ABSTRACT
This was carried out to investigate parenting as a correlate of academic self-efficacy beliefs among secondary school students in Zone B Senatorial District of Benue state. The study was guided by five purposes, five research questions, and five null hypotheses.
The related literature to the study was reviewed under four main headings namely: conceptual framework, theoretical framework, empirical studies, and summary of literature review. The study adopted a correlational survey research design.
The of this study consisted of all students in secondary in Zone-B Senatorial District of Benue state. Available statistics show that there are 84 secondary schools within the area, and the schools have a total population of 65,633 students at the time of this study.
A sample of 500 respondents comprising 250 boys and 250 girls in SS3 was used for the study. A multi-stage sampling technique was employed to compose the sample. The instrument for data collection was a structured questionnaire titled ‘‘Questionnaire on Parenting Styles and Students’ Academic Self-efficacy Beliefs’’ (QPSSASB).
The questionnaire consists of 62 items developed from obtained from the literature review based on the research questions. The drafted instrument was subjected to face validation by two experts in the Department of Educational Foundations, University of Nigeria, Nsukka.
They were requested to check the clarity and appropriateness of the items with regard to the problem of the study and research questions under investigation. They were expected to make suggestions and corrections. The expert’s suggestions were used to make necessary corrections to produce the final copy of the instrument.
In order to ascertain the reliability of the for the study, 20 copies of the instrument were trial tested using twenty respondents (10 boys and 10 girls) from Government Secondary school, Gboko in Gboko Local Government Area of Benue State.
The reliability coefficients of 0.70 were obtained for authoritarian parenting style, 0.73 for authoritative parenting style, 0.55 for permissive parenting style, 0.81 for uninvolved parenting style, and an overall cluster of 0.90 was obtained. The score obtained on the students’ academic self-efficacy beliefs scale is 0.69.
The researcher adopted a face-to-face method of administering the instrument to the respondents which was done during free periods in the schools. The research questions were analyzed using Pearson product-moment correlation coefficient while null hypotheses were tested using regression analysis at 0.05 level of significance.
The results of the study revealed among others that: there exists a medium direct positive relationship between authoritarian parenting style and students’ academic self-efficacy beliefs. Results also showed that there exists a medium direct positive relationship between authoritative parenting style and students’ academic self-efficacy beliefs.
The implications of the above findings were examined and it was recommended among other things that since authoritative parenting style was shown to have the highest correlation coefficient with students’ academic self-efficacy beliefs, the parents should adhere strictly to applying this parenting style to their children.
This parenting style if properly applied by parents will improve not just the students’ academic self-efficacy but also their academic achievement. The limitations of this study were highlighted and suggestions were made for further studies.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Title Page i
Certification ii
Approval page iii
Dedication iv
Acknowledgments v
Table of Contents vi
List of Tables ix
Abstract x
CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION
Background of Study 1
Statement of the Problem 7
Purpose of Study 8
Significance of Study 8
Scope of Study 10
Research Questions 11
Research Hypotheses 11
CHAPTER TWO: REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE
Conceptual Framework 14
Concept of Parenting Styles 14
Concept of Academic Self-efficacy Belief17
Concept of Gender 24
Theoretical Framework 27
Skinner’s Conditioning Learning Theory 27
Bandura’s Social Learning Theory 28
Empirical Studies 29
Related studies on Parenting styles and Student’s Academic Self-efficacy Beliefs 29
Related studies on Gender Versus Parenting styles and Student’s Academic
Self-efficacy Beliefs 32
Summary of the Literature Review 34
CHAPTER THREE: RESEARCH METHOD
Design of Study 37
Area of Study 37
The population of Study 39
Sample and Sampling Technique 39
An instrument for Data Collection 40
Validation of the Instrument 40
Reliability of the Instrument 40
Method of Data Collection 41
Method of Data Analysis 41
CHAPTER FOUR: RESULTS 43
Summary of Findings51
CHAPTER FIVE: DISCUSSIONS, CONCLUSIONS, IMPLICATIONS OF THE STUDY, RECOMMENDATIONS, LIMITATIONS, SUGGESTIONS FOR FURTHER RESEARCH, AND SUMMARY OF THE STUDY
Discussion of results 53
Conclusion 56
Educational Implications 57
Recommendations 58
Limitations of study 59
Suggestions for further research 59
Summary of Study 59
References 62
APPENDICES 50
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background of the study
Institutions of learning in Nigeria, in recent times, have been faced with the problem of examination malpractices.
There are many reasons why students may indulge in examination malpractices. However, the most likely singular reason for students’ indulgence in examination malpractices is the lack of confidence to write and pass the examinations themselves.
Ochugudu (2006) reported that examination malpractices that are likened to the HIV virus have devastated the education system in Nigeria and it appears to resist all forms of strategies for its eradication. One can observe that in recent times, students no longer seem to have an interest in their academic work.
The decline in students’ interest in academic pursuit obviously is due to their lack of confidence and belief that they cannot on their own be successful in academic work in schools. Ferla, Volcke, and Cai (2009) affirmed that people most of the time shy away from tasks they do not believe they will successfully accomplish.
Alternatively, they seek out activities or tasks in which they know they can be successful. Since students are convinced that they cannot successfully perform well in school examinations,
they try to achieve success by way of examination malpractices in schools. The belief in one’s ability to succeed at something that has a significant effect on one’s life is referred to as self-efficacy.
REFERENCES
Abesha, A.G. (2012). Effects of Parenting Styles, Academic Self-efficacy, and Achievement Motivation on the Academic Achievement of University Students in Ethiopia. A Dissertation Submitted in Fulfilment of the Requirements for the Award of Doctor of Philosophy (Psychology), School of Psychology and Social Science, Faculty of Computing, Health, and Science, Edith Cowan University. Retrieved from www.ro.ecu.edu.au/doctorateandmasters461
Allan, L.J, Johnson, J.Aand Szostak, C. (2009). Understanding the relationship between identity status, identity style, academic self-efficacy and first year students’ motivation to attend University. Presented in part as a poster at the American Psychological Association meeting August 6-9, 2009, Toronto, Canada.
Ali, A. 2006. Conducting research in education and social sciences. Enugu: Tashiwa Networks Ltd.
Ang, R.P. (2006). Effects of parenting style on personal and social variables for Asian adolescents. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 76, 503-511.
Anna, L. W. (2004). Academic Self-perceptions of Elementary School Children. A paper submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for Proseminar in LTC, Michigan state University. http://edt2.educ.msu.edu/Dwong/archieve-prosemRDP/CEP900F04-RDP/Wilkison
Bandura, A. (2002). Social Cognitive Theory in Cultural Context.Applied psychology.An International Review, 51(2): 269-290.
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