Parental influence and cultural beliefs as correlates of secondary school girls attitude and achievement

Thesis Overview

<p> </p><p><strong>INTRODUCTION</strong></p><p><strong>1.1 &nbsp; &nbsp; Background of Study</strong></p><p>Chemistry is a scientific study of structures, substances, how they react and &nbsp; behave &nbsp; under different conditions. (Advanced Learners Dictionary 2006). Chemistry is one of the &nbsp;core science &nbsp;subjects in secondary school curriculum.</p><p>It is a subject with wide knowledge area. This position &nbsp;makes &nbsp;aspiring students &nbsp;to &nbsp;embrace &nbsp;it &nbsp;early &nbsp;but often, &nbsp;parental &nbsp;perceptions &nbsp;as &nbsp;being difficult &nbsp;to learn, &nbsp;projects &nbsp;negative attitude in &nbsp;the &nbsp;minds &nbsp;of their &nbsp;children who have &nbsp;interest &nbsp;in &nbsp;the subject. As a result, males are more favoured than females. &nbsp; Girl’s &nbsp; low &nbsp; participation &nbsp; in &nbsp; chemistry &nbsp; and &nbsp;sciences &nbsp;in general &nbsp;has &nbsp;been an &nbsp;issue &nbsp;of &nbsp;great &nbsp;concern &nbsp;to &nbsp;science &nbsp;educators &nbsp;and researchers &nbsp; alike &nbsp; &nbsp; (Onyene, &nbsp; &nbsp;2004). &nbsp; &nbsp;Recognizing &nbsp;the &nbsp; role &nbsp; &nbsp;of &nbsp; science (chemistry) &nbsp;in &nbsp;contemporary &nbsp;society, &nbsp;with the &nbsp;potential &nbsp;to &nbsp;improve &nbsp;lives in &nbsp;a &nbsp;multitude &nbsp;of ways and &nbsp;advance &nbsp;national &nbsp;development &nbsp;the &nbsp; task of redressing &nbsp;the &nbsp;shortfall &nbsp; in &nbsp; human &nbsp;resources &nbsp;in &nbsp; the &nbsp;area &nbsp;of &nbsp;science (chemistry) &nbsp;and technology in &nbsp;order &nbsp;not &nbsp;to &nbsp;leave &nbsp;woman &nbsp;of the &nbsp;process is considered &nbsp;important &nbsp;and necessary. A country’s &nbsp;ability to &nbsp;create, apply and &nbsp; diffuse &nbsp;scientific &nbsp; and &nbsp; technological &nbsp;knowledge &nbsp;is &nbsp; now &nbsp; &nbsp;a &nbsp; major determinant of its &nbsp;socio-economic development and national competitive. This potential, &nbsp;however, &nbsp;cannot &nbsp;be &nbsp;fully &nbsp;realized without &nbsp;making &nbsp;the best use &nbsp;of the &nbsp;entire &nbsp;population &nbsp;of a &nbsp;nation-including girls and women. It is noted, &nbsp;however &nbsp;that most &nbsp;African &nbsp;countries &nbsp;lag behind in &nbsp;the generation of &nbsp; the &nbsp; &nbsp;human &nbsp; technological &nbsp;capacity &nbsp; on &nbsp; &nbsp;which &nbsp; further &nbsp; economic development &nbsp;is &nbsp;heavily dependent &nbsp;(Salome, &nbsp; 2013). &nbsp; Studies &nbsp;have &nbsp;shown that a student’s &nbsp;performance &nbsp;in &nbsp;science (chemistry) &nbsp;and mathematics is a strong indicator &nbsp;of later earnings &nbsp;(Ekine &nbsp;and Abey, &nbsp;2014). This &nbsp;is the &nbsp;case even &nbsp;within &nbsp; the &nbsp; education &nbsp; system &nbsp;where &nbsp; teachers &nbsp;and &nbsp; &nbsp;lecturers &nbsp; in science (chemistry) &nbsp;are often &nbsp;paid more &nbsp;or &nbsp;have &nbsp;a &nbsp;competitive &nbsp;advantage over &nbsp;their colleagues &nbsp;in &nbsp;other &nbsp;fields. It is &nbsp;also in &nbsp;science (chemistry] &nbsp;and mathematics subjects &nbsp;that many of the &nbsp;cognitive &nbsp;and non-cognitive skills necessary for &nbsp;individual &nbsp;and national &nbsp;development, &nbsp;such as &nbsp;higher order thinking &nbsp;and &nbsp; problem solving, &nbsp;are expected &nbsp;to &nbsp;be &nbsp;learned. For &nbsp;science to largely &nbsp;remain the domain of men &nbsp;is &nbsp;a sure means to &nbsp;perpetuate &nbsp;existing inequalities &nbsp;on &nbsp;the basis of gender in &nbsp;society.