CHAPTER ONE

GENERAL INTRODUCTION

Background to the study

Student characteristic is one of the conditions of the instructional variable which is occupied an important position that leads to learning achievement. The kind of student characteristic is intelligence levels, prior knowledge, cognitive styles, learning styles, motivation, and sociocultural. On the instructional structure, it was connecting with the instructional management strategy.

Management strategy is elemental methods for making decisions about which organizational and delivery strategy components to use when during the instructional process. They include such considerations as for how to individualize the instruction and when to schedule the instructional resources, such us; selecting the instructional component, organizing delivery of content, development instructional strategy and media, delivering matters and motivational management, and managing instructional activities. All of this must be considered by the teachers before they make instructional planning that suitable with the student characteristics for the equitable and meaningful learning.

Student characteristics are a personal quality of students who become characteristic and indicate the condition of students. This individual characteristic is believed to be a special ability that influences the degree of success in following a program. Various information about student characteristics is needed by other learning components such as material goals, media, learning strategies and evaluation.

Religious belief

Religion is defined as a specific set of educational fields, which is determined beliefs and principles about “musts and evaluated in different ways and with and must‑nots” and “is and is‑nots.” the use of different criteria. Several factors An individual with religious beliefs feels affect academic achievement, including that they are committed to some ethical motivation, anxiety, study technique, principles and if they choose the medical physical factors, self‑esteem, mental health, profession, they should make further efforts and intelligence

Region of origin (ethnic diversity)

The gap in education and labor market outcomes between natives and migrants is a growing concern, as well as the integration of second generation migrants (OECD 2015). At the same time, we have witnessed moves towards greater segregation in key aspects of social life such as education. In Pennsylvania, for instance, a high school recently started to experiment with ‘segregation’: some students are separated by race, gender and language for few minutes a day in an effort to boost academic scores

Peer influence

Castrogiovanni (2000) defined peer group as a small group of similar age and fairly close friends sharing the same activities. Studies discovered that a peer labelling process might be contributing to the construction of positive identities and negative identities amongst members (Ryan, 2000; Castrogiovanni, 2002; Downs & Rose, 1991). This is consistent with what Black (2002) asserted that peer groups provide a forum where teens construct and reconstruct their identities.

On the other hand, Ryan (2000) discovered that peer groups are commonly influential where there are intrinsic values for school as well as academic achievement.

Family background

Existing research has mostly focused on the impact of family background on the eventual education attainment, especially the attainment of higher education, but it is worth noticing that education attainment is a continuous process in which the education achievement of the prior stage affects the later-stage achievement both cumulatively and probabilistically. Without access to high-qualified primary school and middle school education, one barely has much chance to proceed to higher education. The continuous and accumulative nature of education means that the competition for educational opportunities of individuals initiates ever since the primary school and middle school stages. Therefore, without a thorough analysis of the educational processes, it is difficult to fully understand the mechanisms of how family background affects children’s educational opportunities and academic achievement. Moreover, there will be straight-forward policy implications to explore the relationship between academic achievement and family background from the starting point—the phase of compulsory education.

Learning

Learning is an enduring change in behaviour, or the capacity to behave in a given fashion which results from practice or other forms of experience (Chunk, 2012). Learning can also be looked at as a relative permanent change of behaviour as a result of experience.

Attitude towards learning

Attitude is an important concept to understand human behaviour. It is defined as a complex mental state involving beliefs and feelings.  Anastasi (1957) defines attitude as tendency to react in a certain way towards a designed class of stimuli.  Attitude has been defined as a mental and neutral state of readiness, organised through experience, exerting a directive or dynamic influence upon the students response to all objects and situations with which it is related. Students attitudes towards their learning have an effect  on their performance. This case is also valid for  the profession of teaching.   According to Bradley (1995), inadequate funds of schools, lack of parent and community support, and insufficient salaries are examples of those factors. Marchant (1992) added the role of experience to the factors influencing teachers’ attitudes for their profession.  Dodeen et al. (2003) found that female teachers have more positive attitude than male teachers. The attitude and expectation of society in general and of the family of the learner in particular affect how learning is viewed and how teaching is organised. These attitudes and expectations vary from society to society and attempting to copy learning and teaching strategy from one society into another, without trying to adapt into the local conditions may not be

The University of Buea

The University of Buea was created in 1993 as a result of extensive university reforms in Cameroon.

