A CRITICAL EXAMINATION OF SCHOOL LOCATION AND ITS IMPACT ON STUDENTS ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1     Background to the Study

In Nigeria, rural life seems to be more uniform, homogeneous, and less complicated than urban life, with cultural variety being accused of influencing students' academic success. This is due to the fact that metropolitan regions are more preferred in terms of the distribution of social amenities such as piped water, electricity, and healthcare facilities, whilst rural areas are less favored (Chineme, 2015). This is also true in terms of educational facility and instructor dispersion. Because of these underlying conditions, learning chances in Nigerian schools range from one another. As a result, students in Nigerian urban schools appear to have greater educational chances than their peers in rural schools (Samedo, 2012). While some studies have found a favorable benefit of school location on students' learning outcomes or success, others have found a detrimental influence.

Several scholars have studied the relationship between school location and academic achievement, doing a rigorous study of locational elements. According to Hallak (1977), education in rural areas is typically fraught with the following difficulties and problems: qualified teachers refuse appointment in isolated villages; villagers refuse to send their children to schools because they rely on them for help; parents are hesitant to entrust their daughters to male teachers; some villagers have too few children for an ordinary primary school; and a lack of roads or satisfactory means of communication (Adeshola, 2016).

In other words, differences in performance reflect differences in educational opportunities available in rural and urban areas, as well as characteristics of these locations such as population density, labor market distribution, and the extent to which urban and sub-urban areas are sought and populated by people from various backgrounds (OECD, 2011). According to a research conducted in Nigeria, the location of schools is related to pupils' academic performance. The assumption is that, while some students benefit from having to travel short distances to obtain an education, others suffer from having to travel long distances. According to Onokerhoraye (2015), a shortage of proper school locations has led to the disparities in Western education from one region of Nigeria to the other.

1.2     Statement Of The Problem

According to Debnath (2010), the location of a school causes a variety of issues such as poor attendance, which leads to low accomplishment, increases the dropout rate, and exacerbates a variety of social problems. According to Walter (1998), one of the factors that impact academic success is school location/site of the school, hence it is critical to recognize this and ensure that schools are located in the appropriate area to reduce failure. Despite the fact that this reality is understood in Nigeria, schools are still not located in the greatest location possible; most schools are located near express routes, market areas, and so on, which distracts children and hinders their performance. Against this context, the study will investigate the influence of school location on students' academic performance.

1.3 Objectives Of The Study

The overall aim of this study is to critically examine the impact of school location students academic performance. Hence, the study will be channeled to the following specific objectives;

1.        Ascertain whether home to school distance affects students academic performance.

2.        Ascertain whether environmental pollution in school location affects students academic performance.

3.        Ascertain whether environmental noisiness in school location affects students academic performance.

4.        Determine whether rural and urban variation in school location influences the academic performance of students.

1.4 Research Hypotheses

The study will validate the following statement;

H01: Home to school distance does not affect students academic performance.

H02: Environmental pollution in school location does not affect students academic performance.

H03: Environmental noisiness in school location does not affect students academic performance.

H04: There is no difference in the academic performance of students in schools located rural and urban areas.

1.5 Significance Of The Study

The findings of this study will broaden the knowledge of education stakeholders to understand the current status of education and the roles of geographical location of schools as an influence in students‟ academic performances in public secondary schools. It is true that resources differ in their distribution; therefore the study informs all stakeholders that, they should put into account the distribution of resources according to the nature of environments. Concurrent to this, the study insists policy makers to recognize and identify areas where government at different levels could put into consideration and brought into focus in order to bridge a gap of educational attainment of children so as to remove inequality in performance. Furthermore stakeholders holistically must find way forward on the issue of poor performances among students in remote areas. Lastly, the study might stimulate for further research basing on large scope so as to come up with comparisons with this study.

1.6 Scope Of The Study

This study is structured to generally evaluate the impact of school location students academic performance, with specific focus on home to school distance, environmental pollution in school location, environmental noisiness in school location, and rural and urban variation in school location.

The respondents for this study will obtained from some selected secondary schools in Etsako local government  area of Edo state.

1.7 Limitation Of The Study

Like in every human endeavour, the researcher encountered slight constraints while carrying out the study. Insufficient funds tend to impede the efficiency of the researcher in sourcing for the relevant materials, literature, or information and in the process of data collection, which is why the researcher resorted to a limited choice of sample size. More so, the researcher simultaneously engaged in this study with other academic work. As a result, the amount of time spent on research will be reduced.

1.8 Definition Of Terms

School location: This refers to the particular place, in relation to other areas in the physical. environment (rural or urban), where the school is sited.

Academic Performance: This is the extent to which a student, teacher or institution has attained their short or long-term educational goals.

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