DEMOGRAPHIC VARIABLES AS PREDICTORS OF ACADEMIC PERFORMANCES AMONG SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS

ABSTRACT

This research examined the if demographic variables will predict academic performance among secondary school students. This study was a survey and a cross sectional design was adopted. A total of 100 secondary school students from Ogun was adopted as a sample size for the study. Relevant conceptual, theoretical and empirical literature was reviewed.  Simple percentage was used to analysis the responses of the participants, pairwise correlation was used to check for the possible relationship among study variables while regression was used to test the research hypotheses. The result revealed that age significantly predicts academic performance among secondary school students. The finding of the study also reveals that gender will significantly predict academic performance among secondary school students. The findings of the study also reveal that socio-economic status significantly predicts the academic performance among secondary school students. The finding of the study also reveals that ethnicity did not significantly predict academic performance among secondary school students. The findings of the study reveal that there was a significant joint influence of age, gender, socio-economic status and ethnicity on academic performance among secondary school students. It was therefore concluded that demographic factors significantly predict academic performance among secondary school students. It was recommended that educational institutions should consider age-related differences when designing curriculum, teaching methods, and support systems.

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background of the Study

          One of the key demands of educators, students, and other stakeholders in education is academic accomplishment. Academic performance is determined by tests or continuous assessments, which measure how well students accomplish their short- and long-term learning objectives (Carvalho, 2010). Amidst the epidemic, distance and online learning have been established. Every school's main priority is students' academic success, which is determined by exam results. According to Fakeye (2017), the purpose of schools is to teach information and skills to their pupils, and the degree of knowledge and skills these students gain is demonstrated by their academic achievement.Actually, a number of variables have been connected to students' low performance in several Nigerian higher education institutions. Actually, this has been a common occurrence that has hampered students' ability to graduate from their course of study smoothly with excellent scores (Adetunde& Asare, 2009).

The growth of private postsecondary institutions in Nigeria has raised interest in the academic achievement of students at these schools. There is nowhere in the world where the value of academic achievement is lessened.High school performance is closely associated with the good results that are valued in any given community. Adults who excel intellectually and have high levels of education are more likely to hold a job. The performance measure or indicator of academic achievement is the academic performance shown in the class that was attained.

Nasir (2010) further stated that accomplishment scores are seen to be the main indicators of educational quality and that academic performance is the main factor used to determine the quality of education. On the other hand, the fact that pupils' accomplishment scores differ suggests that some factors influence this circumstance.  Simultaneously, a number of variables, including as job, money, the learning environment, and demography, can impact a student's academic achievement, especially in the current day where most schooling is done at home. According to Waters and Marzano (2010), a number of factors influence how well kids achieve academically. Because of this, a lot of factors need to be taken into account while figuring out what influences pupils' academic success. Henderson (2018) argued that a number of social scientists, economists, demographers, and other scholars have noted that sociodemographic variables have a major impact on pupils.

The study took into account a number of variables that may contribute to subpar academic performance, including age, gender, geography, a lack of suitable teaching resources, school climate, religious beliefs, educational attainment, and marital status. In line with Tinto's (1975) theory, a number of empirical studies, including those by Oredein (2016) and Alordiah, Akpadaka, &Oviogbodu (2015), have demonstrated that demographic factors, such as gender, degree of study, and specialisation, are significant factors in predicting students' academic success.

Several educational research have discovered that sociodemographic characteristics (parent education level, school type, and gender) can have a big influence on students' academic performance. For example, Urtel (2008) looked at the differences in academic achievement between in-person and distant learning for students in the United States. The findings demonstrated a strong correlation between academic success, gender, ethnicity, and student status. Andaya (2016) looked at the factors at the Philippine Normal University-North Luzon that affect indigenous students' academic progress. According to Andaya's research, "instructional factors" had a big influence on how well students performed academically. This means that in order for students to thrive in a classroom that encourages knowledge generation, teachers must include them in "meaningful and authentic learning activities." She came to the conclusion that although teachers and students had an influence on academic achievement, students ultimately had the final say in whether they succeeded or failed.

