The Effects of Poverty on Education

A RESEARCH PAPER FOR ‘ENG105 – ADVANCED COMPOSITION’

Prepared for :
Ms. Farhana Islam Tani
Instructor , ENG 105 , Section – 31

Prepared By:
Alif Anam
ID # 1931619630
 Acknowledgment

This is my humble attempt to present gratitude in writing this “Research Paper”.

My first acknowledge goes to the Almighty for giving me the patience and the
ability to work hard with tremendous devotion.

I would like to thank all students who participated in the survey and filled out the
questionnaires of interview, therefore allowing me to complete my assignment
within the deadline. I would also like to thank the course instructor, Ms. Farhana
Islam Tani , for her guidance, support, instructions and all out cooperation in
writing the research paper.

Lastly I can’t ignore the name of the person Zawad Hossain, my friend, who
helped me a lot in preparing this paper. If I can satisfy even a bit of my course
instructor immense expectations that she has up on me, then I would think my
research paper to be successful.
 Abstract

The effects of poverty on children are wide-reaching and can lead to lifelong
struggles, especially when young people don’t receive full educations. Poverty and
education are inextricably linked, because people living in poverty may stop going
to school so they can work, which leaves them without literacy and numeracy
skills they need to further their careers. Their children, in turn, are in a similar
situation years later, with little income and few options but to leave school and
work. For this my topic of research has become the effects of poverty on
education. From my research I am expecting to find that most students who come
from low income family suffer from depression due to the stress of higher
education. Impacts of poverty on education is both traumatizing and devastating.
Money is the reason behind it and I want to find out why they’re not being able to
manage it. Getting proper education is essential and I am searching appropriate
ways to deliver them. So far I have found that most of the people are aware of this
problem. Students from low income family are getting affected by educational
problem. The impacts of poverty on education is devastating and people are
suffering from it. Money is causing the problem , as they have less money they are
not being able to provide much on their education. Proper education is essential for
everyone but somehow they’re not getting it. So based on these findings I admit
that my hypothesis is confirmed.
 Table of Contents

Introduction …………………………………………………………. 5
Background …………………………………………………………... 6
Areas of Research ……………………………………………………. 7
Hypothesis …………………………………………………………….. 8
Methodology …………………………………………………………... 8
Data Presentation Analysis …………………………………………... 9
Primary Data Presentation ……………………………………… 9
Graph ……………………………………………………………… 10
Data Analysis ……………………………………………………… 13
Summary of Research Findings…………………………………………14
Conclusion ………………………………………………………………. 15
Reference ………………………………………………………………… 16
 Introduction

By The word ‘Poverty’ tends to conjure up a variety of images, a variety of ideas

and opinions in all of us, some based on stereotypes, some based on media and
television and some based on our own life experiences and with different kinds of
negative perspectives. The effects of poverty are more than just missing a meal.
The effects of poverty on children are wide-reaching and can lead to lifelong
struggles, especially when young people don’t receive full educations. Poverty and
education are inextricably linked, because people living in poverty may stop going
to school so they can work, which leaves them without literacy and numeracy
skills they need to further their careers. Their children, in turn, are in a similar
situation years later, with little income and few options but to leave school and
work. The link between poverty and lack of education is a research topic
increasingly more common in the last decade. In general, poverty makes us think
of education failure, which means that children born into poverty are born in a
vicious circle of poverty, of which they cannot escape. Those born in poverty, are
less prepared or not prepared at all for the school, this practically represents a
failure compared to other children from primary school. This leads to the inability
to integrate. The question that follows: In such circumstances, can a child born in
poverty can get out of this cycle? Even if sociologists and researchers have
different approaches in this area, though they came to a common conclusion: for
the vast majority of children born in poverty the chance of success in education is
lower, therefore results a higher probability of failure of education. Following this
failure, their chances of success as an adult are limited, which can makes us think
of social exclusion.
 Background

