Effect of Environment Variables on Students Achievement in Basic Science in Selected Junior Secondary Schools

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of environment variables on students achievement in Basic Science in selected junior secondary schools in Alimosho Local Government Area of Lagos State. Four research questions and four research hypotheses were formulated for the study. The population of the study was eight hundred and fifteen (815) students who offered Basic Science in selected public secondary schools in the study area and a sample size of two hundred and forty (240) was used. A survey research design were adopted for the study, the instrument used was a questionnaire titled “Environmental Variables and Students Achievement in Basic Science Questionnaire (EVSABSQ)”. The instrument was developed by the researcher and validated by the research supervisor. Pearson product moment correlation was used to analyze the data collected. The null hypotheses were tested at 0.05, level of significance. The result of the findings showed a significant relationship between class room building, school library, school location and the academic achievement of students in Basic Science. The study also showed no relationship between class size and the student’s academic achievement in Basic Science in Alimosho Local Government Area.

 

 

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1            Background to the Study

          In the contemporary world today, attention is focused on education as an instrument of launching nations into the world of science and technology and with consequential hope for human advancement in terms of living condition and development of the environment. This is because it’s the life of a nation, it is the life-wire of nation industries, it is the foundation of moral regeneration and revival of its people. Education is the bedrock of any nations defense (Azikiwe, 2011).

Education is that process that helps to develop the whole man physically, mentally, socially and technologically to enable him function effectively in any environment in which he may find himself (National Orientation Agency, 2012).

Environment can be defined as a system within which living organisms interacts with the physical element while education environment is a learning place where the learner learn and interact with learning facilities in order to be socialized and face the challenges in the society. Agusiegbe, (2014) sees environments as consisting of all elements existing around man and which exert some influence on him. These include physical, biological and social attributes. Environment can also be seen as aggregate of all the external condition and influence affecting the life and development of an organism. An environment is a place where activities such as learning activities take place and can be refers to as school environment.

          However, learning environment refers to the diverse physical locations, contexts, and cultures in which students learn. Since students may learn in a wide variety of settings, such as outside-of-school locations and outdoor environments, the term is often used as a more accurate or preferred alternative to classroom, which has more limited and traditional connotations, a room with rows of desks and a chalkboard.

Learning environment (school) includes all the external condition and influences in the school that affect the academic achievement of the student such as laboratory equipment, library facilities, qualified teachers, furniture, school building, good administrative management, teacher pupil relationship, school location among others.

          Moreover, School environment (learning environment) is the thread that connects the multitude of activities on the school. In many respects, this thread is almost invisible, yet everyone experiences its influence. Dudek, (2000) opined that it could be said to be the external influences in the school that can influence academic achievement of students irrespective of their intelligent quotient. 

 

School environment can also be considered as the second teacher since space has the power to organize and promote pleasant relationships between people of different ages, to provide changes, to promote choices and activities and for its potential for sparking different types of social and affective learning (Okeke, 2001). It has been generally accepted that environment and heredity can hardly be separated from education in influencing achievement, hence a child’s life and ability is influenced by nature and nurture.

          Thus, the environmental variable of the setting helps to a large extent in ensuring attainability of the goals of such setting. The environmental differences and the differences in the quality of instruction from one learning environment to another can create differences in the level of knowledge acquisition of the students. This shows that the learning facilities children are exposed to and the socio-economic influence on them can affect their academic achievement.

          Maduewesi, (2013) referred to teaching and learning environment as the setting physical and conceptual in which teaching and learning are carried out as deliberately planned. And to Okobia in Maduewesi (2013) learning environment means classroom surroundings, physical facilities in the classroom and teacher–pupil relationship. Learning environment includes the school building and the surrounding grounds such as noise, temperature and lighting as well as physical, biological or chemical agent, (Chiu, 2008). School environment can then be seen to include material and human resources, a learning place which consist of the entire interaction. The learning environment is both the natural and provided setting where teaching and learning takes place. 

 

          It is a very important factor in achievement of goal of any educational programme. People acquire most of their knowledge through the interaction with facilities provided in the environment for learning. Also learning is influenced by the environment people are exposed to and the facilities provided in such environment lead to experience. As in the words of Tom, (2010) that active interaction with the environment is regarded as the most basic requirement for proper intellectual development. The physical appearance and general condition of school physical facilities are the striking basis upon which many parents and friends of any educational institution make initial judgment about the quality of what goes on in the school. They are often turned off by dilapidated school blocks with sinking roofs and broken walls, bushy lawn and over grown hedges. Also are profane writings on walls, littered lawns and path ways. Finally, the school physical environment is like a mirror reflecting the image of a school and through it the public decide whether or not to associate with the particular school (Mgbodile, 2014).

          In Nigeria today, schools are closely associated with the communities. Most communities depend on the neighborhood school for the provision of good and appropriate environment for accommodation, furniture and all form of equipment for certain activities like club or village meetings, wedding reception and church services. Environmental variables before now have not been considered as one of the factors that affect academic achievement in secondary schools hence it has little or no attention in educational discourse and consideration. But over the past decade remarkable studies have indicated a correlation between the environment and academic achievement of students. Therefore, this study will seek to find out the effect of environment variables on students achievement in basic science in selected junior school in Alimosho Local Government Area of Lagos State.

 

1.2     Statement of the Problem

                    The environment varies from school to school. Some schools have adequate school buildings, good library and suitable textbooks, good administrative management, professionally qualified teachers, good laboratory equipment as well as good location. While in some schools little or none of these exist.

It is an indisputable fact that one of the challenges facing the teaching-learning process in school over the years is the dwindling academic achievement of students in Basic Science both in internal and external examinations. This ugly development has been a subject of concern to stakeholders in education; mostly in a major subject like Basic science which is of much valued in the nation’s economy.

However, most of our schools have no light, insufficient facilities, sick buildings and no ventilation. Under these conditions the health of students and teachers. These adversely affected the students’ achievement. It is necessary to critically look at the environmental influence on students academic achievement in Basic Science, measures that can helps improve them and make some recommendations. Studies have shown that environmental factors to a large extent affect both the physical and psychological potentials of an individual. This has led to the contention that many students fail to develop their potentials due to inadequate environmental stimulation. 

However, there are some environmental factors which have contributed to this poor achievement of students in Basic Science which are home background, school location, as teacher-students relationship etc. Given this situation, the problem of the study therefore is to find out really if these environmental variables affecting the academic achievement of students in Basic Science in Alimosho Local Government Area.