FAMILY BACKGROUND AS A PREDICTOR OF STUDENTS’ ACHIEVEMENT IN

MATHEMATICS IN PUBLIC SENIOR SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN LAGOS

STATE

Chapter One
Introduction

1.1 Background to the Study

Education is the best legacy a nation can give to her citizens especially the youth. This is because

education is very important in the development of any nation or community. Education is the

process of transmitting what is worthwhile to members of the society. According to Okafor

(2014). Education embraces all those experiences of the individual through which knowledge is

acquired and intellect enlightened. For Nwabachili and Egbue (2018) education is what goes on

from one generation to another generation. In this context, education is the process of socializing

the child to grow up as a fulfilled member of the society through informal, formal and non-

formal process. Informal education is the process of acquiring knowledge about the environment

and beyond through living with one another.

According to Nwabachili and Egbue (2018) formal education is a consciously planned form of

socialization in a formal setting such as school. They stressed that non-formal education involve

all those systematic programmes and processes of education and training that is done outside

formal education setting. All these forms of education cannot be achieved without the influence

of the family. Family is the first social environment the child finds itself. According to Clifford

(2019) family remains the primary environment of the child. The author emphasized that family

environment has more chances of increasing or decreasing the intellectual performance of the

child. Akubue and Okunniyi (2014), defined family as a small kinship structural group with the

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key function of natural socialization of the new born. Similarly, in Okunniyi (2014), family is

defined as a primary social group of parents, offspring and possibly other members of the

household.

Family background refers to all the conditions and circumstances in the family which influence

the child physically, intellectually and emotionally (Muola, 2010). Children coming from

different family backgrounds are affected different by such family conditions that is why some

children have good family background while some have poor family background. Citing Eke

(2009) noted that with some families, the background may vary from time to time for the same

individuals. Formal education therefore remains the vehicle for human development which must

start from the family. There are different categories of families. The major categories of families

according to Anderson & Taylor (2010) includes: Traditional families–where the father is the

major breadwinner and mother at home rearing children; divorced families–families that have

been reconstituted following the breaking of marriage; single parent families–likely headed by

women; step families–with new siblings and new parents stemming from re-marriage. A family

could also be categorized as extended or nuclear. Extended families are those in which large

group of related kin in addition to parents and children live together in the same household. This

is the type of families prevalent in African countries. Nuclear families are families where

married couple resides together with their children. This type of family is common in Western

countries (Andersen & Taylor 2010).

The following predictor factors on the family background will be considered :

1.Family Size

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Families are of various sizes. Family size has to do with the total number of people in a single

family which may include the father, mother, children and even the extended members – all

living in one hamlet. According to Alio (2017) family size has implication on education. The

author emphasized that the size of the family determines to a great extent the relative amount of

physical attention and time which each child gets from his/her parent. Large families are more

common among the lower class of the society. Children in large families may suffer poverty and

lack parental encouragement and stimulus which motivate their academic performance and

especially in mathematics as a subject. Similarly, smaller family size has been linked with high

academic performance (Majoribank 2006) Majoribank further stressed that students with fewer

siblings are likely to receive more parental attention and have support that leads to better school

performance in mathematics.

Family (small or large size) remains the primary environment of every child. The families begin

the process of education and provide physical and psychological needs of the child. This

supports the view of Maduewisi (2012), that the environmental experiences from family, peer

group and school location have great influence in determining child’s intellectual ability. She

maintained that bright children from under-privileged family environment may turn dull due to

impoverished family environment. She added that mental development influence intellectual

development. This is in line with Hebb (2017) who observed that the innate potentials of children

cannot be attained without adequate stimulation from family environment because the child

cannot do well intellectually. The implication is that a proper stimulating family environment

with intellectual potential and appropriate teaching methods will definitely enhance maximum

performance in mathematics of the child.

2.Structure of the Family

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Another aspect of the family structure component is the structure of the family. Structurally, a

family is either broken or intact. A broken family in this context is one that is not structurally

intact for various reasons; such as death of a parent, divorce, separation, desertion and

illegitimacy in which case, the family was never completed. Life in a single parent family can be

4 stressful for both the child and the parent and such families are faced with the challenges of

diminished financial resource, assumptions of new roles and responsibilities, establishment of

new pattern in intra- familial interactions and reorganization or routines and schedules (Agulanna

2009). In single parent families, children may suffer some psychological and social problems

which affect their academic performance. Danesy and Okedian (2012), in their study, lamented

that street hawking among secondary school students have psychologically imposed other

problems, such as sex networking behavior, juvenile delinquent behavior, which take much of

the student school time that necessitated the poor academic performance and drop out syndrome

noticed among young school students. They also lamented that the maternal and paternal

deprivation of essential needs of the young students have promoted their poor performance in

public examination as JSCE, WASSCE and NECO. Similarly, (Okunniyi 2014) asserted that a

child who suffers maternal and paternal deprivation may experience academic problems

including truancy in the school. This is because the child may lack some necessities like school

fees, books and uniforms, These conditions, are not conducive for effective parenting because

when the single parents are overburdened by responsibilities and by the own, emotional, reaction

to their situation, they often become irritable, impatient and insensitive to their children’s needs.