The University of Buea, conceived in the English-speaking tradition, strives to foster the essence of that system while positioning itself within Cameroon’s wider multilingual and multicultural setting.  Although the University primarily serves students from Cameroon’s English-speaking region, it also serves students from other provinces around the country. As of 2021, there are currently eight (8) Faculties at The University of Buea.

Faculties in the University of Buea as of 2021

Faculty of Arts

The faculty of Art is one of the major Faculties in the University of Buea. The faculty is made up of 5 major departments as listed below. Department of English, Department of French, Department of History, Department of Linguistics and Department of Performing And Visual Arts.

Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Agriculture

The Faculty of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine aspires to develop highly skilled and competent graduates who can make use of agriculture’s dual strengths in the production of safe and nutritious food and the environmentally friendly generation of renewable energy (biofuels).The Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Agriculture has the following departments: Department of Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness, Department of Agricultural Extension and Rural Development, Department of Agronomic and Applied Molecular Sciences, Department of Animal Science, Department of Food Science and Technology, Department of Forestry and Wildlife and Department of Veterinary Medicine.

Faculty of Education

The Faculty of Education’s principal objective is to prepare educational staff, promote excellence at all levels of education, provide professional training and advanced studies in educational sciences, as well as to conduct research, and provide community service. The Faculty of Education is divided into 3 major departments: Department of Curriculum Studies and Teaching (CST), Department of Educational Foundations Administration (EFA) and Department of Educational Psychology (EPY).

Faculty of Engineering and Technology

The Faculty of Engineering and Technology’s objective is to educate engineers who will help Cameroon’s industries develop and prosper. The Faculty of Engineering and Technology consists of 3 major departments: Department of Computer Engineering, Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering and Department of Civil Engineering.

Faculty of Health Sciences

The Faculty of Health Sciences is committed to achieving excellence and enhancing health by providing leadership in health sciences education, discovery, innovation, research, and exceptional health care delivery. Listed among the top Faculties in the University of Buea, The Faculty of Health Sciences is made up of the following departments: Department of Biomedical Sciences, Department of Nursing, Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences and Department of Public Health and Hygiene

Faculty of Science

The Faculty of Science is dedicated to advancing scientific knowledge via research and education. The Faculty of Sciences is made up of the following departments: Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Department of Botany and Plant Physiology, Department of Chemistry, Department of Computer Science, Department of Environmental Science, Department of Geology, Department of Mathematics, Department of Microbiology and Parasitology, Department of Physics and Department of Zoology and Animal Physiology.

Faculty of Social and Management Sciences (SMS)

The Faculty of Social and Management Sciences aims to deliver high-quality education and training in a variety of social and management-related fields. the Faculty of Social and Management Sciences consist of the following departments: Department of Banking and Finance, Department of Economics and Management, Department of Management, Department of Geography, Department of Journalism and Mass Communications, Department of Sociology and Anthropology and Department of Women and Gender Studies.

Faculty of Laws and Political Science

Well, known for breeding strong-minded graduates among other Faculties in the University of Buea, the Faculty of Laws and Political Science consist of the following departments: Department of Business Law, Department of Civil Law, Department of English Law, Department of Political Science and Comparative Politics, Department of Public Law and Public Administration and Department of International Relations and Conflict Resolutions.

Schools or Colleges of the University of Buea

There are currently three (03) colleges at the University of Buea. These include;

College of Technology (COT)

The goal of the College of Technology is to create highly competent senior-level technicians in important engineering disciplines who are equipped with the skills to be productive on the job right away or capable of long-term self-employment. College of Technology consist of the following departments: Department of Computer Engineering, Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering and Department of Mechanical Engineering.

