CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
Background to the study
The Internet is a global network of computers linked
together over large distances. It was created by the American military as a
means of communication and has been in existence since the I950s Osunade,(2003).
Up until the mid- to late eighties mainly commercial organisations and
educational institutions used the Internet. This was due to high costs. The
rapid development of technology has seen improvement in communication links and
a lowering of costs. The implication is that the Internet is now more widely
available to more people. The availability and the process by which an effort
to use the Internet through an electronic communications system is carried out
is referred to as Internet access. The UCLA Internet Report, 1999 that the
Internet promises to have a far larger and more serious impacts on our society
than the introduction of television; possibly as great an influence on history
as the industrial revolution or the printing press. Ojedokun (2001) stated
that, it has broken down barriers of
communication and information access from anywhere in the world. It is fast,
reliable and does not have restrictions on content or format. It also has a
limitless range of facilities, which assist users to access almost infinite
amounts of information. It offers the opportunity for access to up to- date
research reports and knowledge globally. It has thus become an important
component of electronic services in academic institutions.
Globally, the Internet has opened countless new
opportunities for students. In fact, it has given a very open approach to
education where students are no longer dependent on their teachers or textbooks
as their only sources of information. With the Internet in vogue, students are
no longer limited to what is in the school library, nor do they have to wait
for books to come into the school library. Pew Internet and American Life
Project (2005), Internet usage is a staple of students' educational experience
as they use it to communicate with teachers and classmates, to do assignment
and to access library materials. For most of them it is a functional tool, one
that has greatly changed the way they interact with others and with information
as they go about their studies. Thus, the Internet broadens students' horizons
beyond their local boundaries (of home and neighbourhood school) and provides
an environment in which its impact may be immeasurable. Li and Chung, (2006)
and Barges, (2006) incite numerous privileges the Internet has ushered into the
students' world, such studies have established that there are some materials
available on the Internet that may be offensive to some students. This might
make the Internet be regarded as a strange place just because it is unregulated
and unmonitored; its users can be somewhat anarchic and outspoken, to put it
mildly. Although it is possible to create network servers that obstruct the
avenues to these materials, motivated students quickly identify alternative
paths. Thus, despite the numerous benefits of the Internet, there are also many
drawbacks.
Osunade, (2003) also stated the fact that the
Internet is not owned by anyone leaves no room for checks or censorship of
available information. The upside to this is that information is freely
available to everyone without restriction, but the downside is that valued
information can be placed into the wrong hands, and school children can be
unduly exposed to morally damaging information (e.g. pornography). The reason
is not far-fetched; it is simply that there are no checks on the information on
the net. Ema and Ajayi, (2006) is of the opinion that during the last two
decades education institutions have invested heavily in information and
communication technology (I.C.T.) particularly internet. The use of internet
has had major impact in the secondary school context and in teaching and
learning methods. One puzzling question is the effective of internet usage on
student academic achievement and on the returns of education. Many academic
researchers have tried to answer this question at theoretical and empirical
levels. On one hand, student performance is hard to observe and there is still
confusion about its definition. On the other hand, internet is evolving
technologies and their effects are difficult to isolate from their environment.
However,
Community bonding, regardless of its concept, it is synonymous to school
bonding. The concept of student bonding is often seen as a way to help create a
positive atmosphere that will promote participation in class (that is, making
students more comfortable in the often “social risky” environment of the social
studies classroom, Wichadee and orawwiwatnakul, (2012). One of the factors
affecting students achievement in selected social studies concept is community
bonding of how students is motivated by the community and how the community
show care for the student. All this aid the achievement of students in selected
social studies concept. Vadebosch (2015) and Phillips (2014) stated that the assessment
of community bonding has continued to gain attention as school struggle with
poor academic achievement, truancy, delinquency and high student drop rates.
Though the findings of these scholars may be peculiar, however the situation is
not different in Nigeria as researchers have focused student bonding to their
school as a key factor in the success of schools to educate. Greenberg (2011)
and Abbott (2001) is of the opinion that high levels of community bonding have
been consistently associated with positive youth outcome, such as increased
academic motivation, self efficacy, highest scores and low levels of problem
behaviour (for example, substance use, risky sexual activity, truancy,
bullying, fighting, stealing and vandalism). These scholars further asserted
that communities are no longer constrained geographically in the twenty first
century. The internet, television, telephone and particularly the mobile phones
all mean that communities can exist beyond boundaries of location or time.
