THE EFFECT OF SCHOOL LOCATION AND SEX DIFFERENTIAL ON STUDENTS ACHIEVEMENT IN BIOLOGY EDUCATION

1.1 Introduction

The location of a school determines to a large extent the level of students’ achievement. Orji (2013) opined that school location implies ur- ban-rural setting. Urban schools are those schools in the municipalities or schools found within the towns and rural schools are those located in the villages or semi- urban areas. Economics, just like any other subject is influenced by the area in which the school is cited. This affects both the teachers and the learners alike. Distance of school from home, noisy environment and other variables are capable of hampering effective teaching and learning, to this end Owoeye and Yara (2011) noted that many parents were of the opinion that students whose schools are cited in towns perform better than their colleagues in village schools.

As a prelude to other parts of this study, this chapter will discuss the background upon which this study was initiated, the statement of problems that led to this study, the Aim and Objectives of the study. Others are Significance of the study, Scope of work, Limitations of the Study and Definition of technical terms.

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1.2 Background of Study

Gender gaps in educational outcomes are now a matter of growing concern to educational researchers today. Boys are increasingly less likely than girls to attend university and to receive a bachelor’s degree. Meanwhile, female undergraduates continue to be under-represented in such technical fields as engineering and computer science. One popular, if controversial, response to these patterns has been a renewed push for single-sex education − an effort that has drawn support from across political divides (Dee, 2006).

Regardless of the academic subject, boys, according to Dee (2006) are two to three times more likely than girls to be seen as disruptive, inattentive, and unlikely to complete their homework. However, how boys and girls view academic subjects vary across subjects in ways that parallel the gender gaps in subject test scores. For example, girls are more likely than boys to report that they are afraid to ask questions in Mathematics, Science, and Social Sciences. They are also less likely to look forward to these classes or to see them as useful for their future. Meanwhile, boys, as compared to girls, register more negative perceptions of English class.

But while boys and girls may exhibit different behaviours and prefer different subjects, Dee (2006) noted that it is not quite the same thing as having a different experience because of the gender of the teacher. The critical question here, therefore, is: Are there any evidences that teachers relate better to students whose gender they share or vice versa? According to Dee (2006), significant patterns can be detected within the United States National Educational Longitudinal Studies (NELS) data survey. He noted that when a class is headed by a woman, boys are more likely to be seen as disruptive, while girls are less likely to be seen as either disruptive or inattentive. Besides, when taught by a man, girls are more likely to report that they did not look forward to the subject, that it is not useful for their future, or that they are afraid to ask questions. The above situation is noted by Dee to be strongest in Science, where students’ report indicates that female science teachers are far more effective in promoting girls’ engagement with those fields of study.

Boys also have fewer positive reactions to their academic subject when taught by an opposite gender teacher. In particular, when taught by a female teacher, boys are more likely to report that they do not look forward to the subject (i.e. loose interest in the subject or find it less intriguing).

Besides, gender differences are obvious from birth and children are socialized very-early into appropriate sex-type occupation (Azikiwe 1993). Gender according to the United Nations (UN) definition as adopted by the Fourth World Conference on Women (F.M.C.W) 1996 in Beijing China is “Man and Woman” and this definition applies to this study. Green (1979) reveals that culture and tradition have assigned occupations to males and females in the society, thus each sex is straightjacket in areas considered exclusive for it. For instance, women traditionally are expected to be employed in such areas as nursing and teaching.

Also, in the Nigeria’s Pre-colonial traditional society before the advent of western education, indigenous education of children is polarized between the sexes according to their future roles in the society.

Fafunwa (1974) captures this trend through his explanation that boys received rigorous training on the farm under the instruction of their fathers, while girls underwent training at home in child care food preparation and so on under strict supervision of their mothers. Not too long ago in these times of formal western education in Nigeria, a dichotomy existed strictly in the kind of vocations pursued by boys and girls, perhaps as carryover effects. Emeyeonu (1994:125) properly described this situation by stating that girls were not supposed to go into Engineering, Law, and Medicine but should go into professions like teaching and nursing. He went further to assert that:

“A female student applying to study mechanical engineering is look down upon as an oddity and an exception to the role and perhaps should have her head examined. Girls were supposed to do Arts, Education and Home Economics. Unfortunately, most young Nigeria girls aspiring for higher studies have come to believe this myth and have approached their choice of careers with diffidence and timidity”.

Therefore, in Nigeria where the research was carried out, the activities that was conducted is to know the Effect of School Location and Sex Differential on Students Achievement in Biology Education.

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1.3 Statement of the Problem

The majority of arguments of single-sex schools and classrooms focused not only on the effects of gender on interactions among students, but also on the need to increase the number of students with teachers of the same gender (Krieg, 2005).