Higher Technical Teachers’ Training College Kumba (HTTTC)

By Presidential Decree No201/090 on March 7, 2014, the University of Buea established the Higher Technical Teachers’ Training College (HTTTC) in Kumba. The institution’s principal goal is to prepare instructors to teach at Cameroon’s technical institutions and high schools. Higher Technical Teachers’ Training College Kumba (HTTTC) consists of the following departments: Department of Administrative Techniques, Department of Agriculture, Department of Civil Engineering and Forestry Techniques, Department of Computer Science, Department of Electrical and Power Engineering, Department off Guidance Counselling, Department of Law, Department of Management Science, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Department of Renewable Energy, Department of Science of Education, Department of Social Economy and Family Management, Department of Topography and Real Estate Management and Department of Tourism and Hospitality Management.

Advanced School of Translators and Interpreters (ASTI)

In 1985, the Advanced School of Translators and Interpreters (ASTI) opened its doors to the global population. ASTI was the University Centre’s sole institution until 1993, when it was converted into a full-fledged university by decree N° 92/074 of April 13, 1992.Advanced School of Translators and Interpreters (ASTI) consist of the following departments: Department Of General Studies And Promotion Of Bilingualism, Department Of Interpretation and Department Of Translation

Theoretically two theories will be used in this study, they include:  Lawrence Kohlberg theory of Moral development (1958)

Kohlberg, who was born in 1927, grew up in Bronxville, New York, and attended the Andover Academy in Massachusetts, a private high school for bright and usually wealthy student. Kohlberg’s (1958) core sample was comprised of 72 boys, from both middle- and lower-class families in Chicago. They were ages 10, 13, and 16. He later added to his sample younger children, delinquents, and boys and girls from other American cities and from other countries (1963).

Kohlberg is not really interested in whether the subject says “yes” or “no” to this dilemma but in the reasoning behind the answer. The interviewer wants to know why the subject thinks Heinz should or should not have stolen the drug. The interview schedule then asks new questions which help one understand the child’s reasoning.

Albert Bandura Social learning theory (1977)

In the 1940s, B. F. Skinner delivered a series of lectures on verbal behavior, putting forth a more empirical approach to the subject than existed in psychology at the time. In them, he proposed the use of stimulus-response theories to describe language use and development, and that all verbal behavior was underpinned by operant conditioning. Social learning theory is a theory of learning process and social behavior which proposes that new behaviors can be acquired by observing and imitating others.

Relationship between student’s characteristics and learning in the University of Buea.

Characteristics of student in the University of Buea often  relate  to  demographic  information  such  as  age, gender, maturation, language, social economic status, cultural background, and specific needs of a learner group such as particular skills and disabilities for and/or impairments to learning.

Academic characteristics are more education and/or learning related such as learning goals (of an individual or  a group), prior knowledge, educational type, and educational level. Social/emotional characteristics relate to the group or to the individual with respect to the group. Examples of social/emotional characteristics are group structure, place of the individual within a group, sociability, self-image.

Statement of the problem

A negative characteristic towards learning has been found to be a contributing factor towards under-achievement in the University of Buea. The negative attitude toward learning has created a lot of fear and anxiety among students who continue to perform dismally as they lack the interest, curiosity and patience needed for learning and performing related tasks concerning their courses in the university.  There is therefore a need to study the effect of student characteristics as is the integral part of socio-cognitive learning which affects the learning outcomes (Burstein, 1992).

There is a need therefore to understand the learners themselves, their attitudes and perceptions towards learning with the aim of suggesting strategies for improvement in  and learning through attitude change. It is based on this backdrop that this research seeks to investigate more on the effects of student’s characteristics and their attitude towards learning in the University of Buea.

Objectives of the Study

General objective

To examine the effect student’s characteristics and their attitude on learning in the University of Buea.

 Specific objective

1. To examine the impact region of origin on learning in the University of Buea.
2. To find out the effect of religion beliefs on learning in the University of Buea.
3. To investigate the influence family background on learning in the University of Buea.
4. To examine the effect of peer group influence on learning in the University of Buea.

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