3.Parent Academic Background

There is evidence that parent academic background will affect students’ academic achievement.

Ezewu (2011), posited that parents’ academic attainment affects the schooling of the children

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either positively or negatively. He further stated that the higher the parents level of education, the

more likely it will motivate their children to learn, thereby preparing them for highly regarded

vocations. The effect of parents’ level of education in the society is very pervasive. A child from

a low academic background has less chances of succeeding at school than a child from high

academic background (Emeka, 2015). He further stated that a child from well educated home

scores higher than a less privileged child on the intellectual curiosity test which positively

correlates with grades. Oladeji (2012), affirmed that parents with high literacy level are always

conscious and knew when to reduce the house chores of their children so as to enhance their

performance in school. Moreover, parents’ level of education determines the socio-economic

status which the home could be classified; Parents with higher level of education have higher

paid occupations that place them in the upper class, thereby giving them opportunity to invest in

children’s education. Such parents ensure facilitating and conducive environment that enhance

performance of their children. Children with rich parents as well as children with poor parents

have certain physical and psychological needs which when met; contribute positively to their

academic performance and achievement (Avwata, Onyama and Omorka, 2011). These needs

include good, a conducive reading atmosphere, a play ground, provision of books and other

materials and attendance at the best schools available. All these help to promote effective

learning and good performance in schools. Parents who did not go to school or whose academic

level is low are unable to share with their children their experience about how to study for

examinations, meet requirements or how to select courses. In addition, children from illiterate

parents’ academic background may have poor self esteem when they find themselves amidst

children of high parents’ academic background whose parents are professors, doctors, lawyers

and other professions. In single parent families, children may suffer some psychological and

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social problems which affect their academic performance. In the study of Danesy and Okedian

(2012), opined that street hawking among secondary school students have psychologically

imposed other problems, such as sex networking behaviour, juvenile delinquent behaviour,

which take much of the student school time that necessitated the poor academic performance and

drop out syndrome noticed among young school students. They also lamented that the maternal

and paternal deprivation of essential needs of the young students have promoted their poor

performance in public examination as JSCE, WASSCE and NECO. Similarly Okunniyi (2014),

asserted that a child who suffers maternal and paternal deprivation may experience academic

problems including truancy in the school. This is because the child may lack some necessities

like school fees, books and uniforms. These conditions, according to the authors, are not

conducive for effective parenting because when the single parents are overburdened by

responsibilities and emotional, reaction to their situation, they often become irritable, impatient

and insensitive to their children’s needs. 6 Francis (2017), opined that the lower income families

may be aware of the importance of education in the society, but at the same time, they are also

aware of their limited resources, to measure up with such educational demands. Family that can

scarcely provide for the basic needs of the family with shelters and clothing will hardly motivate

the academic excellence of their children, instead they will pressurized their children seek for job

opportunities with the little education they acquired so far to support ‘ the family. The

implication of the agreement is that for families are likely to give their children poor academic

background because of lack of financial support.

4.Socio-Economic Status of Parents

The socio-economic status of a family is capable of affecting the behaviour of the children and

determines their aspiration. Families with high socio-economic status often have more success in

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preparing their children for school because they typically have access to wide range of providing

their young children with high quality child-care books and encourage children in various

learning activities at home. They also have easy access to information regarding their children’s

health, as well as social, emotional and cognitive development (Ojo and Yilma, 2010). In all

socio-economic groups, parents face major challenges when it comes to providing optimal care

and education for their children and these challenges are more pronounced in poor families. This,

according to them, is because sometimes, when the basic necessities are lacking, parents must

place top priority on housing, food, clothing and health care, regarding education materials and

books as luxuries. They added that poor families may also have inadequate or limited access to

community resources that promote and support children’s development and school readiness.

They further asserted that these disadvantages can negatively affect families’ decisions regarding

their children development and learning. This situation may also expose the infants in poor

families to a greater risk of entering kindergarten schools unprepared, unlike their peers from

rich families (Ojo and Yilma, 2010)

5.Parent Occupation

Studies and reviews have made it clear that, children from low socioeconomic status are more

likely to exhibit the following patterns of educational outcomes compared to children from high

socio-economic status families:

(1).They have lower levels of literacy and compression;

(2).Are likely to leave school early;

(3).Have lower higher educational rates;

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(4).Are less likely to study special courses like medicine, law, engineering and other science

courses.