The effects of poverty are more than just missing a meal. Families struggle with
chronic food insecurity, hunger, and malnutrition. When families don’t have the
food, their health and livelihood suffers, the long course of poverty takes a toll on
them, in a vicious cycle that affects one generation after another. Poverty effects all
of the population in one or the other way and we all are caught in it like the
prisoners in the jails. The condition becomes worthy and ill, the life in
dissatisfaction shows dominance. Poverty is not having enough material
possessions or income for a person’s needs. Poverty may include social, economic,
and political elements as well. Its main impact is seen on the students, upon the
education. The student from a poorer background gets highly affected, both with
disappointment and irresponsible treatment everywhere. Humiliation, exploitation,
indignity, inequality, a fiery environment they get at every place whether college
or secondary school level .The financially worse situation takes a toll on a good
student. One of the biggest lessons we are taught as children is that we need to stay
in school. Having an education is the first step to finding a job, earning money and
to make life successful and happy. Without an education, many are left jobless and
stuck living in poverty for the rest of their lives, that degrades our level and a good
student gets off the mark. It is a fact that statistics show that for children who live
below the poverty line, the chances of having school success is much lower than
their other peers .Coming on poverty, Children living in poverty often get exposed
to more stress, more intense & longer lasting stress that negatively impact
attention, lowers fitness and focus, cognition, intelligence quotient and social
skills. Children living in poverty also tend to hear less reciprocal conversations, are
engaged in conversation with less complex vocabulary and less sentence structure,
and are read to less frequently than their peers not living in poverty. This can lead
to severe mental conditions that impact a student’s motivation and desire to do well
in school. These students do not possess even good foundation of education ability
and college, for the most part, isn’t on their agenda. For those who do manage to
go to college, they are on an average, ill-prepared for the journey. Their poor
academic preparation handicaps them the entire way, as do poor time management
and study skills.
 Areas of Research

As per the background of my research, four questions arose which acted as the
driving force or the area of the research. The questionnaire and subsequent
research were designed and conducted to find those answers.

Peoples view on how poverty affects them and their education

To know about peoples perception about how poverty affects them and their
education. Do they know about it. How they are coping with it. Are they aware of
their situation. This question will clear out if the respondents are biased. Also if the
respondents are affected by it that will be cleared out.

Government is working on reducing poverty effects on education and what

will be the best for them.

As government is also aware of that poverty is causing a great problem , one of

them is affecting education. So they decided to work on many things to reduce this
problem. I want to know what people want from the government to reduce it. What
will benefit them the most. Will they be able to reduce it . will it work for them or
not

Should Poor people receive all of the free educational help they need.

To know peoples perception on the matter that education is getting affected buy
poverty. So should the poverty affected people get free educational help. Will it
work for them. Do they agree that they should receive free educational help or not
 Hypothesis

From my research I am expecting to find that most students who come from low
income family suffer from depression due to the stress of higher education.
Impacts of poverty on education is both traumatizing and devastating. I want to
find out which groups of people are getting affected by poverty. Money is the
reason behind it and I want to find out why they’re not being able to manage it.
Getting proper education is essential and i am searching appropriate ways to
deliver them.

Methodology

For my primary research , I will conduct a survey of a representative sampling of

the general public in Dhaka and interview people who actually have been suffering
by this problem and find out what significant changes took place in their life after
getting affected by it . To that’s end I will design a questionnaire with different
types of questions so as to get a range of useful data which will help me to answer
my research question.
For my Secondary research, I plant to use the resources of the library and will also
conduct few books and autobiographies of people with this problem. I will also
browse the internet and use standard search engine like google.
 Data Presentation and Analysis

Primary Data Presentation

The primary data was the survey conducted through the questionnaires. A total of
70 respondents participated in the survey.

Questions A B C D

1. How does poverty affects you and your 42 % 20.3% 20.3% 17.4%
education?

2. The government is working on various

ways to reduce poverty and its effects on 15.5% 4.2% 71.8% 8.5%
education. Which program work best for
you?

3. Most people are poor because they are lazy

and simply don't have the drive to go out and 18.6% 31.4% 21.4% 28.6%
Work and educate their children.

4. We should end all foreign aid until we take 15.7% 30% 30% 24.3%
care of poverty of education in our country
5. Poor people should receive all of the free 64.3% 30% 2.9% 2.9%
educational help they need.

6. Do you agree or disagree that affected 33.8% 46.5% 12.7% 7%

education will also be the reason for poverty

Graphs
Q.1. How does poverty affects you and your education?

