Effect of Environment on the Performance of Secondary School Students in English Language
This chapter includes the analysis of the data collected from the field in the study area. A total of 100 questionnaires were administered to the respondents in their respective schools. The questionnaire was designed to examine investigate the effect of environment on the performance of secondary school students in English Language, a case study of secondary schools in Ondo West Local Government Area of Ondo State. Data collected was gathered for use by the researcher and analyzed using simple percentage method.
4.1 Research Question Analysis
Research Question 1: Is there any relationship between the school environment and students academic performance?
Table 1
| S/N | Items | A (%) | D (%) |
| 1 | English language is an essential language in our everyday life | 100 | 0 |
| 2 | The classrooms in my school are bright enough for reading | 69 | 31 |
| 3 | Learning is affected when the classrooms are not properly lighted | 88 | 12 |
| 4 | Poor ventilation affects English Language lessons | 67 | 33 |
| 5 | Proper arrangement of furniture assists in proper learning in the classroom | 94 | 6 |
| 6 | Overcrowded classrooms makes teaching difficult | 100 | 0 |
| 7 | Overcrowded classes makes teaching ineffective. | 79 | 21 |
Table 1 shows that 100% of the respondents agreed that the English language holds a significant place in the world of communication, 69% of the respondents are of the opinion that the classrooms in their schools are bright enough for reading while 31% disagreed to that, 88% of the respondents agreed that learning is affected when the classrooms are not properly lighted while the remaining 12% did not agree to that, 67% of the respondents agreed that poor ventilation affects English lessons but the remaining 33% did not follow that opinion, 94% of the respondents affirmed proper arrangement of furniture assists in proper learning in the classroom. All the respondents agreed that overcrowded classrooms makes teaching difficult and 79% agreed that overcrowded classes make teaching ineffective while the remaining 21% did not succumb to that.
Research Question 2: Do schools’ have enough facilities?
Table 2
| S/N | Items | A (%) | D (%) |
| 1 | My school does not have a Language Laboratory | 76 | 24 |
| 2 | My school does not have a well equipped library | 65 | 35 |
| 3 | The provision of basic amenities in the environment is important in English Education | 81 | 19 |
| 4 | Some buildings in my school are dilapidated and therefore hinders effective learning | 83 | 17 |
| 5 | Some classrooms are small compared to the number of students | 61 | 39 |
| 6 | Some classes lack enough chairs | 58 | 42 |
Table 2 above shows that 76% of the respondents agreed that their schools have a language laboratory and 24% are against that, 65% of the total number of respondents agreed that their schools do not have a well equipped library but the remaining 35% disagreed, 81% of the respondents agreed that the provision of basic amenities in the environment is important in English education but the remaining 19% did not agree to it. 83% of the total number of respondents opined that some buildings in their schools are dilapidated and therefore hinders effective learning while the remaining 17% were of a contrary opinion, 61% of the respondents agreed that some classrooms in their respective schools are small when compared to the number of students but 39% disagreed, 58% of the total number of respondents agreed that some of their classes lack enough chairs while the remaining 42% did not agree.
Research Question 3: Do parents’ socio-economic background influence students performance?
Table 3
| S/N | Items | A (%) | D (%) |
| 1 | The kind of family a student comes from has a huge impact on his/her performance in English Language. | 93 | 7 |
| 2 | The kind of language used in communication at home either helps or deter students performance in English Language | 100 | 0 |
| 3 | The ability of the parents to provide students’ basic needs impacts their performance in English Language. | 89 | 11 |
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Table 3 shows that 93% of the respondents agreed that the kind of family a student comes from has a huge impact on his/her performance in English Language but the remaining 7% did not agree, 100% of the respondents were of the opinion that the kind of language used in communication at home either helps or deter students performance in English Language, 89% of the respondents opined that the ability of the parents to provide students’ basic needs impacts their performance in English Language while 11% kicked against that.
Research Question 4: Does the school location have any effect on the student’s academic performance?
Table 4
| S/N | Items | A (%) | D (%) |
| 1 | Schools located in the heart of the town may have quality teachers posted to them and this may lead to improvement in academic performance | 61 | 39 |
| 2 | Schools located in urban centres tend to have better facilities when compared to the ones in the rural environments | 78 | 22 |
| 3 | Schools located in noisy areas may experience distraction which may influence low academic performance in English Language. | 93 | 7 |
| 4 | Schools located in serene environment appears quiet and calm and may influence high academic performance in English Language. | 85 | 15 |
| 5 | Nearness of school to the community is important as it allows punctuality | 100 | 0 |
| 6 | Rural schools with inadequate teachers may influence low performance in English Language | 100 | 0 |
| 7 | Roads leading to the school need to be properly constructed | 100 | 0 |
Table 4 shows that 61% of the respondents agreed that schools located in the heart of the town may have quality teachers posted to them and this may lead to improvement in academic performance while 39% disagreed, 78% of the respondents in the response to the second item agreed that schools located in urban centres tend to have better facilities when compared to the ones in the rural environments while the remaining 22% agreed to it, 93% of the total number of respondents agreed to the fact that Schools located in noisy areas may experience distraction which may influence low academic performance in English Language but 7% disagreed. 85% of the respondents agreed that schools located in serene environment appears quiet and calm and may influence high academic performance in English Language but 15% of them did not buy that idea. All the respondents agreed that nearness to school, adequacy of teacher and proper construction of roads are essential factors that facilitate the teaching and learning of English language.
4.2 Discussion of Findings of Effect of Environment on the Performance of Secondary School Students in English Language
The data presentation in table 1 indicates that the environment which comprise the visible and non visible factors is a huge determinant of students’ academic performance, bright classrooms are essential for proper teaching and learning, proper ventilation affects the teaching and learning as a poorly ventilated environment make learning uncomfortable. The research question also discusses the arrangement of furniture like chairs, tables etc. and how their proper arrangement promote learning, overcrowding has been a major challenge militating against effective teaching and learning and English language is not an exception, overcrowded classes makes learning difficult and ineffective most times.
Table 2 discusses about the adequacy of facilities that facilitates teaching and learning, language laboratory have proved to be essential in English language as it helps in the oral part of English language, library fully stocked with relevant books is also an important facilitator in the teaching and learning of English language, some of the schools have dilapidated buildings and insufficient number of classrooms thereby hindering effective learning of English language.
Table 3 discusses about the influence of parent’s socio-economic background on students performance, the kind of family a child comes largely influences the child and academics is not exempted in this case, the kind of language used for communication at the home and the ability of the parents to provide for the students needs are also huge determinants.
School location is an important factor to take into consideration when talking about students academics, the kind of environment the school is situated poses a merit or a demerit on the part of the students most times, teachers would not want to go migrate to rural areas, most of them prefer urban areas due to exposure, accessibility to facilities amongst others, this factor majorly leads to inaccessibility of schools in rural areas to sufficient and quality teachers. The environmental atmosphere is of a major importance and has to be looked into, noise hinders effective learning so schools should be sited in areas that are less noisy.