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Abstract

The purpose of the study was to determine the influence of parental occupational background and family status on students’ interest in junior secondary social studies in Jigawa state. Six research questions and four hypotheses guided the study. Literature was reviewed un four major sub-headings namely conceptual framework, theoretical framework, review of empirical studies, and summary of literature reviewed. The study adopted expo-facto design. The population of the study covers all the five thousand six hundred and eighty-seven (5,687) JS3 students in Jigawa State. Purposive sampling technique was used to sample four hundred and eighty JSS3 students. A structured questionnaire developed by the researcher and validated by research experts which yielded a reliability index of 0.87 was used for data collection. The data collected were analyzed using mean and standard deviation to answer the research questions while Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) was used to test the research hypotheses. The major findings of the study were that parental occupational background and family status have low influence on students’ interest in social studies in terms of gender; that parental occupational background and family status have significant influence on students’ interest in social studies in terms of location among others. Based on the findings of the study, relevant conclusions were drawn and recommendations were made.

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

Background of the Study

Social
studies education has been given a prominent place as a core subject in junior
secondary schools in Nigeria. The subject was introduced in 1982. The
importance of social studies cannot be over-emphasized. This is because the
learning of social studies equips learners with functional knowledge,
attitudes, skills, and values. The functional knowledge, attitude, skills, and
values which social studies offers could have been the reason the Federal
Government of Nigeria made the subject compulsory.

            Social studies content of
instruction is society focused. The curriculum is integrated and the
composition of the content is derived from various sources. The sources are:
the social sciences, humanities and physical sciences (Nwanyanwu, 2005). The
components of social studies curriculum is organized to address the problems of
man and to equip the learner with realistic skills, knowledge, values and
attitude to be responsive and responsible to environmental problems and
challenges. The learners are further equipped with desirable values and
attitudes capable of strengthening national unity, co-operation, tolerance, and
national consciousness. Through right attitudes and values, learners will
appreciate the fact that Nigeria as a multi-ethnic society requires peace and
accommodation of one another (ethnic and religious group notwithstanding) in
order to achieve effective nation building (Mezieobi, 2013). These lofty ideals
and objectives of social studies cannot be achieved if the social studies learners
have no genuine interest in subject.

Ahmed
(2009) explains that, the first and crucial step towards effective realization
of subject curriculum objectives (social studies inclusive) is the ability of
the students to study such subject with interest. This explanation, perhaps,
shows why Abdullahi (2010) remarks that the extent to which social studies
curriculum objectives are achieved depends on the extent to which social
studies students read, study and understand social studies curriculum contents.
The above statement was borne out of the fact that social studies curriculum
content is organized sequentially, such that effective reading with interest of
the initial content of the social studies curriculum will facilitate effective
reading of the subsequent contents.

However,
the major worry of this study is that research evidence from several scholars
such as Suleman (2009), Ahmed (2009), Bello (2011), Mohammed (2011) among other
proved that students decline in their general performance in social studies.
Interest, according to Adam (2010), means attention to something. In this
context, interest means attention to studying of social studies. Furthermore,
Adeleye (2011) views interest as the curiosity to do something. In the context
of this study interest means the curiosity to study relevant social studies
materials. The application of curiosity in studying social studies by students
could enhance their performance in junior secondary school social studies.

Success, in an educational institution, is measured by
academic performance of students. Over the years, the importance of students
doing well in school has become the common concern of parent, legislators,
teachers, counselors, psychologist and other stakeholders. According to Bello
(2002), parents devote a lot of resources to their children’s education because
they believe that student’s interest in education and by implication good
academic performance will provide a stable future for them. However, students’
interest in academic activities both in schools and homes has been on the
decline. Wilkins (2001) opined that many educational authorities have sought to
find out reasons for the downward trend in interest of secondary school
students in educational activities. Uwaifo (2008) attributed the cause of low
interest of children in educational activities to a combination of personal and
institutional factors. The personal factors include the level of individual’s aspiration,
intelligence, knowledge and ability, while institutional factors are family or
parental influence.

Family,
according to Akubue (2006), is defined as a group of persons united by ties of
marriage, blood or adoption, constituting a single household, interacting with
each other in their respective social roles as husband and wife, father and
mother, brother and sister and creating a common culture. Family is also
defined as a single social unit in human society which is extricably interwoven
with all other system (Agulana, 2009). Whatever the short comings the above
definitions may have, family is universally and culturally accepted as a social
institution throughout the world. It is also recognized as the bedrock of any
society responsible for primary socialization of its members. In support of the
above, Robboy (2010) states categorically that everyone knows a great deal
about families because all human beings were probably socialized by parents and
teachers.

According to Olayinka (2004), family, especially stable
family, is the bed rock of any society. Obayan (2004) reported that a stable
and well developed childhood can be guaranteed by a stable family. Kilgore,
Snyder, & Lentz (2000) claimed that the family environment is the most
powerful influence in determining a child’s academic achievement. It is obvious
that families have substantial influence on a child’s academic performance in
school subjects including social studies. Could the kind of occupation the
parents do as well as the degree of stability of the family be factors in
family influence on students’ interest in academic activities? Moreover, how do
gender and location, as moderator variables, interact with parental occupation
and family stability to influence students’ interest in social studies?