Q.2. The government is working on various ways to reduce poverty and its effects
on education. Which program work best for you?

Q.3. Most people are poor because they are lazy and simply don't have the drive to
go out and Work and educate their children.
Q.4. We should end all foreign aid until we take care of poverty of education in our
country

Q.5. Poor people should receive all of the free educational help they need.
Q.6. Do you agree or disagree that affected education will also be the reason for
poverty

Data Analysis
The first question was How does poverty affects you and your education? 41.9%
respondents thinks that it effects greatly. 20.3% people thinks that it effects
moderately. 17.4% people said that it doesn’t effect at all. This result and reaction
suggest that people agrees that poverty really affects education. People are aware
of it. Those people who are suffering from poverty are getting affected in
education.

Secondly, I asked them The government is working on various ways to reduce

poverty and its effects on education. Which program work best for you? 71.8%
participants said that income and employment support will help to reduce poverty
effects on education. 15.5% people thinks that transportation solution will help to
reduce the problem. 4.2% people thinks that housing will reduce the problem. This
result indicates that most of the people wants them to have income and
employment support so that they can reduce its effects.

Then I asked them Most people are poor because they are lazy and simply don't
have the drive to go out and Work and educate their children. 18.6% participants
strongly agrees that they are poor because they are lazy. 31.4% people agrees with
this term. 28.6% people disagrees that its because they are lazy that’s why they are
poor. This gives us an idea that because they are lazy they don’t want to do work
for that reason they become poor as a result they become unable to educate their
children.

The 4th question was We should end all foreign aid until we take care of poverty of
education in our country. 15.7% participants strongly agreed with it. 30%
participants agrees that we should end foreign aids until we take care of poverty
effects on education on our country. 24.3% people disagrees that we should not
end all foreign aid. This result indicates that people wanting to make changes and
they want to take care of this problem until it solves. There is a quarter part of
participants who don’t want foreign aids to end.
Then the respondents were asked Poor people should receive all of the free
educational help they need. 64.3% participants strongly agrees that they should
receive all of the free educational help. 30% people also said they agree with it.
2.9% people disagrees on this matter. This indicates that majority of the people
want them to have free educational hell so that they can come out from this
suffering and have a good and healthy life.

Next up, the participants were asked Do you agree or disagree that affected
education will also be the reason for poverty. 33.8% people strongly agree that
affected education will also be the reason for poverty. 46.5% participants agreed
on the matter. 7% people disagreed that it will not be the reason. This shows that
affected education will also be the reason for poverty again. So by giving them
proper education we can reduce poverty.

Summary of Research Findings

First of all, a research based on 70 people can not actually represent the situation
and perception of the whole Bangladesh. But within this people the research
generated positive results. In all the questions majority chose the answer favoring
the educational affected people who were suffering from poverty.
So far with research I have found that a lot of people is this world are suffering
from poverty which is affecting their education. As poverty means less money
that’s why they cannot provide much in their or their children’s education. For this
reason they cant also come out from poverty, this cycle continues.
I also found that many people are aware of this problem. Students from low income
family are getting affected by educational problem. The impacts of poverty on
education is devastating and people are suffering from it.Money is causing the
problem , as they have less money they are not being able to provide much on their
education. Proper education is essential for every one thus they're not getting it
So based on the findings I can say that my hypothesis is confirmed.

Conclusion

Poverty is a great problem. Poverty is much more than the lack of financial means.
Poverty affects the families from functioning properly in their community .They
have trouble paying their bills, yet can’t find a decent paying job without a good
education. A good education costs money that they don’t have, therefore, the cycle
continues. Children that are from poverty-stricken areas are forced to go into
schools that receive very little or no support from their communities. Most times
when parents request for students to go to a better school they are denied due to
poor scores. When students are not able to grow skills effectively it sets them up
for long term failures not only academically but mentally and socially as well . So
it is high time for making changes , and educate poor people . Support them and
make them educated so that they wont get affected by poverty again

References
Works Cited
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Ferguson, H., Bovaird, S., & Mueller, M. (2007). The impact of poverty on educational outcomes

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https://www.childfund.org/poverty-and-education/

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