Tuesday, 22 January 2013

A STUDY ON THE HOME ENVIRONEMNT OF HIGHER SECONDARY STUDENTS





Indian Streams Research Journal

International Recognition Multidisciplinary Research Journal
Impact Factor : 0.2105



A STUDY ON THE HOME ENVIRONEMNT OF HIGHER SECONDARY STUDENTS



P.MAHADEVAN,                                                   Dr.R.MUTHUMANICKAM,
Ph.D., Scholar, (External)                                       Research Guide,
Department of Education,                                       Professor, Department of Education,
Manonmaniam Sundaranar University                 Annamalai University,                   
Tirunelveli – 627 012,                                             Chidambaram – 608 002,
Tamil Nadu, India.                                                   Tamil Nadu, India.

Abstract
            The present study is entitled as “A study on the Home Environment of Higher Secondary Students”. 600 samples consisting of 300 male and 300 female higher secondary   students were randomly selected for the study with gender, locality, type of management and group of study. The tools used in the study were the Home Environment Scale constructed and standardized by Murugeswari (1994). The results reveal that there is no significant difference in the home environment of higher secondary students irrespective of their sub-sample based on   gender, locality, type of management and group of study.

Key words
Gender, Group of study, higher secondary students, Home environment, Locality, Type of management,

Introduction
Education is meant to bring up or draw out and make or manifest the inherent potentials of a student. Education is referred to as an act or experience that has a positive effect on the personality of an individual. The education provides experiences for the life experiences through its different institutions which are deliberately transmitted cultural heritage to its young. Education is a product of experiences and their reorganization. It constructs the experience, which adds to the meaning of experience, and while increases the ability to direct the course of subsequent experiences. Different disciplines of study provide experiences, which differ in their kind and intensity

Home Environment
Psychologically, the individual inherits certain potentialities, the extent of whose development will be dependent in part on the environment during the period of growth. This implies that function and behaviour are both inherited and acquired.  Emotional influences thus have as their basis, certain distinct factors, which cannot be fundamentally changed because they are inherited, and others which evolve out of the home environment.
Home is said to be the first school of the child.  Home environment is one of the most potential factors influencing a child’s achievement.  This aspect of academic achievement has studied by Jain (1965).  There is considerable evidence to prove that parental attitudes and the nature of home-environment are important determinants of a child’s success in reading (Subramaniam, 1979). It is obvious that a child’s home-environment is a major determinant of those abilities and personality traits that are related to creativity.  Rigidity, conventionality and authoritarianism are reported to, negatively related to creativity and these are induced by a harsh, discipline-oriented conformist home-environment (Adorno et al., 1950).
Statement of the Problem
            The problem taken for this study is restated as follows “A Study on the Home Environment of Higher Secondary Students”.

Method of the study
            In the present study, normative or descriptive survey method was adopted.

Sample of the study
A random sampling technique was used in the selection of higher secondary students as sample for the present study. Out of 600 samples, 300 are male and 300 are female higher secondary students.
Tools used in the present study
   The tool used in the present study was Home Environment Scale constructed
 and standardized by Murugeswari (1994).

Statistical Techniques Used
The following statistical techniques were used to analyze the data collected from the samples.
Descriptive analysis – Mean and Standard Deviation.
Differential analysis –‘t’ test.

Objectives of the study
1. To find out the level of home environment of higher secondary students.
2. To find out the difference between the following students on their home environment 
a.      gender - boys and girls
b.      locality - rural and urban students
c.      type of management – Government / Private
d.      group of study – science / science

Hypotheses of the study
1. The level of   home environment of higher secondary students is high.
2. There is a significant difference between the following students on their home environment 
a.   gender - boys and girls
b.   locality - rural and urban students
c.   type of management – Government / Private
d.   group of study – science / arts

Descriptive Analysis - Home Environment of Higher Secondary Students

Table - 1
Showing the mean and S.d. of Home Environment scores of higher secondary students

Table 1 reveals the mean value of the entire sample which is 21.84 and S.D is 4.77. The calculated mean value is higher than the 75th percentile value (20). Hence, it is inferred that higher secondary students are having high level of home environment. The mean values of the different sub samples used in the present study are ranging from 20.25 to 23.27. These mean values are higher than the 75th percentile value (20). Hence, it is inferred that irrespective of sub samples the higher secondary students are having high level of home environment.
Differential Analysis - Home Environment of Higher Secondary Student

Table - 2
SHOWING THE MEAN, S.D. And ‘t’ VALUES OF HIGHER SECONDARY STUDENTS IN HOME ENVIRONMENT 

In order to find out the significant difference between sub samples of higher secondary students in home environment score, the investigator calculated ‘t’ values. It is given in the Table 2. It is found to be 1.15, 2.25, 1.85 and 1.56 respectively for gender, locality, type of management and group of study. These values are not significant at 0.01 level. Hence, the framed null hypothesis no 2 (a), 2(b), 2(c) and  2(d), are accepted. It is inferred that the higher secondary students irrespective of their gender, locality, type of management and group of study do not differ significantly in their home environment.

Major Findings of the study
1.      It is found that the higher secondary students irrespective of their gender, locality, type of management and group of study have high level of home environment.
2.      It is found that the higher secondary students irrespective of their gender, locality, type of management and group of study do not differ significantly in their home environment.
References
·         Adorno, T. W., Frenkel-Brunswik, E., Levinson, D. J., & Sanford, R. N. (1950).  The Authoritarian Personality. New York: Harper.
·         Best, John, W., & Khan, James, V. (2008) Research in Education, Tenth Edition, New Delhi. Prentice Hall of India Private Ltd.
·         Garrett, Henry & Wood Worth, R.S.(2008). Statistics in Psychology and Education, Surjeet Publications Ltd, New Delhi.
·         Jain,A.K. (1965). A Sample Data Study of Book Usage in the Purdue University Libraries, Lafayettee, IN, Purdue University.
·         Subramanian, V., (1979). Consequences of Christian Missionary Education. Third
            World Quarterly 1, 129-131.