Tag Archives: Academic Performance

STUDY HABIT AND TYPES OF HOME

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:

Age of a student
Home environment
Studying materials
Television and computer games
Social network (face book)
Students‟ determination and aspiration
Financial and economic status of parents
Surrounding such as entertainment center, games center
The rule of the schools
The teaching style of teachers
The leisure of the students
Some activities in schools
Availability of library
The nature friends and peer group
Assignments and homework restriction
Students‟ parents educational background
Parents not interested and supportive in helping their children study
Household chores
Family problems
Procrastination and poor time management
Students‟ comfort level
The noise level
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:

The influence of parental level of education on academic achievement of senior secondary school students.
The influence of family size on students‟ academic
The influence of parental motivation on students‟ academic achievement
Determine the relationship between Students‟ study habit and academic
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:

What is the influence of parental level of education on students‟ academic achievement?
What is the influence of family size on students‟ academic achievement?
What influence does parental motivation have on students‟ academic achievement?
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

There exists a significant relationship between parental level of education and students’ academic achievement
There exists a significant relationship between family size and students’ academic achievement
There exists a significant relationship between parental motivation and students’ academic achievement
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

Click to: DOWNLOAD @ NGN5,000/USD20

ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS AND ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE

INFLUENCE OF ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS ON THE ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE OF STUDENTS IN KADUNA (A Study of Social Development Department, Kaduna Polytechnic)

ABSTRACT

The study examines the “Influence of Environmental Factors on Academic Performance of Students in Kaduna Polytechnic”. The purpose of the study is to find out the relationship between school environment and students’ academic performance; to examine the impact of school facilities on the academic performance of students in the Kaduna Polytechnic; to explore factors perceived to inhibit students learning in the academic process of students in Kaduna Polytechnic; to investigate the extent to which school location affects the academic achievement of students in Kaduna Polytechnic and to identify whether school environment motivate students to attend school. A survey method was used along with a five point likert scale questionnaire to facilitate the collection of data from respondents. A sample of 95 were involved and served as respondents. The research questions which guided the study include; What is the relationship between school environment and students’ academic performance?; What are the impacts of school facilities on the academic performance of students in the Kaduna Polytechnic?; What are the factors perceived to inhibit students learning in the academic process of students in Kaduna state?; To what extend does school location affects the academic achievement of students in Kaduna Polytechnic? And how does school environment motivate students to attend school? Data collected was presented using statistical tables with percentage values for the Bio-data and mean value to analyze the research questions. Findings shows that the relationship between school environment and students’ academic performance is that, conducive school environment helps a student find learning interesting, conducive school environment it enhances joint learning and the impact of school facilities on the academic performance of students in the Kaduna Polytechnic is that availability of school facilities enhances learning among students. It was recommended that educational authorities must ensure the school environment must be free from noise pollution and distraction to aid students learned as expected and school facilities should be adequately provided to improve the academic performance of students in the Kaduna Polytechnic. The researcher concluded that availability of school facilities enhances learning among students and secured school in a good location allows good quick learning among students and this should be priotized by school authorities residing in Kaduna Polytechnic.

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background of the Study

United Nation Education Science and Cultural Organization, (2015) postulate that education is viewed as a critical investment, not only to the individual, but also to the society. All countries of the world are prioritizing this investment especially in formal education. In recent time, Ghana is ranked the most educated country in West Africa which is reflected in its literacy rate and performance in West Africa Examination Council over the years.

Ajao, (2017) postulated that 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 carrying out of their duties, but also in the effective coordination of the school environment.

Ajayi, (2018) & Oluchukwu, (2018) put that education is an essential factor for effective development of any country like Nigeria. The western education adopted by Nigeria is highly based on individualism, socio-economic and internationalization which are geared towards national development. Poor performance of students in other West Africa countries is attributed to a variety of factors depending on the country in question. 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.

The school environment remains an important area that should be studied and well managed to enhance students’ academic performance.

Udoh (2019) opined that issue of poor academic performance of students in Nigeria has been of much concern to the government, parents, teachers and even student themselves. Environmental influence before now have not been considered as one of the factors that affect academic performance in schools, hence it has little or no attention in educational discourse and consideration. But over the past decade remarkable studies have indicated a correlation between the environment and academic performance of students.

Environment plays major role in the life of every individual whether a students, teachers, employer or employee. Though some people are yet to believe that environment brings about better performance. Udoh (2019) identified some unhealthy practices in our schools, these include sitting of schools, inadequate facilities, poor ventilation etc. Most of our schools have no light, insufficient facilities, sick buildings and no ventilation. Under these conditions the health of students and teachers according to Udoh (2019) may be adversely affected, which will in turn reflect on students’ performance.

Onukwo (2018) put that it is pertinent to critically look at the environmental factors that influences academic performance of students, measures that can help improve them and make some recommendation because at the very heart of our educational mission is the goal of improving academic performance. Studies have shown that environmental factors to a large extent affect both the physical and psychological potentials of an individual.

This has led to the contention that many students fail to develop their potentials due to inadequate environmental stimulation. However, there are some environmental factors which have contributed to this poor performance of students which are home background, inadequate school facilities, misuse of technology such as internet and school climate such as teacher-student relationship etc.

Onukwo (2018) in his note says that a conducive environment enhances growth and development. Student feels happy in a peaceful and friendly environment where as schools sited in noisy urban streets are associated with deficits in mental concentration leading to student’s poor performance. Noise is anything that interferes with teaching/learning process. Noise produces influence on Student information processing strategies, feelings of personal control as well as their level of arousal.

Vikoo (2019) put that some communities have a history/tradition of formal education and modern education influences. The gadgets, resources, facilities in both types of community will influence the learning processes of the child. Student’s cannot single handedly achieve all their goals. So they must be equipped with adequate technological facilities such as textbooks, clients, computer, visual and audio-visual aids, photographs and posters. Vikoo (2019) views instructional material as “any device with instructional content or function that is used for teaching purpose, including books, supplementary reading materials, audio-visual and other sensory materials, scripts for radio and television instrumentation programs for computer management packaged sets of materials for construction or manipulation.

Beyond the direct effects that poor facilities have on students’ ability to learn, the combination of poor facilities, which create an uncomfortable and uninviting workplace for teachers, combined with frustrating behavior by students including poor concentration and hyperactivity, lethargy, or apathy, creates a stressful set of working conditions for teachers. Because stress and job dissatisfaction are common pre-cursors to lowered teacher enthusiasm, it is possible that the aforementioned characteristics of school facilities have an effect upon the academic performance of students. As a result to the importance of good school environment to academic performance; this study therefore, is to ascertain the influence/impact of environment on the academic performance of students in Kaduna Polytechnic.

1.2 Statement of the Problem

Ada, (2015), put that the influence of school environment on academic performance of students has been an issue of concern to all stakeholders in education. This is evident in the rate of mass failure of students in both internal and external examinations, as revealed by research studies. Despite the Kaduna State government’s effort towards the provision and renovation of infrastructures in secondary schools, students‟ performance in both internal and external examinations such as WAEC and NECO (National Examination Council) Entrance and State Common Entrance Examinations and other entrance examinations into higher institution is still very low and below expectation. Several research studies have identified other factors such as school climate, instructional materials, discipline, teacher’s qualification, class size and over population of students in classroom as being responsible for poor academic achievement of students (Ada, 2015).

Dun (2018) put that the researcher has observed with dismay that the school environment in the study area is poor. Infrastructural facilities are in dilapidated conditions, lack of trained teachers and other facilities that promote teaching and learning are also in short fall which may tend to influence students’ academic performance in schools. School buildings and environment is one of the school facilities that influence academic performance of students. The designs of classroom and its lighting also determine if students will perform well or not. Dunn (2018) said that students perform well than in a dark. Without light it is obvious that students may develop bad sight.

Meanwhile, Location/setting of school is one of the environmental factors that influence the academic performance of secondary school student. Onukwo (2017) in his note recorded that conducive environment enhances a child’s growth and development. The high levels of students’ academic performance may not be guaranteed where instructional space such as classrooms, libraries, technical workshops and laboratories are structurally defective. Motivational and emotional supports are also other factors that influence academic performance of students (Franser 2017). The absence of these hampers the student’s intellectual development considerably as such treatments invariably result in negative self-concept. Also culture influences student’s academic performance. The cultural environment influences aspiration because culturally based explanations of behaviour tend to focus on the moral codes that operate within particular families, communities or groups. As culture has to do with beliefs values, norms and socializations, research evidence have shown that the environment whether urban or rural industrial also contributes to what a student learns and how it is being learned.

Davis, (2018), notably put that studies have investigated the relationship of poor school environment including problems with student- lecturer ratio, school location, school population, classroom ventilation, poor lighting in classrooms, and inconsistent temperatures in the classroom with student health problems, student behavior, and student achievement (Davis, 2018 & Tanner, 2015 and the researcher was prompted based on the above assertions to ascertain the importance of environment on the academic performance of the students.

1.3 Objectives of the Study

The objectives of this study are:

To examine the relationship between school environment and students’ academic performance
To examine the impact of school facilities on the academic performance of students in the Kaduna Polytechnic.
To explore factors perceived to inhibit students learning in the academic process of students in Kaduna Polytechnic
To investigate the extent to which school location affects the academic achievement of students in Kaduna Polytechnic.
To identify whether school environment motivate students to attend school.

1.4 Research Question

To achieve the objectives of this study, the following questions were raised.

What is the relationship between school environment and students’ academic performance?
What are the impacts of school facilities on the academic performance of students in the Kaduna Polytechnic?
What are the factors perceived to inhibit students learning in the academic process of students in Kaduna polytechnic?
To what extend does school location affects the academic achievement of students in Kaduna Polytechnic?
How does school environment motivate students to attend school?

1.5 Significance of the Study

It is hoped that this study will provide information for the participants of this study who are respondents, parents, teachers, educators and school administrators to reflect upon various factors that help students in achieving their academic goals. In so doing, they can investigate the possibility of introducing those factors to their school, which may consequently lead to enhancing students’ educational outcomes in Kaduna Polytechnic.

Communities where this study was conducted shall benefit from this study in the area of suggesting and developing conducive environments for the educational development of the communities to support quality education delivery for the community and the state at large.

In addition, the fact that this study is conducted in some academic institutions, it shares quite a lot of similarities with many other counterparts. In this connection, this study provides a valuable reference for the government and educational bodies to device best means and ways of developing the educational sector in the state and beyond.

The findings of this study shall be of benefits to researchers who are in the field searching for information as regards to how environment affects educational achievements of students in Kaduna state environment and shall add to existing knowledge for researcher who might use this study for reference purpose.

1.6 Scope of the Study

This research work focuses on the influence of environment on academic performance of students in Kaduna Polytechnic in some selected schools in Kaduna State. The findings of the study shall be based on the responses gotten from the residents of Kaduna Polytechnic and limited to the respondents in the area alone.

1.7 Definition of Keys Terms

Academic Achievement: this is the measure of knowledge attained or skills developed in school subjects by test scores.

School: A school is an institution designed for the teaching of students (or “pupils”) under the direction of teachers.

School Environment: A school’s environment includes the school building and the community that host the institution.

Click to: DOWNLOAD @ NGN5,000/USD20

PEER GROUPS AND STUDENTS’ PERFORMANCE

THE INFLUENCE OF PEER GROUPS ON STUDENTS’ PERFORMANCE IN MATHEMATICS IN SENIOR SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS OF KADUNA METROPOLIS, KADUNA STATE

ABSTRACT

The study was investigated the influence of peer group on academic performance of mathematics students in senior secondary schools of Kaduna metropolis, Kaduna state. Two research questions, two objective and two null hypotheses guided the study. The design of the study is descriptive survey, while the sample size of the study was 60 Senior Secondary Mathematics Students used in the Study were Randomly selected, while a Researcher self-developed 15-items, was used to get information from the respondents. Pilot study was conducted and split-half was used to obtain reliability coefficient of 0.69. The findings of the study revealed that there is no significant influence of peer group on academic performance of mathematics students in senior secondary school in Kaduna metropolis. On the bases of figures, the researcher recommended that Students should effectively equip themselves with knowledge and technique of promoting performance in mathematics, in the secondary school student’s discussion with their peers to improve teaching and learning of mathematics.

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background to the Study

Mathematics is a universal subject. The knowledge of it is not only necessary for successful schooling but also unavailable for human survival in everyday life. There is hardly any field of study where mathematics is not useful. The farmers, carpenters, hunters, house wives and so on. They make use of it even though they may not be aware. The importance of mathematics in it ramification cannot be overemphasized in our present scientific and technological age.

Chambers (2004) defined mathematics as an organized body of knowledge, abstract system of ideas, a useful tool a key to understanding the world, a way of thinking a deductive system and intellectual challenge, a language, an aesthetic experiences s creation of the human mind where the ability of suspect is only minor aspect. Mathematics is an essential tool for various purpose of life. Although we may not always be aware of it, we make so use of mathematics in our everyday life. In education mathematics plays an important role. It is the study of numbers, and the relationship between numbers, and various operations performed on them. It is the science of quantity, size and shape. It is also a way to communicate and analyze ideas, a tool for organizing and interpreting data and above all perhaps a method of logical reasoning unique to man.