(5). Have difficulties with their studies and display negative attitudes towards school. Daramola

(2010), attributed this to the students’ background, that is, the type of home environment where

the child is raised. He stressed that, environmental conditions and the nature of social interaction

that goes on in the family of the child influences his academic achievements. He further stated

that, the factors affecting a child’s educational attainment include the occupational status of

parents, the attitude to their children’s education and the values transmitted by the parents. This

is in agreement with Banks (2005) who noted that, high level of parental income or interest, in

an orderly home environment and an awareness of a child as an individual is responsible for

high or low achievement in schools. Differences in parental values and child rearing practices

linked to social class, It was suggested that several mechanisms through which parental

occupational status may be implicated to the extent that children will develop self-views and

attitudes that are conducive to succeed in school (Slomczynski and Schoenbach, 2009). The

Crowther’s Report (2007), indicated close association between parents’ level of occupation and

their children’s educational achievement in schools. In the same vein, Robin’s Report (2009),

confirms that the association with parental occupation is, if anything, still closer where higher

education is concerned. For example, the proportion of young people who enter fulltime higher

education is 45 percent for those whose parents are in the higher professional group, compared

to the 4 percent of those whose parents are in skilled manual occupations. The underlying

reasons for this are complex, but differences in income and of the parents’ educational level and

attitude are certainly among them. The link is even more marked for girls than for boys (Robins,

2009). 9 The poor also desire the same basic things like: advanced education, better jobs, good

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housing, security and good health in this life as do the middle and upper classes. The problem

lies in finding ways of achieving these ends for their children, often because of ignorance or

inequality of opportunity. The poor are burdened with an inheritance of such feelings as

powerless, hopeless and fatalism (Iorkyaan, 2013). The concept of achievement motive has been

used not only to show why some children have an individual urge towards mastery and others

have not. It has been drawn upon by sociologists working within the structural functionalist

tradition, investigating school failures associated with social class. Students from low income

background who attend poorly funded schools do not perform as students from higher social

classes (Eamon, 2005, Amali 2014).

1.2 Statement of the Problem

Societies all over the world strive to achieve quantitative education for her citizens. In order to

achieve this noble course,many factors must be put into consideration. Among them is the family

background of the child. The family has a great role to play on the overall development of the

child and his educational upbringing in particular. The gap in performance between students and

academic excellence constitute a great source of worry and serious concern as well as discomfort

to both parents, school mangers, policy makers and various governments responsible for the

education of students’ in Mathematics.

Experience has shown that among the secondary school students, there are some differences

which influence students’ academic performance in Mathematics, such as some students’ being

unable to pay their school fees promptly, while others are often sent away for non-payment.

Likewise, some students were motivated by their parents through the provision of educational

materials like text books and exercise books, others were not, where as some students’ come to

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school properly feed, others are not. One then wonders whether family background has any

impart on students’ learning achievement,especially in Mathematics.

It is on this basis that this study investigated the relationship between family background and

students’ achievement in Mathematics.

1.3 Purpose of the Study

There is no gain for any country whose educational planners and policy makers stands and watch

the falling standard and steady decline of education at a given rate. They must identify the causes

for such decline with a view of proffering solution to them. This research work is set to

accomplish the following objectives:

1.to find out if social-economic status of parents influences students’ academic performance in

Mathematics.

2.to find out whether educational attainment of parent affect students’ academic performance in

Mathematics.

3.to find out the influence of family size on educational upbringing of Mathematics student.

4.to find out the influence of family structure on the academic performance of students in

Mathematic.

5.to find out the influence of parents occupation on the academic performance of students in

Mathematic

1.4 Research Questions

For the purpose of this research work the following research questions have been formulated:

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1.To what extent does socio-economic status of parents influence the academic performance of

the students in Mathematics?

2.To what extent does educational attainment of parent affect students’ academic performance in

Mathematics?

3.Is there any effect of family size on the academic performance of students in Mathematics?

4.To what extent does family structure affect students’ academic performance in Mathematics?

5.To what extent does parent’s occupation affect student’s academic performance in

Mathematics.

1.5 Research Hypotheses

The following hypotheses were tested to guide this study:

H01: The socio-economic status of parents has no significant effect on the academic performance

of Mathematics students

H02: Parent educational attainment has no significant relationship with students’ academic

performance in Mathematics?

H03:Familysize has no significant relationship with students’ academic performance of

Mathematics students?

H04: Family structure has nosignificant relationship with students’ academic performance in

Mathematics?

H05: Parent’s occupation has no significant relationship with student’s academic performance in

Mathematics?

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1.6 Significance of the Study

The work of this nature when completed may help the parents to be aware of the effect family

background as a predictor of Lagos state students' achievement in mathematics. From the

available recommendations, they would be able to adopt measures of bringing up their children

in such a way that they will perform well academically.

Similarly, it would encourage parents to make their children relatively comfortable in schools.

This study also could aid children of various families to be aware and bear in mind with their

parents in ability to provide them with all the necessary requirements in schools, and also

sympathize with them in family problems and situations.

More so, educational and curriculum planners could be guided in planning the curriculum

without rigidity to suit diverse cultural environments.

