CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background to the Study
Discipline, according
to Jemibewon (1976) is a highly desirable quality of human being or social
group. Discipline behavior is accepted
as essential characteristics of any educated or cultured person. Discipline, therefore, is a subject of great
concern to parents, teachers, and administrators who are interested in the
moulding of the character of young people.
In Nigeria, there
appears to be a great concern about the lack of indiscipline in schools, in
offices and among people in public sectors.
However, the problem of widespread indiscipline among primary school
pupils and post primary schools is very clearly noticed. Every year serious cases of rioting, arsons,
damages to school property occur in several post-primary schools and
universities. In spite of the extreme
cases of indiscipline that attract newspapers headlines, there are routine
cases of truancy, disobedience, absenteeism, drug-abuse, fighting and other
example of indiscipline in the classroom which do not appear or are reported in
the Newspapers. From indiscipline among
the students, it has attracted much more attention than indiscipline among
members of staff. Parents blame teachers
for the indiscipline among school children and teachers blame parents,
government and school administrators for the indiscipline in the society. Nigeria like any other nation wants to live
in peace and harmony with their fellow country people regardless of their
various ethnic groups and religious affiliation. Today, education has contributed and
attracted increased government’s attention among other priorities. However, if these objectives are to be
achieved, discipline must be maintained in our school system since learning and
teaching cannot effectively take place under a threatened atmosphere. But today, acts of indiscipline: riot,
vandalism, lawlessness and the break down of law and order has become a way of
life of our present school system. What
then could be responsible for these acts of indiscipline in our school
system? Identification of these factors
is urgent if Nigeria is to achieve her goals in the committee of nations.
Statements of Problem
A research conducted by Oloruntimehire
(1974) on the causes of indiscipline, in post primary schools revealed that
indiscipline in Nigerian schools had been a running sore in the educational
system of this country. Indiscipline in
our system had continued to persist in spite of the series of warnings from the
Heads of State and concerned Nigerian that discipline should be maintained in
the school system. Thus a number of
measures that were adopted, such as closing down riot schools, suspension or
dismissal of ring-leaders and the mass transfer of teacher in such school have
not yielded any good results.
The question therefore is; who is to
blame, the teachers or the peer-group or the home or the students?
Therefore, this study is designed to
investigate the causes of indiscipline among Primary School pupils or
students. The following questions have
been addressed; whether:
1.
Socio-economic
background had any significant influence on students’ indiscipline.
2.
School
administration had any significant influence on students’ indiscipline.
3.
Societal
morals have any influence on school discipline.
4.
The pressure
on paper qualification has influenced school discipline.
5.
The peer-group
has influence school discipline.
Objectives of the Study
The main objective of this research
therefore is as follows: To know
1.
The extent to
which home background/socio-economic status influence discipline in schools.
2.
The influence
of peer-groups on discipline of primary school pupils.
3.
The extent to
which the pressure on paper qualification influences school discipline.
4.
Whether
societal morals have significant influence on school discipline.
5.
School
administration has great influence on school discipline.
This research
is based on the following assumptions:
1.
That is the
nation that will lose if indiscipline in schools is allowed to continue
unabated.
2.
Indiscipline
is a feature of our school system.
3.
That no
learning takes place under anarchic condition.
4.
That the
Phenomena is generally hated by well meaning Nigerians.
5.
That the
solution of these problems will enhance and increased educational achievement
and output.
Research Hypotheses
The research hypotheses for the study
are as follows:
1.
There is a
significant difference between student from higher socio-economic groups and
those from lower groups in terms of academic achievement.
2.
There is a
significant relationship between students discipline and their peer-group.
3.
The students
discipline is significantly related to the school administration.
4.
There is
relationship between the students discipline and societal morals.
5.
There is
significant relationship between influence of paper qualifications and students
discipline.
Significance of the Study
As a developing nation, if Nigeria is
to achieve fame and progress in all field of human endeavour, proper attention
should be given to the instilling of the act of discipline in our present
school system. Any nation invariably
depends on the type of youths she is able to produce. Thus, if the causal factors are identified,
we would be able to know what measure that could be applied in order to solve
the problem; or reduce it to a minimum.
Since indiscipline has similar causes it is certain that other
institutions of learning will adopt some of the proposal embodied in this
study.
Thus the outcome of this research may
equally be of benefit to both the parents, teachers and government. Consequently, if the standard of education of
our youth were improved as a result of the eradication of indiscipline in our
primary and post primary schools, the yearnings and aspirations of Nigerians in
socio-political as well as scientific and technological field may be realized.
Delimitation and Limitation of the Study
Based on the anticipated significance
of this research topic, the area of study ought to have covered the entire
Local Government Area. However, because
of some limitations, the project is limited to random sampled area in Igueben
Local Government Area in Edo State. The
administrative capital of this council is at Igueben and other important towns
in the area are Ebelle, Amahor, Egbeki, Ekpon and Igueben. Thus, the scope of this study is limited to
the causes of indiscipline in primary schools.
Definition of Terms
For the purpose of this study, the
terms given below have the meaning attached to them:
Discipline: Educating learners to behaved normally
and in accordance with the accepted rules and regulation of a society.
Indiscipline: Indiscipline is a deviance from the normal
rules and regulations and norms of the society or schools.
Education system: Agencies
and individuals who contribute in one-way or the other to the process of
learning in the society.