THE EFFECTS OF NURSERY EDUCATION ON THE ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE OF PRIMARY SCHOOL PUPILS

ABSTRACT

This work is a comprehensive study on the Effects of nursery education on the academic performance of primary school pupils Pupils in Obio/Akpor Local Government Area of Rivers State. For a deep analytical study this research work is divided into five chapters. Chapter one is the introduction of the project. Literature review is in chapter two. Chapter three deals with research, design and methodology. Analysis of data presentation and discussion of findings are found in chapter four while chapter five contains summary, recommendation and conclusion. The main instrument of data collection were the pupils questionnaire which were in two parts section A – personal data and section B – a four point scale study is used. The study concluded that pupils who had pre-school education perform better in academics than pupils who did not attend preschool education. The study recommended that Government should see to it that every resource for nursery education is properly positioned to aid quality and effective academic performance among pupils. Again, educational materials relating to nursery pupils’ learning should be adequately provided to enhance the study of their subject.

 TABLE OF CONTENT

Title Page    –        –        –        –        –        –        –        –

Certification          –        –        –        –        –        –        –

Approval Page       –        –        –        –        –        –        –

Dedication   –        –        –        –        –        –        –        –

Acknowledgement          –        –        –        –        –        –

Abstract      –        –        –        –        –        –        –        –

Table of Content   –        –        –        –        –        –        –

CHAPTER ONE

1.1     Introduction          –        –        –        –        –        –

1.2     Background of the Study          –        –        –        –

1.3     State of the Problem       –        –        –        –        –

1.4     Purpose of the Study      –        –        –        –        –

1.5     Research Question         —       –        –        –        –

1.6     Research Hypothesis      –        –        –        –        –

1.7     Significance of the Study          –        –        –        –

1.8     The Limitation of the Study      –        –        –        –

1.9     Delimitation of the Study         –        –        –        –

1.10   Definition of Terms         –        –        –        –        –

CHAPTER TWO

2.1     Introduction          –        –        –        –        –        –

2.2     Nursery Education Concept and Scope –

2.3     Objective of Nursery Education          –        –

2.4     Historical Development of Early Childhood

Education    –        –        –        –        –        –        –

2.5     Different Organizations involved in Early Childhood

Education    –        –        –        –        –        –        –

2.6     Nursery Education and the Scientific

Process       –        –        –        –        –        –        –

2.7     Science in Nursery Education    –        –

CHAPTER THREE: RESEARCH METHOD

3.1     Introduction          –        –        –        –        –        –

3.2     Research Design   –        –        –        –        –        –

3.3     Area of Study        –        –        –        –        –        –

3.4     Population of the Study   –        –        –        –

3.5     Sample and Sampling Technique       –        –        –

3.6     Instrumentation    –        –        –        –        –        –

3.7     Validation of the Instrument     –        –        –        –

3.8     Administration of the Instrument       –        –        –

3.9     Method of Data Analysis –        –        –        –        –

CHAPTER FOUR: RESULT AND DISCUSSION  

4.1     Introduction          –        –        –        –        –        –

4.2     Discussion and Results    –        –        –        –

4.3     Summary of Findings      –        –        –        –        –

CHAPTER FIVE

SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION

5.1     Introduction          –        –        –        –        –        –

5.2     Summary     –        –        –        –        –        –        –

5.3     Conclusion   –        –        –        –        –        –        –

5.4     Recommendations          –        –        –        –        –

5.5     Suggestions for Further Study –        –        –        –

References –        –        –        –        –        –        –

Appendix     –        –        –        –        –        –        –

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1    BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

What a nation makes of education system to a large extent will dictate the tempo of her match to nationhood and self-reliance (Okeke, 1990) Education is regarded as a dynamic instruments of change, thus Nigerian government accepts education to be a huge government venture and gives it a wholehearted support.

For sometimes now Nursery Education has been a great concern to educators, scholars, researcher’s governmental and non-governmental agencies and indeed the generality of the populace of Nigeria. This is because education at this level represents the pivot and the initial focal point on which the entire education system rotates. It is the embryo of the whole education system. The management and planning of education at this pre-school stage, thus is of immense importance to the education system in particular and to the entire nation at large. This is because the foundation for a sound qualitative and functional education system can be best laid here.

These nurseries and kindergartens form the first step in public education and help the family in the moral and aesthetic education of children in maintaining and strengthening their health and preparing them for school.

Early childhood is referred to as a period between two to six years. This is sometimes referred to as nursery stage. Growth at this state proceeds at a very fast rate although slower than that of the baby.

The historical development of Nursery Education coincided with the historical development of science education. The contributions of many early childhood educators stimulated awareness in the relevance of science to the education of the young child.

1.2    STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

         It is generally agreed that a child’s performance begins in his/her early stage. The economic status of the family notwithstanding, the child’s ability in academic performance is traceable to how effective the learning capacity can be. When a child starts early enough to master his subjects especially in science the performance level can then be agreed to perform above the expectation. Science as a subject will be made to be a yardstick that can be used to measure a level of the performance.

1.3    PURPOSE OF THE STUDY

The purpose of the study is to investigate the effects of nursery education on the academic performance of primary school pupils pupils in Obio/Akpor LGA of Rivers state. Specifically, the purpose of the study includes the following:

• To investigate the effect of early childhood in the study of science on the academic performance of primary four pupils.
• To investigate the role played by parents on the academic performance of their children especially on science.
• To determine the methods that could be applied on the academic performance of science pupils in primary four.
• To assess the relationship between the early childhood and the study of science in primary four.

1.4    SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

         The study is significant for a number of reasons. It will discover early childhood can influence the study of science in primary four. It will also bring out data on the effect of early childhood on the academic performance of pupils which will be useful for the educational administration in future. It will be useful for primary school teachers, head of administration in the management of their schools to attain a targeted goal of high level of academic excellence. It is also believed that this study will be useful to future researches in the same topic.

1.5    RESEARCH QUESTIONS 

1. Is there any influence on early childhood on the academic performance of Primary School pupils?
2. Does educational background of parents significantly affect the child’s academic performance in Obio/Akpor Local Government Area?
3. Is there any relationship between parental educational      background in science and the early childhood academic    performance?

1.6    RESEARCH HYPOTHESIS

1. i) There is no significant relationship between early childhood and academic performance of primary school pupils.
2. ii) There is no significant relationship between educational background of parents and the child’s academic performance in

iii)     There is no significant relationship between parental         educational background in science and academic performance        of pupils in Primary School.

1.7    SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

1. The significance of the research study serves as a guide to improve the general academic performance of a child.
2. The finding on the study will help the policy makers to realize the importance of early childhood on the academic    performance of Primary School pupils.
3. The report on the study will encourage the parents to be conscious of encouraging their children to develop interest in the study of science.

1.8    THE LIMITATION OF THE STUDY

         The limitation of the study based on the various obstacles and set backs range from the lack of funds to finance the conduct of the research, transportation and lack of other relevant logistics.

The problem of inadequate reference materials to obtain relevant information and finally lack of full co-operation from the targeted audience in areas visited.

1.9    DELIMITATION OF THE STUDY

         The study is limited to primary four pupils in Obio/Akpor Local Government Area studying science. The generalization of the study should be such that limited to Primary School pupils.

1.10 DEFINITION OF TERMS

Nursery education – Nursery education is a common practice in most societies; they make provision for early childhood education programs of various types for children below the official school age (usually 6 years) mainly to prepare them for the rigors of primary education and beyond.

 Education:  A process in which someone is taught better ways of doing things

Interest: To develop love for a particular thing.

Exploration: To assess for discovery.

Laudable: Deserved to be praised or admired.