In addition, the teachers would be aware that a cordial teacher parent relationship may in a way

improve the influence of family background on the academic performance of a child in school.

A study of this nature is likely to help the state, nation and the world at large benefit from as the

adherence to the recommendations and implementation which will help produce youths who

would be better leaders of tomorrow.

Finally, the research when completed may add to available literature and may encourage further

research on the topic.

1.7 Scope of the Study

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The geographical scope of this study was Kosofe Local Government Area of Lagos State.This

area was chosen because of high concentration of students from different family background in

the area.

The contextual scope on the other hand include :the family size,socio-economic status of

parents,parents’ educational qualifications,parents’ occupation,family structure and students’

achievement in Mathematics.

The study is likely to be confined to senior secondary school (SS1) students of the selected

schools. This is because SS1 is the beginning of senior secondary school class. If family

background affects students in SS1, it is assumed that it is likely to affect their performances in

Mathematics in senior secondary school certificates examinations and even more in their higher

academic performance.

1.8 Operational Definition of Terms

As words may mean differently in different contexts, the following definitions are given as the

words used as intended to be understood for the purpose of this study.

Family: Is a unit comprising of husband, wife and children.

Family Size: The number of people in the family.

Family System: This includes monogamy and may be nuclear or extended family.

Home Environment: This refers to parental experience and aspirations for children, objects and

material conditions in the home for comfort and also specific behavioral processes conducive to

learning.

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Educational Upbringing: This refers to education of children and how they perform in

academics when subjected to test or examination.

Educational Status: This term is used for social processes in which one achieve social

competence and individual growth, carried on in a selected, controlled setting which can be

institutionalized as a school or college.

Occupational Status: Person’s trade, vocation or principal means of earning living.

Socio-Economic Status: This refers to position of recognition which one finds himself in the

society. Such a position maybe not and may be hereditary but acquired through personal efforts

like education, wealth, occupation and social class.

Academic Performance: This refers to the students’ performance, scores within the class and

his position relative to all those subjected to the same test.

Effects: the result or outcome of anything be it positive or negative.

Home Situation: This refers to prevailing atmosphere in the home whether violent, resentful or

in disarray.

Parental Attitude: Parents disposition to respond in a characteristics way to some stimulus in

their social environment. Some responses determine the way and manner their children are

brought up by them.

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 Chapter Two
Review of Related Literature
2.1 Introduction This chapter gives an insight into various studies conducted by outstanding

researchers, as well as explained terminologies with regards to family background and

performance of student in Mathematics in Kosofe Local Government Area of Lagos State,

Nigeria. The chapter also gives a resume of the history and present status of the problem

delineated by a concise review of previous studies into closely related problems.

2.2 The Concept of Academic Achievement

Academic achievement has been defined as excellence in all academic discipline, in class as well

as extracurricular activities. It includes excellence in sporting behaviour, confidence,

communication skill, punctuality, assertiveness, Art, Culture and the like (Teecee, 2015).

Academic achievement encompasses student ability and performance, it is intricately related to

human growth and cognitive, emotional, social, and physical development; it reflects the whole

child, it is not related to as single instance, but occurs across time and levels, through a student’s

life in public school and into post secondary years and working life (Steiherger, 2016).

Morrish (2013) defined achievement as “the quality and quantity of a students work”. This

second definition is the one that more or less applies to this research, the former being too

exhaustive. What we need here is the quality of the students work.

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In that case academic performance could be poor or good. A child is said to be performing well

in his academic when he is scoring above average say 50% and above while children who score

below 50% are said to be performing poorly.

2.3 Factors that Affect Students Educational Achievement in Mathematics

Agu (2016) outlined some factors that affect students’ performance and achievement in schools.

Such factors are income of parents,social and educational background of parents, family size,

question of broken home, and parental interest.

However, Aghameu (2017) affirmed that the level of academic attainment of people determines

their exposure and influences their understanding and behaviour toward certain issues in life. He

further stated that parents’ level of education is a better predictor of success in students’ level of

education determines their income level. Stressing o the effect of parents’ level of education on

the length of time their children spend in school, Joyce (2018) opined that the working class

parents with lowest educational attainment want their children to leave school earlier than the

parents with middle class of education. Thus, parents concern, help interest encouragement and

punishment, school choice and expressed opinion for the children academic success have effect

on children achievement in school.

However, parents’ level of education determines the social to which the home could be

classified. Higher parental level of education brings about higher paid occupation that places

parents in the upper class thereby affording opportunity to invest more in children’s education,

ensure facilitating and conducive environment that enhances educational performance and

achievement of their children.

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Aghametu (2017) reported a positive relationship between parental occupation and student’s

academic achievement. He found out that the type of work one’s parents do determines to a large

extent whether the child will attend secondary school or not. Parents of relatively higher socio-

economic classes are able to provide their children with more opportunities to learn those things

which will aid their learning in schools. Stressing on this point, Douglas (2014) postulated that

fathers’ occupational level adversely affected thereby leading to poor performance and

achievement in his class work.

