INTRODUCTION
1.1 BACKGROUND
TO THE STUDY
In
recent times, movies have remained an instrument of entertainment, information
and education and it has overtaken more than half of other existing
entertainment forms, which equally compete for time and attention of the
average citizen. Since the early 20th century, the American film industry
dominated the cinema across the world. In early 1910, Griffith a renowned film
director shot the ever first movie in Hollywood titled “In old California”.
Before World War I, filmmakers gravitated to Southern California as the first
Hollywood studio was opened in 1911 by the Nestor Company. The film making
industry was later dominated by the Jews who were immigrants as racial
prejudice prevented them from industries. By the mid 1940’s, the film market
was making 400 movies a year. Onokome (2009) noted that the Nigeria video film
has transformed itself into an art, creating its own version of the Nollywood.
The motion picture business grew from an estimated turnover of about 2.5
million in 1994 to a 3.4 million in 1999. Larkin (2006) noted that this
development resulted in the production of over 600 films a year and this made
Nigeria one of the largest filmproducing nations in the world. Okoye (2003)
observed that Ken Mnebue a resourceful Nigerian entrepreneur pioneered the
Nigerian movies by producing “Living in Bondage” in 1992. However, Nollywood is
arguably the third most vibrant film industry in the world after Hollywood and
Bollywood. Movies came into Nigeria through the colonial masters in 1930.
According to Adieza (2010), these films were sponsored by Herbert Macaulay and
was shown at the Glover Hall in Lagos. Film at this period was essentially
meant to stimulate interest on the British Empire. In 1960 shortly after the
independence, the first genre of Indigenous film produced was “Culture in
Transition” an abridged version of Wole Soyinka’s “The Strong Breed”. “Kongi’s
Harvest” also heralded the Independence anniversary. Films during this period
were shown in large cinema halls which often attracted large crowd, the film
hall eventually became a rendezvous for criminals. The cost of showing film
through these projectors was high, so in 1980 when movies came into the
country, it was embraced by all homes. Producers now shifted to the production
of movies which were cheaper and faster. Sor (2011) noted that by 1996, over
20,000 movies were recorded in the film market.
The
West African Examination Council (WAEC) and the National Examination Council
(NECO) (2007, 2008, 2009, and 2010) frequently complains on the low quality of
education in Nigeria educational system and the resultant effect of poor
academic performance among senior secondary school students. Some blame the
pupils for this apparent decline in quality of education and moral values,
majority blames the teachers for the woes in our schools, while the teachers
shifted the blame on the children and parental attitudes to their children
education (Arony & Ogbadu, 2010). Others scholars such Jekayinfa (2007)
blamed the government for unattractive condition of service and poor physical
facilities in some parts of the system. Nevertheless, it is essential to note
that apart from the factors listed as the causes of failure among the secondary
school students, the advent of globalization as a result of urbanization and
civilization such as access to internet, GSM, Television and Cable Network
programs have relegated most students to a mere showbiz and often distracted by
series of cartoons and movie activities. They spend most of their time in front
of their television sets rather than in reading their books, doing their
home-works and mingling with other people etc.
Teenage
age is a point at which children are just starting to seriously break
dependence on their parents, at least as far as their own identity is
concerned. The media gives them a more neutral and less threatening frame of
reference from which to relate to their peers (Ohadebeh 2012). This is because
the media is something that most teenagers see the same way. Unfortunately,
because most teens are still looking for their own identities, they are a lot
more susceptible to suggestion and all the perceived peer pressure from the
media which can overwhelm what they have already formed of their own identities
based on someone else’s opinions, what they should think and feel. Without realizing
it, they can start picking up someone else’s opinions instead of forming their
own with the way the media is today (Okechukwu, 2014).
