CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
There is considerable debate about the relative impact of family versus school factors in teaching and learning of home economics, and whether and how their impacts vary across different student groups. While studies have shown the importance of family factors in promoting student learning and achievement, decades of education reform in this country have largely focused on raising school and teacher effectiveness. A primary reason for this limited focus lies in the belief that family factors such as race and ethnicity, socio‐economic status (SES), household income, and parental education cannot be easily influenced by policy interventions. However, children spend a large portion of their time at home and are inevitably influenced by their families through parental beliefs, expectations, behaviors, and parent‐child interactions—factors that might be amenable to change with appropriate interventions. There is a growing body of literature that distinguishes alterable family process factors from unchangeable family status factors in terms of their influences over teaching and learning of home economics (Christenson, 2002; Henderson and Berla, 1994; Fan and Chen, 2001). Empirical findings on the relationship between family process factors and teaching and learning of home economics are generally inconclusive. While some studies found positive evidence (Bradley and Caldwell, 1984; Cohen, 1987; Derrick‐ Lewis, 2001; Entwisle and Hayduck, 1988; Estrada et al., 1987; Hess et al., 1984; Keith et al., 1993; McWayne et al., 2004; Shumow and Miller, 2001; Singh et al., 1995; Stevenson and Baker, 1987; Thompson, Alexander, and Entwisle, 1988; Williams, 1998), others reported insignificant or even negative effects (Catsambis, 1998; Desimone, 1999; Fan and Chen, 2001; Gaddy, 1986; Gortmaker et al., 1990; Hancox, Milne, and Poulton, 2005; Henderson and Mapp, 2002; Keith et al., 1986; Milne et al., 1986; Sui‐Chu and Willms, 1996; Zimmerman and Christakis, 2005). This chapter uses a national longitudinal dataset to examine how six types of family process factors (i.e., parental expectations and beliefs, learning structure, resource availability, home affective environment, parenting and disciplinary practices, and parental involvement) are related to the teaching and learning of young children. It extends previous literature by analyzing a comprehensive set of family process variables and examining whether the relationship between these variables and achievement differs. This study specifically examines the impact of family factors on teaching and learning of home economics.
1.2 Statement of the Problem
There is considerable debate about the relative importance of family versus learning and teaching of home economics, and whether and how their impacts vary across different student groups. While studies have shown the importance of family factors in promoting learning and teaching of home economics, decades of education reform in this country have largely focused on raising school and teacher effectiveness. A primary reason for this limited focus lies in the belief that family factors such as race and ethnicity, socio‐economic status (SES), household income, and parental education cannot be easily influenced by policy interventions. However, children spend a large portion of their time at home and are inevitably influenced by their families through parental beliefs, expectations, behaviors, and parent‐child interactions—factors that might be amenable to change with appropriate interventions.
This study therefore investigates the impacts of family factors on learning and teaching of home economics.
1.3 Research Objectives
The objective of the study is to examine the impacts of family factors on learning and teaching of home economics and the specific objective are:
1. to examine the effects of family factors on the learning and teaching of home economics.
2. to investigate the relationship between family factors and learning and teaching of home economics.
1.4 Research Questions
Specifically, this chapter addresses the following research questions:
1. What is the impact of family factors on the learning and teaching of home economics?
2. What is the relationship between family factors and learning and teaching of home economics?
1.5 Research Hypothesis
Ho: There is no significant relationship between family factors on learning and teaching.
H1: There is a significant relationship between family factors on learning and teaching.
1.6 Significance of the Study
This study will benefit the educational administrators to appreciate the need to make available the necessary materials that will enhance effective learning and teaching of economics if they are not available. It will also help the government to know the importance of recruiting qualified personnel in their area of specialization in order to teach effectively. This study will if need be, direct the home economics teachers’ attention to the need for them to adopt more appropriate teaching method in order to bring about desirable experience in the learners. It will direct parents’ attention to the need to pay more attention to their children’s career. It will serve as a foundation upon which further research works to be made.
1.7 Scope of the Study
The study investigates the impacts of family factors on learning and teaching of home economics.
1.8 Limitation of the study
The study will be faced with a lot of challenges and one it the problem of finance. There is not going to be enough funds to print questionnaires and to also transport the researcher to meet the desired respondents. Another one is time; the researcher is currently busy with the demand of his academics. A lot of assignments are available for the researcher to do and coupled with his desire to read and learn at the same time. These are the major challenges of this study.