Wilkings (2000) in his own view said that children educational opportunities depends on where

they live which is of course determined by their parents socio-economic background. This means

that the Childs education aspirations and attainment are closely linked with family socio-

economic status.

Wedde (2018) stated that individual families or group of people can be said to be in poverty

when they lack the resources to obtain the type of diet, participate in activities, and lack better

conditions and amenities. According to him children who belong to low social class status face

problems in our educational system, they receive low education and because they are no property

socialized they lack broad based knowledge and are not exposed to wide learning experience as

their privileged counter parts.

Unachukwu (2021) threw more light on this of the post-natal environment which affects any

human organization include socio-economic exposure, socialization medical attention, birth

order to the child, family size, disease, accordant, and geographical location of family. Ekeruo

(2004) agrees with Unachukwu by saying that socio – economic state of parents determines that

level of education, care and sanitation of children. He further stated that children from high

socio-economic house are lucky to get good diet and good education compared to children from

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low socio economic homes. He also noted that the birth order to the child and family size will

determines the amount of balanced diet, level of education, adequate medical care and sanitation

and child gets. It is widely held that the available of these factors to the child will affect his

educational performance and achievement in school positively while lack of these factors will

affects his education performances and achievement adversely.

2.4 Trend in Students’ Achievement in Mathematics

2.5 Meaning and Definition of Parent/Parenting

Parents simply means father and mother also take care of his/her child/children and others in the

house (Ukpai, 2018). The goals of human parent are the provision of child’s physical need,

protect them from harm, and impart in them skills and cultural value until they reach legal

adulthood, usually after adolescence. There is general causes around parent providing the basic

necessities, with increasing interest in children’s right within the home environment, examples

physical security the safety of a child’s body and life, which includes, safety, shelter, clothes,

nourishment, security, intellectual security; intellectual development, emotional security,

emotional development, physical development: the ability of child to love, care, help younger

and older ones, weak and sicker etc. the degree of attention parents invest on the child is largely

inversely proportional to what the children appreciate back to them (Santrock, 2017).

Types of Parents:

There are various types of parents: viz.

1. Biological parents: A biological Parent is the one who has a direct genetic relation to a

child.

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2. Adoptive Parents: This is done through legal action where by a man takes voluntary

responsibility for another person’s children and takes the child as his/her own.

3. Foster parents: This is a situation where one nurtures a child that does not relate to

him/her.

4. Single Parents: These single parents might be the biological father, biological mother or

adoptive, he or she takes the sole responsibility of nurturing a child.

5. Step Parents: This is when the mother or father has remarried, the child becomes a step

child in the new house (Nnanna, 2010).

Parenthood is another serious commitment a person makes for the future of another human

being. It is a promise to devote time, resources and best effort to emotional physical and social

development of a child. To have a dynamic and effective parenting, parents should have these as

their responsibilities.

1. Financial Responsibility: This is one obligation a parent must take to ensure security in

the child’s development.

2. Parents should provide love, guidance and acceptance to the child. This means that

parents should love their children, guide them tin whatever they are doing so that the

children will not go astray.

3. Parents should provide supervision, protection and shelter for the child’s safety. If parents

can provide protection and also supervise their children and shelter them, they will not

mingle themselves in some deviant behaviour like cultism, stealing, smoking etc.

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4. Parents should provide proper nutrition, health care and safe environment for their

children.

5. Parents should provide opportunity for education or creation, intellectual and social

development.

These needs range from physical to emotional needs of a child. Even when parent had little

money to take care of the above needs of the child, there are other things a parent needs to do to

promote and ensure the child’s total development.

1. Parents should teach their child to love and respect other people and oneself.

2. Parents should clearly communicate their expectation for their child’s conducts.

3. Parents should provide unconditional love and acceptance.

4. Parents should allow the child a full range of emotional experience.

5. Parents should teach their children skills to resolving conflict.

6. Parents should allow the child to make decision based on their own learned experience.

7. Parents should be good model to the child.

8. Parents should give their best effects in providing for the child’s material needs.

9. Parents can serve as regulators of opportunities for their adolescents’ social contact with

peer, friends and adult. Okunniyi, (2014).

Whether biological or otherwise the most important issue is the parental influence on the

academic performance and upbringing of their child. This influence is determined by the quality

of parenting a child receives form the parent. Parenting is the process of promoting and

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supporting the physical emotional, social, and intellectual development of a child from infancy to

adulthood. Parenting refers to the activity of raising a child rather than the biological relationship

(Larean, 2002). This is usually done by the biological parent of the child in question (Bernstein,

2008) stressed, although government and society take a role as well. In many cases orphanage or

abandoned children receive parental care form non-parent blood relations. Others may be

adopted, raised by foster, or be placed in an orphanage.

