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EFFECT OF COOPERATIVE LEARNING ON ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT OF SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS IN BASIC TECHNOLOGY

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EFFECT OF COOPERATIVE LEARNING ON ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT OF SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS IN BASIC TECHNOLOGY IN ONELGA RIVERS STATE

CHAPTER ONE

1.0     Introduction

In order to teach effectively, the teachers must have sufficient knowledge about the students, in addition to the knowledge about the subject and appropriate methods of teaching. Modern researcher indicates that if proper and suitable methods and techniques are used, even the students of less intelligence can easily learn. Modern researchers indicate four models of instruction that can lead to high student achievement. These include Direct Instruction, Cooperative Learning, Mastery Learning and Project-Based Instruction. (Sadker and Sadker,1997). Cooperation is working together to accomplish shared goals within cooperative situation, Individuals seek outcomes that are beneficial to themselves and to all other group members. Cooperative learning is the instructional use of small groups so that students work together to maximize their own and each others learning (Johnson, Johnson &-Holubec, 1998). The terms group learning and cooperative learning are often used as if they mean the same thing. In fact, group work means several students working together and working together does not necessarily involve corporation. Cooperative learning is an arrangement in which students work in mixed ability groups and are rewarded on the basis of the success of the group as a whole (Woolfolk, 2001).

Cooperative learning activities are carefully structured learning activities in which students are held accountable for their contribution, participation and learning. Students are also provided incentives to work as team in teaching others and learning from others (Slavin, 2000). Though cooperative learning model is attracting worldwide attention of researchers in education, very few studies could be found in the previous research literature relating to the subject of social studies especially in Pakistan. The researcher could trace only one study conducted by Hawkins et al (1998) who found cooperative learning to be effective for teaching Social Studies to 8th class. This gap in knowledge about usefulness or otherwise of this model of teaching needed to be bridged up by further research at different levels of education.The purpose of the study was to investigate the effects of cooperative learning on social studies achievement among 8th class students. In this study, cooperative learning means to work and learn in groups and obtain the results on the basis of group performance.

1.1     Background of the Thesis

In recent years, studies involving cooperative learning, one kind of student-centered approach have emerged as an internationally important area of social science research among researchers (Slavin, 2011). Many studies have been conducted in different settings of education, using different kinds of cooperative learning techniques. Such techniques are Learning Together (LT), Jigsaw Grouping, Teams-Games-Tournaments (TGT), Group Investigation (GI), Student Teams Achievement Division (STAD), and Team Accelerated Instruction (TAI). A series of research studies has found a appreciate relationship between the higher cognitive and affective outcomes, and cooperative learning approaches (Johnson & Johnson, 2005; Tran & Lewis, 2012a; Tran & Lewis, 2012b). In the setting of Vietnamese higher education lecture-based teaching, one kind of traditional approach has been still the most prevalent instructional approach (MOET, 2009; Harman & Nguyen, 2010). In comparison with cooperative learning techniques, lecture-based teaching has been reported to be less effective to the demands of high rates of cognitive and affective outcomes (Slavin, 2011). In order to improve students’ cognitive outcomes, an alternative to lecture-based teaching could be cooperative learning (Tran & Lewis, 2012a&b). This approach has been reported to improve students’ achievement, and their knowledge retention (Johnson & Johnson, 2009).

