INFLUENCE OF PARENTS AND TEACHERS ON FUNCTIONAL LITERACY DEVELOPMENT AMONG JUNIOR SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS IN EKITI STATE
Abstract
The study examined the influence of parents and teachers on functional literacy development among junior secondary school students in Ekiti State. Specifically, the study assessed the current levels of functional literacy, the relationship between parental factors and functional literacy development and the influence of teacher factors on functional literacy development among junior secondary school students in Ekiti State. The descriptive research design of the survey type was used in this study. The population for the study consists of 11,677 Junior Secondary School in Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State, 2023/2024 session. The sample for the study comprised 200 JSS II and III students using simple random sampling technique. The instruments used for data collection in this study would be two questionnaires; “Level of Functional Literacy Questionnaire (LFLQ)” and “Parental and Teachers’ Influence on Functional Literacy Questionnaire (PTIFLQ)”. The validity of the instruments was ascertained by face and content validity. To ensure the reliability of the instruments, test-retest reliability method was used to obtain a reliability coefficient of 0.79 for LFLQ and 0.80 for PTIFLQ which were adjudge reliable. The data collected through the instruments was analyzed using descriptive analysis of mean and standard and inferential statistics of Pearson Product Moment Correlation (PPMC) t-test, tested at 0.05 level of significance. The findings revealed that functional literacy development among junior secondary school students in Ekiti State is characterized by strong basic literacy skills but significant weaknesses in advanced applications, with parental factors exerting a marginally stronger influence than teacher factors, though both are statistically equivalent in their impact. It was recommended that educational authorities should redesign the junior secondary curriculum to emphasize the practical application of literacy skills beyond basic reading and writing, schools should implement parent education programs that raise awareness about the importance of creating literacy-rich home environments and prioritize teacher professional development programs focused on diverse teaching methodologies, technology integration, and resource creation to address the identified gaps in pedagogical approaches that support advanced functional literacy development.
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