Markarfin (2001) stated that mathematics is universal not only in the way it influence the basic sciences, applied science, engineering and technology but also, its influence on day to day activity. Odgwu (2002) explained that in recognition of usefulness of mathematics the Federal Government of Nigeria in her National Policy on Education (F R N, 2014), made mathematics a core subject to be offered at both the primary and secondary school levels of education. Peters (2001) submitted that mathematics remain the pivot on which any true science cannot succeed without going through mathematics demonstration. Aremu (1998) opine that the importance of mathematics as a necessary tool needed for the realization of national goals and objectives of our secondary school.

The success and failure of student’s performance in our secondary schools are determined by students’ interest in mathematics. Peer group are among the most influential social forces affecting adolescent behavior mundane decisions concerning clothing, hairstyle, music and entertainment to more significant decision concerning short and long-term education plans. During the formative adolescent years, peers are arguable even more important than parents, teachers, counselors and the peer influence of youth cam have long lasting consequences (Coleman, 1966). Parents recognize the importance of peer group and through their choice neighborhoods, schools and activities (Lareu et-al, 2003). Attempt to guide and direct their children’s friendship selection, in schools which can be increasingly challenging during adolescent. Peer group has always been menace in our societies, social relations and students’ performance.

Menheim (1998) claims that students throughout their school career will be grouped with their contemporaries to they will become accustomed to having the limitations and additions of each age group intensified. Taiwo (2004) wrote that the peer group outsides the home from which does not always conform with adult standard a and each child strive to abide with the ethics of the group they takes members with because rejection by the group may have negative effect on the learning of the child.

Regardless of socioeconomic status, parents wants their children’s to be surrounded by the best possible social networks, especially during adolescent period when youth are increasingly independent from parents. During these formative years evolutional goals take form, and youth make a series of decisions that shapes their educational trajectories even as their friendship network gain influence upon these decisions unfortunately the peer effects literature is lacking in two main areas. The first is that peer effect are assumed to be uniform across class, gender, race and ethnicity is especially like to be important because adolescents are more likely to choose friends of the same racial and ethnic group (Hamm, Brown & Heck, 2005); Introducing t5the possibility that peers have differing effects by race and ethnicity. The second problem is that few studies focus on academic decisions that are directly influenced by friends, such as course or track selection and college choices, instead most studies of peer group effect focus on educational out comes that are indirectly influenced by friends, such as early cognitive development, grades promotion and most commonly test scores ( Zimmerman, 2003). Hanushek (2003) have pointed out that if innovations to behavior form an important avenue through which peers effects outcomes, in mathematics the in ability to capture such behavior might lead to a serious underestimation of peer influences. Thus, behavior decisions may lie at the intersection between peers and performance effectively acting as a mediator through which the influence of peer passes prior to shaping students’ performance in mathematics.

The research intend to find out the level of students performance in mathematics and the problem associated with the performance of the subject as a result of peer group interaction as well as solution to the problem in the study area and even beyond are to be highlighted. There are many factors affecting performance in mathematics, peer group influence is one of the major factor especially in physical science, particularly mathematics which is consider as the mother of natural and applied science as well as technology( Morrish, 2001).

The peer group to examine here are between the ages of (15-20) years which are senior secondary school students. According to F R N, (2014) the system of education should be 9,3,4 system, which means 9 year for basic education and 3 year for senior secondary school and 4 year for higher education. In this study the researcher focus on senior secondary school students only.

Influence of peer group is strong during adolescent stage of child development as such parents are concern about the attitude and behavior of their children most especially during this time. Children behavior and attitude are change by the influence of their group especially when they reach the age of puberty children who had entered adolescent were most likely to respect what they are willing to follow within their peers on all matters whether positive or negative depending on the group interest. Also Cole (1991) made similar observations that “peer relation has an important in social development of adolescent and effect which can be positive or negative depending on the group norm and value”.

Peer group attitude have propounded influence of performance toward many values for example education in general and mathematics in particular, peer group plays a vital role in the performance of students in school, also it can be motivating factor for learning.

This study would focus its attention in finding out whether peers could affect the performance of senior secondary school mathematics students, because school are motivational influence, for example when students sense of belonging they may likely to adopt goals valued by the schools likewise if students feel disconnected from the school they like to reject school goals. The teachers and adults can promote positive peer culture through increase awareness of adolescent social system enhance the status of peer performance in mathematics and avoid making performance in game of winners and losers.

Against this background the study is set to examine the influence of peer group on academic performance of mathematics students in senior secondary school of Kaduna metropolis, Kaduna State.

1.2 Statement of the Problem

The low academic performance in school has brought the need to investigate the factors influencing learning. The peer group influence is one of the factors causing low academic performance. There is need to look into peer group relationship and individual approach to learning, membership of the peer group they belong and find out how factors such as sex, age, social status or ethnicity determine their membership in a group.

1.3 Objectives of the Study

The objectives of the study are to;

Examine the concept and nature of peer group
Find out the influence of peer group on academic performance of mathematics students in senior secondary school in Kaduna metropolis.
Determine the influence of peer group on male and female student’s performance in mathematics in secondary school of Kaduna metropolis.
To investigate the effects of attitude of students towards mathematics
To find out how teaching techniques and instructional materials would improve the lukewarm attitudes of students towards mathematics.
Assess the impact of socio-economic background of students towards mathematics(Environmental factors)

1.4 Research Questions

The following research questions will guide the study:

What is the influence of peer group on academic performance of mathematics students in senior secondary school in Kaduna metropolis?
Is there any difference in the academic performance of male and female students in mathematics in senior secondary school of Kaduna metropolis due to peer group influence?

1.5 Research Hypotheses

The following null hypotheses would be tested at 0.05 level of significance:

H_01. There is no significant influence of peer group on academic performance of mathematics students in senior secondary school in Kaduna metropolis.

H_02.There is no significant influence of peer group on male and female student’s performance in mathematics in senior secondary school of Kaduna metropolis.

1.6 Significance of the Study

The study would be of great benefits and importance not only to the schools under study but would be a great benefit to curriculum planner’s, school administrators as well as classroom teachers and implementers of educational policies.

However, the findings of this research project will be beneficial to mathematics teachers in dealing with peer groups and how to improve their academic performance meet up with their regular counterpart. Likewise parents will take advantage of the ways of encouraging their children before and during academic pursuits.

1.7 Basic Assumption of the Study

The basic assumptions of this study are as follows;

Peer group influences on academic performance of mathematics students in senior secondary school in Kaduna metropolis.
Male and female students’ performance in mathematics in senior secondary school of Kaduna metropolis due to peer group influence.

1.8 Scope and Delimitation of the Study

This research work is strictly delimited to Chukun local government of Kaduna state. The researcher restricted the work to SS II students because they are neither beginners nor final year students. The research data collection, findings and conclusions are within some selected secondary schools located in Kaduna metropolis. The researcher used SET as content to be used which include definition of set, types of set, notation of set and relation of set.

1.9 Operational Definition of Terms

In the course of study, some terms were used in special way. The terms are as follows;

Academic Performance: This is the level of achievement attained through effort or skills during the learning processes (theoretical and practical) and has effect on standard of education.

Influence: These are the problems which hinder the effective teaching and learning of mathematics.

Peer Group: This is the association of close friends of the same sex which are bound together by common emotional attachment and have complex social system of which they possess certain code of conduct such as dressing code.

Peer: Students of same age status in senior secondary schools of Kaduna metropolis.

Click to: DOWNLOAD @ NGN5,000/USD20

SOCIAL DEVIANCE ON ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE

PERCEPTION OF STUDENTS ON THE IMPACT OF SOCIAL DEVIANCE ON ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE (A STUDY OF ND II STUDENTS OF DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT)

ABSTRACT

This study is designed to find out and examine the perception of students on the impact of social deviance on academy performance. A summary method was used for the study. 60 respondents (41 Male and 19 Female) were included in the study and they were student of Kaduna Polytechnic, College of Administrative Studies and Social Science. The first chapter discuses the background of the study, statement of the problem, Objective of the study, research question, significant of the study, scope/limitation of the study, the second chapter deals with literature review, the chapter three deals with method of data collection, the questionnaire is the basic instrument for data collection. The chapter four consists of data presentation and analysis, of the finding which is through the questionnaire. The concluding chapter of the research work which is chapter five, the summary, conclusion and recommendation and advice for further studies as for summary, recommendation will help both the lecturer and the school authority, the parents the government, and the students.

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background of the Study

Deviant behavior is a diverse and multidimensional concept. Usually two types of deviant behavior are distinguished: a) externalizing – marked by behavioral problems such as aggression, opposite behavior, conduct problem behavior, vandalism, robbery, and other kinds that may lead to unlawful acts; and b) internalizing – referring to emotional difficulties, such as anxiety, stress, withdrawal, somatic complaints and depression Achenbach (2000). Not only does deviant behavior have a negative impact on children’s psychosocial adjustment and development, but it may also disturb the school environment and disorganize the flow of educational process McNamara (2001).

Academic performance is defined as student’s progress, understood as the level of learning, comprehension and consolidation of the school curriculum Syngollitou (2003). Academic achievement is influenced by many psychological, family, school, and social factors.

Educational attainment is very important to future opportunities and many students look for much higher educational goals (schineider and Stevenson, 1999). Inequality of chances to achieve educational goals. (Hochchildand Scovronicity, 2003) and the school achievement gap associated with religion, raced ethnicity and gender in Africa society.Students who have high academic achievement are less likely to involve or indulge or engage in delinquent behavior than those who have lower academic achievement (Elliott and Voss, 1974; Henggler, 1989).

Students who have unsuccessful experiences in school are more likely to be involved/dingle in delinquent behavior such as dropping out of school (Voelketset al., 1999) there are many risk factors for school dropout. These can be categorized into social and academic risk factors. Students at risk for dropout based on academic risk factors are those who often have a history of absenteeism and grade retention, academic trouble, and more general disengagement from school life. School grade are the most reliable predictors for student delinquent behavior focuses on:

Student role performance factors
School environment factors
Family factors and
Peer factors

Student Role Performance (SRP); factor is how well an individual fulfils the role of a student in an education setting. Sex, race, school effort, extra-curricular activities, time spent on homework, deviance disabilities and class preparation are all-important influences on SRP and have been shown to affect test scores.

School Environment Factors; such as school size, school rules and school problems, neighborhood and relationship between teachers and students also influence test scores (Crosnoe, Johnson, and Elder 2004).

Family Factor; One’s family background has also been found to influence student test score. Research has found that socio-economic status, parental involvement, and family size are particularly important family factors (Majorbanks 1996).

Peer Group; Peer influence can also affect student performance. Peer pressure and peer conformity can lead to an individual participating in risk-taking behaviours which have been found to have a negative, indirect effect on test scores (Santor, Messervey and Kusumaker 2000).

Research is still being done to see which comes first, the deviant behavior or low grades. Jessor, Bos, Vanderryn, Costa, et al., (1995) performed a study looking at the risk factors that can affect deviant behavior. When controlling for the demographics of gender, ethnicity, socio-economic status and grade, they found that low GPA is a significant risk factors liked to deviance (P<0.01). This supports the idea that having a low grade point average can be risk factors that leads to problem behavior. In their study of the pathways between self-esteem and academic performance, Liu, Kaplan, and Risser (1992) found that self-esteem had a significant negative impact on deviance, which had an inverse direct effect on motivation.

This is directly tied to academic performance (P<0.05). This deviance has an indirect effect on academic achievement through motivation. Kasen, Cohen, and Brook (1998) found that antisocial behavior, the risk of dropping out, and committing a crime all decline with higher academic achievement.First, a discussion of some of the dysfunctional aspects of deviant behaviour of students in tertiary institutions in Nigeria. These dysfunctional aspects of deviant behaviour can be broken down into four categories:

Students and Examination Malpractices

An example of deviant behaviour exhibited by students in tertiary institutions in Nigeria comes in the shape of examination malpractice. Examination malpractice refers to cheating in examinations designed to get unearned marks and pass examinations.

Students and Secret Cults

Fear is a powerful psychological energizer; it can also be a great demobilizer. Members of secret cults seem to understand and appreciate the impact of this elementary psychology and do indeed use it to the fullest. An important aspect of this operation, therefore, is to strike fear and terror into the minds of fellow students in order to destabilize and demobilize them. Their victims are thus dehumanized and terrorized to submission.

Students and Violence

Violence perpetrated by students in times of students unrest has been a long-standing feature of Nigerian tertiary institutions. A number of reasons can be adduced for students’ resort to violence in pressing their demands. Foremost among them is that there is the thinking among students that ultimatum and violence or threats of it are the only ‘language’ to which the authorities can be compelled to listen.

Students Unrest

Student’s unrest is not a new phenomenon in Nigeria. It began in the 1960s and has remained unabated, with the spate of crises in recent times. It is now more of a yearly phenomenon, a ritual that must be conducted before the end of each academic session. Students’ unrest involves mass rally/ demonstration, boycott of lecturers, barricade of entrances and exists to campus, chanting of war songs, display of placards, confrontation with the police and sometimes destruction of property.

As mentioned earlier, deviant behaviour also has positive values. A look at history confirms this statement. For instance, modem science emerged only when men felt free to question the doctrine of Aristotle and the Church. Socrates challenged the basic beliefs of the Greek society of his time; his particular sin was that he believed that correct action implied correct thought.

