CHAPTER ONE

1.0INTRODUCTION

1.0     BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

It is a common problem that most of our secondary school leavers do not possess the ability and skills to reason well, they do not respect the dignity of labour, all they live and hope for IS to pass their final examinations through cheat and "expo 419". They like the school administrators target only the end result. They are not interested in the means by which they achieve those results. The values and norms of honest living have eluded those children from the beginning and so, how would they be expected to live honest lives after they had been schooled and graduated in dishonesty. That is why in our political lives, we exhibit bitterness, rancor and turgery. The school curriculum is prepared and delivered in such a way that the children are not invited to think. They are expected to reproduce exactly what the teachers had given them thereby encouraging laziness among the pupils/ students hence there is acute lack of creativity.

1.2  POINT OF INQUIRY/STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

The environment which a child grew has much influence in his studies at school. Many students come from background not good enough to promote students in their studies. Some factors are caused by low income earning of parents while some are caused by poor academic background of parents and siblings. The chief factor is that there is absence of reasoning in some homes which adversely affects learning

Anih, S. (2004: 109) states that negligence of reason results in the loss of everything. He emphasized the need for redesigning of Nigeria's education philosophy. We need an authentic philosophy of education to solve national problems in Nigeria.

1.3  PURPOSE OF THE STUDY

This research study aims among other things:

I.            To do a survey on Nigeria's education system with a view to finding out how the pedagogical conventional method of education has affected the development of education in Nigeria.

II.          To show evidence of misplaced priorities in approach to educational issue in Nigeria.

III.       To evaluate the teaching profession with a View to finding a lasting solution to the problems confronting the teaching profession, e.g. the issues of falling standard of education; poor academic performance/ achievement of pupils/ students; teachers incessant strikes and cultism in our schools.

IV.       To see that the child as the center of education is given its rightful place in the education process.

V.          To point out and place the right values to our education system.

VI.       To show how the andragogical approach could be used to address 'the socio-economic, political and cultural Issues that affect education in Nigeria.

1.4 SIGNIFICANCE OT THE STUDY

The importance of this study is that the outcome of the inquiry will be useful in:

1.          Addressing the Issue of academic backwardness of pupils/ students in Nigeria.

2.          It will address the problems of lack of motivation for the teachers and the taught in Nigeria.

3.          It will address the problem of placing much emphasis on rote learning and memorization which does not elicit thinking in the learner

4.          The study is like a roadmap showing/directing our educational objectives.

5.          The study will provide a format for redesigning the Nigerian education system.

6.                 The study will help the teacher's educators in the colleges of education to see the importance of giving adequate training to the student teachers that is in line with modern methods of education.

7.                 It will help the student teachers to embrace this innovative method of performance / achievement  through the teaching of thinking skills in a community of inquiry format

8.                 It will help the education curriculum designers In formulating better curriculum for our schools.

9.                 It will help to solve the problems of cultism and examination malpractices in our schools and education system.

1.5  TARGET AUDIENCE

This study is directed to the following group of people in Nigerian education system.

1.          Students

2.          teachers

3.          Parents.

4.          Policy makers and various governments at both, local, state and federal levels.

1.7     RESEARCH QUESTIONS

The following research questions will guide this study.

1.     What are the major problems that students encounter in economics?

2.     What are the effects of these problems on students?

3.     To what extent does academic background of parents’ influences students’ academic performance in economics?

4.     To what extent does financial status of parents’ influences students’ academic performance in economics?

5.     What are the possible solutions to poor student’s academic performance in economics?

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