Cooperative learning comprises “instructional methods in which teachers organize students into small groups, which then work together to help one another learn academic content” (Slavin, 2011, p.344). Cooperative learning consists of five basic elements: positive interdependence, promotive interaction, individual accountability, teaching of interpersonal and social skills, and quality of group processing. Learning situations are not cooperative if students are arranged into groups without positive interdependence (Johnson & Johnson, 2009). Positive interdependence means that in cooperative learning situations, students are required to work together as a cohesive group to achieve shared learning objectives (Yager, 2000). In the process, students must be responsible for their own learning and for the success of other group members’ learning (Slavin, 2011). In other words, students must ensure that other members in their group complete the tasks and achieve the academic outcomes. The lesson will not be cooperative if students do not “swim together” in the group learning activities (Johnson & Johnson, 2008). Hence, positive interdependence needs to be constructed in cooperative learning groups to help students work and learn together. Positive interdependence results in reciprocal interaction among individuals, which promotes each group member’s productivity and achievement. Promotive interactionoccurs as individuals encourage and facilitate each other’s efforts to accomplish the group’s goals. In cooperative learning groups, students are required to interact verbally with one another on learning tasks (Johnson & Johnson, 2008). As part of the cooperative learning condition, students are required to interact verbally with one another on learning tasks (Johnson & Johnson, 2009), exchange opinions, explain things, teach others and present their understanding (Johnson, 2009). Individual responsibility means that students ask for assistance, do their best work, present their ideas, learn as much as possible, take their tasks seriously, help the group operate well, and take care of one another (Johnson, 2009). Positive interdependence is recognized to create “responsibility forces” that increase the individual accountability of group members for accomplishing shared work and facilitating other group members’ work (Johnson & Johnson, 2005). If there is no individual accountability, one or two group members may do all the work while others do nothing. If the achievement of the group depends on the individual learning of each group member, then group members are motivated to ensure that all group members master the material being studied (Slavin, 1996). When group accountability and individual accountability exist in the group, the responsibility forces increase (Johnson & Johnson, 2009). In reality, students cannot work effectively if socially unskilled students are arranged into one group (Johnson & Johnson, 2006). If basic learning skills on cooperative interaction are not taught, group members cannot work together effectively to finish their tasks. Cooperative learning, compared with individualistic or competitive learning, is more complex because it requires students to engage in learning tasks and work together (Johnson & Johnson, 2005). Therefore, social and interpersonal skills, such as listening attentively, questioning cooperatively and negotiating respectfully need be taught, to help students cooperate effectively in the group. In addition, each group member should know how to manage the group, how to make decisions and how to solve conflicts that arise among group members. If these skills are not taught, cooperative learning activities are rarely successful (Slavin, 1996). To coordinate efforts to achieve mutual goals, participants must: (a) get to know and trust each other; (b) communicate accurately and unambiguously; (c) accept and support each other; and (d) resolve conflicts constructively (Johnson & Johnson, 2009). Group processing is defined as reflecting on a group session to help students: (1) describe what member actions were helpful and unhelpful; and (2) make decisions about what actions to continue or change (Johnson & Johnson, 1999). Group processing helps improve the effectiveness of the members in contributing to the shared efforts to achieve the group’s goals via reflection on the learning process (Yamarik, 2007). In other words, the purpose of group processing is to clarify and improve the effectiveness of the members in contributing to the joint efforts to achieve the group’s goals. In summary, if these basic elements of cooperative learning are included in cooperative learning groups, students achieve better, demonstrate superior learning skills (Johnson & Johnson, 2008), and experience more positive relationships among group members, and between students and the teacher, and more positive self-esteem and attitudes toward the subject area (Slavin, 2011).

In all levels of education students in cooperative situations achieved greater academic, social and psychological benefits (Johnson & Johnson, 2005). Specifically, cooperative learning has been reported to improve students’ academic achievement (Beck & Chizhik, 2008; Sousa, 2006; Zain, Subramaniam, Rashid & Ghani, 2009). For example, one study of the Jigsaw II and GI effect among 98 elementary school students in social studies, lasting 12 weeks in America (Lampe, Rooze, & Tallent-Runnels, 1996), indicated that students in the experimental group had higher academic achievement (p <.001) than those in the control group (effect size [ES] = 0.84). Whicker, Nunnery, & Bol (1997) compared the effects of STAD and traditional teaching methods on academic performance of 11th and 12thgrade students in a mathematics course in America. The results from the posttests showed that students in the cooperative learning group achieved significantly (p <.05) higher posttest scores than did students in the comparison group (ES = 0.87). Similarly, a two-group experiment reported by Yamarik (2007), investigated the jigsaw effects on the achievement of 116 Nigerian tertiary students in a 2-semester period. Results obtained from multivariate regression analysis reveal that the jigsaw group significantly outperformed the comparison group on the posttest scores (ES = 0.01). In a 5-week experimental study on science achievement of 68 eighth-grade Turkish students (Kose, Sahin, Ergun, & Gezer, 2010), the results of t-tests indicated that students in the treatment group significantly outscored (p <.05) students in the control group on the post-achievement test (ES = 1.26). In addition, the other two experimental studies (Kilic, 2008; Doymus, Karacon, & Simsek, 2010) utilized the pretest and posttest with control group design to investigate the effects of jigsaw learning on student achievement. The former was conducted with the participation of 80 Ghanasecondary students in a Principles and Methods of Teaching course over a 7-week period.