2.6 Parents Level of Education and Academic Achievement of Students.

Education has to do with the process of training one through school from one level to another in

order to obtain knowledge and skill which is required for effective living. As Jacques maintain

(2013), observed that the word “education” has a triple yet intermingled connotation, and refers

either to (in is broad sense) any process by means of which man is shaped and led towards

fulfillment or the task of formation which adult intentionally undertake with regard to youth, or

in its strictest sense, special task of schools and universities.

Parents’ level of education is a better predictor of success in students’ academic pursuit. This is

because parents’ level of education determines parents’ level of occupation which in turn

determines parents’ income level. Parents that are well educated are today able to ensure, by

their wealth and ability to understand and manipulate the school system, that their own children

received good and better education than themselves and that they will constitute the educated

elite of the coming generation. This means that educated parents would always do their best do

ensure that their children as educated too.

Joyce (2018) posited that educational status of parents affects the demand they make on their

children. She added that elite parents understand the role of individual differences among their

21
children and this helps them to accommodate and encourage their children. As a result, children

whose parents are educated stand a better chance to be motivated by parents and that aids their

academic performance and achievement.

Dore (2006) holds that the enormous educational advantages occurs to the children of university

educated parents and leads to sharply entrenched class division very rapidly. He further stated

that on its own, the educational system cannot bring about these advantages but there are

important variables which come to play in important role in establishing these enormous

educational advantages.

The most educated parents are those in the best jobs and some with the material resources to

assure the education of all their children and provide them with his quality schooling with

boarding. Furthermore, it allows them to disperse with the labour of their children at all times.

Also household labours such as looking after young children, cooking, cleaning etc are

performed by his servants instead of their children. This offers the children the opportunity to

study at home, do their assignment/home work and as a result enhances their performances at

school.

Supporting this view, Adetunji and Oledeji (2007) affirmed that parents with high literacy level

are awards conscious and knew when to reduce the house chores of their children so as to

enhance, their performance in school. However, parent’s level of education determines the social

class to which the home could be classified. Higher parental level of education brings about

higher paid occupation that places parents in the upper class, thereby affording them opportunity

to invest more in their children of academic success.

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Obasi (2018) state that besides the conferral of social status in the society; the particular family

in which a child is born exerts a considerable influence on his life chance; the type and level of

education he receives, his career prospects and host of other social privileges and opportunities.

Thus, the child of an illiterate village farmer could have lesser chances of succeeding in school

and hence, professionally than the child of the university professor. Hence, the child of the

illiterate village farmer seems most likely to attend an ill – equipped and perhaps poorly staffed

rural primary and secondary schools.

According to Leichter (2005) Parents’ this one academic achievement/attainment level

encourages or discourages academic performance and achievement in students. It is also believed

that a warm and mutual relationship between parents and their children is the source of

educational achievement. The implications being that a positive parental environment is the

source of self – confidence which leads to good decision making and achievement. Parents’

aspiration, social pressure, knowledge of the educational progress, preparation planning and

encouragement motivates the students to perform well in school.

Uche (2018) supporting this view said that what the child learns at home and how his/her family

motivate him towards education contribute immensely to the child success or failure in school.

Reasons for this are difference in experiences, exposure, level educational attainment, economic

security and working conditions of parents. Hurlock (2018) in the same vain opined that parents

of average educational background value education as a stepping stone to future success. On the

other hand, most parents of low education background do not encourage their children to strive

towards academic excellence, such attitude foster under-achievement. Coming (2007) supported

the above finding and concluded that the higher the level of educational status of parents, the

higher the level of motivation for student educational pursuit or attainment.

23
Retsel and Miltans (2016) established that children from more educated homes score higher than

less privileged children on the intellectual curiosity test which positively correlate with grades.

According to Hieynemn (2006) there is positive relationship between parents education and

students academic achievement.

Onyema (2010) suggests that level of education influences parents’ knowledge, beliefs, values,

and goals about childrearing, so that a variety of parental behaviours are indirectly related to

children’s school performance. For example, higher levels of education may enhance parents’

facility at becoming involved in their children’s education, and also enable parents to acquire and

model social skills and problem – solving strategies conducive to children’s school success.

Thus, students whose parents have higher levels of education may have an enhanced regard for

learning, more positive ability beliefs, a stronger work orientation, and they may use more

effective learning strategies than children of parents with lower levels of education.

Uche (2018) in the same vein opined that parents with higher levels of education are also more

like to believe strongly in their abilities to help their children learn. A recent study exploring the

relationships between level of parent education, parent self –efficacy, children’s academic

abilities, and participation in a Head start program found that level of parent education and

programme participation was significantly related to parental self –efficacy. In turn, parental

self-efficacy beliefs significantly predicated children’s academic abilities.

However, examinations across varied cultural and ethnic groups within the United States suggest

that level of education does not appear to determine the value parents place on education, their

interest in their children’s schooling he their aspirations for their children’s academic success.

