CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
Historically, environmental influence has been overlooked as a factor affecting academic achievement in higher education, garnering little or no attention in educational debate and discussion. However, throughout the last few decades, there has been a link between the environment and pupils’ academic success (Ajayi 2001 & Oluchukwu 2000). The environment has a significant impact on the lives of all individuals, whether they are students, instructors, employers, or employees. Though some individuals are still skeptical about the environment’s ability to improve performance. Udoh (2000) identified some unhealthy practices in our schools, such as insufficient facilities and inadequate ventilation, in this article titled “the environmental health problems in Nigeria schools.” The majority of our schools lack lights, insufficient facilities, sick buildings, and inadequate ventilation, among other things. The majority of our schools, particularly the higher institutions in Nigeria, are influenced by environmental factors, which have an effect on student performance. Thus, in order for the learner to learn effectively and efficiently, it is vital for learning to occur in a favorable atmosphere (Ajayi 2001 & Oluchukwu 2000). Thus, it is prudent to examine the contextual elements that impact pupils’ academic performance attentively. Measures that can be taken to assist them improve and recommendations, because the purpose of our educational mission is to increase academic performance. Environmental variables have been found to have a significant impact on an individual’s physical and psychological potential (Wilson & Simons 2002). This term led to the assertion that many pupils are unable to reach their full potential as a result of insufficient environmental stimulation. However, there are some environmental factors that have contributed to students’ poor performance, including family background, insufficient school facilities, inappropriate use of technology such as the internet, and school climate, which includes student-teacher relationships, class rooms, libraries, technical workshops, and laboratories, teacher quality, school management, teaching methods, and peers (Ajayi 2001 & Oluchukwu 2000). Thus, the school environment continues to be a critical area that should be examined and regulated in order to improve students’ academic performance.
Intelligence is not the only factor that influences a student’s academic progress. Lizzio, Wilson & Simons (2002) observed that a student’s academic progress is frequently connected with a variety of components of the learning environment. Bosque & Dore (1998) assert that the teaching and learning environment should serve six (6) functions: to inform, communicate, cooperate, generate, scaffold, and manage. Additionally, they stated that “conceptually, the learning environment refers to the entire spectrum of components and activities that contribute to learning.” Thus, the learning environment takes into consideration a variety of characteristics that have an influence on pupils both directly and indirectly.
In another light, the issue of academic accomplishment in mathematics has become a focal point of attention for a growing number of educators. The perplexing issue in mathematics may be considered from a societal and individual perspective (Murugan & Rajoo, 2013). The social dimension includes the learning environment, which appears to confirm the existence of a consistent link between the learning environment and students’ cognitive and effective results (Ashby, et al, 2011). Thus, the learning environment may be a critical factor in determining pupils’ mathematical success. According to Bosque & Dore (1998), children who achieve better levels of achievement are more likely to have been exposed to curricular information in an optimal learning environment. Indeed, Frenzel, Pekrun, & Goetz (2007) ascribed academic underachievement to inadequate learning conditions. This also confirmed that the majority of experts believe that educational attainment/achievement is likely to be determined by the learning environment’s ideality.
1.2 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
According to Udoh (2000), the educational system in Nigeria has several obstacles, the most significant of which are religious, environmental, and multi-ethnic. The environmental component is the primary determinant of these issues. Students’ intelligence is frequently cited as a factor in determining a student’s achievement. Starting a school in Nigeria has become a trending business; everyone wants to start a school regardless of their knowledge or experience in education; unemployment is a major factor influencing the growth of non-standard schools in Nigeria; we now see schools built in unfinished buildings, market areas, and other unsuitable locations (Ajayi 2001 & Oluchukwu 2000). Due to the inexpensive tuition, several parents now opt to enroll their children or wards in those sorts of schools. This study will examine how this affects the academic achievement of students.
1.3 OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY
The broad objective of this study is to examine the impact of environmental influence on students academic achievement. Specifically, this study seeks to:
i.         Examine the extent environmental influence affects students academic achievement.
ii.       Determine the different environmental factors that affects students academic achievement.
iii.     Determine the effects of environmental influence on students academic achievement.
iv.     To proffer possible solutions on ways environmental influence in schools can be reduced.
