HOUSEHOLD EDUCATION EXPENDITURE AS CORRELATE OF ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE OF SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS IN OSUN STATE, NIGERIA

Abstract

This study investigated the influence of household education
expenditure (learning materials, transportation, food items and extra
lesson expenses) on the academic performance of Senior Secondary
School (SSS) students in Osun State, Nigeria. Descriptive research design
was adopted. The state was stratified in line with the existing three
senatorial districts, with each having 10 local government areas. Four
local government areas, representing 40%, were randomly selected
from each senatorial district. There were 142 public senior secondary
schools in the 12 sampled local government areas. Forty per cent of the
schools were randomly selected per local government totaling
56.Random sampling technique was used to select 40% of SSS III
students per school, totaling 3,304 Parents and students filled their
respective components of the instruments. The instruments titled:
“Household Education Expenditure Scale” (r=0.97); “Student English
Language Performance Test” (r=0.89) and “Student Mathematics
Performance Test” (r=0.88) were used. Five hypotheses were tested (p =
0.05). Data were analysed using Pearson product moment correlation
and multiple regression at 0.05 level of significance. Household
expenditure on learning materials (r = 0.099; p<0.05), extra lesson (r =
0.169; p<0.05) and transportation (r = 0.16; p<0.05) had significant
positive relationship with academic performance while expenditure on
food items (r = -0.26; p < 0.05) was negatively related. Household
education expenditure on feeding had significant negative contribution
to academic performance (? = -0.292; t= -10.050; p<0.05), while
expenditure on learning materials had significant positive contribution
(? = 0.070; t= 2.909; p<0.05). Others had no significant contributions to
academic performance. Household expenditure on learning materials 
positively influenced academic performance while expenditure on food
items had negative influence. The study recommended that household
should spend more on learning materials and less on feeding at school
to improve academic performance of public secondary school students.