For example, in 2005 study comparing the relative value of varied predictors of parental

involvement. Thomas Watkins found that parents’ efficacy for involvement and educational

24
goals for their children were stronger predictors of school success than parental level of

education and ethnicity. Additionally, this study found that teacher communications to parents

predicted parental involvement, suggesting that, regardless of education level, parents need

encouragement from educators to become involved in their children education.

There is evidence that parents’ education will affect students’ academic achievement. According

to Grissmer (2003), parents’ level of education is the most important factor affecting students’

academic achievement. Taiwo (2016) state that parents’ academic background influence the

academic achievement of students. Musgrave (2000) states that a child that comes from an

educated home would like to follow the steps of his/her family and by this work actively in

his/her studies. Onocha (2005) concludes that a child from a well educated family with high

socio- economic status is more likely to perform better than a child from an illiterate family.

Similar results were found by Teese (2014), in his analysis of the students’ performance where

he found clear and consistent trends for children from lower socio economic background.

In a study of educational achievement of institutions of learning of education and uneducated

homes in Western Nigeria, Ogunlade (2005) opined that children of illiterate homes perform

worse than their counterparts from the educated homes. Students from this home also study and

concentrate in the class a lot more than the former. Wilton (2005) confirmed the significant

relationship between educational background and academic performance, Bamisaiye and

Williams (2018) supported observations on two of the family background, the elite and

traditional household, that the family set up affects the child degree of verbal behaviours, their

instruction attitudes, and communication which in turn affects the child academic performance in

several subjects.

25
Nisbet (2017) on the child study attributed academic performance at school to the parents’

attitudes and their level of educational attainment. Children from the parents who have interest in

science subjects tend to imbibe some attitude towards parental professional occupational subjects

which affects their academic performance. Smart (2002) has concluded that in most home today

it is apparent that parents’ educational level correlate positively with the academic performance

of their children, for better educated parents are more likely to give their children practice in

their school subjects at home, go to school to find out their progress report and assignment

records and function as achievement models.

Good and Brophy (2007) also stressed that educated parents usually show interest in their

children’s academic performance, choose subjects, meet and collaborate with administrators and

teachers of secondary schools to ensure their children’s rate seriousness in their studies.

2.7 Parents Occupation and Academic Performance of Students.

The word occupation could be defined as what a person does to earn a living. It can be seen as

services rendered in order to receive wage/salary at the end of the services. Having seen what

occupation means, therefore occupational roles and property ownership and control are the

criteria by which we define social classes. Occupation differs widely as regards their general

desirability. The determinant of desirability is the wage or salary, which goes with the job. Other

include the nature of the work done, the opportunity for promotion, working condition

(dangerous dirty and training work is undesirable). Classes are unequal to the extent that rewards

tend to be cumulative. In other words, the occupations with highest salaries are the greatest

26
opportunity for personal initiation. For instance, a top civil servant may earn twenty to thirty

times as much his office cleaners and a peasant farmer may earn in a year less that what a

member of parliament may earn in a work. These inequalities tend to intensify competition for

jobs and make educational success a vital importance (Obasi, 2018).

Aghametu (2017) reported a positive relationship between parental occupational and children’s

academic achievement. He found out that the type of work one’s parents do determines to a large

extent whether the child will attend secondary school or not. Parents of relatively social

economic classes are able to provide their children with more opportunities to learn those things

which will aid their learning in school.

Kenneth and Brain (2001) posited that education can be seen as a form of property. The skill and

qualification obtained through formal education can be sold in the labour market and the most

highly qualified gets the best job. Parents with high income from their occupation generally must

put substantial amount in educating their children so as to increase their children’s chance of

educational achievement and success. They further asserted that the best debates to school and

study.

Children of parents in professional and managerial occupation are much more likely to be

successful than children of unskilled manual workers. Supporting the view, Beth-miner (2008)

opined that children of middle class families have stimulating homes, performs better in class

work and stayed longer in school than children of low-class families.

Uche (2018) postulated that children from well – to do families are never without food and

shelter as food help in their brain development. They have expensive wears, they are neat and

clean, and they are either driven to school in cars or provided with maids or servants who take

27
them to and from school. Unlike the children from low-class families who share the same room,

bed, cloths or even sleep no the bare floor. They go the school hunger.

Writing on the influence of parents education on academic performance and achievement of

students, Douglas (2014) postulated that the father occupational levels adversely affects a young

child because it has a direct bearing on him. He further started that when a child is ashamed of

his fathers’ occupation, wither because of the level of work or the type of wears demanded by the

work, the child’s affected thereby leading to poor performance in his class work.

Uche(2018) reported that the fathers’ occupation, social status and lifestyle of the family have a

considerable influence on he ease or difficulty with which the child can gain a place in school

and length of time he is willing to devote to school and study. He continued to say that success in

school is related to social class, children from parents who are in professional and managerial

occupation are much likely to be successful than children of unskilled manual workers.