Furthermore, a number of educational research studies have demonstrated, according to Manuel (2019), that sociodemographic factors (such parents' educational background, gender, and kind of school) can have a major impact on children' chemistry performance. The gender, kind of elementary school graduates, mode of transportation, and educational level of the parents were found to be significant predictors of the academic success of the Chemistry students in this study.These characteristics were used to see if there was a favourable relationship between them and the students' performance. According to this study, children come from a variety of dynamic demographic backgrounds that might have an impact on how well they perform in the classroom. Despite the wide coverage of research on the predictors of academic performance, there is still a dearth on literature on how demographic factors predict academic performance among secondary school students in Nigeria. Hence, this study seeks to determine whether demographic factors (age, gender, socio-economic status and ethnicity)predictors of student's academic performance.

1.2 Statement of Problem

          Parents, school administrators, policy officials, and other governments in charge of student education are deeply concerned about the performance gap between kids and academic genius, and it also causes them tremendous humiliation (Adewale, Adenuga, Idowu &Soyombo, 2022). Experience has demonstrated that there are disparities among pupils that have an impact on their academic success. A few examples of these differences include the school's prompt location and the dearth of educational resources. Similarly, certain kids get better academic results than others, and some students arrive at school sooner than others (Igboegwu& Okonkwo, 2013). Researchers have conducted a variety of studies on the sociodemographic factors that influence students' academic performance because of the high rates of failure at tertiary institutions. These factors have led to unacceptable attrition rates, a decline in the number of graduates nationwide, and an increase in the cost of labour force training, which has created the foundation for the nation's declining educational standards. Thus, the goal of this study was to examine the demographic traits of students at Nigerian tertiary institutions as a predictor of academic achievement.

1.3 Research Questions

          The following questions will guide the present study;

1. Will age predict academic performance among secondary school students?
2. Will gender predict academic performance among secondary school students?
3. Will socio-economic status predict academic performance among secondary school students?
4. Will ethnicity predict academic performance among secondary school students?

1.4 Research Objectives

          The main objective of this study is to examine the if demographic variables will predict academic performance among secondary school students. Specific objectives of the study include;

1. To determine if age will predict academic performance among secondary school students
2. To examine if gender will predict academic performance among secondary school students
3. To ascertain if socio-economic status will predict academic performance among secondary school students
4. To determine if ethnicity will predict academic performance among secondary school students

1.5 Research Hypotheses

          The following will be hypothesized in the present study;

Hypothesis one

H0: Age will not significantly predict academic performance among secondary school students

H1: Age will significantly predict academic performance among secondary school students

Hypothesis Two

H0: Gender will not significantly predict academic performance among secondary school students

H1: Gender will significantly predict academic performance among secondary school students.

Hypothesis Three

H0: Socio-economic status will not significantly predict academic performance among secondary school students

H1: Socio-economic status will significantly predict academic performance among secondary school students.

Hypothesis Four

H0: Ethnicity will not significantly predict academic performance among secondary school students

H1: Ethnicity will significantly predict academic performance among secondary school students.

1.6 Scope and Limitation of the Study

          This study is limited to the if demographic variables will predict academic performance among secondary school students. The participants that will be used in this study will only students in tertiary institutions.

1.7 Significance of the Study

          This study will be of significance to the management and staffs in tertiary institutions, other organizations be it private or public, researchers and the general populace by highlighting demographic variables as factors predicting academic performance among secondary school students.

          First, the findings of this study will help the parents to know how to train their children in such as way that they will be able to do proper in the academic pursuit.

          The findings of this study will help the college administration to design and implement the policies to improve the students’ performance and the quality of education by changing the attitude of students towards learning, facilitating students and improving the teaching procedures.

The findings of this study will help parents to solve the students’ problems especially financial problems and to look after them. It may also create awareness among students about their rights and responsibilities to achieve quality education.

          The findings of this study will fill the dearth in literature and act as a source of reference to other researchers who may be interested in a study of this nature in other geopolitical regions.