The Influence Of The Physical School Environment On The Academic Performance Of Secondary School Students
[A CASE STUDY OF ILORIN WEST LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA, KWARA STATE.]

Academic performance is undoubtedly a research after the heart of educators, teachers, psychologists, policy makers, parents and guardians, social workers, etc. in attempts to investigate what determines academic outcomes of learners, and they have come with more questions than answer. Recent, prior literature has shown that learning outcomes (academic achievements and academic performance) have been determined by such variables as; family, schools, society and motivation factors. It has been noted that much of the previous studies focused on the impact of demographic and socio-psychological variables on academic performance as a factor of government (Joktham & Sizkan, 2013). In spite of the seeming exhaustiveness of literature on the determinants of academic performance of learners, there seems to be more area of interest to be investigated.
School sector (public or private) and class size are two important structural components of schools which the economic status of parents would determine the one to be afforded. Smaller class sizes create more intimate settings and therefore can increase teacher-pupil bonding which has also been shown to have a positive effect on pupil’s success.
Pupils from low economic background who attend poorly funded schools do not perform as well as students from higher economic classes (Ibitoye, 2014 &Omidiji, 2015). This trend is a huge problem to parents, teachers, government and Stakeholders in the education system.
Statement of the Problem
In kwara State and particularly Ilorin West Local Government, some secondary schools are dotted with dilapidated buildings equipped with obsolete facilities situated in unconducive environment. Teachers work at times under stressful conditions and a handful of them go the extraordinary path to convey lessons that should be learnt with ease. It is not unusual to find teachers and students interacting academically under collapsed school buildings, buildings with wrecked roofing, large class size, or sometimes under trees and easily distracted open spaces. Poor academic performance of students in Ilorin West Local Government is a concern to all stakeholders including students.
Ekpeyong (2012) noted that the quality of education does not only depend on the teacher’s ability as reflected in the performance of their duties, but also in the effective co-ordination of the school physical environment. The efficiency of a school system in achieving its organizational objectives and goals depend on the effectiveness of the various physical environmental factors to which the component of the system are subjected to (Eke, 2015). However, it is believed that physical environment might have an impact on students’ behavior and attitudes towards learning.
This study therefore seeks to identify and determine the type of physical environment provided for Secondary school students in Ilorin West Local Government and how it has affected academic performances.
Purpose of the Study
The main purpose of this study was to examine the influence of physical environment on the academic performance of secondary school students in Ilorin West Local Government with the intents to providing valid and useful suggestions towards the provision of standardized and conducive school environment towards enhancing students’ academic performance.
Specifically, the study will examined the following;
i.    The influence of physical environment on student’s academic performance.
ii.    The extent to which school location affects the academic performance of students.
iii.    The extent to which school environment affects student’s academic performance.
Significance of the Study
The findings of this study will be of immense benefit to stakeholders in the educational sector in Kwara State in the following ways:
a.    Formulation of strategies for curriculum developers and education planners to enhance student’s academic performance through the provision of appropriate physical environment.
b.    Provide useful resource to teacher-in-training and those already on the field to further enrich their knowledge on the issue of school environment and students’ academic performance.
c.    Provide a wide spectrum of knowledge on how to create, manage and sustain a conducive physical environment for better educational outcome of the students.
d.    Provide relevant information for the government on the effect of poor physical environment on student’s academic performance.