CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION 1.1 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
Leaders in society throughout the world are increasingly wondering how we might better man’s surroundings. We are highly worried about our environment, particularly since our performance in all aspects of life is influenced by our surroundings. The impact of environmental factors on students’ academic achievement in English language in public secondary schools is the only concern here. Men’s environment discussions have revealed at least as much variance in the real environment that men have attempted to create for themselves. The majority of people believe that all citizens should have equal access to education. But, when it comes to susceptibility to various types of stimuli, what are the essential ages?
Differences in the rate of growth under social (different) situations give a remarkable indication of the significant influence of environment on human existence. Japanese youths are now taller than their parents and behave differently from their pre-war predecessors, not because of genetic differences, but because the environment in Japan has changed dramatically since WWII (Bernstein and Hedenon, 2000). A similar effect may be seen in the Israeli Kibbutz, where children are fed and raised in hygienic settings that are as close to ideal as possible. The relevance of the ecological method in the study of human issues is demonstrated by these intricate feedback linkages between man and his environment.
The factors that occur during the very early stages of human development, particularly the intra-uterine period, warrant special attention since they have a significant impact on the adult’s morphological, physiological, and behavioral traits.
Environmental insults that an organism is exposed to during its formative years have long-term consequences; indeed, the effects of such early influences appear irreversible, necessitating precise observations and extensive experimental studies on the impact of external conditions (environment) on students’ academic performance in public schools.
In today’s world, education is a powerful tool for social mobilization. It places a high value on young people’s education as a path to cultural, social, political, economic, and technical liberation.
According to Nigerian educational philosophy, education is considered as a tool of constructing a free, just, and equitable society, one that provides citizens with a variety of options. Some state governments go above and above by providing direct financial aid to students in the form of scholarships and bursaries, as well as covering WAEC and NECO costs. Despite this deliberate effort, there is widespread public outcry over the declining quality of education, as evidenced by external assessments. We can wonder if the educational level is slipping at some point. We can address this question by assessing our educational system. We must investigate the conditions in which children learn, including the setting in which they live. Is it a rich, exciting, and motivating environment? Bello (2004) defines environment as the sum of all external conditions and factors that affect an individual’s existence and development.
The physical environment (air, water, and land) is part of the environment. Climate change) and socioeconomic issues (ethics, economics, aesthetics and others which affect the behavaiour of an individual). Children are molded or formed by the elements that operate in a certain environment. He stated that these variables include the quality of the school as well as the professors, all of which may have a favorable or bad impact on a student’s academic achievement. Another element is parental raising style, which includes discipline, occupation, and so forth. Another key aspect is school location; the difference between a tranquil and serene school environment and a dreadful school site might affect children’ academic performance. All of these factors have an effect on students’ academic achievement in English language.
1.2 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
The poor performance of our students in their certificate examinations as well as JAMB for admittance into higher institutions is causing concern among parents, teachers, educationists, and the general public. However,  It is well understood that environmental factors may have a good or negative impact on a learner’s learning. It is also true that factors like as teacher quality, parental style, and academic background, among others, may impact academic performance. Some students have been seen roaming the streets while they should be in class listening to lectures. According to Uwana (2017), some teachers go to school and go at will in some secluded areas because they believe the school’s location will not attract inspectors from educational board.
Some schools have been found not being able to expose their children to the necessary curriculum due to a lack of certified teachers. Students’ learning quality may be harmed as a result of these shortcomings. The goal of this study is to evaluate environmental factors and their impact on the academic performance of English language students in public secondary schools against this backdrop.
1.3 OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY
The main purpose of the study was to present an assessment on the influence of environmental variables on student’s academic performance in English Language in public secondary schools. Specifically, the study intends to:
i.         Determine whether teacher qualification and teacher-student relation influences student’s academic performance in English language. ii.       Examine whether school quality and location influences student’s academic performance in English language iii.     Ascertain  whether parenting styles influences student’s academic performance in English language iv.     To suggest measures in which some of this variables could be positively used towards achievable goals in the student’s academic performance.
