THE EFFECTS OF POVERTY ON THE ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE OF PUPILS IN YENAGOA LGA BAYELSA STATE
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY
Over the past decades, the unfortunate reality is that the income gap has widened betweenSouthern Nigerian families. Educational outcomes are one of the
key areas influenced by family income. Children from low-income families one
start school already behind their peers who come from more fluent
families.The incidence, depth, duration and timing of poverty all influence a child’s educational performance, along with community characteristics and social
networks (Evan, 2004). However, both Southern Nigeria and international organizations have shown that the erects of poverty can be reduced using sustainable interventions.
Meanwhile, poverty remains a stubborn fact of life even in rich countries. According toHarris (2006) complex web of social relationships student experience
with peers, adults in theschool and family members exerts a much greater influence on their academic performance. This processstarts with student core
relationship with parents or primary caregivers in their lives, whichform a personality that is either secure and attached or insecure and unattached.
Securelyattached children perform better in school (Bali, Granger, Kivlighan, Mills-Koonce,Willongby&Greeberg, 2008). Once pupils are in school, the dual
factors of socializationand social status contribute significantly to academic achievement. The school socialization processtypically pressure student to be
like their peer or risk social rejection, whereas the quest for high social status drives pupils to attempt to differentiate themselves in some areas, for example,
socio-economic status forms a huge part in this equation. Children raised in poverty rarely choose to behave differently, but are faced daily with overwhelming challenges that diluent
children never have to confront and their brains have adapted to suboptimal conditions in ways that undermine good school performance.