Despite these realities, relatively little has been written on the potential influence
internet usage and community bonding can have on secondary school students’
academic achievement in social studies.
A
substantial body of research show that a schools’ social environment that is,
‘The community’ has broad influence on student learning and growth, including
major aspect of their social, emotional and ethical development, when student
find there school environment to be supportive and caring, and provide for them
necessary facilities for the student to be able to have access to the internet,
they are less likely to become involved in substance abuse, violence and other
problem behaviours. Kamba, (2009) stated that secondary school student is more
likely to develop positive attitudes towards themselves and pro-social
attitudes and behaviours towards others. There is no standard definition for
student achievement. The standard approach focuses on achievement and
curricula, how students understand the subjects and obtain their certificate or
their marks. However, a more extensive definitions deal with competencies,
skills, and attitudes learned through the education experience. The narrow
definition allows the observation of the outcomes of any change in secondary
education, while the more complex strategy of observation and focus on the labour
market. The outcomes of education are mainly validated in higher institutions.
National Policy on Education NPE, Federal Republic of Nigeria (FRN) (2004)
stated a number of several subjects can be identified in the curriculum of our
schools at all levels of Nigeria education, the subjects are included with the
expectation that when properly taught, a more effective learning will result
and this will bring about the realization of the goal of Nigeria educations as
stated in the national policy on education. At the primary and secondary
levels, there are certain subjects that are classified as core subjects, while
others are known as electives. Core subjects are those subjects whom students
compulsorily offer while subject, called electives consist of subjects from
whom students can freely make their choice, based on their preference and
future career interest. At the junior secondary school level, social studies is
one of the core subjects, which if effectively taught. lyewarun (1989) has the potential to influence the
intellectual, social and personal growth and development of Nigeria youth.
The
introduction of social studies was due to the need for a more effective way of
educating the citizens. This is to make citizens better informed on societal issues
and problems as well as to equip them with the skills required for problem solving
and effective citizenship Falade, (2007). This could be seen in the views of
Sunal and Haas (2008) that: ‘when Social Studies focuses attention on students’ problems
(social, economic, political and environment) students will naturally want to
observe, ask questions, seek information, express observation and idea in
drawings, argue out their views and act to change things. When students ‘do’
Social Studies, they draw on thinking skills and knowledge from the entire
school curriculum as they construct an understanding of their social world and seek to solve the problems
it presents’’. Therefore, Social Studies play critical roles in preparing
learners to becoming active social participants in the ways of life of their
society. Since Social Studies act as subject of enlightens expose Ondo students
to the new development in world in area of computer technology which has become
global demand in all area of education. This is now a vital subject among other
school subjects primarily designed to be taught in Nigeria schools to address
the right type of values, attitudes and behaviour, and to develop these aspects
of character in a positive and productive way Ojo, (2008). Ekundayo (2003)
stated that the development of values and attitudes occupies an integral place
in Social Studies.
However,
the effect of computer usage on learning social studies is currently in
relation to the internet to facilitate teaching and learning. Ogunsola, (2005)
stated that computers are technologies used in conveying, manipulation and
storage of data by electronic means, they provide an array of powerful tools
that may help in transforming the present isolated teacher-centered and
text-bound classrooms into rich, student-focused, interactive knowledge
environments To meet these challenges, secondary schools must embrace the new
technologies and appropriate internet use for teaching and learning social
studies students. Kamba, (2009) stated that the relationship between the use of
internet and student performance in secondary schools is not clear, and there
are contradictory results in the literature. Earlier economic research has
failed to provide clear consensus concerning the effect on students’ achievement
Since
student performance is mainly explained by a student’s characteristics,
educational environment and teachers’ characteristics, the use of internet in
teaching and learning social studies may have an impact on these determinants
and consequently the outcome of education. The differences observed in the
performance of students are thus related to the differentiated impact of
internet usage on the standard determinants. The direct link between internet
usage, community bonding and students’ achievement has been the focus of
extensive literature during the last two decades. Several studies have tried to
explain the role and the added value of the computer/internet technologies in
classrooms and students achievement. The first body of literature explored the
internet uses. Since the internet revolution, there has been a shift in the
literature that focuses more on the impact of online activities. Use of
internet, use of educative online platforms, and digital.