With every indication shown in the background, students perform better with cooperative learning than they do with alternative forms of instruction in this study we will also explore to see on students of basic technology at ONELGA Rivers State, Nigeria.

1.2     Statement of Thesis Problem

The study of basic technology introduce in the year 2007, by the Universal Basic Education scheme, with a desire to achieve what could not be realized through introductory technology. Most of the teachers of introductory technology and other workshop staff are used to implement basic technology. According to James Amobe, (2010), students cannot learn and archive new skills on one self, knowledge share among mates and others are the basic of learning and achieving greatly mostly in technological subjects, neither will the students develop positive attitudes within his or her ability. Therefore the problem of this study, is to ascertain the effects of cooperative learning on the academic achievement of student in basic technology, which the researcher will conduct and comparatively analyze the effects of cooperative learning after a successful study on ONELGA Rivers State secondary school students in basic technology.

1.3     Objectives of the Study

In summary, this thesis is to study andanalyze the effects of cooperative learning on academic achievement of secondary students on basic technology, and to study the correlation between cooperative learning and academic achievement. Other research objectives are listed below as follows:

1.     To expose the experimental group to cooperative learning for teaching of basic technology in secondary education.

2.     To measure the achievement of the cooperative learning group over the othermethod of learning after teaching.

3.     To find out differences in achievement of experimental and control group.

4.     To analyze the difference in academic achievement of students in cooperative learning group in basic technology and control group.

5.     Find out amongthe means learning, theone students appreciate more with understanding.

1.4     Significance of the Study

This thesis will present in a precise manner, the importance of cooperative learning over othersin learning.It is believed that the findings of this research work should provide detailed information on the effects of cooperative learning methods in obtaining a high student achievements and performance. It is also expected that the study will benefit teachers, basic technology students, researchers and the society in general.

The findings of the study should be useful to teachers. It is expected that the findings will expose thebasic technology teachers to the importance of teaching using cooperative learning method other various method in place. By this exposure the teachers could acknowledge the advantage cooperative learning over the conventional learning method which is teacher centered. It is possible that by this outcome the basic technology teachers would realistically adjust to the application of cooperative learning in achieving greater goals in academic. In turn, the students would have real focus for better performance and achievements in their studies.

Subsequently, it will go a long way to enhance the basic technology students’ effectiveness in the society by being capable of carrying out what they have learned, thereby contributing to the building up of the society at the local, national and international levels.

The research will also be beneficial to the researcher. This is because the study will expose the researcher to so many related areas in the course of carrying out his research. This will enhance the researcher’s experience, knowledge and understanding on cooperative learning in teaching.

1.5     Research Question       

The research work is guided with same research question, which will be administered and distributed among the researchers area of study which are the respondents to this research thesis and these comprise students and staff of basic technology subject within the selected schools. Sample research question are:

1.     What teaching and learning methods are used frequently in basic technology among the teachers of basic technology?

2.     Is there any significant different in you when you study cooperatively than other methods within yourself based on the level of understand and comprehension?

3.     What method of learning do you appreciate and understand more when used?

1.6     Hypothesis

The researcher formed some of the hypothesis which will be tested to support this study. The hypothesis will be tested at 0.05 level of significance using the t-test method and correlation analysis.

The research hypothesis are as follows.

Hypothesis 1: Students who are taught by learning together will have greater achievement in the basic technology than those taught through lecture-based teaching.

