School Location and Students Academic Performance in Senior Secondary Schools

School Location and Students Academic Performance in Senior Secondary Schools

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1     Background to the study

It is universally accepted that education enables individuals to contribute to the development and improvement in the quality of life for themselves, their communities and the nation as a whole. Primary education is no doubt the foundation of education. This has prominently been regarded as a fundamental human right in Akwa Ibom State for every child. It is an essential component of human capital and it plays an important role in economic growth and development of a country.

The government has put up measures to ensure all public secondary schools have all the required physical facilities, instructional materials among other variables that may lead to effective teaching-learning process.

Obviously, the need to motivate students and increase the academic performance in schools has led to researchers like Akpan (2017). To identify the range of variables in the school that could affect the academic performance of students.

Certainly, the location of the school whether urban or rural school location may affect students’ academic performance. Either positively or negatively depending on the facilities and standard of teachers available in the school. Hence the school location remains an important area that should be studied and well managed to enhance the academic performance of students.

Moreover, the participation of students in school depends on the location of the school and the facilities within the school compound. Moreover, the structure of their classroom, availability of instructional facilities and other accessories. Which may be determined by location of the school influence the students’ academic performance.

Thus, this seems not to be easily achievable. If the school environment is not the one that supports the students’ participation in the teaching/learning process.

School Location and Students Academic Performance in Senior Secondary Schools

1.2     Statement of the Problem

It has been observed that schools in the some areas in the State have facilities such as library and cyber cafes. Which may assist the students to learn effectively while other areas such as the rural areas do not have these facilities and these may influence the teaching/learning process. These therefore motivated the researcher to ask “could the location of the school influence the academic performance of students?”

Therefore, the quest to provide answer to this question motivated the researcher. To find out the difference in academic performance of students in difference school locations in Secondary schools in Oruk Anam Local Government Area.

1.3 Purpose of the Study

The purpose of this study was to investigate school location and academic performance of students in Government in secondary schools in Oruk Anam Local Government Area. Specifically, the study sought to:

• investigate the difference in academic performance of students in Government in urban and rural secondary schools.
• investigate the difference in academic performance of male and female students in Government in urban and rural secondary schools.

1.4     Significance of the study

The findings of this study shall be significant in the following ways:

• It is hoped that the findings of the study may help school administrators reflect upon various factors that influence the teaching-learning process. By so doing, they could investigate the possibility of introducing those factors to their schools which may consequently lead to reducing absenteeism, dropouts and repetition and consequently effective teaching-learning process.
• These findings may also help the government through the Ministry of Education. To provide more funds for schools for instructional materials and repair and maintenance of the available physical facilities, thus improving the teaching-learning process.

• Parents may also use findings from this study to help improve the school facilities. By organizing for fundraisers for instance to construct a classroom, laboratory, library among other facilities.
• Policy makers would use the findings to help them make decisions in developing strategies towards improvement of academic standards.
• Future researchers will use the study in identifying priority areas and gaps on which to carry more research about public schools.

1.5     Research Questions

• Does the academic performance of students in urban schools differ from those in rural schools in Government?
• Does the academic performance of male and female students in urban schools differ from those in rural schools in Government?

1.6     Research Hypotheses

• There is no significant difference in the academic performance of students in urban and rural secondary schools in Government.
• There is no significant difference in the academic performance of male and female students in urban and rural secondary schools.

1.7   Limitation of the study

In writing a research of this nature, the following limitations were stumble upon:

• Lack of enough financial resources to help expand the dimension of the study.
• Some of the students and teachers were reluctant in participating in the study for the fear of given out private information. To overcome this, the researcher avoid of use personal names while collecting information for the study.

1.8     Definition of Terms

School Location: Urban and rural school location.

Urban School Location: This is the school located in urban centers and cities which have enough facilities.

Rural School Location: This is the school located in rural centers and villages which do not have enough facilities.

Academic Performance: This is the grade or scores of students in examination.