The Influence of Learning Skills and Students Academic Performance in Economics in Secondary Schools
The Influence of Learning Skills and Students Academic Performance in Economics in Secondary Schools
Abstract
The study was to investigate learning skills on students’ academic performance in Economics in secondary schools in Ibesikpo Asutan Local Government Area. The specific objective was to compare the academic performance of students who adopted cooperative learning skill and those who adopted individual learning skill as well as to compare male and female academic performance in cooperative learning skill respectively.
Two research questions and two research hypotheses were formulated to guide the study. The study was carried out in Ibesikpo Asutan Local Government Area. A total of one thousand eight hundred and seventy four students from five selected public secondary schools form the population of the study. A simple random sampling technique was used to select forty (40) students from each of the five selected schools and a total of two hundred (200) students was the sample size. The study adopted quasi-experimental research design
. The main instruments for data collection were a ten (10) items questionnaire on learning skills and Economics Achievement Test (EAT) and the data collected was analysed using independent t-test statistics. The result of the study revealed that there was significant relationship between learning skills and students’ academic performance in economics and recommendations were made that teacher should be interested in knowing the preferred learning skills of his respective student and adhere to it, as this will go a long way to improve the academic performance of students in Economics.
The Influence of Learning Skills and Students Academic Performance in Economics in Secondary Schools
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background to the Study
It is generally accepted view that education is an instrument per-excellence for national development (Dominic, 2012). Okeye (1985) saw it as a process or an act of learning or acquisition of knowledge through systematic ways. It is an established fact that learning process due to biological and psychological differences. Educational psychologist (Flavel 2009) have always been interesting in trying to identify different ways and approaches that will enhance effective learning.
Learning has a rich and various heritage from century to century dated back 1930s which learning was considered to be connection between stimulus and response (Delisi, 2002).
Nowadays, psychologist has come up with many learning theories such as cognitive which widely emphasized one of the cognitive views is information processing approaches. In this views is seen as any act that facilitate information processing named learning skills or in more technical term as meta cognitive skills (Alberta, 2007).
The Influence of Learning Skills and Students Academic Performance in Economics in Secondary Schools
Learning skills are ways of which person process, internalize and study new and challenging matters. Students performance may be related to learning preferences or skills adopted by the students. In many cases students nor teacher are aware that difficult in learning may not rest solely in the materials itself.
Meanwhile, Dominic (2012) observed that economics students taught in their prefer learning skill score higher in test, facts, knowledge, attitude and efficiently than those taught with instructional skills. To address this issue, teachers should understand their student learning skills preference and be interested in developing their teaching approach or methods which according to Ibe (2013) help to make the class session more effective and more memorized of basics, it requires total determination, sound theoretical knowledge and intensive practices in application.
One begin to wonder if other factors could be responsible for the learning failure in Economics other than the one which was already identified. It is against the background that predispose the researcher to examine learning skills and students academic performance in Economics in secondary schools in Ibesikpo Asutan Local Government Area.
The Influence of Learning Skills and Students Academic Performance in Economics in Secondary Schools
1.2 Statement of the Problem
There has been a public concern on the declining state of students’ academic performance in Economics in both internal and external examination over the years. Most especially at the secondary school level. Accordingly, several research report has indicated that students performed poorly in secondary school social science subjects especially in Economics (Nwabo, 2011).
Many studies have been carried out on the various cause of these learning failure among whom are teaching methods, class size, school environment, school location and classroom variable etc. (Nwafa, 2015). Despite the effort exerted by concern citizen of this nation and other agencies to put a stop to this problem, but all their effort seems to be abortive.
As a result of this, parents have pointed accusing fingers on teachers in respect to their teaching effectiveness while teachers in turn put the blame on government on the inability to provide basic education materials to schools (Hewitt, 2006).
Moreso, no study has been carried out on the relationship or influence of learning skills and academic performance in Economics in Ibesikpo Asutan Local Government Area. This has been a subject of concern to the researcher which necessitate the study on learning skills and students academic performance in Economics in secondary school in Ibesikpo Asutan Local Government Area.