This study examines the relationships between deviance and the test scores of Student role performance factor are been seen bellow:

Deviant students achieve lower test scores than non-deviant students net of other factors.
Minority students are more likely to achieve lower test scores net of other factors.
Students who attend extra-curricular activities achieve higher test scores net of other factors.
Students who spend more time on homework are more likely achieve higher test scores net of other factors.
Students who come to class prepared will achieve higher test scores net of other factors.
As school disruptions increase, test scores decreases net of other factors.
As school problems increase, test scores decrease net of other factors.
As SES increases, test scores increase net of other factors.
Students who have fewer numbers of siblings are more likely to receive higher test scores net of other factors.
Students who communicate with their parents more often are more likely to achieve higher test scores net of other factors.

This study showed that those who are deviant do not tend to attain test scores as high as those of students who are non-deviant. The research also showed that within high conflict school setting there is a high proportion of deviant youth (P<0.001).

1.2 Statement of the Problem

This study is to investigate the impact of social deviance on academic performance. Deviance in a sociological context, describes actions or behaviours that violate social norms, including formally-enacted rules (e.g, crime), as well as informal violation of social norms e.g, rejecting folkways and mores.

The failure to conform to the customary norms of a community or society is what is known as social deviance. Social deviance is the violation of the societal or organizational norms, expectations, and values. It is the failure to conform to the conventional ways of doing things in the society or an organization. Social deviances are in different dimension. For example, juvenile delinquency, corruption, drug abuse, alcoholism, prostitutions, immorality, crime, dressing code and exams malpractice etc. these deviant behaviours manifestation constitute also major social problems on academic performance. Previous research revealed that deviant students will have lower test scores than non-deviant students who. Elliott and Voss (1994) and Henggler (1989) mentions that students who have high academic achievement are less likely to indulge in delinquent behavior than those who have lower academic achieement.

The upsurge of deviant behaviours in the Nigeria society is a matter of concern to all and has engendered research for its not causes. Some people attributed it to nature and the civil war of (1967-1970) which lives and properties were last thereby rendering some children orphans and homeless exposing them to various types of criminal activities consequently upon the take of parental control.

The deviant behaviour which followed the war among others include abuse of drugs, corruption and stealing and some area where the population was near extirpation due to death and diseases of the time, comities encouraged free interactions of boys and girls for procreation to prevent the communities from being extinct. The problem now arises because some teenager feels that such male and female relationship should remain a permanent norm of life in their communities. Scholars, researchers should have understood and seek out solutions to this ugly trend over the years. The researcher therefore is of the opinion that there are perhaps serious factors that bring about increase in deviant behaviours in Nigerian schools environment.

This is the more so considering the huge investment which both the Federal and State Governance should make in education and health sectors to produce a virile future generation. It is fundamental therefore to determine the influence of deviant behavior on the academic performance of secondary school student.

These acts have in no small measures being responsible for the rate of mental instability of youth who are expected to be good citizens and leaders of tomorrow in the society has been completely ruined in the school in which most o f them (students) acquired or learned it from individual factors such as gender, participation in extra-curricular activities, time spent on homework, and class preparation and behaviors from the peer groups as well as school environment factors such as family socio-economic status, the influence of siblings and family communication.

The questions someone may stand to ask are:

Is it actually the peer group that makes students to deviate from the school rules and regulations?
What prompt the students to join such groups?
How does a particular group mould their behaviours?
Is it actually the factors/child upbringing that makes students to deviate in the school or society?

To understand the full dynamic of deviant behavior with due emphasis on groups influence, it is necessary to find answers to the following problems/punishment:

What socio-cultural conditions are most likely to produce social deviance?
Why do people continue to deviate despite the negative sanctions that are brought to bear on them?
What benefit or otherwise do they derived?
How can deviance best be minimized or controlled?

This study therefore, aims at investigating perception of students on the impact of social deviance on academic performance.

1.3 Objectives of the Study

The objectives of the research are on the perception of students on the impact of social deviance on academic performance.

To identify the causes of social deviance among students
To find out the types of deviance behavioursthat is being practiced by students.
Examine how deviantstudents can be helped.
To find out the impact of social deviance on academic performance.

1.4 Research Questions

What are the causes of social deviance among students?
What are the types of deviant behaviours that are practiced by the students?
What are the ways to examine how deviance students can be help?
What are the impacts of social deviance on academic performance of students?

1.5 Significance of the Study

The significance of this study cannot be over-emphasized because it is belief that the finding will be beneficial to individual parents and institutional agent (e.g teachers, administrators), government and future researchers.

The individual parents will find the finding of the study useful as it will reveal or exposes their weakness on their part and ways to handle their children so as to stop them indulging/involving in any forms of social deviance. And the institutional agent will find it easy to defined appropriate classroom behaviors.

The findings will also help the government agencies to put the necessary infrastructure facilities and to come up with good policies that will eradicate/minimized or controlled the involvement of students in social deviance/deviant acts. The work or study will like to carryout study on the subject matter.

Lastly, the study is in partial fulfillment for the award of Higher National Diploma in social Development department, college of Administrative studies and social sciences (CASSS) Kaduna Polytechnic, Kaduna.

1.6 Scope/Limitation of the Study

The research is therefore, pertinent to point out that because of time, space and financial constraints; the work/study is delimited/ restricted to the college of administrative studies and social sciences (CASSS), department of social development ND II students, Kaduna Polytechnic, Kaduna. And also restricted to perception of students on the impact of social deviance on academic performance.

The study will not cover whole department and as such, it is restricted/delimited to ND II students of department of social development.

Click to: DOWNLOAD @ NGN5,000/USD20

PERFORMANCE OF BOARDING AND DAY STUDENTS

AN ANALYSIS OF ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE OF BOARDING AND DAY STUDENTS IN BENIN METROPOLIS OF NIGERIA IMPLICATIONS FOR COUNSELLING

ABSTRACT

This study investigated the academic performance of boarders and day students in Benin metropolis of Nigeria. The purpose of the study was to undertake analysis of academic performance of boarding and day students in Benin metropolis of Nigeria: implications for counselling specifically the study sought to investigate whether academic performance is higher among boarders than day students in Benin metropolis of Nigeria, investigate sex difference in performance of both boarding and day students. Investigate whether male boarding differs from male day student in academic performance and in addition the study sought to investigate whether female boarding differ from female day students in academic performance. The study employed the descriptive research design. Thus 530 boarding 850 day students in Benin Metropolis of Nigeria and 274 were randomly sampled from a population 1380. To guide the study seven research questions and five hypotheses were raised and formulated respectively. Data obtained were analyzed using descriptive statistic which involved mean, frequencies, t-test and simple percentage. The analysis yielded the following findings among others: that boarding students perform better in English language and mathematics than day; and male day students perform better than female day students in mathematics. However, there is no significant different in performance in English language between male and female day students; and female boarding performed better than their males counterparts in both English language and mathematics; male students in boarding schools performed better in both English language and mathematics than males day students., and female students in boarding schools performed significantly better in both English language and mathematics than their female day students. These findings were discussed and it was recommended among others, that all relevant stakeholders – parents, teachers, government and school counsellors should take special interest in encourage boarding school for both sexes; that there should adequate parental involvement in the academic activities of day students by ensuring proper study reading pattern in the children and equally monitor their activities and the kind of friends they keep. Boarding school is recommended to parents who can afford it. The school counsellors should try to focus more on day students by way of strengthening the academic activities.

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTON

Background to the Study

No nation can develop despite of its natural endowment if such nation does not take seriously human capital development which could be derived through sound academic foundation that is tailored towards performance in the secondary schools. The Nigerian society places great emphasis on education because it is believed to be the only avenue for national development. However, this can only be achieved if students who are in boarding and day schools in the citadel of learning get actively involved in academic activities which will enhance their academic performance. This will, in turn, lead to the technological advancement of the nation.

In many countries of the world education is viewed as a good investment for national development. Education in Nigeria is an instrument ‘’per excellence’’ for effecting national development, which is highly valued because it is a system expected to produce qualitative and quantitative human resource, required for any nation’s economic growth by using the right mix of input Federal Government of Nigeria (FGN,2004). On the strength of the above new research which proves that contemporary boarding schools serve a diverse body of motivated and well-rounded students who study and live in supportive, inclusive academic communities where they learn about independence, responsibility and traditional values that help them achieve success at higher rates than private and public day schools students in the classroom and beyond.

Boarding schools generally have small class sizes that help teachers engage every student in the classroom, whose settings are often specifically designed to encourage student participation and eye contact among everyone in class. Desarrollo (2007) Boarding Schools promote socialisation and mainstreaming of poor minority children, as children from remote and rural areas or of ethnic and linguistic minorities can be introduced to new ways of living, routines, responsibilities, technologies, teachers and fellow students from outside their community.

Boarding schools are self-contained communities. Students and faculty eat together. They share relaxing times watching TV and playing games together. This is because teachers and staff in a boarding school function in place of parents. They take the place of parents literally and figuratively. They play a powerful role in shaping and guiding their young charges while they are at school. Because the students are not allowed to go home at the end of classes, they cannot avoid the strong influence teachers have on them. This is a major reason many parents send their sons and daughters off to boarding school.

In a boarding school students can develop skills that can serve them to live in a broader community. Learning and living together with other students, boarding offer students a good opportunity to help each other with their studies during and after school hours; cooperate and respect other people’s habits and values; develop social and communication skills through interaction with other students and staff.

UNESCO (2010) opted that Boarding schools provide a centralized location for learning and living that can be an effective link between the remote communities of origin and the larger society. Most of the boarding students read regularly because they have scheduled time for reading in their curriculum, they sometimes use library and library books. Independence, self-confidence and responsibility, are the characteristics of persons who have been to a boarding school, as they rely less on their parents.

Boarding schools offer structure and discipline; as they are obligated to study according to a structured program during and after school hours; learn to respect rules, conduct duties on time, go to bed on time and rise up early. Lack of discipline and lateness to school is also a negative characteristic of day-school, as students and teachers have less regards for rules and are less responsible, as they are more irregular and less punctual at school.

Overcrowding in dormitories in boarding schools sometimes double the originally intended number of students being accommodated. The problems faced by boarding students included overcrowding in the students’ hostels, many boarding school meals are frequently badly managed or badly prepared, beside the inadequacy of the diet, scarcity of water, noise from class or neighbouring classes. Other problems include lack of good lighting system, interference from friends in the same or other classes and disturbances from non human activities like mosquitoes. Despite those problems, an average boarding student enjoys living and studying conditions, which are luxurious, compared to the hardship and squalor endured by many day students.

Academics at boarding schools operate at high standards, as students are pushed to “ask why,” thus becoming inquisitive and this enables them tackle challenging problems. Course selections at boarding schools tend to be quite diverse, have plenty of academic performance (AP) options, and offer a wide range of topics. Athletic and extracurricular options tend to be broad thus encouraging students to try new things. Many boarding schools also offer opportunities to study short term courses in different countries, with counselling departments which are generally well-staffed. Counsellors often have plenty of experience in helping students identify appropriate schools and advising them on getting admission into competitive institutions. Another situation that leads to preference for boarding schools is the case of semi-orphans or lack of good parental care for the children.

Also, monitoring and coaching of students is better in boarding schools. Often parents of students, who are illiterate, are unable to monitor the progress of their children and coach them in their studies. Furthermore, in boarding schools it is easier to monitor and coach students than in day schools, because students stay intern during and after school hours. A lack of monitoring and support of children is a negative characteristic of day-school, especially in the case of illiteracy. Monitoring and coaching of students is very important in order to achieve good educational results. Parents play an important role in this respect, in the case of illiterate parents, monitoring and coaching by parents can be problematic, as it is difficult or highly impossible to monitor the progress of their children and to coach them, which if in a boarding school, the school can fill this gap.

Day school provides the right balance between family life and school life. The child can go to school to learn and develop social skills, but come home and have bonding time with the family. Plus, day school is much less costly than boarding school and this may play a role in your final decision as well.

Day schools students always grow up in an upright way and very responsible because their parents or guardians involve them in responsible activities. As we can see, some students lack good manners because they live without parents who would correct them in case they make any mistakes. These show that, when parents devote more time for their children, it leads to a healthier relationship that is mutually beneficial.

Many day schools offer coeducation facilities and this is an important requirement in terms of today’s world. Interacting with the opposite sex in the early years will enable children to be comfortable in the presence of the opposite sex when they reach a stage where they might have to work alongside them in an official environment. Children who have not had this opportunity might be shy and uncomfortable where in the company of people from the opposite sex in the future.

Most day schools encourage children to mix with the opposite sex from their early years and this builds confidence and helps in exchange of ideas between the sexes over the formative years. This is one of the most important functions performed by a day school. He added that although there may be a few boarding schools that offer coeducation, but day schools clearly outnumber the boarding schools doing this and coeducation in day schools is a much more accepted and existent structure in day schools.

Day schools are a preferred option as they are much less expensive than a boarding school. Tuition fees in day schools are cheaper. Most good quality day schools are relatively cheaper than boarding schools and this is another reason why parents opt for day schools over boarding schools. Day schools allow parents to admit students in private tuitions of their choice as well, in case their children need extra coaching. Most boarding schools have fees that are a bit exorbitant, and unless parents are willing to fund a new experience and style of education for their children, most average parents prefer day schools.

Day schools are a better option for those parents who wish to have close supervision over their children. Day schools enable constant parent-teacher contact and this enables the parents to be able to monitor the progress of their children in terms of both academics and extra curricular activities. This is also an important aspect of a day school. Parents can provide moral guidance if they are in constant contact with their children and this is possible only if the children attend a day school.

Where children are used to the comforts at home, then they might find it difficult to survive in a boarding school. Day schools enable the children to relax a bit more than boarding schools. In a boarding school, students are required to take part in many events and many students find it difficult to deal with this schedule. Parents will be better served to opt for a day school if their children have been brought up in a relaxed atmosphere.

