School Location As A Factor in Students' Achievement in Senior Secondary School Mathematics

PROJECT CODE: 000313
SCHOOL LOCATION AS A FACTOR IN STUDENTS

ACHIEVEMENT IN SENIOR SECONDARY SCHOOL
MATHEMATICS
BY
EGBEDI Onoriode
DELTA STATE UNIVERSITY, ABRAKA
JUNE, 2016
i
TABLE OF CONTENTS
COVER PAGE....i
TITLE PAGE.......ii
CERTIFICATION.....iii
DEDICATION.....iv
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS..............v
ii
TABLE OF CONTENTS....vi
ABSTRACT....viii
CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION
Background to the Study............................................ 1
Statement of Problem ................................................ 4
Research Questions ................................................... 5
Research Hypotheses ................................................ 5
Purpose of the Study ................................................. 5
Significance of the Study............................................ 6
Scope and Delimitation of the Study ............................ 7
Definition Explanation of Terms ................................... 8
CHAPTER TWO: REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE
CHAPTER THREE: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY AND
PROCEDURE
Research Design ............ Error! Bookmark not defined.
Population of Study ........ Error! Bookmark not defined.
Sample and Sampling TechniqueError! Bookmark not
defined.
Research Instrument ...... Error! Bookmark not defined.
Validity of Reliability of the InstrumentError! Bookmark
not defined.
Method of Data Collection Error! Bookmark not defined.
Data Analysis ................ Error! Bookmark not defined.
CHAPTER FOUR: ANALYSIS OF RESULT AND
DISCUSSION
Discussion of Result ....... Error! Bookmark not defined.
Testing of Research HypothesesError! Bookmark not
defined.
iii
Summary of the Discussion of ResultsError! Bookmark

not defined.
Limitation of the Study ... Error! Bookmark not defined.
CHAPTER FIVE: SUMMARY, FINDING, CONCLUSION
AND RECOMMENDATIONS
Summary of the Research Error! Bookmark not defined.
Major Finding ................ Error! Bookmark not defined.
Conclusion .................... Error! Bookmark not defined.
Implication of the Finding Error! Bookmark not defined.
Recommendations ......... Error! Bookmark not defined.
Recommendation for Further ResearchError! Bookmark
not defined.
REFERENCES................. Error! Bookmark not defined.
ABSTRACT
iv
Mathematics is the bedrock of all science and

technologically based subjects. The poor performance of
students in Mathematics test has become a thing of great
concern to all stakeholders such as Parents, teachers and
government. This paper therefore looked at the influence
of school location on the academic achievement of
secondary school students in Mathematics. The paper found
out that students performance in Mathematics in senior
secondary school examination for students from the rural
school performed better than the students from urban
schools in Mathematics examination. The researchers used
designed questionnaire to get the students performance.
It was recommended that schools should be located in a
conducive environment by school owners and by
government in order to achieve a better performance from
students.
v
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
Background to the Study
Mathematics as a subject affects all aspect of human life at
different degrees. The socials, economics, political,
geographical, scientific and technological aspects of man is
centred on numbers. Disciplines where numbers are
predominant and form integral part of Mathematics include:
statistics, account, athematic, engineering, etc.
The inter=relationship between Mathematics, development
and advancement of humans shows the importance of
Mathematics in life due to its numeral and symbolic nature, it is
more related to the scientific and technological facets of mans
world than to any other aspect as it occurs and re=occurs in the
physical and natural sciences. The basic skills underlying all
scientific and technological skills are the control of the tools of
Mathematics.
1
Mathematics is seen as the language used to describe the
problems arising in most branches of science and technology. It
is a subject that is related to other school subjects in areas like
numbers and numeration, variation, graphs, fractions,
logarithms and indices, algebraic processes, solution of equation
and also in area and volume.
In terms of the influence of home location on the academic
performance of students, the researcher was concerned with the
socio metric factors such as the kinds of social activities around
the home environment of the pupils. For instance, a pupil that
lives near the market square will adopt the language of the
people around the market. This could affect the child in learning
good English at school. Furthermore, pupils from home located
in an environment where there is noisy traffic and noisy sound
of machine from ply wood industry will be affected negatively in
their performance in school because the noisy environment will
disturb them from concentrating while reading and studying at
home and even in listening to educative radio programmes.
2
Hence, Ogbemudia and Aiasa (2013) maintained that
physical and psychological conditions of the home environment
affect the children academically. However, the performance of
students in mathematic has been a great concern to the society.
Awokoya (1975), Fafunwa (1980), both agreed in different
researches that we live in a world where science and technology
have become an integral part of the world culture, therefore for
any nation to be relevant, it must not overlook the importance
of Mathematics in her educational system.
Accordingly, the observed poor performance in
Mathematics has been a matter of serious concern to all well=
meaning educators. Students poor performance in Mathematics
over the years has been attributed to the fact that the subject is
difficult. In the same view, students performance in
Mathematics tests has been observed to vary from person to
person and from school to school.
This study therefore sought to provide data on the
performance of the students in Mathematics tests as it relates
school location (Urban to rural).
3
Statement of Problem
Long ago before the coming of Arabs and Europeans to
Africa, people had develop their own systems of educating,
although the systems varied from one community to the other,
their goals were often strikingly similar. At independence in
1961, education was viewed as the means to eradicating
poverty, ignorance and disease from Sierra Leone. Mathematics
is seen by society as the foundation of scientific and
technological knowledge that is vital in social economic
development of the nation. Because of this, Mathematics is a
compulsory subject at both primary and secondary levels in
Sierra Leone. Mathematics is also used as basic entry
requirement into any of the prestigious course such as medicine,
architecture and engineering among other degree courses.
Despite the importance role that Mathematics plays in society,
there has always been poor performance in the subject at public
examinations.
4
Research Questions
1. Do students in urban areas achieve better or more
than students from rural areas?
2. Do male students in urban schools performance better
than students from rural school?
3. Do female students in urban school performance
better than students from rural school?
Research Hypotheses
1. There is no significant difference between the male
score of students in rural area and of those in the
urban.
2. There is no significant difference between the female
score of the students in rural area and those in the
urban areas
Purpose of the Study
The main aim of this study was to investigate school
location as a factor that contribute to students poor performance
in Mathematics at the WASSCE in selected secondary schools in
Abraka. Specifically, the objectives of the study were to:

5
i. Determine the school based/institutional factors that
affect students performance in Mathematics in
secondary schools
ii. Establish students personal factors that affect
students performance in Mathematics in secondary
schools
iii. Device strategies that can be adopted to improve
performance in Mathematics by students in secondary
schools
Significance of the Study
This study sought to identify school location as a factor
contributing to students poor performance in Mathematics at the
WASSCE in Selected Secondary Schools in Abraka. Once a school
is labelled by the West African Examination Council as
academically unacceptable in terms of performance in WASSCE,
the school must begin, almost immediately, seeking answers to
why students are not successful at the WASSCE. The immediate
goal is to raise exam scores and continuously search for ways to
maintain exam scores. If schools can determine what factors
6
may be hindering students achievement, then they can begin
creating and implementing intervention measures that will assist
in students achievement. Considering that most secondary
schools in Abraka are currently rated as academically
unacceptable, it is reasonable to think these schools could have
lower exams scores the next school year falling victim scores to
WAECs lowest accountability label of academically
unacceptable. The findings from this study may provide school
authorities in secondary schools in Abraka with significant
factors that are impacting students poor performance on the
Mathematics portion of the WASSCE. Therefore, school
authorities may begin implementing educational innovations and
intervention to directly address those factors within their own
campuses to deter future hindrances.
Scope and Delimitation of the Study
The following limitations were applicable to this study. The
findings of the study were limited to Abraka and are only
applicable to large secondary schools. The validity and reliability
of the data collected from WAEC were dependents on the
7
information given at the WAEC website and regional office in
Abraka. Finance was a major challenge in carrying out this study,
gathering and compiling the findings.
Definition Explanation of Terms
School: School is a place where children go to be educated. Or
a place where people go to learn a particular subject or skill
Factor: One of several things that cause or influence something
Performance: This is the act of presenting a play or a piece of
music
Advancement: The process of helping something to make
progress or succeed
Mathematics: A science (or group of related sciences) dealing
with the logic of quantity and shape and arrangement.
8
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PROJECT CODE: 000313

SCHOOL LOCATION AS A FACTOR IN STUDENTS

DELTA STATE UNIVERSITY, ABRAKA

Summary of the Discussion of ResultsError! Bookmark

Mathematics is the bedrock of all science and

Background to the Study

Mathematics as a subject affects all aspect of human life at

different degrees. The socials, economics, political,

geographical, scientific and technological aspects of man is

centred on numbers. Disciplines where numbers are

predominant and form integral part of Mathematics include:

statistics, account, athematic, engineering, etc.

The inter=relationship between Mathematics, development

and advancement of humans shows the importance of

Mathematics in life due to its numeral and symbolic nature, it is

more related to the scientific and technological facets of mans

world than to any other aspect as it occurs and re=occurs in the

physical and natural sciences. The basic skills underlying all

scientific and technological skills are the control of the tools of

Mathematics is seen as the language used to describe the

problems arising in most branches of science and technology. It

is a subject that is related to other school subjects in areas like

numbers and numeration, variation, graphs, fractions,

logarithms and indices, algebraic processes, solution of equation

and also in area and volume.

In terms of the influence of home location on the academic

performance of students, the researcher was concerned with the

socio metric factors such as the kinds of social activities around

the home environment of the pupils. For instance, a pupil that

good English at school. Furthermore, pupils from home located

in an environment where there is noisy traffic and noisy sound

of machine from ply wood industry will be affected negatively in

their performance in school because the noisy environment will

disturb them from concentrating while reading and studying at

home and even in listening to educative radio programmes.

Hence, Ogbemudia and Aiasa (2013) maintained that

physical and psychological conditions of the home environment

affect the children academically. However, the performance of

students in mathematic has been a great concern to the society.

Awokoya (1975), Fafunwa (1980), both agreed in different

researches that we live in a world where science and technology

have become an integral part of the world culture, therefore for

any nation to be relevant, it must not overlook the importance

of Mathematics in her educational system.

Accordingly, the observed poor performance in

Mathematics has been a matter of serious concern to all well=

meaning educators. Students poor performance in Mathematics

difficult. In the same view, students performance in

Mathematics tests has been observed to vary from person to

person and from school to school.

This study therefore sought to provide data on the

performance of the students in Mathematics tests as it relates

school location (Urban to rural).

Long ago before the coming of Arabs and Europeans to

Africa, people had develop their own systems of educating,

although the systems varied from one community to the other,

their goals were often strikingly similar. At independence in

1961, education was viewed as the means to eradicating