SELF CONCEPT, PARENTAL SOCIO-ECONOMIC STATUS AND ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE AMONG SENIOR SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS IN KEBBI STATE, NIGERIA

Abstract

 The main thrust of the paper is to determine if there is any significant difference between socio – economic status, self-concept and academic performance of SS1 students in Kebbi State. The sample was made up of 360 (180 boys and 180 girls) drawn from the population of senior secondary school one (S.S.I) from six Senior Secondary Schools in Kebbi State. Akinboye’s Adolescent Personal Data Inventory (APDI) by Akinboye (1985) and the Adopted version of Parental Socio- Economic Status Questionnaire (PSESQ) by Adegoke (1987) were used to measure Self-concept and Parental Socio-economic Status respectively. The reliability coefficient of the instruments was (0.85 and 0.79) for APDI and (0.82 and 0.78) for PSESQ respectively. Academic Performance was obtained using the students’ scores in English Language and Mathematics in the Junior Secondary School Certificate Examination of 2015/2016 session. Two hypotheses were generated and tested using t- test. The findings of the study indicated that there was significant difference between Parental Socio-economic Status and Academic Achievement. There was also significant difference between Self-concept and Academic Performance of students. The findings were discussed and their implications and recommendations highlighted. It was recommended that teaching became more meaningful when pupils are assisted to build a positive self-concept. Similarly, parents should show more concern in helping their children develop positive self-concept. Teachers should also take into consideration the socio-economic background of their students.