In case of any sickness or injury, parents can be with their children immediately if they are admitted in a day school. Some children require parents to be constantly being by their side, especially if something untoward happens. The choice between a boarding school and a day school depends on a variety of factors and especially on the maturity level of the child involved. Whatever decision parents make, it is important for them to stick to it- the kind of schooling a child receives and the experiences there eventually define the personality of the child.

The time at school is limited, and children have to do household tasks when at home, especially girls, concentration on their studies is more difficult at home. Going to and coming from school also takes time, as they seldom read, especially during examination. As the environment of most day students is not conducive for reading; it is in the light of this that some prefer their children to go to boarding school for proper discipline and to inculcate better reading habits. In line with this belief, boarding schools can be seen to positively influence students’ academic performance, as this cannot be over emphasized.

The greatest problem faced by day students besides their home environment that is not conducive for reading, includes long distances to school, bad company at home, lack of proper accommodation and proper diet.

Kail, Robert and John (2007) opined that Academic Performance refers to the Grade Point Average (GPA) of the respondents obtained at the end of term. It is the method the school uses to evaluate and assess how well the students understand what has been taught and proves what they have learnt by their academic performance within the term.

Adomeh (2006) sees counselling as a set of service which is rendered by a professional counsellor to an individual or group of individual in need of such service.

Counselling is the process of establishing a relationship to identify people`s needs, design strategies and services to satisfy these needs and actively assist in carrying out plans of action to help people make informed decision, solve problems develop self awareness and leave healthier lives. Schmidt (1993).

Educational guidance is a process of help student to achieve the self understanding and self-direction necessary to make informed choices and move toward personal goals. Guidance, a uniquely American educational innovation, focuses on the complete development of individual student through a series of services designed to maximize school learning that result in academic performance of student being boarder or day. Although guidance activities are usually associated with educational professionals known as counsellors, educational guidance is actually a cooperative enterprise, involving the participation of teachers, administrators, other educational specialists, and parents.

The purpose of the act is to indentify students with outstanding abilities, to encourage them to seek higher education, assist them in following studies best suited to their abilities.

Guidance Program is organized as a series of services. One service is academic planning. Counsellor assists students with curriculum and individual courses selection. The program also is designed to help students who have academic difficulties.

Student’s appraisal is another counselling function. Standardized tests are administered to assist in appropriate academic placement, to assess academic achievement, to identify individual aptitudes, to explore vocational interest, and to examine personal characteristics. Test is used also to identify gifted students and those with special learning problems. College counselling centre assist students with academi, vocational or personal problems.

Urban and Daad (2007) examine the characteristics of boarding and day schools and how it contribute in a positive way and what characteristics

Contribute in a negative way to the academic performance of the students. Also the positive and negative effects related to the features of boarding and day schools and contextual and situational factors influence the academic performance of the students.

Day school provides instruction during the day to students who go home at the end of the school day, in contrast with a boarding school, in which students live on the campus full time, going home for holidays and special occasions. Day schools may be public or private in nature, and can be run in accordance with a wide variety of missions. Many children spend at least some time in a day school during the course of their educations. Some day schools run literally all day, providing instruction from the early morning to the evening.

Other day schools may run on a relatively short schedule, from early morning to early afternoon, but provide students with optional activities and classes which can be taken after school, potentially allowing students to stay all day for activities. Parents of day students can become more involved in helping their children improve their academic performance by providing encouragement, arranging for appropriate study time and space, extra lessons at home by a lesson teacher employed, reducing their wards house chores in order to create time for reading, modelling desired behaviour (such as reading for pleasure), monitoring homework, and actively tutoring their children at home. Far distance is an important situation that leads to preference for boarding schools.

Urban and Daad (2007) agrees that many day-schools also offer more than schooling, like food and clothing. But in the case of boarding schools this aid is usually more extensive (including housing). This ‘full aid’ can stimulate parents to send their children to school, though boarding school is quite expensive and it’s met for those who parents/guardian can afford it. This aid also indirectly contributes to good educational results. Learning with an empty stomach is difficult.

Ebenuwa- Okoh (2010) agrees that on the other hand, preference is given to day-schools if there is a possibility to attend or establish a school nearby. Distance to school is often caused by a shortage of schools, caused by lack of funding. Day-schools are cheaper, therefore more schools (close to home) can be established. Day school provides the right balance between family life and school life. The child can go to school to learn and develop social skills, but come home and have bonding time with the family.

The Counselling implication to schools is that the school counsellor should be able to maximal learning and interested in academic performance of students. Counselling as the third arm of educational programme (i.e. Instruction, administration and guidance) the counselling in the Nigeria education system has become a reality. One point of note is that counselling psychologist should give considerable attention to the importance of school type (Co-educational) sex (male and female) of students in boarding and day schools as it bring about difference in academic performance of the students. The school counsellor in this area should give cognisance to counselling of students irrespective of their sex and their parents in relation to academic performance. This may be a good way to improving students academic performances. Also counsellor should be able to counsel the boarding or day students so as they may know why they are in the type of school.

From whatever angle one looks at boarding and day students academic performance at school, certain factors such as sex, school type and environment, bring differences in academic performance. Therefore, Teachers, school counsellors, parents and government are unanimous in wanting children to learn. Boarding and day schools make that learning possible.

In Benin Metropolis, therefore, the importance of academic performance of boarding and day students cannot be over looked. The stronger the relationship, especially between boarding and day school on which is prefer the higher the likelihood for stakeholder in deciding which to send their children to. There has been previous studies carried out in kwara state secondary school to compare students academic performance of boarding and day students in English language and mathematics, there had not be too many studies in analysis of academic performance of co-educational (boarding and day in the same school) in Benin metropolis of Nigeria. It is against this background therefore that the present study seeks to investigate and fill the gap.

Statement of the Problem

The whole system of education revolves round the academic performance of students, though various other outcomes are also expected from the system. Thus, a lot of time and effort of the schools are used for helping students to achieve better in their scholastic endeavours. Boarding or day school in the system has become an index for measuring student’s academic performance in the educational process in this highly competitive world. The choice to make by stakeholders in the educational sector, governments, educationists, parents, principals, teachers, guardians etc. is been considered critical in the society and it has been observed by the researchers in recent times, certain factors are responsible for the academic performance of boarders and day students that leads to the research on the analysis of boarding and day student academic performance.

Moreover, despite many researches on analysis of academic performance in the few decades there is still much to be done. Researches in the area of analysis of academic performance have focused mainly on secondary school students. Deforges & Abouchaar,(2003) and most especially in areas of academic performance.

Secondary education is the foundation for all students anywhere in the world, it is necessary to consider the analysis of academic performance of boarding and day students at this level. Since some school structures that are boarding also have day students that attend the institution by day and return off-campus to their families in the evenings. The advantages and disadvantages to both school settings, is a further consideration when making choices about the child’s academic performance whether to choose a day or boarding school for them to attend. Also, literature has shown that there are differences in academic performance of boarding/day students as manifested in their examination.

Other factors responsible for academic performance of boarding and day students are Sex and environment of the students etc. There is the need for parents to know which of their children either male or female to send to boarding or day secondary school, the questions that come to mind then are; Which of the sex perform better in day school and which sex perform better in boarding school? To what extent does boarding school have positive or negative influence on the student’s academic performance? To what extent does day secondary school have positive or negative influence on the students’ academic performance? These questions constitute the gap in knowledge that the study intend to fill.

Purpose of Study

The purpose of this study was to undertake analysis of academic performance of boarding and day students in Benin Metropolis of Nigeria: implications for counselling. Specifically, the study sought to:

Investigate whether academic performance is higher among boarders than day students in Benin metropolis of Nigeria.
Investigate sex differences in academic performance of both boarding and day students.
Investigate whether male boarding differ from male day students in academic performance.
Investigate whether female boarding differ from female day students in academic performance.

Research Questions

Is there any difference in academic Performance between boarding and day students in Benin Metropolis?
Is there any difference in academic Performance between male and female students in Day school in Benin Metropolis?
Is there any difference in academic Performance between male and female students in Boarding school in Benin Metropolis?
Is there any difference in academic performance between male boarding and male day students in Benin Metropolis?
Is there any difference in academic Performance between female boarding and female day students in Benin Metropolis?

Hypotheses

H₀₁: There is no significant difference in academic performance boarding and day students in Benin Metropolis.

H₀₂: There is no significant difference in academic performance between male and female day students in Benin Metropolis.

H₀₃: There is no significant difference in academic performance between Boarding and day students in Benin Metropolis.

H₀₄: There is no significant difference in academic performance between male boarding and male day students.

H₀₅: There is no significant difference in academic performance between female boarding and female day students.

Significance of the study

The finding of this study will be beneficial to stakeholders in the educational system such as parents, boarding and day students, psychologists, school counsellors, educators, researchers and government. The study would be of great assistance to Benin metropolis in particular and Nigeria in general and contribute to existing literatures.

The finding of the study will be of benefit to students on which type of school to attend whether boarding or day especially those who have opportunity to make choices. The school authority will be convinced to organised a seminar where students, parents, teachers, school counsellors, psychologist, researchers and government officials will be there, issue like boarding and day co-educational school type and its benefits, benefit of both sex and their academic performance, the worth and disadvantages of both school type will be discussed, the students will be acquainted with the right information concerning boarding and day schools and co-educational. They will be provided with the merit and demerit of being a boarder or day student and their academic performances.

The study will assist parents to know whether to send their children to boarding or day school; it will afford them the benefit of the structure of both types of schools. It will equally assist parents to know which sex perform better in boarding than day school. It will also assist parents to know whether to send their male or female children to boarding or day school; Parents having be informed through seminar such information or the awareness may help parents to monitor the activities of their children at home in order to regulate the following(Watching of films, Television, Playing of games, Football the use of smart phones texting/chatting/pinging. it will equally help them reduce time spent on domestic house chores, and friend (idle time), monitor study patterns of their children, school assignment to allow for proper concentration ,thereby creating the enabling environment for learning. The release of such information to parents/guardians will also help them engage their children meaningfully and help utilizing their time better than what they are doing now.

At the PTA (Parents Teacher Association) Meetings you can also request opportunity to talk to the parents concerning the findings of the study. The summary of the findings can be distributed to the counsellors of schools affected to cut and paste on the school notice board within the schools where students can go to read and benefit.

The finding of the study it will assist the school counsellor/psychologists to enlighten the community about enormous advantage associated with boarding and day school that is co-educational know how best to counsel boarders or day students on how their study/reading pattern should be in order to excel academically, with the information the counsellor will be able to advised students to have a reading time-table and stick to it.

The findings of this research work may also be beneficial to educational institutions. The results can be utilized to develop school programmes. It will assist the educators to know the benefit of both type of schools.

It is also hoped that the findings of this study will help potential future researchers in Nigeria in the of literature review as it will serve as one of the empirical studies in the field of analysis of academic performance of boarding and day students in Benin metropolis of Nigeria. And it will enable future researchers to replicate this study in other parts of the country if the work will be published online, so that it will be made available for other researchers and assist the government in Educational planning, policies and provision of infrastructures for boarding and Day schools.

Scope of the Study

This study covered all private schools that operate a structure of boarding and day Secondary Schools (Co-Educational) in Benin Metropolis, with the exclusion of public Secondary Schools. The schools in this research work were mainly Nosakhare Model Educational Centre, Word of Faith group of School, St Mary British International High School and Baptist High School. Schools like ICC, Presentation High School, University Preparation Secondary School were excluded because they operate purely boarding and are either boys or girls. But the ones used were boarding and day in the same school and mixed.

This study covered school type (boarding and Day) the sex of the students in boarding and day schools and their academic performance in English Language and Mathematics, it also cover the academic performance among private secondary school students, specifically students in SS I on their academic records. They only have JSS III standardised results computed for this work.

Limitations of the Study

The limitation of the study was that, only privately owned schools were used for this study while public boarding and day schools were excluded. The reasons being that, no public school is co-educational in nature that is having boarding and day school together and schools in rural and urban area could not be used because the discrepancy is much, the environment, the infrastructure, the teachers and learning materials are not all the same. This is an obvious limitation. The population and the sample size for this study did not represent the totality of students in the secondary schools in Edo State because the study was restricted to only boarding and day school(Co-educational) in Benin Metropolis of Nigeria.

Definition of Terms

The following terms are identified by the researcher as important to the understanding of the study:

Boarding (or Residential) Schools – are in this research defined as schools where students stay internally during the school week (and sometimes during the weekend/ holidays). Boarding Schools have dormitory facilities and facilities for eating, studying and recreational activities. Usually there is accommodation for supporting and/ or teaching staff as well.

Day-Schools – are defined as schools that students attend during the school day. Children stay in school during school hours. Often, there are facilities to take lunch at school as well. Furthermore, extra-curricular programs can be offered in and/ or by the school outside school hours.

Academic Performance: This refers to the performance that falls within specified standard. The specified standard is usually called pass mark and the pass mark is score above average which students are considered having passed and below which students are considered having failed.

Metropolis: it represents a city.

Co-Educational: A school with boarding and day students in the same school.