</p><p>However, &nbsp; the &nbsp; low &nbsp; participation of girls &nbsp;in &nbsp; chemistry &nbsp; as &nbsp; well &nbsp;as &nbsp; other science &nbsp;in &nbsp; school has &nbsp;led &nbsp; to &nbsp;many research &nbsp;efforts &nbsp; to &nbsp;identify &nbsp;factors responsible for &nbsp;such &nbsp;observation &nbsp;(Udeani; &nbsp;2004: &nbsp;Onyene, &nbsp;2004; Masanja, 2010; Ekine and Abey, &nbsp; 2014 just &nbsp;to mention but a &nbsp;few). Findings reveal that &nbsp;there &nbsp;are &nbsp;conventional &nbsp;interplay &nbsp;of &nbsp;factors &nbsp;like &nbsp;parents &nbsp;illiteracy, gender relation and &nbsp;cultural beliefs (Ekine &nbsp;and Abey, &nbsp;2014). Concerning these girls’ impediments to learning &nbsp;chemistry &nbsp;as &nbsp;well &nbsp;as &nbsp;other &nbsp;science subjects. Ekine and Abey &nbsp; (2014) &nbsp; identified &nbsp; socio-cultural beliefs and classroom &nbsp; practices &nbsp; as &nbsp; &nbsp;influential &nbsp; &nbsp;factors &nbsp; that &nbsp; favour &nbsp; males &nbsp; and &nbsp;discourage &nbsp;girls in &nbsp;their pursuit &nbsp;of science. They &nbsp;also &nbsp;noted &nbsp;that societal beliefs &nbsp;about &nbsp;females’ &nbsp; innate &nbsp; abilities &nbsp; and &nbsp; &nbsp;social &nbsp;role &nbsp;biases &nbsp; in &nbsp; the curriculum, &nbsp;teacher-student &nbsp;and &nbsp;peer interactions &nbsp;and the &nbsp; methods &nbsp;of pedagogy and &nbsp;assessment &nbsp; also &nbsp;conspire &nbsp;and &nbsp;militate &nbsp;against &nbsp;girls &nbsp;in participation &nbsp;in &nbsp;science. At this junction, let us examine how parental influence, gender and cultural beliefs impart greatly on girls attitude and achievement towards chemistry.</p><p><strong>1.1.1 Parental Influence on Girls Participation in Chemistry</strong></p><p>Early exposure of girls to chemistry as &nbsp; well &nbsp; as other science subjects when &nbsp; their interests &nbsp; &nbsp;and &nbsp; attitudes &nbsp; &nbsp;about &nbsp; learning &nbsp; &nbsp;are &nbsp; &nbsp;formed &nbsp; is necessary. But this seems not to be the case with the girl child in Nigeria where socio-cultural &nbsp;belief system inhibits &nbsp;parents from &nbsp; any &nbsp; investment on &nbsp;girl-child education &nbsp;(Udeani, &nbsp;2004). In rural &nbsp;communities, late &nbsp;school entry &nbsp;is &nbsp;a particular &nbsp;problem among poor children and girls. It has been noted that less than 50 percent of the &nbsp;poorest girls are enrolled &nbsp;in &nbsp;school at &nbsp;age &nbsp; six &nbsp; (Ekine, &nbsp; 2014). &nbsp; In &nbsp; essence, &nbsp;girls &nbsp;face &nbsp; greater &nbsp;constraints &nbsp; in pursuing &nbsp;their &nbsp;studies &nbsp;due &nbsp;to &nbsp; household &nbsp;demands &nbsp;on &nbsp; their &nbsp;labour, threats &nbsp;to &nbsp; their &nbsp;physical &nbsp;safety &nbsp; and &nbsp;a &nbsp; lack &nbsp; of &nbsp;necessary &nbsp;sanitation facilities at school and societal &nbsp;beliefs that &nbsp;privilege investments &nbsp;in &nbsp;boys education, &nbsp; Thus, &nbsp;girls &nbsp;lack &nbsp; access &nbsp;to &nbsp; school &nbsp;remains &nbsp;a &nbsp; fundamental barrier &nbsp;to &nbsp;their &nbsp;participation &nbsp;in &nbsp; science, &nbsp;both &nbsp;as &nbsp; children &nbsp; and &nbsp;adults (Salome, &nbsp; 2013). &nbsp; All &nbsp;illiterate &nbsp; parents &nbsp;may directly dissuade &nbsp;girls &nbsp; from pursuing &nbsp;science &nbsp;or &nbsp; indirectly &nbsp; convey &nbsp;their &nbsp;differing &nbsp; expectations &nbsp; by insisting &nbsp;that boys &nbsp;take science subjects &nbsp;and leaving &nbsp;girls to choose what they want to &nbsp;study &nbsp;(Salome, &nbsp;2013). Such &nbsp;family questions &nbsp;the &nbsp;relevance of science to girl’s &nbsp;own &nbsp;lives.</p><p><strong>1.1.2 &nbsp; &nbsp;Gender Relation and its Influence on Girl Child Learning of Chemistry</strong></p><p>Gender relations are accordingly defined as the specific mechanisms whereby different cultures determine the functions and responsibilities of each sex. They also determine access to material resources such as &nbsp;land, credit &nbsp;and &nbsp;training, &nbsp; &nbsp;and &nbsp;more &nbsp;ephemeral &nbsp; resources &nbsp;such &nbsp;as &nbsp; power (Wikipedia &nbsp; Contributors, &nbsp; 2015), &nbsp; Esiobu &nbsp;(2004) &nbsp; asserts &nbsp;that &nbsp;girls &nbsp; are affected &nbsp;by sex &nbsp;role, &nbsp;stereotyping, &nbsp;attitude and financial &nbsp;strength.</p><p>In &nbsp;many &nbsp;countries, &nbsp;studies have &nbsp;shown &nbsp;that &nbsp;girls, &nbsp;on &nbsp;average, &nbsp;tend &nbsp;to perceive &nbsp;science &nbsp;(chemistry) &nbsp;as &nbsp;difficult, &nbsp;uninteresting &nbsp;or &nbsp;unappealing &nbsp;in the &nbsp;future prospect it offers &nbsp;(Salome, &nbsp;2013). There is a &nbsp;prevalent view &nbsp;in Nigeria &nbsp;that women’s &nbsp;and men’s &nbsp;traditional &nbsp;roles &nbsp;in &nbsp; society should &nbsp;be preserved, &nbsp;and &nbsp;therefore &nbsp;girls &nbsp;should &nbsp;not &nbsp;compete &nbsp;with &nbsp;boys &nbsp; in &nbsp;class (Salome, &nbsp; 2013). Those who do &nbsp; pursue science can be stigmatized as aberrant or, at best, deemed “exceptional.” whereas boys &nbsp; are presumed to have a “natural ability.” Views &nbsp;about the proper conduct for girls – &nbsp;as submissive, &nbsp;reserved &nbsp;and unquestioning &nbsp;– &nbsp;shape student &nbsp;– &nbsp;teacher and peer interactions &nbsp;in &nbsp;schools and thus &nbsp;have implications &nbsp;for girls learning.</p><p>In &nbsp; most &nbsp;societies, &nbsp;a &nbsp; girl’s &nbsp; choice &nbsp; to &nbsp; study &nbsp; science &nbsp;is &nbsp; also &nbsp; seen &nbsp;as weakening her identity &nbsp;as &nbsp;a girl &nbsp;and as &nbsp;making her appears less &nbsp;feminine (Esiobu, 2004). &nbsp; &nbsp; In &nbsp; &nbsp; contexts &nbsp; &nbsp;where &nbsp; &nbsp;a &nbsp; &nbsp;girl’s &nbsp; &nbsp;worth &nbsp; and &nbsp; material circumstances, &nbsp;as &nbsp;well &nbsp;as &nbsp;those &nbsp;of her family, &nbsp;are &nbsp;intimately &nbsp;tied &nbsp;to &nbsp;her marriage &nbsp; prospers, &nbsp; the &nbsp;implications &nbsp; of &nbsp; challenging &nbsp; &nbsp;the &nbsp; &nbsp;dominant construction &nbsp;of female &nbsp;identity &nbsp;are not easily &nbsp;dismissed. In many African countries, &nbsp;girl’s &nbsp; exclusion &nbsp; from &nbsp; science &nbsp;(chemistry) &nbsp; can &nbsp; be &nbsp; attributed largely &nbsp;to the construction &nbsp;of feminine &nbsp;identities, &nbsp;ideologies &nbsp;of domesticity and &nbsp;gender &nbsp; stereotypes &nbsp; (Esiobu, &nbsp; 2014). &nbsp; Formal and informal &nbsp; socio- cultural norms and expectations about the role of females in society have tremendous effects on girl’s educational opportunities, learning outcomes and decisions about study and work &nbsp;(Ekine &nbsp;and Abey, &nbsp;2014). At the most basic level, obstacles to school access and retention remain fundamental barriers to girls’ participation in science (chemistry) both as children and adults.</p><p><strong>1.1.3 &nbsp; &nbsp;Influence of Cultural Beliefs on Girls Achievement and Attitude towards science Chemistry</strong></p><p>Gender discrimination in sciences particularly physical science, engineering and &nbsp; mathematics will continue to be seen as males preserved. Educations, in general, &nbsp;and &nbsp;science education, &nbsp;in &nbsp;particular, are &nbsp; often &nbsp; viewed &nbsp; &nbsp;as &nbsp; being &nbsp; of &nbsp;less &nbsp; value &nbsp;to &nbsp; girls, &nbsp; given &nbsp;the &nbsp; cultural expectations &nbsp;about &nbsp;their &nbsp;primary roles as &nbsp;wives and &nbsp;mothers. Nigerian women lack of recognition in the sciences (chemistry) &nbsp;play a part in &nbsp;their &nbsp;low &nbsp; &nbsp; self-esteem. &nbsp;These &nbsp; &nbsp;different &nbsp; &nbsp; forms &nbsp; &nbsp;of &nbsp; &nbsp;cultural &nbsp; &nbsp; belief &nbsp; &nbsp; and discrimination &nbsp;against &nbsp;girls &nbsp;in &nbsp;relation &nbsp;to &nbsp;their participation in &nbsp;science (chemistry) greatly affect their aspiration which leads them to drop out of science (chemistry) &nbsp;classes (Udeani, &nbsp;2004). As girls &nbsp;get &nbsp;older, &nbsp;they &nbsp;aspire less &nbsp;even if &nbsp;they are performing at the &nbsp;same levels &nbsp;as &nbsp;their male &nbsp;peers, and &nbsp; thus &nbsp;they often &nbsp;show science &nbsp;(chemistry) &nbsp;and mathematics &nbsp;related anxieties and &nbsp;come &nbsp; to &nbsp;believe that &nbsp;science &nbsp;( chemistry) &nbsp; is not for &nbsp;them (Masanja, &nbsp;2010).</p><p><strong>1.1.4 Girls Achievement and Attitude towards Chemistry</strong></p><p>However, &nbsp;girls themselves &nbsp;(as well &nbsp;as &nbsp;their families, teachers &nbsp;and school peers) &nbsp;question &nbsp;the &nbsp;relevance &nbsp;of science &nbsp;(chemistry) &nbsp;to &nbsp;their &nbsp;own &nbsp;lives. People &nbsp; may even doubt that a &nbsp;woman can be &nbsp;trusted &nbsp;to &nbsp;fly &nbsp;a &nbsp;plane &nbsp;or supervise &nbsp;a &nbsp;road’s &nbsp;construction, &nbsp;which &nbsp;are &nbsp;viewed as &nbsp; entirely &nbsp;a &nbsp;man’s domain &nbsp;(Salome, &nbsp;2013). &nbsp; Such &nbsp;beliefs &nbsp;have &nbsp;a &nbsp;negative &nbsp;impact &nbsp;on &nbsp;girls’ practical &nbsp; and &nbsp;academic &nbsp;interest &nbsp; and &nbsp;learning &nbsp; in &nbsp; science &nbsp;(chemistry) (Ekine &nbsp; and &nbsp;Abey, &nbsp; 2014). &nbsp; In &nbsp; many &nbsp;countries, &nbsp; studies &nbsp;have &nbsp;shown &nbsp;that girls, &nbsp; on &nbsp; average, &nbsp; &nbsp;tend &nbsp; to &nbsp;perceive &nbsp; &nbsp;science &nbsp; (chemistry) &nbsp; &nbsp;as &nbsp; &nbsp;difficult, uninteresting &nbsp;or &nbsp;unappealing in &nbsp;the &nbsp; future &nbsp;prospects it &nbsp;offers &nbsp;(Salome, 2013). Girls may be &nbsp;further discouraged by &nbsp;the &nbsp;prevalent perception that they lack &nbsp;the ability &nbsp;and, &nbsp;in &nbsp;some contexts, the &nbsp;“toughness” &nbsp;to succeed in the &nbsp;science &nbsp;(chemistry). This is &nbsp;of great &nbsp;consequence &nbsp;to &nbsp;learning, &nbsp;given that there is &nbsp;a &nbsp;strong &nbsp;correlation &nbsp;in &nbsp;science (chemistry) &nbsp;between positive attitudes &nbsp; &nbsp; and &nbsp; high &nbsp; performance &nbsp; &nbsp; (U deani, &nbsp; &nbsp; 2004). &nbsp; &nbsp; Such &nbsp; &nbsp;gendered stereotypes are often ingrained early in life and are difficult to overcome. This area pertaining &nbsp;to &nbsp;the attitudes &nbsp;towards sciences ( chemistry) &nbsp;needs more research because &nbsp;the performance in &nbsp;chemistry and other &nbsp;sciences is &nbsp;still &nbsp;low.</p><p>Furthermore, &nbsp; chemistry &nbsp;as &nbsp; a &nbsp;science &nbsp;subject &nbsp;is &nbsp;a &nbsp;pivot &nbsp;in &nbsp;the &nbsp; Nigerian secondary &nbsp;school &nbsp;curriculum &nbsp; since &nbsp;other &nbsp; subjects, &nbsp; e.g. &nbsp; Physics and Biology, &nbsp; depend &nbsp;on &nbsp;it. &nbsp; Despite &nbsp;the &nbsp;prime position &nbsp;chemistry &nbsp;occupy &nbsp;in Nigeria, &nbsp; women &nbsp;in &nbsp; some &nbsp;parts &nbsp;of &nbsp;Nigeria &nbsp; and &nbsp;rural &nbsp; communities &nbsp; are affected &nbsp; by &nbsp; socio-cultural &nbsp; factors. &nbsp; It &nbsp; is &nbsp; important &nbsp; to &nbsp;note &nbsp; that &nbsp;at &nbsp;the primary school level, &nbsp;participation is &nbsp;not an issue, &nbsp;it &nbsp;is &nbsp;at this level &nbsp;that gender &nbsp; disparities &nbsp; interest &nbsp; and &nbsp;in &nbsp; some &nbsp; &nbsp;cases &nbsp; performance &nbsp;begin &nbsp;to emerge &nbsp;in &nbsp;Nigeria &nbsp;and &nbsp;in &nbsp; other &nbsp;countries. At this earliest ages (below seven years), &nbsp; few differences &nbsp; in &nbsp; children’s &nbsp; engagement in &nbsp; science are documented. &nbsp; A &nbsp;review &nbsp;of &nbsp;existing &nbsp; literature &nbsp; on &nbsp; science &nbsp;teaching &nbsp;and learning &nbsp;in &nbsp;Nigeria &nbsp;has &nbsp;proved that &nbsp;disparities &nbsp;in &nbsp;interest &nbsp;in &nbsp;favour &nbsp;of boys &nbsp;and could be &nbsp;tied to performance &nbsp;right from upper &nbsp;primary school level. &nbsp; The &nbsp; available &nbsp;literature &nbsp; also &nbsp; traced &nbsp;the &nbsp; constant &nbsp;decline &nbsp;of &nbsp;girls’ interest, &nbsp; &nbsp;and &nbsp;in &nbsp; some &nbsp;cases &nbsp; performance, &nbsp; in &nbsp; higher &nbsp;education &nbsp; and secondary school science (chemistry) &nbsp;to &nbsp;the experiences &nbsp;that &nbsp;girls had in their primary science classrooms. In &nbsp;essence, a &nbsp;gender &nbsp;equity approach, which goes beyond trying to &nbsp;treat girls and boys &nbsp;the same, recognizes the prevailing &nbsp;gender &nbsp;inequality &nbsp; in &nbsp; the &nbsp;field &nbsp; of &nbsp;science &nbsp;(chemistry) &nbsp; and &nbsp; in society. &nbsp; It &nbsp;advocates &nbsp;for &nbsp;a &nbsp;strategic &nbsp;focus &nbsp;on &nbsp;girls &nbsp;in &nbsp;order &nbsp;to &nbsp;promote their &nbsp; participation, &nbsp;higher &nbsp; achievement &nbsp; and &nbsp; &nbsp;interest &nbsp; &nbsp;m &nbsp; &nbsp;science (chemistry). This does not, however, disadvantage boys. What is good for girls is &nbsp; also &nbsp; good &nbsp; for boys. Equity and high quality very clearly work together in the case of science (chemistry) education. On a final note, it is noted that there are 69 million women and girls in Nigeria: &nbsp;represents a tremendous &nbsp; waste &nbsp; &nbsp;of &nbsp; human &nbsp; potential. Nonetheless, &nbsp;women &nbsp; also undertake &nbsp;60 &nbsp; to &nbsp;90 &nbsp;percent of agricultural production &nbsp;activities &nbsp;in &nbsp;the developing world, &nbsp;and they carry the primary responsibility for &nbsp;providing for &nbsp;the &nbsp; water, &nbsp; energy, &nbsp; sanitation &nbsp;and health &nbsp;care &nbsp;needs &nbsp; of their &nbsp;family and &nbsp;communities &nbsp;(Udeani, &nbsp; 2004). &nbsp; In &nbsp; any &nbsp; &nbsp;case, &nbsp; their &nbsp;exclusion &nbsp; from participation &nbsp;and &nbsp;high &nbsp;achievement &nbsp;in &nbsp; science &nbsp;(chemistry) &nbsp; education means that &nbsp;they have limited &nbsp;access to &nbsp;jobs in &nbsp;these &nbsp;fields, &nbsp;which &nbsp;are among the &nbsp;fastest growing and &nbsp;highest &nbsp;paying. &nbsp; Study by Salome, (2013) lends support to this assertion.</p><p>For science &nbsp;( chemistry) &nbsp; to &nbsp;largely &nbsp;remain &nbsp;the &nbsp;domain of men &nbsp;is &nbsp;a &nbsp;sure means &nbsp;to &nbsp;perpetuate &nbsp;existing &nbsp; inequalities &nbsp; on &nbsp; the &nbsp; &nbsp;basis &nbsp;of &nbsp;gender &nbsp; in society. It &nbsp;should &nbsp;be &nbsp; borne &nbsp;in &nbsp;mind that &nbsp;after decade of &nbsp;Science &nbsp;and Technology &nbsp; (S &nbsp; &amp; &nbsp; T) &nbsp; interventions &nbsp; in &nbsp;development, &nbsp; women’s &nbsp; overall position &nbsp;actually &nbsp;declined &nbsp;relative &nbsp;to &nbsp; men’s &nbsp;and &nbsp;women &nbsp;have &nbsp;become disproportionately &nbsp;poor in &nbsp;comparison &nbsp;with men &nbsp;in &nbsp;their communities. Given this &nbsp; situation, &nbsp; this &nbsp; study &nbsp; seeks &nbsp; to &nbsp; assess the conventional interplay of factors like parental/influence, gender and cultural beliefs as imparting greatly on girls’ achievement and attitude towards chemistry in school.</p><p><strong>1.1.5 Theoretical Framework</strong></p><p>The &nbsp;theory &nbsp;of reasoned &nbsp;action as &nbsp; propounded &nbsp;by &nbsp;Ajzen &nbsp;and Fishbein’s (1975) &nbsp;as &nbsp; cited &nbsp;in &nbsp;Salome &nbsp;(2013) &nbsp;is &nbsp;seen &nbsp;relevant &nbsp;for &nbsp;the &nbsp;study. The theory explains that the &nbsp; beliefs represent the information that is known by &nbsp; an &nbsp; &nbsp;individual &nbsp; about the subject. &nbsp; Thus, &nbsp; an &nbsp; &nbsp;individual’s &nbsp; attitude towards any subject is a function of that person’s belief about that object as well as the implicit evaluates &nbsp;response associated with those beliefs. It could therefore be argued that beliefs affect attitudes and these attitudes affect the intentions and behaviour. The enhancement of positive &nbsp;self concept &nbsp;on &nbsp;student’s &nbsp;ability in &nbsp;science &nbsp;(chemistry) &nbsp;will &nbsp;possibly in &nbsp;turn foster development of favourable attitudes &nbsp;towards science (chemistry).