of students as witness now is not “a reflection of the institutional and structural qualities in the schools.

1.2     Statement of the Problem

Most students in Nigerian secondary schools are in greater risk of poor academic performance in both internal and external examinations (WAEC and NECO). For instance, the available records of WAEC result analysis from 2005- 2011 show a continuous decline in students overall performance in school certificate examinations.

Government, parents, teachers and students blame one another for students‟ poor performance in schools. Parents blame teachers for lack of dedication to duties. The teachers blame government for poor salaries hence they are poorly motivated, parents also accuse government for not equipping the schools with learning materials, government blame parents for not doing good homework and the students are blamed for lack of discipline and dedication to their studies.

In light of the above issues, the outstanding and relevant question is: what is the influence of study habit and types of home on academic performance of secondary school students?

1.3     Objectives of the Study

Generally, the purpose of the study was to find out the influence of students’ study habit and types of home on academic performance among senior secondary school students in Ogbomoso North Local Government.

Specifically, the purpose of the study is to find out:

1. The influence of parental level of education on academic achievement of senior secondary school students.
2. The influence of family size on students‟ academic
3. The influence of parental motivation on students‟ academic achievement
4. Determine the relationship between Students‟ study habit and academic
5. Examine the relationship between Students’ home type (monogamy and polygamy) and their academic performance.

1.4     Research Questions

The study will provide answers to the following research questions:

1. What is the influence of parental level of education on students‟ academic achievement?
2. What is the influence of family size on students‟ academic achievement?
3. What influence does parental motivation have on students‟ academic achievement?
4. What is the relationship between Students‟ study habit and academic performance?

1.5     Research Hypotheses

The following hypotheses will guide the studying and will be tested at 0.05 level of significance

1. There exists a significant relationship between parental level of education and students’ academic achievement
2. There exists a significant relationship between family size and students’ academic achievement
3. There exists a significant relationship between parental motivation and students’ academic achievement
4. There exists a significant relationship between Students‟ study habit and students’ academic achievement.

1.6     Scope of the Study

There are many factors affecting the academic achievement of students but this study will only investigate study habits and the home environment or type. Besides, this study will examine only some selected secondary schools in Ogbomoso North Local Government of Oyo State in which data will be collected from samples of Population.

1.7     Significance of the Study

Theoretically, the findings of this study are considered significant because it can help in providing empirical information in identifying and explaining the various study habit and types of home variables and the influence of the variables on students‟ academic performance. This will help in better understanding of the phenomenon. Moreover, it is expected that the findings will help to explain the functionality of the theoretical postulations Maslow‟s motivational theory. According to Maslow, motivation is very important in learning, and a learner under motivated condition, exhibits purposeful behaivour aimed to achieving the set goal. The students is motivated to learn when their physiological need like shelter, food, water, rest and safety needs like love and belonging.

The satisfaction of these needs leads to the quest to satisfy higher needs which boarder on self- esteem and self- actualization. The understanding of this theory especially as it relates to students teachers and parents would be of particular significance to researchers in the field of education and family studies.

Practically, the finding of this study will be useful to the following: the teachers, students, parents, school guidance counselors, Parents Teachers Association (PTA), educational administrators and the society at large.

The finding of the study will be of immense help to the teachers. The teachers will realize the necessity of individualizing their teaching by structuring their teaching methods and instructional resources to take care of the divergent parental backgrounds of the students.

This method may yield more positive result than the traditional system which assumes that all children have similar family background. The findings of the study will also help teachers to exercise patience with slow-learners as they vary methods of instruction to accommodate divergent family background.

The findings will be of immense importance to students. The students will realize that their poor performance might not necessarily be their fault alone, especially those from low status families. Such knowledge will go a long way to reduce frustration in the students and also reduce drop- outs which occur as a result of frustration. Rather, the students should be made to adjust and help themselves by studying hard at home and also make proper of the books and materials that are provided for them at the school library.

Through the findings of this study, parents will realize the importance of improving their educational standard so as to influence their children‟s academic performance. Parents will also understand the need for them to improve their socioeconomic status so as to be able to provide the necessary motivation in form of learning materials and other things which will enhance their children‟s learning and their academic performance. They will equally acknowledge the importance of positive motivations and encouragement and provide some, by making the family environment more conducive for their children.

The school guidance counselors will also benefit from the findings of this study.

They will be in position to guide and counsel students in the area of personal social interactions, academic performance and career choice.

The findings of the study will help Parents Teacher Associations (PTA) of schools in promoting the academic performance of student. This is because at PTA meetings, parents know their functions and responsibilities at home, to help solve their children’s problems both home and school environment.

The findings of the study will be of immense help to educational administrators.

They will use the findings in the formulation of policy that will regulate equal educational opportunities for all children irrespective of their family background in the distribution of equipment, facilities and amenities to schools.

The findings of this study will help the society at large in identifying how family environmental variables such as what parents’ level of education, parents’ income, parents’ occupation, parents’ motivation and family size on student‟s academic performance. This will act as a check on increasing low academic performance among students, occasioned by the fact that some parents, teachers and counselors do not have adequate knowledge/input required of them.

1.8      Definition of Terms

Influence: An effect of one factor on the other.

Study: Ability to apply the mind to learning or understanding of a subject especially by reading.

Habits: The tendencies or dispositions to study and read in a certain or particular way.

Home Type: In this study, it refers to the family where the students are brought up.

Achievement: Refers to the grades both per subject and overall that the students obtain in test and examination. It‟s also refers to performance.

Motivation: Refers to being neither intrinsically nor extrinsically motivated to perform an activity

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Tagged with: Academic Achievement, Academic Performance, Achievement, Habits, Influence, Motivation, Performance, Study, Study Habits