Click to: DOWNLOAD @ NGN5,000/USD20

STUDENTS’ PATRONAGE OF INTERNET FACILITIES

STUDENTS’ PATRONAGE OF INTERNET FACILITIES IN E-LIBRARY OF FEDERAL UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY (FUT) MINNA LIBRARY

ABSTRACT

The primary aim of this research is to examine Students’ Patronage of Internet Facilities in E-Library of Federal University of Technology (FUT) Minna Library. Five objectives guided the study from which the five research questions were formulated. The research design adopted was the survey method using the questionnaire as the instrument for data collection. The population of the study comprised all the undergraduate students totaling 13000. The sample size of the study is (388.06 approximately 388) representing 2.98% of the population (13,000). The 388 questionnaires were distributed, 350 were found valid representing 90.20%. The study was analysed using simple percentage. The study revealed that: E-mailing, surfing and downloading services and online database are the library internet services available; majority of the respondents are satisfied with level of accessibility of library internet services in e-Library of Federal University of Technology (FUT) Minna Library, Niger State. Based on the findings conclusion was drawn and recommendations given that: Seminars and workshops should be organized for both the students and lecturers to constantly acquaint them on the benefits of internet usage; all students should be computer literate and internet conscious; all students and lecturers should be made to have an internet connectivity device.

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background of the Study

Students’ Patronage of Internet Facilities in E-Library of Federal University of Technology (FUT) Minna Library is fast becoming very popular means of both research and education especially among students-users in the university. Traditional library systems are gradually becoming a thing of the past. These is observed as most libraries now rely and use the internet and other technologies in performing functions and services. Thus, access to information now stimulates change, creating an environment that makes learning meaningful and more responsive. Buttressing the assertion above, Oketunji (2016) stated that internet gives us access to a vast wealth of knowledge and access tools that facilitates research. The internet offers the opportunity to conduct remote classes, allow access to remote libraries, and create an environment innovative and cooperative learning experiences.

Today, internet connectivity has become a necessity. It allows tertiary institutions to leverage the teaching and learning process. This ensure brighter future for students as it provides access to information, helping to close the global information gap (Omagbemi, Akintola and Olayiwola, 2018). Furthermore, Oketunji (2016) submitted that the internet and other ICTs provide a golden opportunity for the provision of value-added services by libraries.The internet provides challenges to the formal educational system, it has fostered a collaborative approach to learning of traditional methods. Odenewu and Olasore (2019) submitted that it is useful for the following:

As an expert system
As reference resources
Allows communication with any professional colleague around the world
Permits access to libraries and library catalogues around the world.
Valuable information in electronic libraries, books, journals, magazines and newsletter is made available

Leiner et al (2016) said the word internet is derived, from two words ‘international’ and ‘network’. The internet can be defined as an international computer network of information available to the public than modern links.

With the students’ patronage of internet facility in e-library of FUT Minna Library, Kwesiga (2017) approved that academic performance of students is also influenced by the school in which they studied but he also said that the number of services of school offers usually determine the quality of the school which in turn affect the performance and accomplishment of its students. Also, Crosne and Elder (2018) noticed that school provision of services and access to resources such as computer and internet services enhances students academic performance ,adding that Academic Performance is the outcome of education to the extent to see a student, teacher or institution has achieved their educational goals. Therefore the outcome of education is the extent to which a student has achieved his educational goals.

Bossaert Doumen (2011) said an undergraduate degree (also called first degree, bachelor’s degree or simply degree) is a colloquial term for an academic degree taken by a person who has completed undergraduate courses. It is usually offered at an institution of higher education, such as a university. The most common type of this degree is the bachelor’s degree, which typically takes at least three or four years to complete. Universities play a vital role in the educational, scientific and technological progress of Nigeria. They are established to train and produce the technical manpower necessary for the execution of the Nation’s development plans, goals and strategies

It is in the light of the above that this research work will seek to assess Students’ Patronage of Internet Facility in E-Library of Federal University of Technology (FUT) Minna Library, Niger State.

Historical Background of Federal University of Technology (FUT) E-Library Minna

Federal University of Technology Minna (FUTMINNA) is a Federal Government owned university located in Minna, Niger State, Nigeria. The university specializes in technological education. It was founded in 1983 and the main campus Gidan Kwano which is sited on 10,650 hectares of land is located along the Minna – Kataeregi – Bida Road.

The University Library Services is on both campus of the University. The main campus library Gidan Kwano is called Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida Library while the branch Library in Bosso campus is called Auwal Ibrahim Library.

The University Library now has a digitalized section connected with internet to cater for 200 students at a time. Through TETFund support, the University Library procured large volume of books and journals as well as subscribed to several online platform libraries with the aim of boosting research.

The Library is subscribed to different electronic resources database to enhance teaching, learning and research of the university community. The Library has over 80,000 collections of print resources made of books, periodicals and other materials.

The library provides 24/7 internet services to students and staff of the University which is powered by the Information Technology Services Unit. The library has over 350 desktop computers with internet connectivity to provide access to electronic resources for use by the university community. (https://futminna.edu.ng).

1.2 Statement of the Problem

The purpose of the study is to assess students’ patronage of internet use on e-library. This is to meet the gaps in the field of education about the falling standard of education. Researchers have attributed various reasons for this fall. In this age of internet services, it is observed that not much has been done to harness the potentials of internet library services in rescuing the situation.

Use of internet by students in tertiary institution for academic purpose is still low and in most cases non-existent. It is in view of this that the study tries to assess Students’ Patronage of Internet Facility in E-Library of Federal University of Technology (FUT) Minna Library, Niger State.

1.3 Research Questions

The following research questions are formulated to guide the study:

What are the types of internet services available in e-Library of Federal University of Technology (FUT) Library Minna, Niger State?
How satisfied are the students with the level of accessibility of internet services in e-Library of Federal University of Technology (FUT) Library Minna, Niger State?
What is the level of students’ patronage of internet usage in e-Library of Federal University of Technology (FUT) Library Minna, Niger State?
What are the problems affecting students’ patronage of internet services in e-Library of Federal University of Technology (FUT) Library Minna, Niger State?
What are the strategies to remedy the problems affecting the students’ patronage of the internet in e-Library of Federal University of Technology (FUT) Library Minna, Niger State?

1.4 Objectives of the Study

The primary objective of the study is to assess Students’ Patronage of Internet Facility in E-Library of Federal University of Technology (FUT) Minna Library, Niger State. However the specific objectives are to:

Identify the internet services available in e-Library of Federal University of Technology (FUT) Library Minna, Niger State.
Access the extent of satisfaction of students with the level of accessibility of internet services in e-Library of Federal University of Technology (FUT) Library Minna, Niger State.
Identify the level of students’ patronage of internet services provided by e-Library of Federal University of Technology (FUT) Library Minna, Niger State.
Examine the problems affecting the students’ patronage of internet services in e-Library of Federal University of Technology (FUT) Library Minna, Niger State.
Determine the strategies to remedy the problems affecting the students’ patronage of the internet in e-Library of Federal University of Technology (FUT) Library Minna, Niger State.

1.5 Significance of the Study

It is hoped that the findings of this study will be of significance to librarians, students-researchers and decision makers. The findings of the study will help the students to identify internet facility as a means of improvement in their academic performance. The findings of the study will also help libraries to know the satisfaction in the use of internet facility for academic purpose as well as the frequency of students’ patronage.

1.6 Scope and Delimitation of the Study

This study is limited to students (library users) in Federal University of Technology (FUT) Minna, Niger State. Similarly, this study is assessing Students’ Patronage of Internet Facilities in E-Library of Federal University of Technology (FUT) Minna Library, Niger State, while other library services are excluded from the study. The study is limited by time frame, financial constraints and information resources.

1.7 Operational Definition of Terms

Academic Performance: This is the outcome of Education- the extent to which a student, teacher or institution has achieved their educational goals.

Internet Search Engine: This is a software system that is designed to search for information on the World Wide Web. It is generally presented in a line of results often referred to as search engine result pages (SERPS)

Internet Service: This allows us to access huge amount of information such as text, graphics, sound and software over the internet. A system must be connected to the worldwide web (www) before you can access the net.

Internet: This is also known as net. It is a worldwide system of computer networks that connects millions of computers together globally for communication.

Library Patronage: The support given by library user or patron.

Library Services: This refers to all such services that are provided by the library to its users.

Library Users: These are the persons that visits the library with the purpose of exploiting it resources to satisfy his information need.

Patronage: The support given to an organization by someone.

Surfing: This is the activity of moving from site to site on the internet.

Undergraduate: This is used to refer to a student that has not yet obtained a first degree.

University: This is an institution of higher education offering courses at degree level or below, especially in vocational subjects.

Click to: DOWNLOAD @ NGN5,000/USD20

IMPACT OF ICT SKILLS ON ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE

THE IMPACT OF ICT SKILLS ON THE INCREASE IN UNDERGRADUATES’ ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background of the Study

Information and Communications Technology (ICT) has become a phenomenon to reckon with in the academic arena as its applications in modern day education have made students not to be confined within the classroom environment, they now explore the vast horizon of knowledge through ICT. ICTs are evolving technologies and are difficult to isolate from academic environment.

Information Communication Technology according to Unagha & Ugocha (2012) includes computer and telecommunication facilities. It is concerned with the technology used in handling, acquiring, processing, storing and dissemination of information. Thus Information Communication Technology is any technology used in producing, organizing and passing information through. Similarly, Oxford Advanced Learners’ Dictionary sees ICT as electronic media used in processing, analyzing, storing and sending out information. Evey et al (2010) observed that ICT is innovative device that can carry out such functions as receiving, storing, computing, analyzing, transmitting and retrieving information presented to them and allowing for one-to-one or group communication among humans.

Similarly, Obashoro (2007) identified ICT infrastructure to include multi-media CD-ROMs, MP3 players, websites, discussion boards, emails, computer-aided assessments, learning management software, blogs, etc. In the same vein, Folorunso, Longe and Ijere (2003) identified ICT infrastructure to include internet, World Wide Web (www), Electronic Data Interchange (EDI), Local Area Network (LAN), Wide Area Networks (WAN), Protocols, Content Management and Meta Data Standard (MDS).

In recent times, there has been intense advocacy both nationally and internationally for the application of ICT in teaching and learning process. Ekpo & Ifreke (2001) observed that the application of ICT in the school subjects is to make learners learn better and teacher to teach well, it is not a hindrance to teacher–student relationship. It rather ensures instructional communication where the teacher manages the students, time and other required resources to make sure that instructional events occur leading to a positive change in performance of students. For example, Olaniyi (2006) observed that internet system, which is a major ICT, gives students access to wide range of information and knowledge about environment, socio-cultural, economic and other aspects of life of the people in various parts of the world – education they cannot afford not to have in the 21^st Century.

It is envisaged that educators will see ICT as a major teaching and learning device across all educational institution. With its power of interactivity, multimedia and communication, the computer proves an excellent tool for teaching and learning. The idea is that students will be active “participants” rather than “spectators” in teaching and learning process. With the use of internet in teaching, for example, the role of the teacher changes from that of “gatekeeper” of knowledge to that of “facilitator” and “manager” of the learning environment. The students will become self-directed learners rather than a passive learner (Ryan, Scott & Freeman, 2000). Through the guidance of the teacher, each student/pupil sets priorities and achievable goals and assumes responsibility for reaching the goals. As internet enables the students engage in self-directed learning experiences and activities, that encourages self-expression, co-operative learning and interaction not only with immediate environment or their present curriculum, but with the outside world as well, the students become vast in general knowledge as well as in their academic work (Ekpo & Ifreke, 2001).

The role of the university, both in the academic development of the individual and the society at large, is changing and is, therefore, altering higher education’s core production and delivery process, which brings new challenges to the fore (Ryan, Scott & Freeman, 2000; Loing, 2005). School authorities and lecturers must, therefore, continuously strive to create learning environments and experiences that will enable students to construct their own knowledge rather than embrace the traditional teaching method of knowledge transfer especially through encouraging the development of ICT skills (Van der Schee, 2003). Students need flexible, targeted, and accessible learning methods (Ryan, Scott & Freeman, 2000) and these methods should be thought through very carefully planned programmes that will result in competence of the students to adequately use ICTs for academic purposes.

The use of ICT has increased and broadened the impact and skills of students on how to seek information electronically. Interestingly, acquiring ICT skills have become increasingly important in the pursuance of a degree-level education. This is because how students manipulate these e-learning resources and the way they are used for learning is necessary. ICT skills deal with the application of ICT to specific purposes. It is not just about using software packages or using operating systems, neither is it concerned only with keyboarding skills and student’s ability to copy-type or follow instructions. Rather, ICT skills among undergraduates is about students’ ability to use their knowledge about ICT to find, develop and present information; whether it is text, image or number, or all of these in an integrated task. The means of acquiring these ICT skills must be imbedded in students learning and be part and parcel of their educational experience as to impact on their academic performance and other aspects of their lives. The question then is, in the light of all the factors affecting ICT use, what are the possible impacts of ICT skills and ICT use on the academic performance of undergraduates?

1.2 Statement of the Problem

Information and Communications Technology (ICT) skills remains a necessity for undergraduate students to be able to participate successfully in today’s global information society. In this technology-intensive society, students are required to be proficient in ICT especially computers. On the contrary, observation by the researcher has shown that many undergraduate students lack the wherewithal, rudiments needed to make effective use of ICT to meet their educational requirements. For example, some undergraduates cannot effectively use the internet without calling for assistance. It has also been revealed that many undergraduates always seek for assistance in one way or the other while using ICT facilities such as the computer.

