INTRODUCTION
Background of the Study:
Education is the best legacy a nation can give to her citizens especially the youth. This is because the development of any nation or community depends youth. This is because the development of any nation or community depends largely on the quality of education of such a nation. It is generally believed that the basis for any true development must commence with the development of human resources. Much then is said formal education remains the vehicle for social-economic development and social mobilization in any witnessed prolong military rule and aborted civilian administrations, which necessitude the promulgation of decrees, edicts and levels. The inconsistence continuation of government, due to coup de tat de-emphasized the continuity in the implementation of educational laws and polices since 1970’s till the present time. This gradually laid the foundation of fallen standard in education at the primary and secondary school levels (Shittu, 2004)
Frequently changes of ministers and commissioners of education by successive government coupled with the politicization of education by political parties that emerged in the country’s political parties that emerged in the country’s political scene 1979 have also brought about disparity in educational practices, which caused differential academic performance and classroom functioning of both teachers and students, from state to state.
Material academic performance and classroom function of both teachers and students from state to state.
According to Olotu (1994) in the quest of finding survival feet, the nation has evolved series o socio-economic and educational measures and policies such as structural adjustment programmes (SAP), Austerity measures, universal primary education (UPE), Universal Basic education (UBE) and devaluation of the Naira. .These measures have not improved the social economic and educational status of families in the country.
They have rather increased their suffering, and widened the socio-economic gaps between families.
Johnson (1996) lamented that parents become poor due to there hard measures such that they can no longer provide shelter, clothing and special need of their children in school/such as provision of text books . school uniforms and good medical care and so on high level of illiteracy, poverty and law socio-economic status coupled with high rate of paternal and maternal deprivation of student academic needs which was necessitated by poor socio-economics situation of the country has thrown many farmers and other ruler dwellers into untold financial problems such as poverty, lack of money to purchase necessary text books and working materials for their kids.
Also many rural and sub-urban dwellers can no longer pay the school students to deposit of school to engage in subsistence farming and become housemaids or engage in other mental jobs to support their academic pursuit. Hence, many student have since taken schooling as a secondary assignment and school attendance or rational basis.
The resultant problem posed by this poor academic performance in school examination National Examinations council (NECO) and West Africa Examination Council (WAEC). This trend is posing huge. Problems to parents, government, political parties and stakeholders in education. This paper thus examines the socio-economic factors responsible for the poor academic performance of secondary school students, in the local government area of Oyo state Nigeria. Basic issues Home background: Home background according to PISA (progamme international student Assessment, 2000) influences academic and educational success of students and schoolwork, while socio-economic status reinforces the activities and functioning of the teachers and students. From the above, it is reversed that the quality of parents and home background of student goes a long way to predict the quality and regularity of the satisfaction and provision of a child’s functional survival and academic needs. poor parental care with gross deprivation of social and economic needs of a child, usually yield poor academic performance of the child. On the other hand, where a child suffers parental and material deprivation and care due to divorce or death, or ascending of one of the parents the child schooling may be financially buoyant to pay school fees, purchase books uniforms, such child may play truant, thus his performances in school may be adversely affected (Shittu, 2004). Similarly, good parenting supported by strong economic home background could enhance strong academic performance of the child.
This further predicts academic performance where the child is properly counseled in the choice of his/her courses and vocation that matches his mental ability, interest and capacity where as the children to the care of the illiterate mothers will find themselves roaming about the street laboring to make ends meet.
Danesy and Okediran (2012) lamented that street hawking among young school students have psychologically imposed other problems, like sex networking behavior, Juvenile delinquent behavior, which takes much of the student school time that necessitated the poor academic performance and drop out syndrome noticed among young school students. Nevertheless, they also lamented that the materials and patterned deprivation of the essential needs of the young student have prompted their poor performance in public examination, such as JSSC, WAEC and NECO. Learning Environment: The learning environment that is free of Barriers, or obstacles or distractions such as noise, gas/smoke pollutions and so on can constitute a health hazards, which in turn affect or reduces student’s concentration or perceptual or conceptual focus to learning (spr in thrall, 1987). Markets and garages located near school have always posed a threat to students. Noise and pollution from these sources have always endangered students’ life and concentration. Therefore for an effective learning and high academic performance, schools a both ruler and sub-urban and urban areas should be located off zones, characterized with smoke/ gas pollutions, market centers or garages.
As conducive learning environments stimulate learning, understanding and high perception. Other factors according to Danes (2004, complementing environmental and socio-economic factors to produce high academic achievements and performance include good teaching, counseling, good administration, good seating arrangement and good building. Dilapidating buildings lacking mental stimulating facilities that are characterized with low or no seating arrangement will also be destructive. Danes, however, lamented that the innovative environment  do stimulate head start learning and mental perception, not only that, it has also been proved that student that come from simulative environment with laboratory equipments or those that are taught with rich instructional aids, pictures and allowed to demonstrate using their functional nerves like, eyes, hands, and sense of taste. Performed better than those trained under theoretical and canopy of abstraction. Thus teaching and learning should be done under organized, planned and fortified environment with learning instructional aids to stimulate students sense of conception, and concentration to facilitate systematic understanding and acquisition of knowledge in them. SsIn sum a combination of a healthy family background living in good environment plus the child being educated in a conducive environment with a fortified learning or instructional aids or motivational incentives will prompt academic performance. Furthermore, it has been played that some factors which are present in the family contribute greatly to the academic performance of the student. Among these are parental educational background income exposure, parental relationship, with each other strength of the family determines to a grater extent the readiness of the child to learn. Never the less, the influence of other factor like mental and physical disabilities can account for poor family background being an umbrella in the initiation of the child in the world should provide favorable conditions which will improve the academic performance of the child irrespective of the constraints encountered in the academic pursuits.
Furthermore, it has been X-rayed that some factors which are present in the family contributed greatly to the performance of the student.
Among these are parental educational background, income, exposure parental relationship with each other strength of the family/ population, religion sex difference action, occupation etc. the interplay of these factors in the family determines the to a greater extent the readiness of the child to lean. Nevertheless, the influence of other factor like mental and physical disabilities can account for poor academic performance in biology. In the whole, the family background being an umbrella in the inflation of the child into the world should provide favorable conditions which will improve the academic performance of the child, irrespective of the constraints encountered in his academic pursuits.
Statement of The Problem
Observations and reports from examination bodies like WAEC, NECO and Jamb revealed that a high percentage of secondary school students continue to do poorly in biology examinations. This poor performance is likely to be caused by some factors such as lack of parental care, poverty and lack of interest in education hence. This study sought to investigate the extent to which these variable determine the biology achievement of secondary school students in Eungu North local government area of Enugu State.
Purpose of the Study
This research work aim at the following:
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Significant of the Study
The usefulness of this research work in the educational system cannot be over emphases. If the result of the study is properly utilized, it is going to be benefit to the students, teachers, parents and government.
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Scope of the study:
The researchers confine the study to secondary schools in Eungu North local government area. Specifically designed for senior secondary schools students who are engaged in biology science.
This means that the application of the research findings in generalization within the geographical area of Eungu North local government area.
Research Questions
In order to achieve the derived objectives the following research questions were raised to guide the study.
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