However,
it cannot be over-emphasized that television has taken a centre stage in our
daily activities especially in the 21st Century with the emergence and
consolidation of different television stations and service providers in
Nigeria. It has been observed in cities that satellite and cable televisions
have a greater amount of audience than the local television stations. However,
this study examines the effect of late-night home videos among students in
secondary school. It is evident through previous researches that with
television stations at their fingertips, teenagers spend a whole lot of their
time watching television. A conservative estimate has been given of an average
American teenager who spends 2.5 hours per day watching television. The
teenagers spend an average of 16 – 18 hours watching television per week,
starting from 13 – 19 years old, watching most often the most popular rated
movies as evidenced from previous research outputs teenagers. It has been
discovered that most of the programs teenagers watch are entertainment related,
for instance, movies, musical videos, soap operas etc. Olorogun (2013), asserts
that the influence of these programs on teenagers may not be immediate or
effective due to some other variables like family, social groups, peer groups
etc. Nevertheless, the influence might lead the teenagers to false ideal and
negative social behaviors. However, the more they expose themselves to
entertainment television with reference to the amount of time some of them put
into watching entertainment programs, the greater the chance for them to
develop a world view and a perception of reality similar to what they watch
over time on television.
1.2
STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
Movies
could be said to have both negative and positive influence on the Nigerian
child depending on the type of film, the time, and the level of control parents
are able to adopt. It is however clear that a child imitates what he sees hence
he must be guided. Onokome (2009) stated that violence is one of the effects of
movies. Children who watch a lot of violent films are prone to violent acts.
There is the belief that people often accept the fictional representation in
the media for their vivid and demonstrative relay of pictures. The Home-video
is popularly considered by many people as a school of violence as it has the
ability to hold its audience better than any conventional school. There are the
long-term and short-term effects of movies especially as it affects the
behavior of the child. Traits such as hostility may be the effect of watching
films with violent content. This can stimulate aggressive thoughts and
feelings. Adesanya (2008) believes that viewing violent program can alter
children’s behavior such as making the child afraid, worried and suspicious or
increasing the child’s tendency for aggressive behavior. Pornographic films
have untold negative effects on the child as it escalates his sexual urge and
he tends to venture into experimentation. The most dangerous is the fact that
movies takes children’s time as noted by Adesanya (2004), thereby depriving
them of maximum concentration on their school work such as revision of notes,
assignments and even domestic chores. They prefer to remain glued to the screen
rather than participate actively in home chores. In most Nigerian homes, the
best form of entertainment is watching films. Most movies have a time duration
of one hour, thirty minutes and some two hours, so there is a high risk of
obesity. The problem of this study manifest from the behavior of school age
children. The assumption is that many school children have positive desire for
watching films rather than concentrating on their school work. This positive
desire occurs in the form of spending more time watching films and less time in
school work which may result in absenteeism and lateness to school. Another
problem could be found in the behaviour of these children who have been exposed
to watching movies without much control. They learn new form of speech pattern,
dressing and immoral acts. It is therefore the aim of this study to
investigate the influence of home movies on the academic performance of
secondary school students in Oshodi-isolo local government area of Lagos state.
1.3
OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY
The
main objective of this study is to investigate the influence of movies on the
academic performance of students. Specifically, the objectives of this study is
1.
To examine the level of student addictiveness to home movie and the influence
on their academic performance.
2.
To determine the genre of movie that the students are more exposed to and the
influence on their academic performance.
3.
To find out the influence movies has on the academic performance of students.
1.4
RESEARCH QUESTIONS
The
following research questions were raised to guide the researcher during the
course of the
research:
1.
To what extent would student addictiveness to movies influence their academic
performance?
2.
Does the genre of movie that the students are more exposed to influence their
academic performance?
3.
What influence does movies has on the academic performance of students in
general?
4.
Does watching of movies influence the behavior of the child?
1.5
SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY
This
study is significant to the teachers, parents and students. This study will
help the teachers of the school to know the influence that movies has on their
students, so as to assist them to enlighten and create awareness to the
students on the possible influence it has on them. The study is of significant
to parents in the sense that they will know the possible effects these movies
has on their children, so as to serve as watch-dog to their children . The
study will enable the students of the senior level so that they will be aware
that, apart from the social benefits of this movies site, using the sites more
than necessary will pose possible dangers to their health. It will be relevant
in assisting students in understanding the diversity of movies. It will provide
relevance material for students and other researchers undertaking similar
research. The study will help researchers with more information on the Influence
of movies on student’s academic performance.
1.6
SCOPE OF THE STUDY
The
focus of this research work is to primarily study the Influence of movies on
the academic performance of students. The study will comprise of students in
Lagos State, Oshodi/Isolo local government area to be precise.