Gender,
according to Robert (2007), is a social construct which is not biologically
determined but a concept equivalent to race or class. Lee (2001) noted that
gender is an ascribed attribute that differentiate feminine from masculine in
the society. Gender is by this attribute seen as the categorization in the
world of matter into sex. Offorma (2004) viewed gender as a learned socially
constructed condition ascribed to male and female. Offorma further noted that
gender is enforced through cultural practices, as gender identity is the outcome
of cultural learning; hence the expectations from male and female are dependent
on their cultural milieus. In the context of this study, gender is a cultural
construction that assigns roles, attitudes and values considered appropriate
for each sex. Indeed, these cultural roles assigned to male and female could
have interactive influence on parental occupation and family stability as
factors of students’ interest in social studies.  Usman (2009) found out in a study that the
female students are more affected in their academic achievement by family
instability. On the contrary, Danladi (2010) found out in a study that family
status affects both male and female students’ academic performance. Gender is
an important variable in this study because male and female children react
differently to family instability. In support of this statement, Anderson
(2013) explains that while the male children can cope with family statuswith
minimal stress, the female children find it difficult to move on in an unstable
family. Thus, this study seeks to determine among other things the influence of
parental occupation and family stability on students’ interest in junior
secondary social studies in terms of gender.

Location
is another variable which the study seeks to determine its place in the
influence of parental occupation and family stability on students’ interest in
social studies. Location is a place where somebody or something resides in the
world. Oguniyi (2008) noted that location can also mean a settlement whether a
village, town or city usually by human beings. Benton (2000) also described
location as a geographical place or an area. Contextually, location in this
study implies a geographical place or area where something or somebody is
situated, be it rural or urban area. Location is also an important variable in
this study because the place of residence of the children, that is urban or
rural area, could influence the way reacts to family instability. In support of
this statement, Onoja (2014) reported that while the urban children easily
adapt to the cases of family instability, the rural children are serious
affected emotionally and psychologically. Therefore, this study seeks to determine
if location is a variable of influence in parental occupation and family
stability as determinants of students’ interest in social studies.

            Indeed, studies as the present one
is important especially in Jigawa State to enable education stakeholders plan
effectively on the ways to reduce the influence which family status could have
on students’ interest in academic activities. In Jigawa state, research
evidence abounds on the increasing rate of family status as a result of
dominant polygamous family system (Danladi, 2010). On the other hand, the
increasing rate of unemployment in Nigeria which compelled most parents to be
under employed could have influence on students’ interest in school subjects
including social studies. The reason for the concern in social studies is that
the subject deals with man in the society. Thus, it contains reasonable
contents that discuss the family since she is regarded as the basic unit of the
society (Mohammed, 2011). Therefore, students from unstable family may lose
interest in social studies once the contents on family issues are taught in the
classroom. Furthermore, considering the location of Jigawa State in the core Northern
Nigeria where peace and national consciousness is required, effective learning
of social studies with interest by the students becomes necessary. However, the
major worry is that inspite of the importance of social studies in training
responsible citizens, not much has been done to find out the influence of
parental occupation and family stability on students’ interest in junior
secondary school social studies in Jigawa State. It is against this background
that the present study seeks to determine the influence of parental occupation
and family stability on students’ interest in social studies in junior
secondary schools in Jigawa State.   

Statement of the Problem

Social
studies is an emerging subject of instruction in junior secondary schools in
Nigeria. The nature and scope of social studies, particularly at the junior
secondary school level, is focused on man’s activities in the society. The
subject centres on developing individuals who are socially, economically, and
politically responsible. Hence, social studies curriculum is described as the
embodiment of social, economic, and political needs of the contemporary
society. It is important to note that the ability of social studies curriculum,
to develop socially, economically, and politically responsible individuals,
depends on the interest of students in social studies. However, the major worry
of the study is that research evidence shows that there is increasing rate of family
status in the Jigawa State and this could affect students’ interest in junior
secondary school social studies. The reason for the concern in social studies
is that the subject deals with man in the society. Thus, it contains reasonable
issues that discuss the family since she is regarded as the basic unit of the
society. Therefore, students from unstable family may lose interest in social
studies once the contents that contain family issues are taught in the
classroom.

Therefore,
the problem of this study put in question form is. Could the occupation of
parents and family stability be influencing students’ interest in social
studies in Jigawa State? How are gender and location interacting with parents’
occupation and family status to influence students’ interest in social studies
in Jigawa State?

