Socio-Economic Background and Student Academic Performance

Introduction

The issue of socioeconomic status and its relationship in the academic performance of a student is more complex. One of the common denominator in this idea is the difference of the family status or background in all parts of the world. With that, the academic performances of the students as well as the level of education differ. In the comparison between the developed and developing countries, educators can say that there is huge gap in terms of level of education which can duly affect the performance of the students.

Background and Problem Statement

Nigeria, as the main country center in the investigation, is the most populous country in Africa. In the country, socio-economic status of a family is usually linked with the family’s income, parent’s educational level, parent’s occupation and the social status of other relatives. This logic is said to create great parental influences on the student’s school performance (Okafor, 2007). The school effectiveness is also addressed in the determining the outcome of the students. However, most of the studies emphasize the differences in the academic and socioeconomic background of students across the schools and its sector. Therefore, what is the relationship of the socioeconomic background towards the academic performances of the students?

Research Aim and Objectives

The main aim of the study is to provide the idea regarding the link between the socioeconomic background and status of the students in Nigeria and describe how it influences the academic performance of the students. In order to gain the information needed in the study, there are three objectives that should be considered. First is to investigate the culture in Nigeria particularly on the education. Second is to describe the curriculum in the pedagogical settings to achieve the student’s academic performances. And third is to assess the academic performance of the students.

Literature Review

The issue of socioeconomic status and its relationship in the academic performance of a student is more complex. The relationship can be explored based on the levels of nations and states, districts, and schools, and on to classes and individual students. The low-level of family income is used to measure the level of poverty in the country. There is pedagogical curriculum to increase the level of learning such as the reading literacy study. In other countries, the socioeconomic status is not a strong determinant in the student’s academic performance. Rather, the strength of district and school level influences of socioeconomic status on academic achievement in the growth of students’ learning. The influence of socioeconomic status at the individual level is still prevalent but can affect the parent expectations. The effects of prior achievement were stronger than poverty on junior high and high school students and for some instances, the cultural effects of a race and gender interaction can be stronger than the socioeconomic status (Thomas & Stockton, 2003). The socioeconomic background involves the parental occupation, education, and wealth and among these three dimensions the parental occupation has the strongest impact for the students. In the continuous investigation of the relationship of the socioeconomic background and education, there is an impact gained from the socioeconomic background on the tertiary entrance performance. The level of confidence among the students and their own ability affects the learning and higher parental aspirations are just in the corner of the student’s initiative to learn (Marks, McMillan, & Hillman, 2001). The socioeconomic background was founded and recognized from the wealthy and well-educated parents that can help to ensure the future of their children. Because of their influence, it is believed that the background of a student is favorable for their learning environment, better education, and good jobs. On the other hand, the children who have the low socioeconomic background are believed to lack in education and obtaining an opportunity in the future may be difficult. Because of the importance of family backgrounds in other countries, it is also referenced to be the major influence on the student school success. The relationships of the student environment have established many variables that can be direct or indirect in the student’s success (Okafor, 2007).

Methodology

The suggested method in the study is the use of secondary information. The materials that can be use are the Nigerian reports on the academic performance and report for the Department of Education. In addition, the reviews coming from the government assessments in the socioeconomic level of the country can be taken and the case studies performed by the researchers. The obtained information can be organized according to the objectives of the study.

References:

Marks, G., McMillan, J., & Hillman, K., (2001) Tertiary Entrance Performance: The Role of Student Background and School Factors (LSAY Research Report Number 22) [Online] Available at: http://www.acer.edu.au/documents/LSAY_execsum22.pdf [Accessed 12 August 2010].

Okafor, P., (2007) A Case Study: Factors Contributing to the Academic Achievement of Low-Socio Economic Status Students in Anambra South County, Anambra State Nigeria [Online] Available at: http://patrickokafor.com/LeadingtoThesisProposal1.pdf [Accessed 12 August 2010].

Thomas, J., & Stockton, C., (2003) Socioeconomic Status, Race, Gender, & Retention: Impact on Student Achievement [Online] Available at: http://www.usca.edu/essays/vol72003/stockton.pdf [Accessed 12 August 2010].