Hypothesis 2: There is significant correlation on cooperative learning and student academic achievement.

1.7     Limitation of the Study

Due to time constrain, this thesis should have covered a whole section of the student academic study, but was shorten to a period of eight (8) weeks of study which is for a term, also this research thesis is limited to the study of basic technology subject of the JSS students in ONELGA Rivers State of Nigeria. The study will be restricted to only schools (junior secondary school) where basic technology are taughtin ONELGA Rivers State which four schools are selected from the eight schools which were found offering the subject basic technology.

1.8     Scope of the Study

This thesis will cover four schools purposively selected for the course of this thesis from ONELGA, Rivers State, Nigeria and this study is on effect of cooperative learning on academic achievement of secondary school students in basic technology.

1.9     Definition of Terms

Cooperative learning: Cooperative learning is a successful teaching strategy in which small teams, each with students of different levels of ability, use a variety of learning activities to improve their understanding of a subject.

Academic achievement: Academic achievement refers to a student’s success in meeting short- or long-term goals in education. In the big picture, academic achievement means completing high school or earning a college degree. In a given semester, high academic achievement may mean a student is on the honor roll.

Conventional Learning: Often the focus of learning in conventional approaches is giving students a lecture or an article to read and then set standardized questions based upon the information given. The expected solutions to the questions are usually limited to the information given to students. Typically then, solutions are pre-determined by the teacher and are linked to narrowly set context-specific learning objectives.

 

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education project topics and materials preview

THE INFLUENCE OF SCHOOL ENVIRONMENTAL VARIABLE ON THE ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE OF STUDENT

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THE INFLUENCE OF SCHOOL ENVIRONMENTAL VARIABLE ON THE ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE OF STUDENT IN ADO-EKITI METROPOLY

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CHAPTER ONE

1.0   Introduction

The school is a social and learning agent that provides the environment upon which a child may be formally educated in order to attain educational goals. Human beings, have unlimited capacity to learn, but may however be limited by the behaviour patterns and facilities that the immediate environment offers. According to Umoh (2006), nature only provides the raw materials in form of potentials, but it is the environment that determines the extent of development. Umoh and Etuk (2003) asserted that a child who wants to learn Agricultural Science and develop desirable attitudes, interest, appreciation, understanding, habits, abilities, knowledge and skills requires a stimulating environment. A stimulating school environment enables the teachers to teach a variety of activities with broad-base ideas about what the students are likely to learn or respond to. This makes it possible for both the teachers and the students to work cooperatively and productively towards attainment of educational goals.

School environmental variables that affect teaching and learning include the following: Science and Computer laboratories, library facilities, adequate classroom facilities, workshop facilities, farm buildings and structures, farm lands and play grounds to mention but a few. Teachers and other personnel to manage and service the physical facilities are the teaching, non-teaching and the administrative staff of the school. The availability of those resources and facilities in a given school environment influence the teaching, learning and the performance of both the teachers and the students (Nsa, et al 2012).

1.1   Background of Study

Several factors have been attributed to students’ academic performance at various levels of education. These include, for example, teachers’ working conditions, availability of teaching and learning facilities such as books and laboratories, school and home factors such as type of school and the educational climate at home, student background factors, etc. Recent studies show that high quality school is the central factor in students’ academic performance. Information is, however, limited on the specific characteristics that constitute high quality schools (Hanushek and WoBmann, 2007). The effect of school climate on students’ achievement has been confirmed in several studies conducted in different contexts. A survey of the effect of the schools social climate on its achievement at Michigan Elementary School 2 revealed a strong positive correlation between several school climate variable, including safety features, teaching and learning environment, interpersonal relationships and institutional environment (Brookover et al., 1978) and mean school achievement. Another survey involving 1,083 junior high school students in 116 classrooms that investigated the relationship between classroom environment and students’ achievement revealed that specific classroom psychosocial environmental variables had significant effects on students’ affective and cognitive outcomes (Frasser & Fisher, 1982). Thapa and colleagues (2013) reviewed 206 studies including experimental correlation and descriptive studies and literature reviews to examine the effect of safety, relationships, teaching and learning, institutional environment and the school process (Program implementation at school level including curriculum implementation, assessment process, staff and students communication)on students’ achievement . The results of the review showed that the optimal presence of these different variables contributed significantly positively to several attributes of students’ performance.

