Family Size and Academic Performance in Social Studies among Primary School Pupils
Family Size and Academic Performance in Social Studies among Primary School Pupils
ABSTRACT
This research investigated Family size and Academic performance in social studies among primary school pupils in Oruk Anam Local Government Area”. The population for the study consisted of 2,760 primary school pupils in Oruk Anam Local Government Area. The research design adopted was survey method. Simple random sampling was used to select 276 pupils from five (5) selected primary schools in the study area to form the sample size. Questionnaire was used for data collection. The data was analyzed using simple percentage technique.
The findings reveal that family sizes have significant effects on pupils academic performance in social studies; while small family sizes have affected positively, on the other hand, large family sizes have adversely affected the academic performance of pupils’ in social studies. It was recommended that parents should show greater involvement in the education of their children, parents should give birth to the number of children they will be able to train up, among others.
Family Size and Academic Performance in Social Studies among Primary School Pupils
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Title Page
Certification
Declaration
Dedication
Acknowledgements
Abstract
Table of Contents
CHAPTER ONE – INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background to the Study
1.2 Statement of the Problem
1.3 Purpose of the Study
1.4 Significance of the Study
1.5 Research Hypotheses
1.6 Limitation of the Study
1.7 Definition of Terms
CHAPTER TWO – REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE
2.1 Concept of Family Size and Pupils Academic Performance
2.2 Small Family Sizes and Pupils’ Academic Performance
2.3 Large Family Size and Pupils Academic Performance
2.4 Summary of Literature Review
CHAPTER THREE – RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
3.1 Area of the Study
3.2 Population of the Study
3.3 Sample and Sampling Technique
3.4 Research Design
3.5 Instrumentation
3.6 Validity of the Instrument
3.7 Reliability of the Instrument
3.8. Method of Data Collection
3.9 Method of Data Analysis
CHAPTER FOUR – DATA ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION OF FINDINGS
4.1 Analysis of Data
4.2 Discussion of Findings
CHAPTER FIVE – SUMMARY, RECOMMENDATION AND CONCLUSION
5.1 Summary
5.2 Recommendations
5.3 CONCLUSIONS
References
Appendix
Questionnaire
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background of the Study
Family setting and structure are playing a crucial role in strengthening or devastating pupil’s academic performance. Family is the primary socializing agent which moulds the child in the society. Academic attainment is an important parameter in measuring success in pupils. Observations and reports have shown that successes or high academic achievement has become a herculean task to accomplish by pupils in recent times.
The performance of students at all levels in educational institutions in Nigeria has attracted much criticisms from all and sundry from time in memorial. The decline in the academic performance of students in Nigerian Universities had been observed by Soyinka (2013), that educational system in Nigeria needed restructuring. He went further to say that academic standard had fallen drastically and the quality of graduates being produced by Nigerian Schools is questionable and subject to re-examination. Despite all the guidance programmes and counseling strategies mounted in schools to improve the students’ academic performances yet poor performances were recorded yearly.
It becomes necessary to find out the causes of such poor performance in Nigeria higher institutions. Though, these poor performances have been attributed to a lot of indicators such as pupils’ factors, like pupils’ attitudes to school, approach to learning and academic self-concept. Apart from pupils’ factors, school factors and parents’ factors there are other indicators that affect poor performance. One of these is family size of the individual child. Family size in this context refers to the total number of children in the child’s family in addition to the child himself. However, the family type that a child comes from either monogamous or polygamous family usually has impact on the child academic performance. It is important to note that either of the family type (monogamous or polygamous, family dictates the size of the family.
Spears (2014) in his study, which investigated that birth order have effects on intelligence with later borns children, revealed that later children were less capable than earlier siblings, when birth order effects were controlled, family size was found to be negatively related to intelligence.
However, Powell and Steel man (2014) and Van Ejick and De Graaf (2013) argued that children’s attainment depends on inputs of time and money from their parents: the more children are in the family, the less of both inputs. These inputs are not money alone, but other essential things like time, attention, resource dilution and so on. However, Booth and Kee (2014) confirmed that children from larger families have lower levels of education. Research on the effect of sibling’s size and position has been based on the theory of the allocation of parental resources as presented in Becker (2014), and Spauta and Paulson (2012) confirmed that differences were found in birth order and family size of adolescent’s achievement in academic.
1.2 Statement of the Problem
Today, teachers are often blamed for low academic performance of the students, without actually finding out other related factors that can contribute to the students’ problem as far as academic is concerned. Most people are quick in pointing accusing fingers on both the child and the teachers, should the whole blame be heaped on the teachers who always want the best from their students? One would like to find out the justification the people have for blaming the teachers as regard the low performance of the students in their academic work. The truth is that the foundation of the child’s socialization process is laid at home; moreso, children spend more time at home than in school.
Many factors associated with the family could have contributed to the high or low performance of the students with the family size as one of them. The family size in one way or the other contributes to the failure or success of a student in school, in the same way that when the family is large, there will not be adequate concentration on the child by their parents, based on the academic performance of the child.
This study therefore considered family size and academic performance in social studies among primary school pupils in Oruk Anam Local Government Area.
Family Size and Academic Performance in Social Studies among Primary School Pupils
1.3 Purpose of the Study
The main purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between family size and academic performance in social studies among primary school pupils in Oruk Anam Local Government Area.
Specifically, the study was to:
- Determine the relationship between small family size and academic performance of pupils in social studies.
- To examine the relationship between large family size and academic performance of pupils in social studies.
1.4 Significance of the Study
The study is designed to find out the influence of family size on academic performance in social studies among primary school pupils in Oruk Anam Local Government Area. The study will be of significant help to educate teachers on how to handle pupils from different family size, background in order to increase their performance. It will also enable school administrator to see the need for providing books, newspapers and magazines in the school library and to ascertain fully well that the same pupils may not have the opportunity in their houses, may be as a result of large number of children in the family coupled with noise everywhere. The study will also help the teacher in adjusting his/her method for effective teaching to accommodate every pupil.
1.5 Research hypotheses
- There is no significant difference in academic performance between pupils in polygamous families and those in monogamous families.
- There is no significant difference in academic performance between pupils in large family size and those in small family size.
1.7 Limitation of the Study
In carrying out this research, certain problems were encountered. These were financial constraint, inadequate related literature and shortage of time. These led to my limiting the study to primary schools in Oruk Anam Local Government Area.
1.8 Definition of Terms
Family Size: The total number of children in the child’s family in addition to the child himself/herself.
Large Family Size: A family with more than six (6) people i.e. the father, mother and many children.
Small Family Size: A family with not more than six (6) people i.e. the father, mother and four (4) children.
Monogamy: The custom of having one wife.
Polygamy: The custom of having more than one wife at the same time.
Academic Performance: This refers to the level of a pupil’s ability in measuring up to the goals of a given curriculum. It is often measured using tests and examinations and interpreted as the Grade point Average (GPA).
