CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 BACKGROUND
TO THE STUDY
It is widely believed that students can acquire better
academic benefits from living in a decent housing unit within or around the
campus.So much so, that many colleges and universities, ranging from small
liberal arts colleges to large state universities, require students to live on
campus during their first year with few exceptions coupled with the failure of
the appropriate authorities in the provision of decent housing for students.
Typically, students exempt from such a policy include students over the age
of 25, students that are married and/or have children, and students in the
military as they can afford to provide for themselves a better housing unit
outside the campus at a comparatively expensive amount (Loring, 1996). It has
been suggested that availability of decent housing structure causes students to
be less likely to drop out or transfer, more likely to make academic progress,
and more capable of achieving a high level of academic performance.
Despite these common perceptions, there are inherent
difficulties in estimating the impact decent housing unit has on student
performance. For the schools that require the year one students to live on
campus, there is no effective control group. Typically, year one students
that do not live on campus share other features with each other that set them
apart.A house even for students is a place
where one lives. It is a place of residence or refuge. A house is not a mere
transient shelter. Its essence lies in the people who live in it (English,
1987).
Bad housing covers a wide range of issues,including overcrowding, insecurity, housing that is in poor physical condition, and living in deprived neighborhoods.The
range of health problems which can be attributed to poor housing conditions is
large, from psychological and physiological effects to specific diseases
varying in the degree of associated morbidity (Chapin, 2001).
There is a large
and significant body of scientific literature that demonstrates convincingly
that there are direct causal links between different aspects of poor housing
and particular health conditions (Smith, 1990). Health problems that have been
associated with poor housing include the infectious diseases, non-infectious
respiratory diseases such as asthma, and social and psychological problems.
The literature has identified three
primary components of poor housing that are directly linked to poor health
outcomes: overcrowding, dampness and moulds, and sanitation and basic housing
quality. The researcher will explore t these components and its relationship with students academic
performance coupled with the health consequences.Crowding is generally
considered as more of a threat to mental than physical health, although the
spread of infectious diseases such as tuberculosis and scabies is also
associated with overcrowding. Most studies investigating crowding adopt a
standard measure based on WHO guidelines of either persons/room or sq. ft /
person.
However, a caution is inorder since cultures vary in terms of their
tolerance for crowded living conditions. Mitchell (1976) proposed that crowding
is a more complex variable that requires a distinction between density– the
number of people per unit space, and congestion, which reflects the
simultaneous demands for the use of available space. The adverse mental health
effect of crowding stems from the lack of personal control over the available
space, rather than the actual small size of the space. Cultural variations in
definitions of “crowding” also play a mediating role. Crowding which has been
part of students housing system in Nigeria calls for concern making it necessary
to carry out research on the effect of housing condition on student’s academic
performance.
1.2 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
This study is designed to examine the
relationship between housing conditions and academic performance of students.
The level of research in this area is fraught with difficulty around proving
causation: for example, whether poor housing conditions cause certain people to
fail in achieving their educational potential, or whether the two are
'associated' – that those who are likely to fail at school tend to be
concentrated in poorer condition houses or neighbourhoods anyway. In some areas
(such as mental ill-health) there are schools of thought that those less able to
cope will 'drift' into poorer areas and housing conditions. Although there may
be more mileage in academic circles around the cause and effect arguments, the evidence
for the positive impact of better housing is overwhelming. However, the researcher is analyzing the
effect of housing conditions of students’ academic performance.
1.3 OBJECTIVES
OF THE STUDY
The
following are the objectives of this study:
1. To
examine the effect of housing conditions on students’
academic performance.
2. To examine the condition of the housing
units available to Nigerian students.
3. To determine the factors affecting academic
performance of students.
1.4 RESEARCH
QUESTIONS
1. What
is the effect of housing conditions on
student’s academic performance?
2. What is the condition of the housing
units available to Nigerian students?
3. What are the factors affecting academic
performance of students?
1.5 HYPOTHESIS
HO:
There is no significance relationship between housing conditions and student’s academic performance
HA:
There is significance relationship between housing conditions and student’s academic performance
1.6 SIGNIFICANCE
OF THE STUDY
The
following are the significance of this study:
1. The
outcome of this study will be useful to the general public and the government
authorities saddled with the responsibility of providing decent housing for
students in terms of assessment of the current situation with consideration for
its effect on academic performance.
2. This research will also serve as a
resource base to other scholars and researchers interested in carrying out
further research in this field subsequently, if applied will go to an extent to
provide new explanation to the topic
1.7 SCOPE/LIMITATIONS
OF THE STUDY
This
study on the effect of housing
conditions on student’s academic performance will cover the present state of
housing used by students in Nigeria and its effect on their academic
performance.
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.
