Research Paper (undergraduate) from the year 2024 in the subject Pedagogy - Pedagogic Sociology, grade: A, University of Edinburgh, course: Sociology of Education, language: English, abstract: The study examined the effects of social background and economic circumstances on academic performance and educational outcomes of students in Nigeria. The theoretical framework adopted for this study is cultural capital theory. The research design adopted for the study is qualitative research design. Sources of data are secondary sources and the method of data analysis is thematic analysis. The study found that social background has a strong effect on students¿ academic performance and educational outcomes in Nigeria. The study also found that economic circumstances affect students¿ academic achievement and educational outcomes in Nigeria. The study recommends among others that, parents should be more involved in the education of their children. Government should ensure that the economy creates more jobs that pay living wages to the average Nigerian. This would enable them to take care of the needs of their families and also give their children quality education.