THE INFLUENCE OF SCHOOL RECORDS ON THE ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE OF SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS

1.1 Introduction

Record keeping in the administration and management of senior secondary school is very vital if made available and put to use at the appropriate time, it will not only enable the teacher to monitor the progress of the child, but also enable them to give information to parents and guardians about the progress being made by their children. To the head teachers, the school records would enable him to follow the implementation and evaluation of the school curriculum and programmes, as well as ensure good conduct of teachers and students within the school system. One of the efficient ways of planning, organizing, storing, and retrieving information in Nigeria’s senior secondary schools is through record keeping. The principles of keeping, managing and utilizing records are the very crucial.

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, Research hypothesis and questions, Limitations of the Study and Definition of technical terms.

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1.2 Background of Study

Proper keeping of School records furnishes parents with data on the activities, problems and achievements of their children or wards. Some records provide students with information on the pattern of their progress. Through appropriate records, prospective employers often gather information on the background, nature, activities and achievements of applicants. If a student seeks transfer from one school to another, school records are needed to determine whether or not he should be accepted by the school to which he seeks transfer. Accurate records are crucial factor in the successful planning of the financial, physical and human resources in the school system by Ministry of Education and other relevant agencies. Commenting on the issue of records keeping in schools, Davis (2016) identified areas of school records keeping which include; historical records, financial records and academic records. He further stated that every record has its importance in helping to determine how school programmes will be planned.

Weggant (2010) opined that records are information or data on a specific subject or activity collected and preserved for future use. The essence of record keeping is to enable the management or educators make effective decision and formulate relevant policies. An organization or any educational system that refuses to attach importance to proper record management would run into liquidation at the long run. It is the records of the past events or activities which were preserved that are used by administrators for planning and control of the present programmes or activities. Some records are mandatory, example, register of admission, register of attendance and fees, progress and withdrawal of students.

Akubo (2015) noticed that records like student’s attendance register and student class record book should be properly documented. To enable the school administrator identify students who attend classes regularly there is need for proper record keeping. School Records like classroom re-enables a teacher or school administrator to identify a student who is a truant.

Edem (2012) in agreement stated that proper record keeping on academic performance of students is imperative for academic decisions. The academic administrator will therefore, be able to determine the term and yearly academic performance of students and take necessary precautionary measures towards improving their academic performance where necessary. Apart from keeping records of students’ performance in tests, take home assignments, records of external performances like outside quizzes and debates are also important.

Olaboye (2015) added that data collected from school records on students or pupils’ enrolment and school facilities can be used for strategic planning purposes. This can be analyzed in order to determine the number of teachers and other resources that would be needed by the school. Within the school, records would enhance planning for placement of students into higher classes. Proper records keeping improves restructured programmes such as lesson plans, schemes of work, and records of work. Teaching activities could be improved when records of what have been done and what have should be done within a period are outlined. Consequently, teachers would be advised, praised, encouraged and directed as appropriate. However, schools and classroom administrators should develop positive attitudes towards record keeping.

Therefore, in Nigeria where the research was carried out, the activities that was conducted is to know the Influence of School Records on the Academic Performance of Secondary School Students.

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1.3 Statement of Problems

Investigation revealed that there has been a recurring public discussion on the issue of records keeping by school administrators particularly in secondary schools in Chikun LGA of Kaduna State. The series of complaints has been from teachers, students, guardians, parents and other educational stakeholders that record-keeping in secondary schools is very porous, time-consuming and the records are at times, not available. According to the stakeholders, the total neglect of records keeping is seriously affecting the management of schools in terms of proper planning of future academic programmes. If the secondary level is to perform well, there is need for properly kept records as these will make the management efficient and effective.

Academic failures among secondary school students have been the subject of interest in Chikun LGA. Students drop out due to poor academic performance as early as after their enrolment. Many interested parties' debate and try to find reasons for this poor performance. Consequently, the ability to predict a student's performance could be useful in many ways to stakeholders of secondary schools. Observation by the researcher has shown that this situation has not been adequately investigated in the study area. There is therefore a felt need by the researcher to investigate into the possible impact of record keeping on effective management in the study area. The problem of this study stated in a question form is therefore; how does school record has effect on secondary school students in Chikun L.G.A. of Kaduna State.

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1.4 Aim and Objectives of Study

The aim of the study is to investigate the Influence of School Records on the Academic Performance of Secondary School Students. In achieving this aim, the following specific objectives were laid out as follows:

1. To examine the school records kept and maintenance processes of the records in Secondary Schools;
2. To examine the effect of school records on secondary school students’ academic performance;
3. To examine the challenges associated with the keeping of school records;
4. To examine the relationship between school records and secondary school students’ academic performance; and
5. To examine the management option that can be employed to improve record keeping processes in school records in Chikun LGA, Kaduna State.

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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:

• Are there challenges associated with the keeping of school records?
• Is there any significant effect of school records on secondary school students’ academic performance?
• How are records kept and maintained in Secondary Schools in Chikun LGA, Kaduna State?
• What is the relationship between school records and secondary school students’ academic performance?
• What is the management option that can be employed to improve record keeping processes in school records in Chikun LGA, Kaduna state?

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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 significant effect of school records on secondary school student’s academic performance
• H1: There is a significant effect of school records on secondary school student’s academic performance

Hypothesis Two

• H0: There is no significant relationship between school records and secondary school student’s academic performance.
• H1: There is a significant relationship between school records and secondary school student’s academic performance

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1.7 Significance of Study

This study would be of immense benefit to school administrators and teachers in Kaduna State since it would enlighten the administrators on the necessity of adopting modern system of record keeping through the use of improved technologies.

1. The findings may provide useful statistics for education planning, administration and management. Solution to problems of data collection, processing and utilization is provided through statistic analysis of information from records kept.
2. It will assist education inspectors/supervisors to assess students and teachers performance through available records that are authentically produce and adequately rich in content.
3. It will enhance teacher performance through interaction with supervisors during school inspection process. The study would provide some useful hints to school administrators on how to keep students’ academic records so as to be able to retrieve them as at when required.
4. The findings of the study would help them to access students’ records so as to enable them organize remedial lesson for them where necessary.
5. The findings of the study would enable school administrators to adopt proper technique of keeping schools record.
6. This research will also be relevant to researchers as a source of material for further research in the body of knowledge.

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1.8 Scope of Study

The scope of the research is focused on the Influence of School Records on the Academic Performance of Secondary School Students in Chikun L.G.A. of Kaduna State.

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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. Research material: availability of research material is a major setback to the scope of the study.
3. Frequent power failure: This made the researcher append more money on fuel to ensure sustainable power.
4. 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, questionnaire and interview).

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1.10 Definition of Terms

Records: Records are an items or collection of data that is develop as a result of series of activities that takes place over period of time.

School Records: School records are official documents, books and files containing essential and crucial information of actions and events which are kept and preserved in the school office for utilization and retrieval of information when needed. Such records are kept by principals, teachers, councilors or administrative staff.