Besides, researchers like Meece (1987), Hopf and Hatzichristou (1999), Rodriguez (2002), and Etaugh and Hughes (1975) have found that (i) teachers interact differently with students of similar gender than they do with students of opposite gender, and (ii) that a teacher’s perception of student’s characteristics and abilities varies systematically by gender. Other studies according to Krieg (2005) found that male students benefit at the expense of female students in the amount and quality of interaction received from teachers of both genders.

Consequently, the arising questions here are: Is there any relationship between Economics teachers’ gender and their attitude to teaching Economics? What relationship does Economics teachers’ gender have with the quantity of class and home works given to students in Economics? Is there any relationship between Economics teachers’ gender and students’ performance in Economics? This study therefore attempts to find answers to the above posers through examining the correlation between teachers’ gender and students’ academic performance in Economics.

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1.4 Aim and Objectives of the Study

The aim of the study is to investigate the Effect of School Location and Sex Differential on Students Achievement in Biology Education. In achieving this aim, the following specific objectives were laid out as follows:

1. To determine whether the school location and teachers’ gender impacts his or her relationship with the respective students,
2. To ascertain whether there is any relationship between the teachers’ gender and the quantity and quality of class and home works given to students,
3. To determine whether there is any relationship between the teachers’ gender and students’ performance,
4. To ascertain whether teachers’ gender has any relationship with their attitude to teaching, and
5. To examine the effects of school location on students’ academic achievement in Biology Education.

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1.5 Research Questions

The study came up with research questions so as to be able to ascertain the above stated objectives. The specific research questions for the study are stated below as follows:

• Is there any relationship between the teachers’ gender and their attitude to teaching?
• Is there any relationship between teachers’ gender and students’ academic performance?
• Does the teachers’ gender impact their relationship with their respective students?
• What relationship has teachers’ gender with the quantity of class and home works given to students?

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1.6 Research Hypothesis

In order to pursue the objective of this study, the following generalized statements have been designed to guide and aids in obtaining the result for the experiment to be conducted. For this work, the null hypothesis will be represented with H0 while the alternative hypothesis will be represented with hypothesis H1.

Hypothesis One

• H0: There is no relationship between the teachers’ gender and their attitude to teaching Biology Education
• H1: There is relationship between the teachers’ gender and their attitude to teaching Biology Education

Hypothesis Two

• H0: There is no relationship between teachers’ gender and students’ academic performance in Biology Education
• H1: There is relationship between teachers’ gender and students’ academic performance in Biology Education

Hypothesis Three

• H0: There is no relationship between the teachers’ gender and the quantity of class and home works given to students in Biology Education
• H1: There is relationship between the teachers’ gender and the quantity of class and home works given to students in Biology Education

Hypothesis Four

• H0: Teachers’ gender and location does not impact their relationship with the respective students
• H1: Teachers’ gender and location impacts their relationship with the respective students

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1.7 Significance of the Study

This study would be significant for its content as a contribution to knowledge, as it articulates the relationship between school location and teacher’s gender differential influence on teacher’s relationship with students and the impact of this relationship on students’ academic performance.

The work will be useful to gender analyst. It will also be useful to the counsellor trainers and psychologist. It will also be useful to the teachers, parents and students.

Ultimately, its findings will also be of great reference to government, educational planners and policy makers, educational administrators and so on, when making decisions on issues pertaining to recruitment of teachers to boys’ or girls’ school.

This study will be of immense benefit to other researchers who intend to know more on this study and can also be used by non-researchers to build more on their research work. This study contributes to knowledge and could serve as a guide for other study.

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1.8 Scope of Study

This study focuses on the Effect of School Location and Sex Differential on Students Achievement in Biology Education in Federal University of Technology (FUTO).

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1.9 Limitations of the Study

During the course of this study, many things militated against its completion, some of which are:

1. Time Constraint: The time frame given to accomplish this project was very short due to school academic calendar and it was carried out under pressure which made the researcher not to implement some necessary features.
2. Establishment Policies: Establishment policies posed a serious limitation as most staffs are not ready to release information needed for this project work. There were lots of information needed from the staffs of this establishment to enhance the study which took them time to release or they did not release at all for security purposes, hence the scope was reduced.
3. Research material: availability of research material is a major setback to the scope of the study.
4. Frequent power failure: This made the researcher append more money on fuel to ensure sustainable power.
5. Financial Constraint: Insufficient fund tends to impede the efficiency of the researcher in sourcing for the relevant materials, literature or information and in the process of data collection (internet).

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1.10 Definition of Terms

1. Gender: This refers to biologic maleness and femaleness of an individual.
2. Teaching: This is process of developing the cognitive, affective and psychomotor powers of the learners. It is also a process whereby knowledge is transmitted from the teacher to the learner. It is as well a complex process whereby the learner is made to pay attention, make observation, association ideas, and remembers previous experiences.
3. Profession: A type of work for which you need special knowledge and training.
4. Teacher: Anyone who impacts knowledge to another who is the recipient of what is being impacted (learner).