Purpose of the Study

            The main purpose of the study is to
determine the influence of parental occupation and family status on students’
interest in junior secondary school social studies in Jigawa State.
Specifically, the study intends to find out the:

1. influence
   of parental occupational background on students’ interest in junior secondary
   school social studies in Jigawa State.
2. influence
   of family status on students’ interest in junior secondary school social
   studies in Jigawa State.
3. gender-related differences in the influence
   of parental occupational background on students’ interest in junior secondary
   school studies in Jigawa State.
4. gender-related differences in the influence
   of family status on students’ interest in junior secondary school studies in
   Jigawa State.
5. location-related
   differences in the influence of parental occupational background on students’
   interest in junior secondary school studies in Jigawa State.
6. location-related differences in the
   influence of family status on students’ interest in junior secondary school
   studies in Jigawa State.

Significance of the Study

The study has both theoretical and practical significance.
Theoretically, the study is anchored on Family Systems Theory by Murray Bowen (1968).Family
systems theory draws on systems thinking to view the family as an emotional
unit. When applied to families, systems thinking (i.e evaluating the parts of a
system in relation to the whole) suggests that an individual’s behavior is
informed by and inseparable from the functioning of his or her family of
origin. In essence, the theory assumes that the condition of the family affects
the general activities or actions of individual members of the family. Thus,
the findings of this study will either help to support the theory or refute it
by showing the extent to which parental occupation and family stability
influence students’ interest in junior secondary school social studies in
Jigawa State.

Practically, the findings of the study will be significant to
the students, teachers, curriculum planners, and the government. For the students,
the study will provide them with the opportunity to express their opinion on
how the occupation of their parents as well as the stability of their family
influenced their interest in social studies. The students will have the
opportunity to do this through filling the interest scale developed by the
researcher for data collection. Furthermore, the findings of the study will
help to show, the education authorities the influence which parents’ occupation
and family stability has on students’ interest. This will help to prompt those
concerned to control the influence which parental occupation and family stability
has on students’ interest in junior secondary school social studies positively.
This can be done through formulating and implementing relevant policies that
will help reduce the rate of family statusin the state.

For the teachers, the findings of the study will help them
to ascertain the influence of parental occupation and family stability on
students’ interest in junior secondary school social studies in Jigawa State.
This will enable the teachers to know areas where they can help the students to
overcome the influence. This can be done by encouraging and counseling the
students in the classroom, application of different but relevant teaching
methods to enable students from different family background develop interest in
studying and understanding social studies contents.

For the parents, the findings of the study will help them to
have knowledge of the influence which their occupation and the stability of
their family have on their children interest in social studies. This knowledge
will help the parents to engage in meaningful occupation that will enable them
support their children education. Furthermore, it will help the parents to
always maintain a stable family to enable their children have peaceful and
relaxed mind to study in school.

For the government, the findings of the study will be
significant in the sense that the study will help the government to ascertain
the influence of parental occupation and family stability on students’ interest
in social studies. This will enable the government to know the crucial areas
where interventions through government policies and actions are needed to
control the negative influence of parental occupation and family stability on
students’ interest in social studies. This intervention could be in form of
creating meaningful jobs for parents, promoting and encouraging peaceful
co-existence in the family through mass media programmes.

Scope of the Study

            This study has content and area
scope. The content scope of the study covers: the influence of parental
occupation on students’ interest in junior secondary school social studies; the
influence of family status on students’ interest in junior secondary school
social studies; gender as a factor on the influence of parental occupation and
family status on students’ interest in junior secondary school social studies;
and location as a factor on the influence of parental occupation and family status
on students’ interest in junior secondary school social studies. For parental
occupation, the study will limit its scope to few occupation like teaching, civil
servant (other than teacher), farmers, and businessmen/women.  The area scope of the study covers all the
public junior secondary school in all the twenty-seven Local Government Areas
in Jigawa State of Nigeria. 

Research Questions

The
following research questions will guide the study.

1. What
   are the mean interest scores of social studies students from different parental
   occupational background in junior secondary schools in Jigawa State?
2. What
   are the mean interest scores of social studies students from different family
   status categories in junior secondary schools in Jigawa State?
3. What
   are the mean interest scores of male and female social studies students of different
   parental occupational background in junior secondary schools in Jigawa State?
4. What
   are the mean interest scores of male and female social studies students from
   different family status categories in junior secondary schools in Jigawa State?
5. What
   are the mean interest scores of urban and rural social studies students of
   different parental occupational background in junior secondary schools in
   Jigawa State?
6. What
   are the mean interest scores of urban and rural social studies students from
   different family status categories in junior secondary schools in Jigawa State?

Hypotheses of the Study

The following null hypotheses will be tested at .05 level of
significance.

H0₁: There is no
significant difference in the mean interest scores of male and female social
studies students of different parental occupational background in junior
secondary schools in Jigawa State.

H0₂: There is no
significant difference in the mean interest scores of male and female social
studies students from different family status categories in junior secondary
schools in Jigawa State.

H0₃: There is no
significant difference in the mean interest scores of urban and rural based social
studies students of different parental occupational background in junior
secondary schools in Jigawa State.

H0₄: There is no significant difference in the mean interest scores of urban and rural social studies students from different family status categories in junior secondary schools in Jigawa State.

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