CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background to the Study

Computer science is the study of the theory, experimentation, and engineering that form the basis for the design and use of computers. This requires knowing the computer itself, how it is operated, what it can do, how it can do it and the reason it is doing it; these form the basis of computer studies curriculum in secondary schools(Adigun, 2015). Computer studies, a subject that is added newly to the senior secondary school curriculum in Nigeria which exposes students to Information and Communications Technology (ICT) needs to be accepted as a result of its comparable importance in this jet age. The impediment to the low achievement of students in secondary schools in Nigeria has been a great debate in the issues of education. To overcome the impediment, it is important to know the root of such impediment. Many causes have been looked into as the origin for under-seeking the occurrence of failure or success in school. These causes are looked into from several views including the role of the students, teachers, parents or family, school environment, society, and government. Useful works among these are eects of: student’s study habits (Obasoro & Ayodele 2012; Ayodele & Adebiyi, 2013), school environment (Adesoji& Olatunbosun, 2008), teacher’s competencies (Akiri & Ugborugbo, 2009), parent’s economic status (Osonwa, 2013), continuous assessment (Okwu & Orum, 2012; Kolawole & Ala, 2014), educational funding (Ugwulashi, 2012). Though most authors has to be in harmony to elaborate failure from several causes view where the occurrence is resolved at several levels, and where multiple variables are involved. Gender is one of such factors mentioned in literature to have considerable effects on student’s academic performance especially in science subjects. Gender is the range of physical, biological, mental and behavioural characteristics pertaining to and differentiating between the masculinity and femininity(male and female) population.

The importance of examining performance in relation to gender is primarily based on the socio-cultural dierences between boys and girls. Some vocations and professions such as engineering, arts and cras, agriculture, etc. have been deemed as men’s exclusive reserve while others are considered women’s which include catering, typing, nursing etc. In fact, parents assign task like car washing, grass cutting, bulbs fixing, climbing ladders to fix or remove things to the boys. On the other hand, chores like dish washing, cooking, cleaning and the likes, are assigned to the girls. In summary, what are regarded as complex and difficult tasks are allocated to boys whereas girls are expected to handle the relatively easy and less demanding tasks. As a result of this way of thinking, the larger society has tended to see girls as the weaker sex. Consequently, an average Nigerian girl goes to school with these fixed exaggerated conception in mind. Many reasons have been assign for low participation of girls in science. Some studies reported that females are deficient in science because they lack analytical and visual-spatial skills that are needed for abstract reasoning in science (Acker &Oatley, 2013). However, this argument has been proved wrong because emerging evidence shows that ability is not a determining factor in whether or not females would participate in science. Girls and boys are found to perform equally well if instructional context is fair and conducive (Erinosho, 2008; Campbell, Jolly, Hoey& Perlman, 2012). Some researchers reported that girls performed better, in some others boys do. Okwo and Otunba (2007) reported that gender influence performance by 13.39% of the total influence factor. Aremu (2009) reported that boys are better than girls in Mathematics and other science subjects. Toh (2013) found that girls out performed boys in some other school subjects, while some other researchers found no dierence in some cognitive tasks involving both boys and girls. Collis (2011) argued that secondary school policies requiring mathematics pre-requisites or co-requisites for work with computers always encourage greater participation of the male gender.

If there is a single computing laboratory, it may be seen as a male territory. If computer resources are concentrated in the mathematics, science, and technology areas of the curriculum, many girls have no access to them. Okwo and Otunba (2007) reported that boys performed better than girls in physics essay test. The joint influence of cognitive style and gender on the achievement of students in physics essay test was significant. Hedges and Nowell (2015) found no or slight gender dierences in overall mathematics achievement, numerical ability, mathematics computation, concepts, and problem-solving. While females used to lag behind males in a number of mathematics and science courses taken, in 2000, they now participated in the same or nearly the same number (Coley, 2011). The importance of computer and ICT to nation building cannot be overstated. The significance of computer and ICT to nation building has led the federal government of Nigeria to make it a core subject oered to all students from primary to secondary education (FRN, 2008). In spite of the importance of computer studies among Nigerian students, dierences in male and female performances have been noted, with males having slightly better performances than their female counterparts (WAEC Chief Examiner’s Report, 2012). In view of the belief that student’s gender may have impact on the student’s academic achievement in science, this study will investigate the relationship between them in Computer Studies.

1.2 Statement of the Problem

Gender gap in academic performance of students in schools is one among the problems that are attracting public concern and outcry in Nigeria today. This observable dierence has been blamed on a number of factors including social, economic and cultural stereotyping. Observation had shown that there are dierences between male and female in the pattern of education. These dierences are causing disparity in gender participation and academic performance in Nigerian secondary schools. From the researcher’s point of view, it appears that not much research focusing on gender dierence in academic performance in SSCE Computer Studies have been conducted especially in Onicha Local Government Area of Ebonyi State, Nigeria. In addition, among the few researches conducted on gender disparity in academic performance of secondary schools in Ebonyi State, none of the researchers gave a conclusive answer as to whether dierences exist between the academic achievement of secondary school male and female students in science subjects.

Several studies have been conducted in the areas of gender-related differences in the academic achievement of students in science. It has been noted that males achieve better than females in Computer Studies. Males tend to achieve better in Computer Studies tests and examinations than females Okwo and Otumba (2007) and Aremu (2009). In some cases, females measure better achievement than males (Toh 2013). Consequent upon this, this study was conducted to compare the achievements of senior secondary male and female students in Computer Studies in Onicha Local Government Area of Ebonyi State