AN EVALUATION OF THE IMPACTS OF FAMILY BACKGROUND ON THE PRIMARY SCHOOL PUPILS’ COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background Of Study
In every community, parents have always been the primary caregivers for their children. Because of this, the family is regarded as an essential source of socialization. According to Adekeyi (2002), children’s efforts and abilities are primarily what shape them into productive members of society. As a result, society as a whole gains whenever parents have access to the knowledge and abilities they need to raise their children effectively and joyfully. This encourages growth and peaceful coexistence, as well as national pride. Children have a positive self-image and bring joy to their parents and the community as a whole.
With this in mind, the influence of a child’s family on their cognitive development is a crucial component of progress. According to Henry (2015), children’s cognitive development is influenced in either a positive or negative way by their parents’ upbringing. A well-off family will actively support their children’s education. Essentially, Ezewu (2017) said that a parent’s family foundation affects their youngsters, especially regarding scholarly accomplishment.
The primary responsibility of parents is to raise their children in a way that respects and upholds the norms and principles of society. They also teach kids about rules, customs, and appropriate behavior. According to Udoka (2013), parents are also obligated to provide their children with housing, food, education, security, and opportunities for personal growth. This is the family of orientation. Academic achievement of children is influenced by parents’ educational attainment. For instance, academically, children are always well-cared for in a family where both parents are educated. After school, they could look through their kids’ exercise books or pay a private school to tutor them. As a result, their academic performance will improve; alternatively, an illiterate family lacks the responsibility to monitor their children’s exercise books, resulting in poor school performance (Merick, 2015).
Additionally, it goes without saying that a child’s educational success is influenced by both environmental and inherited factors.
A child’s academic performance in school is affected by hereditary factors. When a child inherits defective genes from either parent, this occurs; such a kid will battle to learn well regardless of whether the climate is reasonable to learning (Ndidi, 2016). On the other hand, a child whose parents have a very high gene level may struggle in an environment that doesn’t stimulate them. A favorable environment is necessary for a child’s cognitive development, according to Zenab (2014). An inhibiting environment has the potential to turn a brilliant child into a mediocre, while a stimulating environment has the potential to turn a potential mediocrity into an intellectual giant. This study aims to ascertain how a child’s family background influences their cognitive development in primary school.
1.2 Problem Statement For a long time, many members of society have been concerned about the impact of family background, specifically the socioeconomic status of parents, on their children’s cognitive development. In a school setting, children of wealthy parents perform intellectually better than those of poor parents. On the other hand, Jude (2011) suggested that wealthy children tend to be more intellectually adrift in school than children from average or poor homes. The teacher instructs the students in a group context, regardless of their Owerri Municipal school.
As a result, the assumptions and misconceptions of society serve as the foundation for this study. As a result, the researcher is in a good position to discover the extent to which children’s academic performance is influenced by their family background and the factors that contribute to this effect. As a result, the researcher will find solutions to problems and suggest ways to eradicate or improve the condition for the benefit of students, parents, educators, schools, and society as a whole.
1.3 The Purpose Of The Study The study’s overarching objective is to critically examine the influence of family background on the cognitive development of primary school students. As a result, the study will focus on the following specific goals:
1. Determine the extent to which students’ cognitive development is influenced by their family background.
2. Determine the extent to which students’ cognitive development is influenced by parental involvement.
3. Determine how the students’ cognitive development is affected by the availability of study materials at home.
1.4 Research Hypotheses This study will validate the following statements:
H01: The students’ cognitive development is not significantly influenced by their family history.
H02: Parents’ involvement has little impact on students’ cognitive development.
H03: The cognitive development of students is not influenced by the availability of study materials at home.
1.5 Importance of the Study This research will, without a doubt, significantly bring parents’ spiritual and practical responsibilities to their children to light once more. The educational system and society will be more stable, disciplined, and productive if this is accomplished.
It will also be used as a literature review by future researchers. This means that other students who might decide to study this topic will be able to use this study as a source of relevant literature for critical analysis. The findings of the study always make significant contributions to the body of academic knowledge regarding the influence of family background on the cognitive development of primary school students.
1.6 The Purpose of the Study The purpose of this study is to generally assess the influence of family background on the cognitive development of primary school students. However, the study will also investigate the extent to which a student’s family background influences their cognitive development, the degree to which parental involvement influences their cognitive development, and the availability of study materials at home.
As a result, the four selected primary schools in Owerri, Imo State, will be the focus of this study.
1.7 The Study’s Limitations Like in every human endeavor, the researcher encountered a few limitations while conducting the study. The researcher chose a small sample size because insufficient funds typically hinder the researcher’s ability to obtain relevant materials, literature, or information and to collect data effectively. Even more so, the researcher was working on other academic projects at the same time on this study. As a consequence of this, less time will be spent on research.
1.8 Terms’ definitions Family history: This mostly refers to a family’s social, economic, cultural, and welfare characteristics.
Parental inclusion: Parents are invited to school events and activities, and teachers provide learning materials and grades to their students.
Brain development: This refers to a child’s growth in terms of information processing, conceptual resources, perceptual skill, language acquisition, and other aspects of the mature adult brain and cognitive psychology.
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