Douglas (2014) in his own research compared children from working middle class families are

educated and know the important of birth control method and this can control the number of

children they have. He further argued that many working class parents are ignorant of birth

control methods and so cannot prevent unwanted conception and babies. In other words, Douglas

associated large with families of low class. He further argued that working class (low class)

parent know leaves about healthcare and so do not give their children appropriate healthcare.

Heagin (2005) associated low class families with poor health and generally associated large

families and poor health with poor academic performance in their children. He concluded that

these groups of children generally achieve less in school than children form middle class

families.

28
Contrary to these opinions, some researchers have shown that overcrowding has little or no

effect on the academic achievement. For instance, Bother (2005) stressed that overcrowding does

not have any consequence and even when it does, its affect is modest. Following the finding

above, parents’ occupation influences their children academic performance and achievement in

two different dimensions.

1. Financial dimension:This is situation where occupation earns them a higher living that

is when what they receive as wages/salaries places them in a better position to give their

children basic education. For instance, if in the family of four children, the father and the

mother earns monthly salary of N99,000 and N85, 000 respectively. You would discover

that these children will be provided with whatever they need to perform very well in their

academic pursuit.

2. Time Dimension: The occupation of parents will determine the time they will devote

towards improving the performance of their children for instance, a lecturer has more

time for his children’s education than a bank accountant who lease for offices in the

morning and comes back in the night.

29
 Chapter Three

Research Methodology

3.1 Research Design

Research design is a blueprint or a plan of action design for collecting, presenting and analysing

data in research work. The research design adopted in this study is survey method research

design. The research made use of a structure questionnaire with four likert scale options to

investigate the impact of family background as a predictor of Lagos state students' achievement

in mathematics.

3.2 Population of the Study

The population of the study comprises of all SS1 and 2 in public senior secondary schools in
Kosofe Local Government Area of Lagos State.

3.3 SAMPLING TECHNIQUE SAMPLE SIZE DETERMINATION

Due to the large number of students that make up the population of public senior secondary

schools in Kosofe Local Government, coupled with time, financial constraints, the researcher

pegged the sample size to 200. This size stands to represent the whole residence of the area. The

size afforded the researcher the comfort and ease to analyze all data gathered through

questionnaire.

The sampling procedure used for the study is convenient sampling technique. The respondents

are from all works of life to be able to get valid and accurate data for analysis.

30
3.4 INSTRUMENTS FOR DATA COLLECTION

For the purpose of this study, the researcher makes use of Students’ Questionnaire (SQ) as an
instrument for data collection. The instrument consists of two parts: the Section A dealing with
questions on demography while B Section consisting of questions on the dependent and
independent variables (to test the hypothesis). The questionnaire was design using likert scale
format with four options:

SA- Strongly agree (4)

Agree (3)

D- Disagree (2)

SD- Strongly disagree (1)

3.5 Validity of the Instrument

The content validity of the instrument was sought through subjecting the items of the
questionnaire to colleagues for scrutinizing. The initial draft of the instrument was presented to
the researcher’s supervisor. The colleagues were to add or delete (relevant or irrelevant) item or
items in the draft or modify existing ones to suit the purpose of the study. The independent
correction and suggestions were used in producing the final copy of the questionnaire.

3.6 Reliability of the Instrument

A pilot study was carried out by administering the structured questionnaire to fifty SSS1 and 2

students of Shomolu Local Government. However, the responses would be used to fine-tune the

research instrument, which would be administered to respondents that participated in the study.

Reliability analysis will be used to measure both consistency and internal stability of data.

Meanwhile, the reliability test will be conducted using Cronbach Alpha test of SPSS measuring

the inter-item consistency and the coefficient that reflects how well items in a set are positively

31
correlated to one another. Cronbach’s Alpha that are less than 0.6 are generally considered to be

poor, those in the 0.7 range to be acceptable, and those over 0.8 to be good; the closer the

reliability coefficient gets to 1.0, the better.

3.7 Procedure for Data Collection

The researcher went to the of selected schools with letters seeking for permission to administer

the structured questionnaires to SS1 and SS2 students. The researcher trains two research

assistants who helped to administer the questionnaire to respondents in other to ensure

effectiveness and efficiency in the in the data collected and to ensure that the all administered

questionnaires are returned by the respondents.

3.8 METHOD FOR DATA ANALYSIS

The study will make use of simple percentage to calculate each the data. Each of the items were

given marks and calculated based on the number of questionnaires returned while mean score

will be used for questionnaire analysis. The analysis of finding in this study is as result of the

collected questionnaire on the empirical investigation on the impact family background as a

predictor of students’ achievement in Mathematics in selected public senior secondary

schools in Kosofe LGA of Lagos State. The research made us of Statistical Package for Social

Science (SPSS) for data analysis.

32
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