EVALUATION OF LEARNING ENVIRONMENT AND SCHOOL FACILITIES ON STUDENTS’ ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE IN EXTERNAL EXAMINIATION

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background to the Study

There is no gainsaying the fact that education is very vital to the pace of social, political and economic development of any nation. This is why most nations of the world strive to devote a sizeable proportion of their Gross National Income to develop the educational sector. In Nigeria, between 7.6% and 9.9% of our annual expenditure is devoted to education (Durosaro, 2003). The proportion earmarked in the approved national budget is meant to finance capital and recurrent expenditure of schools. The physical structures which is capital intensive takes the larger part of the cost and since the physical environment of a school adds a lot of value to the school (Obong, 2007).

Egim (2003) observed in her study that the physical environment contributes either negatively or positively to the administrator’s role performance in the school. The school physical environment includes the buildings, classrooms, furniture, equipment, instructional materials, laboratories, libraries, play grounds, and so on. Others are walls, machinery, decorative objects, play fields, skating rinks, swimming pools, audio-visual equipment (Mckay, 1964 in Egim, 2003). Egim (2003) maintained that in a bid to expand the educational enterprise, educational planners are more interested in issues such as the number of schools, teachers, students’ infrastructural facilities like classrooms and school buildings. Little attention is paid to the quality of the environment (Obong. 2010).

          The physical outlook of the school environment is very important in contributing to healthy academic exercise. It forms the fulcrum on which other activities revolve. This is because it creates an atmosphere of the mind for study. The challenge of developing and managing a school environment taking into consideration some parameters is a great one; one of such is the school location. Where a school is located can determine to a large extent the stability of the student’s mind for academic readiness.

A school located along air-traffic route, roadside (especially without a fence), in neighbourhood of industrial activities, markets, and so on will constitute a nuisance and interference with the students’ learning process. It will generate noise enough to badly affect the study adventure. As indicated by the National Teachers’ Institute (NTI, 2008; Mckay, 1964 in Egim, 2003) school supervision and sanitation. These are capable of affecting the quality of learning environment. This refers to all the strategies adopted by a school system in managing the wastes (noise, water, and other effluents), drainage pattern, and the facilities provided in the school. Equally crucial is the greening of the school environment. Sanitation Connection (2001/2002) maintains that a school management that provides sanitation and planting of flowers, trees and maintaining lawns, well cleared grasses, etc. improves quality of life and study environment. Aesthetics of a school environment is another aspect of managing a school environment. Regular painting and maintaining the quality of buildings, channeling of sewage, well planned landscape and trimming of flowers, clearing of grasses, proper disposal of refuse, sweeping and removing cub webs among others provides a relaxed atmosphere for   the molding of minds. All these issues above constitute school environmental management strategies that could make a school a place to live and not to leave.

In spite of this all-important top burner matter, very little have been done in managing school environments for fruitful academic venture. It becomes necessary to conduct a study on the strategies employed in managing school environment in Nigerian secondary schools.

1.2 Statement of the Problem

There has been a lot of controversy over the question of academic performance of Nigeria secondary school students. The poor performance of students especially in Senior Secondary Certificate Examination has clearly lent credence to this study. The question of academic performance and students’ performance in Senior Secondary Certificate Examination is therefore a recurring issue, usually discussed both in and outside the academic circles. Based on the foregoing, this study examines the concept of academic performance as it relates to students background, learning resources and academic performance. In most secondary schools that a high percentage of students are performing very poorly in WAEC and NECO due to ill motivated behaviour of the students towards the education, lack of professional teachers, lazy teachers, lack of teaching and learning facilities and equipment. It is a known fact that each level of education as well as the subject being taught has their aims and objectives, if the aims and objectives of education especially that of teaching and learning in senior secondary schools is to be achieved, the school environment and learning facilities must be improved.

1.3 Purpose of the Study

The purpose of this study is to evaluate learning environment and school facilities impact on students’ academic performance in external examination. Specifically, this study will;

i.               Examine available learning facilities in Senior Secondary Schools

ii.             Find out the influence of available facilities on students academic performance in WASSCE

iii.      Assess impact of School physical environment on students’ academic performance in senior secondary school

iv.           Identify if school facilities effectively used aid teaching and learning in secondary schools

1.4 Research Questions

     The following questions were answered in this study:

i.          Will available school facilities significantly improve secondary school students’ attitude towards learning?

ii.        Will school facilities influence the performance of students in West African Senior School Certificate Examination?

iii.      Will school environment facilities significantly influence academic achievement in secondary schools?

iv.      Are school facilities effectively used to aid teaching and learning in secondary schools?

1.5  Research Hypotheses

    The following hypotheses are tested in this study:

i.H0: Available school facilities will not significantly influence  

      secondary school students’ attitude towards learning.

ii.H0: School facilities will not significantly influence the performance

of   students in West African Senior School Certificate

      Examination (WASSCE).

iii.H0: School environment facilities will not significantly influence

  academic achievement in secondary schools.

iv.H0: School facilities are not effectively used aid teaching and

learning in Secondary Schools.

1.6 Significance of the Study

This study is aimed at assessing and determining the effect of school environment and facilities on the academic performance of students in secondary schools. The findings of this study would be useful to teachers in acquainting them with the need to improvise teaching and learning aids. The result of the study would also help educationists and policy makers on education in formulating policy that would help school administrators to create conducive and enabling environments that are capable of developing, promoting and enhancing positive and effective teaching and learning for students in secondary schools.

1.6   Scope of Study

This scope of this study borders on evaluation of learning environment and school facilities impact on students’ academic performance in external examination The study is however delimited to secondary school  in Gwagwalada  area council in Abuja.

1.7 Limitation of Study

Like in every human endeavour, the researchers encountered slight constraints while carrying out the study. The significant constraint was the scanty literature on the subject owing that it is a new discourse thus the researcher incurred more financial expenses and much time was required 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 covering secondary school in Gwagwalada   area council in Abuja. Thus findings of this study cannot be used for generalization for other secondary school in other states within Nigeria. Additionally, the researcher will simultaneously engage in this study with other academic work will impede maximum devotion to the research. Howbeit, despite the constraint encountered during the  research, all factors were downplayed in other to give the best and make the research successful.

1.8   Operational Definition of Terms

Academic Performance:- Knowledge attained or skills developed in school by test scores.

Secondary school :-( Also ‘high school’) is a term used to describe an educational Institution where the final stage of schooling known as secondary education and usually compulsory up to a specific age takes place. It follows primary education and may be followed by University (tertiary education).

Environment: Can be seen as the physical and social characteristics of the child’s home, neighbourhood and wider world.

School environment: These are objects and patterns of relationship that outside and within the school system that significantly influence or are influenced by teaching and learning situation such as teaching and learning material, classroom size, social group e.t.c present within and  outside the school also the locality of the school.

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