In developed countries, students are required to demonstrate computer proficiency early in their educational experience by means of passing an assessment test. However, this is hardly obtainable in our part of the world. Consequently, most undergraduates may lack ICT skills. In view of the foregoing, the present study intends to investigate the impact of ICT skills on the academic performance of undergraduates in the Department of Library and Information Science in selected universities in Edo State.

1.3 Objectives of the Study

The overall objective of this research is to study the impact of ICT skills on the increase in undergraduates’ academic performance. The specific objectives are:

To determine the availability of ICTs for use by LIS undergraduates in universities in Edo State.
To examine the level of ICT skills possessed by LIS undergraduates in Ambrose Alli universities in Edo State.
To determine the effects of ICT skills on LIS undergraduates use of ICT in universities.
To find out the effects of ICT use by LIS undergraduates on their academic performance.
To identify the challenges facing the development of ICT skills by LIS undergraduates in universities in Edo State.
To identify the challenges facing the use of ICTs for academic purposes by LIS undergraduates in universities in Edo State.

1.4 Research Questions

What are the available ICTs used by LIS undergraduates in universities in Edo State?
What are the ICT skills possessed by LIS undergraduates in universities in Edo State?
What is the effect of ICT skills on LIS undergraduates’ use of ICT in universities?
What are the effects of ICT use on LIS undergraduates’ academic performance in universities?
What are the challenges facing the development of ICT skills by LIS undergraduates in Universities.
What are the challenges facing the use of ICTs for academic purposes by LIS undergraduates in universities?

1.5 Scope of the Study

This study will focus on the impact of ICT skills on the academic performance of LIS undergraduate students in Nigeria. Undergraduate students of Library and Information Science in Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma and University of Benin, Benin City will be used for the study. Undergraduates from other departments will be excluded from this study.

1.6 Significance of the Study

It is hoped that the findings of this study will be significant in that Information and Communication Technology (ICT) skill is a factor which not only affects university students’ social affairs but also influence the their academic performance when properly utilized for that purpose. Therefore, it is hoped that findings from this present work will expose the challenges undergraduates face as regards the acquisition in access to information. It is also hoped that the present study will highlight the hindrances bedeviling students’ access to and use of ICT facilities.

It is believed that this study will establish a practical basis for increased training of university undergraduates on the use of ICTs beyond the performance of basic functions of the computer as it aims to draw attention to the need for the possession of ICT literacy in the 21^st century. That is, it will benefit both the government as an information resource on the basis of which policies can be formulated. The benefits for librarians will be immense also, as the putting into practice, the recommendations from this study will make their jobs easier and run smoothly when their patrons have ICT skills with which to access electronic-based documents and other services. The benefits for the student will be in the form of encouragement to develop ICT skills that will be use to them and positively impact on their academics. Finally, it is hoped that this research work will be of benefit to researchers carrying out similar or related study, serving as a source of information.

1.7 Operational Definition of Terms

Academic Performance: The outcome of education — the extent to which a student or institution has achieved their educational goals.

ICT Skill: The ability to use Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) for performing functions with ICTs, carry out information retrieval and the accomplishment of simple, ICT-based basic tasks.

Impact: The marked effect or influence of one thing on another; Measure of the tangible and intangible effects (consequences) of one thing’s or entity’s action or influence upon another.

Information and Communications Technologies (ICTs): This is an umbrella term that includes any communication device or application, encompassing: radio, television, cellular phones, computer and network hardware and software, satellite systems and so on, as well as the various services and applications associated with them in the collection, processing and dissemination of information

Skill: The ability to do something well; expertise. An ability and capacity acquired through deliberate, systematic, and sustained effort to smoothly and adaptively carryout complex activities or job functions.

Undergraduate: A university student who has not yet obtained a first degree.

Universities: High-level educational institutions in which student study for degrees, and academic research is done.

Library: A building or room containing collection of books, periodicals, and sometimes films are recorded music for use or borrowing by the public or the members of an institution.

Information: Facts provided or learned about something or someone, which is conveyed or represented by a particular arrangement or sequence of things.

Science: The intellectual and practical activity encompassing the systematic study of the structure and behaviour of the physical and natural world through observation and experiment.

Library and Information Science: The profession devoted to applying theory and technology to the creation, selection, organization, management, preservation, dissemination and utilization of collections of information in all formats.

Click to: DOWNLOAD @ NGN5,000/USD20

Comparison of JSS Academic Performance

Comparison of Junior Secondary School Academic Performance in internal and External Examination in Social Studies in Warri South Local Government Area of Delta State

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background of the Study

The parameter or yardstick in the measurement or determine into of one’s achievement, success or failure on an assigned duty, specific task, education and or, in a business Endeavour is by the evaluation of his/her performance in their various subjects of study in Nigeria is a thing of long time origin. And the appraisal of student’s performance in social studies is not an exemption. The importance of social studies as a subject taught in secondary school in Nigeria cannot be over-emphasized. It is in this vain that many researchers have studied our school system to identify the various means, channel and or, procedure of impeaching knowledge to our students especially through social studies.

This performance of students is a far cry based on the expected success of institutions of these kinds or nature. A lot of reasons has been adduced for this inspite of the preparedness of teachers of those schools to deliver. Some of the students absent themselves from schools for a long time. This affects their performance because they have lost touch of the essence of regular practice and continuity in social studies.

Secondly, the students do not avail themselves with the use of books which supposed to enhance their performance this is further caused by poor reading habit of some of them and loads of domestic work which their parents engaged them in.

Learning has been so much associated with the school that some people almost think that learning goes on only in schools. This view of learning has been greatly reinforced by such reference to schools as institutions of learning and to Universities, Polytechnics and College of Education as institutions of higher learning (Okoye, 1987). There is no doubting the fact that much learning goes on in school. The school is particularly and specifically arranged so as to facilitate effective learning. Unfortunately the poor condition of our schools, particularly the secondary schools today in the nation raises a lot of anxiety. A cursory look at these schools in spite of government efforts reveals schools dominated by dilapidated buildings, school void of good furniture and equipment, schools where instructional materials are either not provided or are inadequate; school that are under-staffed; schools, where teachers’ salaries and allowances are not promptly paid, schools that have not been inspected for the last 15 years; schools where there are no discipline among other things.

The government, and especially the parents are very much concerned with the quality and volume of learning acquired by their children, wards and citizens as this is related to the quality and quantity of the contribution which the individual can make to his immediate family, community and the nation as a whole. (Thorndike, 1931).

Several studies by Sociologist, Psychologists and Educationists showed that the type of schools a learner attends has profound influence on his academic achievement. For instance, Bibby and Peil (1974) noted that children who attended private secondary schools performed better both internal and external examination than pupils in public secondary schools. This view is also supported by Lioyd (1966) as he contended further that the public schools which saw education as good thing, tended to leave the question of educational success or failure in the hands of the public and their parents. This implies that the business of education is not taken with all the seriousness it demands in the public schools. This of course is what may be regarded as the general apathy of the citizenry to government’s owned business or property. A situation that has resulted in lackadaisical attitude of government’s workers, including teachers in the public schools tend to believe that an intelligent child would succeed automatically at school without any active assistance coming from them.

In a study jointly carried out by the Federal Government of Nigeria, UNICEF and UNESCO in 1977 to monitor the learning achievement of secondary school students throughout the Federation, it was shown that most of the private schools had means in the three areas tested higher than the national means and that of their public counterpart.

Similarly, Yoloye (1998) while assessing the situation of education in Niger State compared the quality of education in five states of the federation namely, River, Imo, Enugu, Anambra and Bayelsa. He compared performance between urban and rural schools; private and public schools, as well as between male and female secondary school students. He concluded that while Niger State comes last in almost all the sub-sector analyzed, the only cheering exception is in the private schools where it performed better both in internal and external examinaton than other states and indeed exceeded the grand mean. He did not give reasons for low or high achievement.

The study therefore sought to find out if there is any difference in students’ academic attainment in internal and external social studies examination in junior secondary schools in the said local government council areas in the study. It also highlighted the causes of such differences in academic achievement and suggested measures to rectify the differences so discovered.

1.2 Statement of the Problem

Academic performance of students in the Social Studies internal and external Examination has received much attention of late in the Nigerian educational system. At the beginning of every academic year when results are released, educational stakeholders raise a lot of concerns about the falling performance of students. In Nigeria, junior secondary Schools are three times better in internal examination than external examination. Schools provide quality education, have good supervision, high parental commitment, motivation and good methodology leading to the commitment of students in their education but the students do not have confidence enough while writing external examination and this could be as a result of strange face of the supervisor whom they are not familiar with, then this research work consider it more important to compare the relative academic performance of the junior secondary school student in both internal and external Social Studies Examination in Warri South Local Government Area.

1.3 Objectives of the Study

To examine the academic performance of student`s by comparing the Social Studies internal and external Examination result of some selected secondary Schools in the said area.
To investigate the factors accounting for the student’s performance in the Social Studies Examination in secondary Schools.
To find ways to improve the academic performance in our secondary Schools.

1.4 Research Questions

Answers were provided to the following questions in this research work:

Will there be any difference in academic performance between internal and external social studies examination in Warri South?
What variables are responsible for this difference(s) in this said Town?
What measures can be put in place to improve the situation?

1.5 Statement of Hypothesis

A hypothesis is a tentative statement linking two or more variable in a correlation to establish a relationship that, further subjection to test will confirm such relationship as either positive or negative. The following are the two hypotheses that are to be tested.

H₀: Social Studies student does not perform significantly better in internal examination than external examination.

H₁: Social Studies student perform significantly better in internal examination than external examination.

1.6 Scope of the Study

This research work is aimed at the comparison of junior secondary school academic performance in internal and external examination in social studies in Warri south local government area. Due to current emphasis on education in the country by the government and in order to reduce the country’s academic degradation, in solving this problem, this study focused attention on this comparison and to suggest possible solution to the problem.

1.7 Limitation of the Study

The study is on the comparison of junior secondary school academic performance in internal and external examination in social studies in warri south local government area. This study is limited to government secondary schools in Delta State.

Despite the limited scope of this study certain constraints were encountered during the research of this project. Some of the constraints experienced by the researcher were given below:

Time: This was a major constraint on the researcher during the period of the work. Considering the limited time given for this study, there was not much time to give this research the needed attention.
Finance: Owing to the financial difficulty prevalent in the country and it’s resultant prices of commodities, transportation fares, research materials etc. The researcher did not find it easy meeting all his financial obligations.
Information Constraints: Nigerian researchers have never had it easy when it comes to obtaining necessary information relevant to their area of study from private and even government schools. The staffs in all these schools are finding it difficult to reveal their internal operations. The primary information was collected through face-to-face interview getting the published materials on this topic meant going from one library to other which was not easy.

Although these problems placed limitations on the study, but it did not prevent the researcher from carrying out a detailed and comprehensive research work on the subject matter.

1.8 Definition of Key Terms

To make a research work such as this comprehensive to even an average reader, it became every important to define some salient features involved in the theme. These salient terms are defined as follows:

Curricular: It is the aggregate of courses of study given in a school, college, university, etc

Performance: Accomplishing or achievement of specific goals, objectives or set mark in any academic Endeavour. It is one of the most common criteria of evaluating effectiveness of schools.

Learning: the acquisition of knowledge or skills through experience, study, or by being taught.

Education: Education in its general sense is a form of learning in which the knowledge, skills, values, beliefs and habits of a group of people are transferred from one person to another

Students Attitude: this refers to the opinions or feelings that students usually have about their studies.

Teaching: Teaching is simply referred to as the activities of educating or instructing.

Qualified Teacher: For this study a teacher who holds the following certificate is assumed to be qualified: NCE, B.Ed., B.Sc. (Ed), B.Sc. and PGDE

Innovation: is a way of changing and adapting for the purpose of attaining certain goals and aspirations

Challenges: Challenges is seen as a call to someone to participate in a competitive situation or fight to decide who is superior in terms of ability or strength

Click to: DOWNLOAD @ NGN5,000/USD20

Social Problems and Academic Performance

The Effect of Social Problems on the Academic Performance and Social Adjustment of Senior Secondary School Students in Selected Schools in Shomolu District II of Lagos State

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

Background to the study

Anti-social activities are rampant in the contemporary Nigerian Society. This is evident in the deluge of social problems witnessed on regular bases. These problems which include various factors such as social inequality, ethnicity, limited resources, corruption, poverty, criminality, and other socio-economic crises pervade the length and breadth of the country. There is a wide gap between the expectations of the society and its actual manifestations. Hardly would a day go by without a record of one form of social problem or the other.

In line with the above, Osarenren (2002) argued that societal attitudes change because society is dynamic and changes occur quite frequently and to support her claims, she advanced some fundamental reasons for anti-social behaviours in the society. For her, one of the reasons is the change in the structure of the society which happens to be as a result of rapid transition from rural to urbanization and industrialization; secondly, there has been a serious disruption of sense of community solidarity and of the integrity of the extended family structure; and thirdly, it is observed that delinquency is on the rise in deteriorated neighborhoods near the city centres of large cities. One may therefore surmise that delinquency is closely associated with urbanization.

From a sociological perspective, a social problem exists when there is a sizable difference between the ideals of a society and its actual achievements. From this perspective, social problems are created by the failure to close the gap between the way people want things to be and the

way things really are (Coleman, 1999). Certain social conditions are detrimental in any situation (Eitzen, Smith & Baca-Zinn, 2009). These conditions prevent members of a society from developing and using their full potential. Those conditions like poverty, racism, unequal opportunity are, therefore, social problems in any social setting.