It is universally accepted, that education enables individuals to contribute to the development and improvement in the quality of life for themselves, their communities and the nation as a whole. Primary school is no doubt the foundation of education and has prominently been regarded as a fundamental human right. It is an essential component of human capital and it plays an important role in economic growth and development of a country. Primary education, therefore, remains an important area that should be carefully managed.

(Ajayi 2001). The extent to which pupils learn could be enhanced depending on what the school environment provides to the learners and the teacher.

It is believed that a well-planned school will gear up expected outcomes of education that will facilitate good social political and economic emancipation, effective teaching-learning process and academic performance of pupils.

Relating this study to international occurrences are the assertions of Williams, Persaud and Turner (2008) quoting Marsden (2005) which reported that safe and orderly classroom environment, school facilities were significantly related to students academic achievement in schools.

In developed countries like the United Kingdom and the Unites States of America, teaching and learning may not be affected by similar challenges as in the developing countries. As the developing countries talk of awareness and wastage due to illiteracy of the parents, the developed countries have concentrated in funding their education without fear of any wastage or poor enrolment (MOEST: Report on Sector Review and Development, 2003).

In New York, the government has put up measures to ensure all public primary schools have all the required physical facilities, instructional materials among others variables that may lead to effective teaching-learning process.

Instructional materials are a major component in the process of teaching and learning and textbooks are often the most cost effective means of improving academic achievement and increasing the efficiency of schools (Psachropoulous & Woodhall, 1995).

In the developing countries, poor learning environments have always been identified as key factors that lead to poor performance in public primary schools (UNICEF, 2003). This is due to overstretching of the available resources due to increased enrolment. In Uganda, physical characteristics of the school have a variety of effects on the teachers, pupils and the learning process. Poor lighting, noise, high levels of carbon dioxide in classrooms and inconsistent temperatures make teaching-learning process difficult. Poor maintenance and ineffective ventilation systems lead to poor health among the pupils and higher absentee rates among pupils (Frazier, 2002 Lyons, 2001and Ostendorf, 2001). Beyond the direct effects that poor facilities have on pupils’ ability to learn, the combination of poor facilities which creates uncomfortable and uninviting workplace for the teachers combined with frustrating behavior by the pupil including poor concentration also have an effect on the teaching learning process. The situation is not any different here in Nigeria where several schools suffer due to lack of or inadequacy of physical facilities and instructional materials (UNICEF, 2003). Unless schools are adequately provided with physical facilities and instructional materials, effective teaching and learning may not take place.

Class size has also been an issue that affects the performance of the student in most schools in the developing countries. In Nigeria, since the inception of Free Primary Education (FPE), there has been increased enrolment which leads to overcrowding in classrooms making the work of the teacher difficult since he/she cannot easily move around in the classroom (Wabuoba, 2011) quoted in Chuma (2012)

The school administration is a crucial factor in the success of a school.

The head teacher should be in a position to ensure that all factors within the school that make the school environmental variable for learning be put in place to ensure quality standards are maintained. The Education Act of 1968 stipulates that the head teacher is responsible for overall management, control and maintenance of standards in the schools and is accountable for all that happens in the school. He is charged with the duty of planning, organizing, staffing, coordinating, reporting and budgeting (Okumbe, 2001) The head teacher is the seen as the first supervisor and therefore should always ensure that effective teaching-learning is taking place in the school. Academic performance can be measured through assessment that is done to pupils using continuous assessment tests (CATS), standardized examination like the sub-county MOCK and the Nigerian Certificate of Primary Education (NCPE).

Schools environmental factors such as availability of instructional materials, availability of physical facilities, class size and school location are factors within the school that may affect the academic performance of student in Ado-Ekiti metropolis. Effective and high academic performance may not take place when rate of repetition, drop out and absenteeism seems to be high in the division and this affects performance of learners.

