CHAPTER ONE

1. INTRODUCTION

1.1   BACKGROUND OF STUDY

Academic achievement is a major issue among students, teachers, parents, school administrators, and the community at large. Attempts have been made by researchers to unravel the complexities surrounding academic achievement. Psychologists have put forward a lot of reasons why these disparities in achievement exist. A lot of attention had been paid to external factors such as type of school, teaching methods, school location, instructional materials, teachers experience, and so on (WAEC, 2005).

Many spend lots of money in order to secure good schools either for their children or themselves and those who can afford it even invest on education abroad as they believe this will enhance achievement, and which in turn gives an added advantage in terms of securing gainful employment. Opinions vary as to why some students excel academically while others appear to be underachievers.

Many psychologists have consistently attempted to identify the major predictors of individual academic achievement. Factors such as intelligence, self concept, gender, study habit, maturation, home background, amongst others, just to mention a few, have been extensively explored as being responsible for academic achievement, especially in secondary school students. Other factors that have been researched into in the past include: child rearing patterns, peer group influence, socio-economic background and learning environment.

Another major factor that is believed to be responsible for academic achievement in students is their personality dispositions. Dispositions Theorists have tried to identify the major dispositions that characterize personality. Notable among these are Sigmund Freud in the early 1900's, Gordon All port (1961), Cattell (1967), Hans Eysenck (1985) Feldman (1994), McCrae and Costa (1987) and a host of others. Personality has been defined in many ways by many psychologists who wrote on the concept.

According to Feldman (1994) in Daminabo (2008), Personality is the sum total of the characteristics that differentiates people, or the stability of a person's behavior across different situations. In other words it means those qualities the individual is noted for.

Dispositions on the other hand are "enduring dimensions of personality characteristics which differentiates people from one another" (Colman, 2003 in Daminabo 2008). Dispositions are therefore the sum total of stable characteristics in a person across different times and situations, which make him or her unique or distinct from others.

This agrees with the definition by Mischel 1981, (in Agbakwuru, 2000) which refer to personality dispositions as consistent differences between the behaviors characteristic of two or more people. It is also defined as "any distinguishable, relatively enduring way in which one individual varies from another" (Guliford, 1959 in Agbakwuru 2000).

1.2   STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

The problem of underachievement has assumed a worrisome dimension in the Nigerian educational system. Desperate to make it anyhow, students have devised various illegal means to succeed in examinations, even when they are not academically competent.

Most of the problems as pertaining to personality disposition could be lack of conscientiousness, agreeableness, openness, extraversion and locus of control to experience. This could be as a result of the negative personal traits found amongst the students which can possibly lead to the poor performance of secondary school students in their examinations. Finally several research has been carried out on the Influence of Personality Trait on the Academic Performance of Secondary School Students in Cross River State, Nigeria but not even a single research has been carried out on the impact of personality disposition on academic performance of senior secondary school students in Yaba local government of Lagos state.

1.3   AIMS AND OBJECTIVES OF STUDY

        The main aim of the study is to determine the impact of personality disposition on the academic performance of secondary school students. Other specific objectives of the study include;

1. to determine the extent to which personality disposition affects the academic performance of senior secondary school students in Yaba local government of Lagos state.
2. to determine the factors affecting personality disposition of senior secondary school student in Yaba local government of Lagos state.
3. to determine the effect of personality disposition on the academic performance of secondary school students in Yaba local government area of Lagos state.
4. to proffer possible solutions to the problems.

1.4   RESEARCH QUESTIONS               

1. to determine the extent to which personality disposition affects the academic performance of senior secondary school students in Yaba local government of Lagos state.
2. to determine the factors affecting personality disposition of senior secondary school student in Yaba local government of Lagos state.
3. to determine the effect of personality disposition on the academic performance of secondary school students in Yaba local government area of Lagos state.

4.     to proffer possible solutions to the problems.

1.5   STATEMENT OF RESEARCH HYPOTHESIS

H0:   Personality disposition has no significant effect on the academic performance of senior secondary school students. 

H1:      Personality disposition has a significant effect on the academic performance of senior secondary school students.

1.6   SIGNIFICANCE OF STUDY

        The study on the impact of personality disposition on academic performance of senior secondary school students will be of immense benefit to the entire secondary schools in Yaba local government area of Lagos state in the sense that it will enable the students to hold themselves in high esteem irrespective of the background with which they spring out from; it will allow them to put in more effort in learning and also to come to the knowledge that they are different entity and that they have different goals in life, therefore their personality must not be an hindrance to their learning. More so, the students should be able to cultivate in them conscientiousness, agreeableness, openness, extraversion and locus of control to experience which might help them perform well in school. The study will also enable the teachers to teach the students with love and passion and not despising them cause of their personality, just like the saying goes “all fingers are not equal” this is true cause the students are not born with same mental ability. Finally, the study will contribute to the body of existing literature and knowledge to this field of study and basis for further research.

1.7   SCOPE OF STUDY

        The study on the impact of personality disposition on academic performance of senior secondary school students is limited to Yaba local government of Lagos state.

1.8   LIMITATION OF STUDY

Financial constraint- Insufficient fund tends to impede the efficiency of the researcher in sourcing for the relevant materials, literature or information and in the process of data collection (internet, questionnaire and interview).

Time constraint- The researcher will simultaneously engage in this study with other academic work. This consequently will cut down on the time devoted for the research work.

1.9   DEFINITION OF TERMS

Impact    A marked effect or influence.

Personality     The characteristic set of behaviors, cognitions, and emotional patterns that evolve from biological and environmental factors. 

Disposition     A person's inherent qualities of mind and character.

Academic Performance This is the extent to which a student, teacher or institution has achieved their short or long-term educational goals.

Student   Is primarily a person enrolled in a school or other educational institution who attends classes in a course to attain the appropriate level of mastery of a subject under the guidance of an instructor and who devotes time outside class to do whatever activities the instructor assigns that are necessary either for class preparation or to submit evidence of progress towards that mastery.