</p><p><strong>1.2 &nbsp; &nbsp; Statement of the Problem</strong></p><p>Nigerian &nbsp;women &nbsp;lack &nbsp;of recognition &nbsp;in &nbsp; the &nbsp;sciences &nbsp;(chemistry) &nbsp;play a part &nbsp;in &nbsp;their low &nbsp;self-esteem. The low level of women participation &nbsp;in &nbsp;the study of &nbsp;science &nbsp;( chemistry) &nbsp;at local &nbsp;and national &nbsp;levels &nbsp;stem &nbsp;from &nbsp;deep seated trends encouraged &nbsp;by &nbsp;the parents. These influences &nbsp;include; &nbsp;fear of being molested or raped in pursuit of seemingly male dominated area; parental &nbsp;insecurity &nbsp;and worry over &nbsp;exposure &nbsp;of the &nbsp;girl who goes through menstrual pains and related feminine private issues in &nbsp;area they thought boys &nbsp;could perform easily; &nbsp;and parental perception that it &nbsp;is &nbsp;a &nbsp;waste of fund &nbsp;training women in &nbsp;the area.</p><p>In the same vein, family chores, early marriage and socialization presents a &nbsp; cultural &nbsp; hurdle against women participation and performance &nbsp; in science (chemistry). So, &nbsp; this proposed study will &nbsp;assess &nbsp;the &nbsp; relationship &nbsp;between &nbsp;parental influence &nbsp;as well &nbsp;as &nbsp;cultural &nbsp;challenges as &nbsp;they affect &nbsp;secondary school girls achievement and attitude &nbsp;towards &nbsp;chemistry.</p><p><strong>1. 3 &nbsp; &nbsp;Purpose of the Study</strong></p><p>The proposed study is to assess the Parental Influence and Cultural beliefs on Secondary School girls’ achievement and attitude towards Chemistry.</p><p>The Study Specifically:</p><p>1.) &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;Examined the Parental influence (fear of being raped, inadequate fund and inadequate sanitary facility) on secondary school girls (a) achievement and (b) attitude towards Chemistry.</p><p>2.) &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;Determine the influence of cultural beliefs (family chores and early marriages) on Secondary School girls (a) achievement (b) attitude towards Chemistry.</p><p>3.) &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;Show the extent of influence which gender have on Secondary School girls (a) Achievement and (b) Attitude towards Chemistry.</p><p><strong>1.4 &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Research Questions’</strong></p><p>1.) &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;To what extent do parents influence Secondary School girls (a) achievement and (b) attitude towards Chemistry?</p><p>2.) &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;How have cultural beliefs influenced secondary school girls (a) achievement and (b) attitude towards Chemistry.</p><p>3.) &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;To what extent have gender influenced secondary school girls’ (a) achievement and (b) attitude towards Chemistry.</p> <br><p></p>