CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY

The National Policy on Education (2009) recognizes education as the nation’s greatest asset towards the quick development of its economic potentials, sociological and human resources, hence it focuses on the integration of the individual into a sound and effective citizen. It also plans equal educational opportunities for all at the primary, secondary and tertiary levels.

Education has been the pillar upon which all meaningful national developments are built. It is the instrument which sets the pace for growth, development and understanding of issues in all their ramifications. For education to be relevant in a society, it has to be effectively taught. And this can only be achieved through the use of good methods and suitable instructional materials.

In the school setting, the teaching and learning process is not complete without an evaluation of the learning outcome. The academic performance of a student measures the student’s level of understanding of what he or she has been taught. Epunam (1999) defines academic performance of a child as the learning outcomes of the child which includes the knowledge, skills and ideas acquired and retained through their course of study within and outside the classroom situations.

The academic performance of secondary school students in the West African Examination Council (WAEC) and National Examination Council (NECO) has taken a dramatic decline in recent times. This poor performance cuts across all subjects including Economics. There is no gainsaying that the purpose of teaching is to facilitate learning such that the students will be able to achieve high academic performance in examinations. For teachers of Economics, it is important that they understand and appreciate the determinants of their students’ performance in the subject. This knowledge will help the teachers to organize the teaching and learning process such that the students will achieve high performance in Economics. The fact remains that there can be no excellent academic performance without effective teaching and learning. It has been established among Psychologists that a number of factors determine the ability of the students. Some of these factors include; the learning environment, the competence of the teacher, motivation, the interest of the students to mention but a few.

Economics is one of an important subject taught in the secondary schools. It is important to both students and the society at large because it cuts across all spheres of human endeavor as it can be seen in its simpler definition by professor lord Robbins (2004), thus economics as a science which studies human behavior as a relationship between ends and scarce means which have alternative uses. By this definition Robbins emphasized economics as a science and that economic analysis should be based on scientific and logical process rather than vague judgments.

Economics according to Hornby, (1973) is the study of production and distribution of money and goods of a country. It is the study of how people of the society choose to use their limited resources like land, capital, labor, goods and technical knowledge to provide various goods and services for the consumption of man. Pigou (1972), believed that economics makes it easier to institute practical measures to promote welfare, so that the society may build upon the work of economics. He concluded by saying that the study is not worthwhile for its own sake but only for the healing that the knowledge may help to bring. Economics is relevant to the field of science and art. It enables the individuals to think in the sense that he/she is able to apply its principles to solve practical problems and avoid unnecessary costly mistake. It also enables individuals to understand better the relationship between himself and his fellow human beings in his effort to make a living.

All over the world, the importance of economics as an instrument of nation building and national development cannot be over-emphasized. It is based on this axiom that Nigeria as a sovereign nation requires excellent qualified teacher and teaching aids in the students understanding of the need to effect a change in National Development through the teaching and learning of economics in the senior secondary schools preferably those in SSS1 to SSS3.

There has also been a traumatic growth in commerce and industry since independence which invariably calls for specialized and qualified manpower to make the various aspects of the economy become imperative. This lead to the introduction of economics as a separate subject of study in the new National policy of education. Economics subject was also included in the curriculum that is geared towards producing a group of people who can study and improve the structure of Nigerian Economy. Economics as a field of study provides individuals with sound knowledge on how to be self-employed and better the lots of people in his or her own society.

STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

The achievement of high academic performance in any subject requires effective and efficient teaching and learning process. Therefore, it is important for educationist to investigate the factors or determinants of students’ academic performance in any subject of interest. This need is germane at this time that the academic performance of students is on the decline.

In Nigeria, there has been a steady decline in the academic performance in WAEC and NECO examinations. This poor performance cuts across all subjects. Also, in recent time, there has been a decline in the academic performance of students in Economics at the senior secondary school level. This poor performance calls for investigation in order to fully understand the underlying factors or variables that are responsible with a view to remedying the situation.

The benefits of studying Economics cannot be over emphasized, as such, when students fail or perform poorly in Economics in the WAEC or NECO examination; they lose the opportunity to fully enjoy these benefits. It is therefore apt that a study of this kind be undertaken to come up with the possible ways of making the teaching and learning of Economics more effective and high performance oriented.

OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY

The main objective of the study is to investigate the factors influencing the performance of students in economics, the specific objectives of this study is:

1.     To investigate if there are adequate resources, qualifications and skill required in the schools to teach economics

2.     To find out if the students have pre-requisite knowledge, resources and interest required to learn Economics?

3.     To find out the environmental factors militating against good performance of student in economics

RESEARCH QUESTIONS

The following research questions will guide the researcher to arrive at a valid result and also to achieve the stated objectives above:

1.     Are there adequate resources, qualifications and skill required in the schools to teach economics in secondary school?

2.     Does the students have pre-requisite knowledge, resources and interest required to learn Economics?

3.     What are the environmental factors militating against good performance of student in economics?

SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

This study will expose the teacher, parents, students and the government at various level to problems associated with the learning of economics in secondary schools.

Also this study will be of great impacts to proffer solutions to some problem faced by secondary school students and finally will serve as a reference to other writers who will embark on the same research in the future.

SCOPE OF THE STUDY

This study covers the senior secondary students of Tomia Grammar School, Alagbado Lagos state.

DELIMITATION OF THE STUDY

Due to limited time and insufficient fund to finance the project the research is limited to one secondary school in Alimosho local government area in Lagos state.

DEFINITION OF TERM

Influence: ability to have effect on something or someone

Problems: a matter or situation regarded as unwelcome or harmful and needing to be dealt with and overcome

Economics: the branch of knowledge concerned with the production, consumption, and transfer of wealth

Academic performance:  the extent to which a student, teacher or institution has achieved their short or long-term educational goals.