Perceived Influence of Home and School Environments on Academic Performance of Pupils with Disabilities in Oyo Town, Nigeria: A Descriptive Study

This study investigated the perceived influence of home and school environments on the academic performance of pupils with disabilities in Oyo Town, Nigeria. Anchored in Bronfenbrenner’s (1979) Ecological Systems Theory, a descriptive survey design was adopted with 100 teachers purposively sampled from three special schools. Data were collected using a self-developed 20-item Home and School Environment and Academic Performance Questionnaire (HSEAPQ), across two scales: the Physical Home Environment and Academic Performance Scale and Parental Academic Engagement Scale, which yielded a Cronbach’s alpha reliability coefficient of 0.77. Descriptive statistics revealed that all assessed school environmental factors: safe buildings, visible classrooms, adequate lighting, and ventilation, were perceived to positively influence academic performance, with safety recording the highest mean (M = 3.14, SD = 0.664). Similarly, all home environmental factors: access to playground equipment, books, appealing wall decorations, adequate floor space, and parental academic discussions were positively perceived, with parental academic discussions recording the strongest influence (M = 3.06, SD = 0.890). The findings support the proposition that both home and school microsystems exert additive and synergistic effects on the academic performance of pupils with disabilities, underscoring the need for integrated environmental interventions in special education planning.