Statement of the
problem
For
many years, educational researchers have maintained an interest in the
effective prediction of students` academic achievement at school. The
prediction and explanation of academic achievement are topics of greatest
importance in different educational levels. Studies have shown that prior
academic achievement is an important predictor of performance at other levels
of education. Similarly, cognitive ability was found as the strongest predictor
of academic achievement. Valasidou and Bosiou, (2005) confirms that the
correlation between cognitive ability and academic achievement tends to decline
as students progress in the educational system.
The
direct link between internet usage, community bonding and students’ achievement
has been the focus of extensive literature during the last two decades. Some of
them help students with their learning by improving the communication between
them and the instructors. Leuven (2004) stated that there is no evidence for
relationship between increased educational use of internet and students`
academic achievement. In fact, they find a consistently negative and marginally
significant relationship between internet usage and some student achievement
measures. In support to these, some students may use internet usage to increase
their leisure time and have less time to study. Online gaming and increased
communication channels do not necessarily mean increased achievement. Based on
all these, this study focuses to be examining internet usage and community
bonding factors influencing secondary school achievement in social studies in
Ondo State, Nigeria.
Purpose of the study
The
purpose of study this is to;
1. To
examine the relationship between internet usage and academic achievement of
social studies secondary students in Akoko south-west, Ondo state, Nigeria.
2. To
show the relationship between community bonding and academic achievement of
social studies secondary school student.
3. To
find out the effectiveness of internet usage, community bonding in teaching and
learning process in social studies secondary school students.
Research Questions
1. Is there any relationship between
internet usage and academic achievement in social studies concept of selected
secondary school students in Akoko south-west Ondo State?
2. Is
there any relationship between community bonding and academic achievement in
social studies concept of selected secondary school students in Akoko
south-west Ondo State?
3. What
is the combined influence of Internet Usage and Community Bonding on Students’
academic achievements in social studies?
4. What
is the relative influence of Internet Usage and Community Bonding on students’
Academic Achievement in Social Studies?
Significance of the
study
The
outcome of this study aims at determining whether or not the use of internet
has any significant influence on the academic achievement in social studies
concept of selected secondary school students in Akoko South-West Ondo state.
And also, to know the effects of community bonding on the academic achievement
in social studies concept of selected secondary school students in Akoko
South-West Ondo state.
Moreover,
Education is the bedrock of any society. Nigeria as a developing nation needs a
standard secondary schools that has available learning resources, that teachers
can improvise learning resources easily and more often and also where teachers
and student utilize learning resources on regular basis. It could be a
guideline for incoming student is educative to them when writing and studying
similar problems in school.
This
research will be a contribution to body of literature in the area of the effect
of personality traits on students’ academic performance/ achievement, thereby
constituting the empirical literature for future research in the subject area.
Scope/ Delimitations of
the study
This
study will cover the level of internet usage and community bonding in selected
secondary schools in Akoko south-west Ondo State, with a view of ascertaining
its influence on students’ academic achievement in social studies.
Definition of terms
Internet:
Internet in this study is defined as an electronic communications that connects
computer networks and organizational computer facilities around the world. An
internet is known to be a network of networks. It is also a communications
system that connects computers and databases all over the world.
Internet Usage: Internet
usage is the ways in which students use the internet, technologies in the
(home, schools and other locations) towards their academic
achievement/performance.
Community:
(Merriam-Webster dictionary) a group of people who live in the same area (such
as a city, town, or neighbourhood), also the people with common interests
living in particular area.
Community Bonding: Community
bonding in this concept is how
students are motivated by the community and the community show care to the
student to aids students’ academic achievement
Secondary Schools: According
to Merriam Webster dictionary, secondary school is an intermediate school and
college and usually offering general, technical, vocational, or college-preparatory
courses. And also a school, often referred to as a high school, is a school
which provides secondary education, between the ages of 11-19 depending on
location, after primary school and before higher education
Students’ achievement: Students
achievement is the outcome of education-the extent to which a student, as
achieve their educational goals (Wikipedia, 2015). Academic achievement of
student therefore consists of scores made from teacher-made test or
examination.
Social Studies:
social studies can be defined as the subject that emphasis on inculcating a
certain distillate knowledge which will assist man in acquiring tools necessary
for life. Such tools, he maintains, include knowledge, values, attitudes and
skills needed to help the youth in solving both personal and community related
problems.