The Influence of Learning Skills and Students Academic Performance in Economics in Secondary Schools
1.3 Objectives of the Study
The main objective of the study was to investigate learning skills and students’ academic performance in Economics in secondary schools in Ibesikpo Asutan Local Government Area. Specifically, the study sought to;
(i) Compare academic performance of students who adopt co-operative learning skill and those who adopt individual learning skill in Economics in Ibesikpo Asutan Local government Area.
(ii) Compare academic performance of male and female students who adopt co-operative learning skill in Economics in Ibesikpo Asutan Local Government Area.
1.4 Significance of the Study
It is expected that the researcher of this nature will be of immense significance to teachers, students researchers, educational planners and policy makers as well as other stakeholders in education system.
- To students, the study will be of help to the student to adhere to the preferred and favorable learning skills.
- To teacher, the study will help the teachers to acknowledge the difference that exist among students in terms of their individual learning skill.
- To educational planner and policy makers, the study hoped to be of help to the educational planners and policy maker such that while educational curriculum will be planned if should be structure with consideration to individual different in students learning skills.
1.5 Research Questions
The following research questions were formulated to guide the study:
(i) To what extent does academic performance of students who adopt co-operative learning skill in economics different from those who use individual learning skill in Economics in Ibesikpo Asutan L.G.A.
(ii) How does academic performance of male students who adopt co-operative learning skill differ from their female counter part?
The Influence of Learning Skills and Students Academic Performance in Economics in Secondary Schools
1.6 Research Hypotheses
The following null hypotheses were formulated in line with specific objective of the study:
(i) There is no significance difference in the academic performance of students who adopted individual learning skill and those who adopted co-operative learning skill in Economics in Ibesikpo Asutan Local government Area.
(ii) There is no significance difference in academic performance of male and female students who adopt co-operative learning skill in Economics in secondary schools in Ibesikpo Asutan Local Government Area.
1.7 Limitation of the Study
The researcher encountered some challenges in the process of conducting this research work. Factors that would have confounded this study include:
(i) Financial constraint: This has been one of the major limitation faced by the researcher due to inadequate funds from the parent that would have faster the availability of empirical data for the study.
(ii) Time Frame: The time allocated for the researcher was short for the researcher was short for the completion of the research work, this posed a serious stress on the researcher to gather adequate information as stipulated for authentic research work.
1.7 Delimitation of the Study
This research work delimited to learning skill and students’ academic performance in economics in secondary schools in Ibesikpo Asutan Local Government Area. Furthermore, focus was on senior secondary one (SS1) students.
1.8 Definition of terms
The following terms used in the study were conceptually evaluated by the researcher based on its usage in this context.
(i) Learning: This refers to the process of acquiring knowledge which would bring about a change win the behavior of an individual or learner.
(ii) Learning skill: learning skill could be define as the strategies, methods, way which learner adopt to re-enforce or to learn comfortably or satisfactory.
(iii) Individual learning: It is a skill where by a learner learn or work on a given task independently without belonging to a group for actualization of learning task.
(iv) Co-operative learning: This is a learning skill in which students or learners learn and study in groups to promote interaction and contribution of ideas which can also be term as group learning.
(v) Academic performance: Academic performance is the learning outcome of a student or learner in a group task in school as examined through administration of test and examination in a particular area of study or subject.
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The Influence of Learning Skills and Students Academic Performance in Economics in Secondary Schools
The Influence of Learning Skills and Students Academic Performance in Economics in Secondary Schools
The Influence of Learning Skills and Students Academic Performance in Economics in Secondary Schools
The Influence of Learning Skills and Students Academic Performance in Economics in Secondary Schools
The Influence of Learning Skills and Students Academic Performance in Economics in Secondary Schools
The Influence of Learning Skills and Students Academic Performance in Economics in Secondary Schools
The Influence of Learning Skills and Students Academic Performance in Economics in Secondary Schools