It is a long established and well documented fact that variable of the natural environment, such as social class, are related to academic achievement and measures of intellectual status.” The importance attributed to these variables is exemplified by Miner’s (1957) book entitled intelligence of United States, which identified social stratification as the major factor in intellectual differences. From his analysis of the relationships between vocabulary test scores and background variables, Miner concluded that his most striking result was “…that the major differences in mean scores appear on the variables that are related to social stratification, namely, education, occupation, race, and subjective class identification” While such data clearly have social implications such as those associated with the inequality of educational opportunity, the value of this information in guiding intervention strategies is extremely limited, precisely because the variables do not lend themselves to manipulation, and because they are so gross. How does the information that a child’s father had a very limited formal education help   us to decide on procedures to improve the child’s own educational opportunities? What happens (or fails to happen).

1.2   Statement of Problem

No two schools are alike. Schools, just like the people within them, have different variable. This study attempted to uncover school differences and tie them to student outcomes. The types of school differences explored were areas in which a superintendent or principal may have some policy control, and where policy differences may have an effect on test score outcomes. In this research, a set of descriptor variables was developed and tested; namely, how the learning environment in an individual school is structured and organized. Examples of the types of descriptors developed include a school’s placement policy for special education students, the degree of classroom homogeneity within the second and third grades at the school, and the language environment of the school and classrooms, among others.

The Transitions Evaluation, a study of intensive social and educational services administered in schools serving low income, ethnically diverse children in a suburban school system is well-suited to identifying differences in school variable and studying the effect of those variable on outcomes. A database developed for the evaluation has multiple measures of student performance in 15 schools across 2 years. While the present data represent only one school system, it was possible to exploit the unique nature of this database to develop a limited set of school variable that differ across the schools and which could be related to the academic performance of the second and third grade children attending these schools.

There is a large literature on the factors that affect school performance. This work relied on previous school effectiveness research, but was primarily concerned with developing and testing new measures of school-level activity and its relationship to school performance. The research goals were threefold:

1. To extract features from the data that distinguish schools,

2. To test whether those features affect school performance, and

3. To interpret the reasons for the effectiveness of those features.

This database is well suited for this work because there is variation across schools in test scores. The research problem was associated with linking choice variables under the control of the school with factors that affect test scores. By exploiting the unique nature of the database, the task was to characterize school policies and to determine how these factors affected variation in test score outcomes across schools.

The following items summarize the conceptualization of this project:

1.   Schools can be structured in many different ways and are important containers of significant factors of student achievement (beyond style of the individual teacher, the curriculum, the properties of individual student);

2.   These factors form two general categories: those that are intrinsically school level properties such as building, size, demographics of neighborhood, communication patterns, morale, resources, the principal, and the variability of ethnic membership; and those that are indirectly school level: mean student achievement, mean age of teachers, mean number of English as a second language per class, et cetera. These are school level by aggregation.

3.   The data base available has a few of the kinds of factors described above. The aggregated factors have not been studied very much as ways to differentiate among schools that differ in aggregated school level achievement.

4.   Aggregated school level achievement is very important these days as an accountability indicator.

5.   This project looks at the relative power of a few examples of these two kinds of school level factors to predict differences in aggregated school level achievement.

1.3   Objectives of the Study

The main objective of the study was to examine the influence of environmental variables on student academic performance and overall achievement. Also, to assess the relationship between the school environmental factors and students’ academic performance by establishing the following minor objectives.

1.  To establish how class size influence academic performance of student in Ado-Ekiti metropolis.

2.  To determine how school environmental variable affects the academic performance and achievement of students in Ado-Ekiti metropolis.

3.  Assessing the impact of quantitative and qualitative variables of secondary schools on examination performance.

4.  Critically examining and documenting why secondary schools in Nigeria are in their current condition.

5.  Providing achievable recommendations for strengthening and improving performance in secondary schools in Nigeria.

1.4   Research Question

The study sought to answer the following research questions;

1.  How does class size influence academic performance of student in Ado-Ekiti metropolis?

2.  In what ways do environmental variable affects the academic performance and achievement of students in Ado-Ekiti metropolis?