There is a common consensus among experts that deviance is a social problem and could be seen as a product of both personal and social traits. Osarenren (2002) argued that any behavior which does not conform to the rules, regulations, norms and values of a given time is viewed as deviance. In line with this position, Ajuzie (2005), submitted that deviance should be eradicated or put to control in the society .She argues further that the best a society could do in order to achieve this is to undertake application of knowledge to practical ends, through corrections, development of policies and programmes for combating crime and deviance, to reform, remobilize and to treat deviants. Matza (1964) came up with the idea of treating deviant cases when he projected a premise that something must be wrong with a deviant actor and which compels him to be lawless and inhibits him from conformity to conventional norms and the laws of the society.

Education is a watchdog that is essential for correcting the problem of deviance and ensuring conformity to institutional rules and regulations. The impact of education on change and adjustment is tremendous in that knowledge is light, it transforms and leads in the right direction. The thrust of this study is to explore the effect of social problems on the academic performance and social adjustment of secondary school students. In this breadth, ‘deviance’ readily comes to mind, because it is a term that is easily associated with social problems among youths in general and secondary school students in particular.

Before the study is explored in-depth, laying a solid foundation with regards to relevant accounts of social deviance issues among youths and secondary school students in Nigeria will be useful.In the account of Osaat (1999),the present Nigeria generation has been a generation of youth restiveness and moral decadence, sporadic ethnic and religious violence, insurgent tribal youth militias, and labour unrest among adult workers, and a generation where youths grow with criminal tendencies, with growing interests in cultic activities, and examination malpractice as the dominant means of achieving success in educational institutions.

Deviance, disturbances, crises, issues, violence, unrest and all anti-social behaviours, all of which have been categorized as social problems are prevalent in every sector of the Nigerian nation. The primary focus of this study is to lay emphasis on these problems with a focus on the educational sector and especially among students of senior secondary schools in Nigeria. Student participation in anti-social behaviours is on a steady rise. The alarming effect of this behavior constitutes a major challenge Teachers, Parents, Guardians, and the Government, the stake-holders in the educational sector and even among the well meaning Nigerians at large.

A number of occurrences, which have become the ‘norm’, are testimony to the fact that social problems in schools have come to stay. A practical example was recorded by the Nation newspaper of Thursday, June 21, 2012, that social unrest broke out at the Government Girls Secondary School in Abuloma, Port- Harcourt. At the aftermath of the violence, about 13 students including teaching staff were recorded to have sustained various degrees of injuries. The Nigerian Tribune of Thursday, October 4, 2012 also recorded the killings of about 46 students of the Federal Polytechnic, Mubi, Adamawa State. The Newspaper attributed the reason for the killings to ethnicity and school politics .Although investigations are still on going as to what led to the extra-judicial killings of the students, but some of the students have confessed that the perpetrators of the dastardly acts are very likely to be their fellow students. In an egalitarian society, there are ideals like peace, fairness, law and order, brotherhood, social and equitable justice, and whenever these collective ideals are truncated, social problems become the consequence.

Violence is rampant in secondary schools these days. According to Awujo (2006), Nigeria today is faced with the syndrome of youth restiveness, which is believed to be connected to the political, social and economic problems of our country. He argued that the syndrome of youth restiveness was borne out of the wounds of despair and disappointment. It is a cry of daily hurt, persistent injustice, exploitation, impoverishment, pain and anger as a result of man’s inhumanity to man.

Aside youth restiveness, there are other social problems witnessed among secondary school students. Sexual promiscuity is one of the problems associated with some secondary school students.Adenuga (2006) supports this claim by stating that the problem of sexual promiscuity is not a new phenomenon in Nigeria especially among senior secondary school students. He went on to reveal that many secondary school students are under pressure to engage in premarital sex as the popular saying in the urban society is that “everybody is doing it”.

Sexual promiscuity among secondary school, if unchecked, eventually culminates into sexual perversions as lesbianism, homosexuality, transgender sex and other bizarre sexual experimentations like incest, bestiality and other sexual abnormalities. One cardinal danger that sexual promiscuity portends for teenage girls is teenage pregnancy which in all cases is unwanted pregnancies. This will either result in abortion or in teenage parenting which constitutes social problems. All forms of sexual promiscuity and the negative effects constitute danger for the affected victims; it makes them become social misfits. For example, a secondary school girl who gets pregnant will have to undergo series of castigations and rejections from her parents, family members, school mates and even her close friends. The reproach could even lead to her withdrawal from school, a case of school dropout.

Cultism among students is another case of social problem. Today, participation in cultic activities has been extended to students in the secondary schools, but this was not the case in recent past when cultism was limited to students of higher institutions only. The case of cultism on campuses gives credence to the claims of Salako (2005), that our institutions of learning in Nigeria today are being rocked by crises caused by secret cults on the campuses. Cultic activities have become the order of the day so much so that institutions of higher learning seldom run the normal school calendar.

Corruption has been linked with participation in cultism in the country. Eneh (2008) believes that widespread corruption in high places and endemic poverty in the society are precursors of cultism in Nigerian educational institutions. This claim is true when you look at the cases of cultism among students, one would realize that participation in cultic activities is majorly driven by the ambition of students to acquire power and money. That is why they hunt for students from well to do families as initiates, also, some political leaders in the country make use of student cultists to perpetrate evil so as to secure their political seats for as long as they want. These cultists carry out all the dastardly acts for the politicians in exchange for money. Corruption and endemic poverty are at the very roots of cultism in Nigeria’s educational institutions. Corruption eats deep into the fabrics of the society. Little wonder, Umar (2007),put forward a staggering statistics that about 2% of Nigerians control over 60% of the Nation’s financial assets, while over 70% of the population live below the poverty line (Encarta,2005).

The irony of our country is summarized below by Eneh (2006):

“Nigeria, a country blessed with the natural potentials to be among the richest nations of the world, is variously rated between the 13^th and 21^st poorest country; and 1^st or 2^nd most corrupt nation of the world” p.126.

There is need to also highlight problems of drug and substance abuse, truancy and juvenile delinquency among students. These all signify the existence of social problems in the society. Smoking and drug intake among youth, as adjudged by Oloyede (1996), is rampant among Nigerian youth of different socio-economic backgrounds both in rural and urban areas. Drug intake and smoking is common among secondary school students. Cigarettes and other performance-enhancing drugs come in cheap and readily available, so students can afford them irrespective of their social class, and also there seems to be no serious laws in the society prohibiting the access of students to these drugs.

Research has proven that students’ truancy is caused by social factors like unstable home life, poverty and socio-economic factors. Juvenile delinquency is another problem among students, it causes a lot of worries for Teachers and Parents. Research has also shown that the influence of the family on the lives of juvenile delinquents is certainly much greater. Studies show that children from poor homes are much more likely to commit serious criminal acts. (Coleman and Cressey, 1999).

From the accounts put forward in the background of this study, it is obvious that Nigeria, as a society, is plagued with multi-faceted social problems. These problems are affecting every segment of the society including the secondary schools which is the focus of this study. In order to establish the effects of social problems on the academic performance and social adjustment of senior secondary school students, it will be useful to highlight the two variables in focus, which are academic performance and social adjustment.

Performance of students in the classroom and school takes a central role in the academic development of the student. Parents, Teachers and School administrators alike take cognizance of the academic well-being of the students. Yardsticks are set by school authority to measure performance, the standards set by the school will determine whether a student is performing well or not.

In the assessment of performance, Ilogu (2004) argued that performance is the behavior of an individual that can be directly observed by another individual. There are schools of thought in academic performance. One school of thought justifies performance of students by evaluating what students have done as against what students have learnt throughout the course. This evaluation is done by measuring home work, test and even examination. By this method, areas of strength and weaknesses in a student’s academic career are determined and evaluated in order to improve on the learning process of the student. Academic performance of students allows for ranking of students in numerically identifiable scale. This is about positioning students in terms of performance. It can also be used for placement purposes. This method is used to determine students that will progress to the next class and those that will stay behind for another process of re-evaluation.

Studies have shown that factors which influence students’ academic performance include the following:

Hard work and discipline, family income, parent’s education, previous schooling and self motivation. Other factors include students’ aptitude, class attendance, age of student, student’s learning style matched with instructor’s delivery style. (Romer, 1993, Cohen & Huston,1995).

Aside students’ academic performance, their social adjustment in and out-of school environment is also very critical. Social adjustment and academic performance go along with Each other as one will either affect or compliment the other. Social adjustment, according to Kelvin and Robert (1991), is the psychological process through which people manage or cope with the demand and challenges of everyday life.

Social adjustment frequently involves coping with new standards and values. In the technical language of psychology, adjustment means getting along with members of the society as best as one can. Psychologists use the term adjustment of varying conditions of social and interpersonal relations in the society. In this regard, adjustment means reaction to the demands and pressures of the social environment imposed upon the individual. Whenever two types of demands come into conflict with each other and results in an adjustment being made, then some special problems of adjustment arises.

Adjustment in School has been described as a very important aspect of student life. Teachers are advised to be more concerned with the adjustment of students in school because the primary purpose of education is to train students to be well adjusted in their social life. Human beings have the capacity to adapt to new situations, they do not only adapt to physical demands but also adapt to social pressures. Social pressures play an important role in the choices students make. In an environment where the degree of social problems is high, then the student would easily fall for the social pressure. This is what the students face on a daily basis.

From the foregoing, it is evident that social problems in our society are generating concerns for all and sundry. This study is concerned about the extent to which social problems affect the academic performance and social adjustment of students in Nigeria.

It is on the basis of these assumptions that this study was construed to examine the effect of social problems on the academic performance and social adjustment of senior secondary school students of Shomolu Education District II of Lagos State, Nigeria.

Theoretical Framework

This study is anchored on the effects of social problems on the academic performance and social adjustment of secondary school students. The theories that throw light on these problems are appraised below.

Social Disorganization Theory

This theory was propounded by Shaw and McKay (1969).It viewed society as a collectivity of people bound together by a set of interrelated norms and values. The theory sees deviance as a natural bye-product of rapid social change especially when the pace of social change is significant to disrupt a society’s normative order.

In this study, social disorganization theory will provide a framework for explaining how secondary school students develop deviant behaviours as a result of the rapidly changing social order of the society. The study investigates the extent to which change in society dictate social adjustment.

Labeling Theory

Labeling theory is another theory that strengthens the importance of this study. The theory was propounded by Howard Becker (1963). Howard Becker viewed deviance as the creation of social groups and not the quality of some act or behavior.

He believed that social groups create deviance by making rules whose infraction creates deviance, and by applying those roles to particular people and labeling them as outsiders. From this point of view, deviance is not a quality of the act the person commits, but rather a consequence of the application of rules and sanctions to an ‘offender’. The deviant is one to whom the label has been successfully attached.

According to Becker (1963), studying the act of the individual is unimportant because deviance is simply rule breaking behavior that is labeled deviant by persons in positions of power. He viewed those people that are likely to engage in rule breaking behavior as essentially different from members of the rule making or rule abiding society. Those persons who are prone to rule breaking behavior see themselves as morally at odds with those members of the rule abiding society.

Becker (1963) also detailed the process of how these deviant outsiders become involved in secondary deviance. Primary deviance is the first step, and the primary act may be either intentional or non-intentional. He argued that most people only think or fantasize in a deviant manner.

The process of being caught and labeled deviant by a person in position of authority leads to secondary deviance. Secondary deviance involves the acceptance of the deviant label. Certain rule breakers come to accept the label of ‘deviant’ as status.

In this study, labeling theory provides a framework for explaining the way and manner society reacts to known cases of deviance. Also, the study attempts to investigate primary and secondary deviance as well as distinguish behaviors that society terms as ‘socially acceptable’ from ‘rule breaking’ behaviours.

Physiological/ Biogenic Theory

A third theory that strengthens this study is the physiological or biogenic theory. The theory was propounded by Cesare Lombroso (1876). He attempted to explain human and social behavior by making use of genetic/biological mechanisms.

The theory stipulates that individuals with certain defective pathological characteristics are predisposed to criminal/ deviant activities. This links criminality/deviance with certain propensities to personalities, temperaments and particular body types or shapes.

During autopsy, he discovered that certain physical stigmata were apparent, making him formulate a number of theses indicating some criminal/deviance tendencies. He attached criminality/deviance to certain physiological attributes like: head size and shape common to race and region from which the criminal belongs, asymmetry of the face, eye defects and peculiarities, excessive dimensions of the jaw and cheek bones, ears of unusual size standing out from the head as those of the chimpanzee, abnormal dentition and others.

The theory provides a basis for linking deviance to some physiological constitutional defects or abnormality or cultural experiences.

Statement of Problem

In recent times, it has become a common phenomenon to read, hear or witness incidences of students’ involvement in anti-social behaviours such as teenage pregnancy/parenting, child abuse, alcohol intake, drug abuse, rape, prostitution, sexual perversion, stealing, cultism, adolescent suicide, school dropout and all kinds of wanton misdemeanor.

Sad to say that some of these social problems are unfortunately fallout of the social ills in the society. It is the society that creates severe poverty, homelessness and economic hardships. Kyra (2009) supports the assumption that social problems are created by social structures when she revealed ‘that much of what goes on in society leaks into the school system, impacting students and their learning experience’. Eitzen et al (2009), also seconded the assumption by suggesting that norm violations are symptoms of social problems and that the source of deviance is found within the social structure. He continues, society plays a role in creating and sustaining deviance by labeling victims as. This shows that anti-social behaviours expressed by students are reflective of what obtains in the larger society.

Many have agreed that deviant acts perpetrated by students in the secondary schools are responsible for the downward turn in the academic performance and social adjustment of these students. It is not certain whether efforts taken by researchers, teachers ,school administrators and stakeholders at linking behaviours among secondary school students to social problems with a view to curbing these behaviours have yielded any fruits in the past.

In the light of the overall challenges of social problems in schools, this study sets out to examine the effect of social problems on the academic performance and social adjustment of senior secondary school students in selected schools in Shomolu District II of Lagos State.

Purpose of the Study

The specific objectives of the study include:

To identify the common types of social problems exhibited by students in the selected schools for this study.
To evaluate the social implications of the behavior exhibited by the students.
To assess the various ways in which social behavior affects students’ classroom activities.
To ascertain the impact of social problems on students’ academic performance.
To ascertain the impact of social problems on students’ social adjustment.

Research Questions.

The study provided answers to the following research questions:

What are the common types of social problems exhibited by secondary school students?
What are the social implications of behaviours exhibited by the students?
To what extent do social behaviours affect students’ classroom activities?
To what extent do social problems impact on students’ academic performance?
To what extent do social problems impact on students’ social adjustment?

Hypotheses

The following hypotheses were tested in the study:

The social problems students’ exhibit in school will not impact negatively on their academic performance.
Students’ social problems will not significantly interfere with their social adjustment.
There will be no gender difference in students’ deviant behaviours.

Significance of the study

The study will be beneficial to the following individuals:

The Students: The findings and recommendations of the study will inform students and help them understand the manifestations of social problems in Schools.It will enlighten them on ways of managing social problems and its influence on classroom activities.

The Teachers: The study will help them to easily identify students who exhibit behaviours that reflect social problems. They will also be equipped with the knowledge of managing students that are prone to social problems and working effectively with parents.

The Parents: Parents will benefit from knowledge of social problems which will enable them identify and associate with their children with the intent of solving the perceived problems.

School Authority: The school authority will be encouraged to pay more attention to social re-orientation programmes such as sex education, health and safety awareness, HIV/AIDS awareness, drug-free initiatives and adolescent counseling programmes.

Government: Relevant information on social problems in schools will inspire the Government to take pro-active measures, which may include enacting laws that will protect the rights of vulnerable students. It is expected that at the top of Government agenda is eradication of endemic poverty and its withering effects on school children. The study will also encourage Government to work on solving the prevalent problems of social injustices, inequalities and economic challenges in the society. All the aforementioned factors adversely affect students’ academic performance and social adjustment in schools.

The Society: The study will create awareness on the social ills of the society. The awareness is expected to generate concerns for majority of people and stake holders in the society who in turn will gear up to eradicate the prevalent social problems of the society.

Scope of the Study

The study covers the effect of Social problems on the academic performance and social adjustment of Senior Secondary School students in Shomolu Education District II of Lagos State.

Definition of Terms

Academic Performance: This is the behavior of a student that can be directly observed by evaluating what he/she has learnt during a course of study. This behavior can be measured through class work, homework, class participation and tests.

Deviance: This refers to possibility of an individual or group deviating from an established norm. Any behavior which does not conform to the rules, regulations, norms, and values of a given time is viewed as deviance.

Social Adjustment: This is the psychological process through which a student copes with the challenges that his/her peers face daily. It involves coping with new values and standards.

Social Problem: A social problem exists when a significant number of people in a society believe that a certain condition is in fact a problem.

Click to: DOWNLOAD @ NGN5,000/USD20

INFLUENCE OF ACADEMIC LIBRARIES ON L.I.S. STUDENTS

A STUDY OF THE INFLUENCE OF ACADEMIC LIBRARIES ON LIBRARY AND INFORMATION SCIENCE STUDENTS’ ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE

ABSTRACT

An attempt to find out a study of the influence of academic library on the academic performance of library and information science students prompted this study. Ambrose Alli University was used as the case study. The 100 level – 400 level students in Library and Information Science was the target audience. Since the research is an evaluative one, a survey research method was adopted. A 57- items structured questionnaire supplemented was used to generate data. Tables and Simple Percentage were used to analyze the data collected. The major findings of the study revealed that students make regular use of academic libraries; that there is a direct positive relationship between the use of academic libraries and students’ academic performance. Finally, the research recommends that there is need for expertise and professionalism in Library Practices; and the use of the library should be an introductory course for Fresh Students in higher institutions of learning and it should be taken beyond the classroom level; libraries should be centrally located for easy accessibility, and the teaching staff should always refers students to the library for assignments and other relevant things.

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background of the Study

Education is the primary agent of transformation towards sustainable development since it increases people’s capacities to transform their visions into reality. Education does not only provide scientific and technical skills, it also provides the motivation, justification, and social support for pursuing and applying knowledge. The quality of education as instrument of societal transformation is often predicated on the quality of the library.

A library is a collection of sources and services and the structure in which it is housed. In this connection a library as it relates to academic library is organized for use and maintained by the institution where it is domiciled. In order words, a library is a collection of books. The term can mean the collection, the building that houses the collection, or both.

Libraries are repositories of knowledge. They are more than just a place where books, films, records and other information-bearing materials are kept.

Osumah (2004) defines a library as a collection of books and non books materials systematically organized for the maximum utilization of those in search of information and engaged in research work. While Akowe (2001) defines a library as collection of records of human culture in diverse formats and languages preserved, organized and interpreted to meet broad and varying needs of individuals for information, knowledge, recreation and aesthetic enjoyment.

In addition to housing books, journals, documents and other physical manifestations of the printed word; Karl (2003) stated that libraries are now places to go to accomplish the following tasks, which are:

“A place where you Access e-mail, you can send e-mail, you can access on-line journals or database, get inter library loan forms and fill them to enable you acquire a book or any article of any kind from any other library, then obtain and photocopy course materials and also acquire training for software packages applications etc.

The purpose for which academic libraries exist is to perform functions directly related to the mission of the institution they are attached.

The international Encyclopedia of information and library science {2003} defines academic libraries as those libraries that are attached to academic institutions above the secondary or high school level, serving the teaching and research needs of students and staff.

Academic libraries are libraries attached to higher institutions of learning. E.g. university, polytechnics, monotechnics etc. The library exists to support the academic curriculum of the parent institution.

The services academic libraries in the university provide is more elaborate than that of college of education, schools of nursing etc. the materials found in the academic library of universities are more in number to that of college of education; They are distinctive and unique because they are not limited. Academic are centers for research and learning. The academic is a nerve center or hub around which scholarship resolves. It is an indispensable instrument for intellectual development. A well-stocked academic library is a storehouse of information or a record of human experience to which users turn to for data or information.

Yusuf and Iwu (2010) citing Jubb and Green (2007) states that academic libraries have for centuries played critically important roles in supporting research in all subjects and disciplines within their host universities or colleges. Opara (2001) according to Yusuf and Iwu, posits that the library stands in the same relationship to the society as the memory of an individual by making available and accessible to its users information required for teaching and independent study. The main purpose of an academic library as stated by Aina (2004) is to support the objectives of an academic environment in the areas of learning, teaching, research and service.

Oyesiku and Oduwole (2004) assert that in academic communities, libraries are indispensable. Guskin (1996) notes that the use of university libraries promotes active learning, thus contributing to students’ ability to think critically and work well independently or in group. An academic environment without a library is tantamount to a person without a brain.

Academic libraries are setup solely to provide materials and services which will now in the future best contribute to the fulfillment of the objectives of the institution and to provide materials in support of the learning processes, that is materials for students’ course work, assigned reading as well as background reading for essays, term papers and projects. In stating the purpose of academic libraries, Nwana (2005) said that college of University library is especially established to aid scholars in their never ending search for knowledge. These libraries are regarded as Focal Point for teaching, learning and research.

1.2 Statement of the problem

Academic libraries provide numerous services to their clientele to facilitate teaching, learning, research and other interests of the parent academic community. Undoubtedly, libraries are the centre of academic activities and therefore attract instructors, learners and the general public. They are the backbone of tertiary educational institutions. Educational institutions oblivious of the fact that academic libraries are the driving force behind them and fail to adequately resource their libraries are doomed to extinct.

The rapid advances in information communication technologies have widened the borders of accessing information as it enables users to retrieve and store information in varied formats. This has the tendency to influence information seeking behavior of users through the options it offers in accessing and storing information. Adeniran (2011) cites Cullen (2001) as stating that the global digital revolution is affecting both the traditional forms of the creation, organization and dissemination of knowledge and the world of tertiary education itself. The e-learning resources on the web have spurred learners to look for information stored in various formats and from places previously unimagined for learning and research purposes. The use of computers and modems by students to access information on the internet may lead to low patronage of the services of academic libraries.

Academic libraries are faced with competition as a result of the seemingly easy-access platform offered by information communication technologies which could lead to low use of the traditional services it provides. It is apparent that the digital environment poses a threat to libraries which predominantly have printed materials.

Apart from the easy-access platform offered by information communication technologies ICT’s, not all libraries located within an academic community today are meeting these expectations or performing these functions of enhancing the teaching, learning and research of the academic libraries. This could be due to stocking materials that are irrelevant to institutional objectives; the library been starved of fund for smooth operation, ignorance of the existence of a collection and non-acqusition of the necessary skills needed to locate and use such materials by users, etc.

The undergraduate students constitute the primary and major users of any academic library, meeting the needs of these students is one of the ways in which academic libraries justify their existence.

But where the aforementioned are prevalent, the academic performance of the students in particular will be influenced and the learning function of the parent body in general will not be enhanced. The study therefore will embark upon to determine a study of the influence of academic libraries on student’s academic performance of library and information science undergraduate in Ambrose Alli University.

1.3 Objectives of the study

The objectives of this study are:

To know the types of library materials available in the library
To know the purpose for which Library and Information Science undergraduates use the library
To examine the frequency of library usage by Library and Information Science undergraduates.
To ascertain if and how library usage influence Library and Information Science undergraduates academic performance.
To know the effect/ influence that academic libraries has towards L. I. S academic performance.
To determine the hindrances against the use of academic libraries by Library and Information Science undergraduates.

1.4 Research Questions

What are the types of library materials available in the library?
What are the purposes for which Library and Information students undergraduate use the library?
How often do L .I .S undergraduate use the library?
How does library usage influence L. I. S undergraduates academic performance?
Does the resources effect/ influence L. I. S undergraduates academic performance?
What are the hinderances against the use of academic libraries by L.I.S students?

1.5 Scope of the Study

The library is regarded as the heart of the intellectual system of the university. To a large extent therefore, the quality of an academic library has a direct bearing on the students and their performance academically. Therefore, the scope of this study covers the resources and usage of academic libraries, perceptions of library services and student relationship between academic libraries and their academic performance using Ambrose Alli University, Edo State.

1.6 Significance of the Study

The purpose of an academic library is to support both the instructional programmes of its parent institution and the research needs of students, faculty members and other members of the Academic community. In an academic community, students constitute the majority of the users yet, many of the students do not believe there is a common denominator between the use of the library and their academic performance. This is because many academic libraries have failed in the area of quality of service delivery. The findings of this research work will create awareness among students in an academic setting so they know that making use of the library has great influence in their lives academically. To this end, they owe the library a duty of offering constructive and suggestions with a view to helping the library to enhance the quality of service delivery which in turn improve their academic performance.

1.7 Operational Definition of Terms

Some of the terms used in this work are defined below.

Academic Libraries: Academic libraries are libraries attached to tertiary institutions such as universities, polytechnic institutions, colleges of education, colleges of Agriculture, colleges of technology and also research institutes (Akporhonor, 2005). Singh and Kaur (2009) stressed that preservation and access to knowledge and information is the main mandate of academic libraries along side supporting the mission of their parent institutions which is teaching and research.

Academic libraries are at the forefront of providing information services to their respective communities which comprises of students, lecturers, and researchers in order to support their teaching, learning, and research needs. Scholars have emphasized on the crucial role of academic libraries in research and scholarship in institutions of higher learning. Many a times academic libraries are referred to as the heart or nerve centres of institutions of higher learning where all academic activities revolved.

Academic Performance: Academic performance refers to the way students may be faring in their academic responsibilities. It can also be seen as the outcome of education; the extent to which a student, teacher or institution has achieved their educational goals.

Influence: Influence means the effect that somebody or something has on the way a person thinks or behaves or on the way that something works or develops.

Influence is the power that somebody/something has to make somebody/something behave in a particular way. Influence means to have an effect on the way that somebody behaves or thinks, especially by giving them an example to follow. Most students are influenced academically, in a positive way. Being influenced, it helps them to be broad in knowledge and also in their various areas of learning.

Perception: Perception is said to be the way one notice things, especially with the senses. It means the ability to understand the true nature of something. Perception also means an idea, a belief or an image you have as a result of how you see or understand things.

Summary

In this chapter, various definitions of the concept of library by different authors were examined. This was done with a view to having a better understanding of the traditional functions of libraries so that future services can be anticipated. Academic libraries are basically set up to promote and enhance the teaching learning and research function (academic programmes) of their parent bodies.

In the statement of the problem, steps were taken to present the problem that awoken the researchers’ consciousness to conduct this investigation. The research objective were unambiguously itemized which in a way reflect the research questions. Significantly, those who tend to benefit from the study were identified such as undergraduate student, post-graduates students e.g researchers; budget authorities as well as those who want to make advances in similar fields of endeavor.

Click to: DOWNLOAD @ NGN5,000/USD20