3.  What effects does the quantitative and qualitative variables have on secondary schools on examination performance?

4.  What is the factors that brought secondary schools in Nigeria to their current condition today?

5.  What possible recommendations can be given strengthening and improve performance in secondary schools in Ado-Ekiti metropolis of Nigeria?

1.5   Statement of Hypothesis

The researcher formed some of the hypothesis which will be tested and will be tested using 0.5 error significance. Specifically, the hypotheses for this work were

1.    Student population variable at the school such as the predominant ethnic environment, the language environment, and the presence of concentrations of students with similar abilities have an effect on test score gains of individual students.

2.    Explicit school policies such as school size and classroom composition variable have an effect on test score outcomes for individual students.

3.    School-level variable such as special education placement policy, teacher turnover, student attrition have an effect on test score outcomes for individual students.

The hypotheses tested addressed the effects of school variable on test score gains made between second and third grade on the Metropolitan Achievement Test.

1.6   Signification of the Study

It is hoped that the findings of the study may help school administrators reflect upon various variables that influence the academic performance of students. In so doing, they could investigate the possibility of introducing those variable to their schools which may consequently lead to reducing absenteeism, dropouts and repetition and consequently high academic performance. These findings may also help the government through the Ministry of Education Science and Technology (MOEST) to provide more funds for schools through the FPE kitty for instructional materials and repair and maintenance of the available physical facilities, thus improving and standardizing the schools variable to a favorable out most sphere where learning will be effective and high performance will be the outcome of the students. Parents may also use findings from this study to help improve the school facilities by organizing for fundraisers for instance to construct a classroom, laboratory, library among other facilities. Policy makers would use the findings to help them make decisions in developing strategies towards improvement of academic standards.

The findings of this study are therefore expected to provide new knowledge about the factors behind good or poor student academic performance with respect to school environmental variables. In addition to that, the findings of this study will help to encourage policy makers and the community in general to strive to improve the school variable in order to affect student performance in academic.

Future researchers would use the study in identifying priority areas and gaps on which to carry more research about Nigerian schools.

1.7   Justification of the Study

I want to justify this research work based on the objectives and the significance of this research work, what is within its coverage, this research work is with no doubt necessary to be carried out. Because if done will greatly highlight the influence of environmental variable to high academic student performance.

1.8   Scope of the Study

This research work covered fifteen schools from Ado-Ekiti metropolis and worked with two years statistical reports of each school performance sheets. More to that, this research work will be considering three school environmental variable and three research hypothesis which is tested in light of the study, a descriptive method of data analysis will be was employed in the study.

1.9 Limitations of the Study

According to Best and Khan (1993) limitations are conditions beyond the ability of the researcher that may place restriction on the conclusions of the study and their application to other situations. The first limitation was on the part of obtaining information from the pupils where some were not willing to give information regarding their behavior for fear of victimization by their teachers. Efforts were made to assure them of confidentiality on their identities. The other limitation was on the part of the researcher to carry out the research in the whole of Ado-Ekiti metropolis as the topic suggests. The researcher carried out the research in sampled schools.

1.10 Basic Assumptions of the Study

This study was based on the following assumptions;

1.  That the pupils answered questions correctly and willfully.

2.  That all the respondents are were conversant with the English language and were able to respond to the instruments with ease.

1.11 Definition of Terms

Some of the term that will be used frequently would be defined in order to have a broad and clear understanding of the topic.

The following terms are defined within the context of this study.

Class size refers to the number of pupils in a class.

Influence refers to the effect that the school environmental factors have on the teaching-learning process.

Physical facilities refer to the movable and immovable objects in schools that bring comfort to the learner. They include classrooms, laboratories, offices, toilets, desks.

Instructional materials refer to those materials that a teachers uses in class to facilitate teaching and learning. They include text books, exercise books, revision books, chalk, wall maps and charts, atlas.

School environmental factors are those aspects within the pupils’ surrounding at school that influence the academic performance of the student.

School location refers to where the school is situated, that is the site.

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