CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background to the Study
Before the ages of 9 and 10, majority of
the child’s behaviors is directly influenced by his or her parents.
However, after this age range, which coincides with their leaving for
secondary schools, the child, especially the boy child, tends to turn to
his or her peers for advice and influence. This can be a good
development and at the same time a disadvantageous one in that first, it
is a very quick mode of socialization. From a child’s peers he is much
more enthusiastic to learn and quickly than he would with his immediate
family. So that he quickly imbibes the various unspoken cultural and
social codes of respect, collective understanding of things and a
broader worldview than that offered to him by his parents.
At any event, this can also be
disadvantageous because the child’s peers also happen to always consist
of children his age margin; children who are curious and highly
experimental and who do not have the answers they seek or have full
grasp of the consequences of their actions. What could go wrong in such a
precarious arrangement is a list of acquired habits that are
counterproductive of the idea behind the child’s education; one of which
is drug abuse.
Against this background, this research
work is taking it upon itself to study the problems of drug abuse on
student academic performance in Secondary school.
1.2 Statement of the Problem
Academic excellence requires much more
than good teachers, conducive environment, adequate reading materials
and sound curriculum. More than these it requires that the subject, that
is the student, be of sound psychological state and the child’s
willingness to actively participate in this process of self development.
This process has to be cast in the child’s mind as being of utmost
priority. In the event that this soundness of mind cannot be met owing
to say a mental defect, arrangements are made to adapt to such an
illness. However, drug abuse has poised itself against this very
important criterion for good learning. And it is rife in the basic level
of education namely primary and secondary schools and mostly in the
latter. This research work aims at studying this problem and possibly
proffering feasible and qualitative solution in the end.
1.3 Research Questions
1.3.1 What would make a secondary school student engage in drug abuse.
1.3.2 To what extend does this habit wreck havoc on the child’s academic performance.
1.3.3 Who stands in the best position to checkmate the perpetuation of this problem.
1.4 Objectives of the Study
Academically, it is this research’s
objective to successfully study the processes of radicalization of the
child which ends in his or her engaging in drug abuse. Drug abuse in the
youth has always been looked at from the zenith of university
undergraduates seeing that stereotypically, they are seen as the most
prone to drug abuse. Since, the tediousness of university activities can
logically turn one towards drug abuse. But researchers don’t fully
grasp the dire need to carry extensive research of this same problem at
secondary school level because in as much as they hardly feel the
logical need to turn to drug abuse, curiosity and peer pressure stand as
the two major factors that inform drug abuse in youth; a habit which
once one is hooked on, lasts through university years and most cases a
life time.
1.5 Significance of the Study
The areas of guidance and counselling
stands to gain significantly from this present research work. Here, the
problems of drug abuse which negatively influences the child’s academic
performance at secondary school level will be duly enumerated and
discusses and hopefully feasible solutions will be proffered. This will
bear upon the development of guidance and counselling methods and
approach to the issue. Sometimes age and environment can determine the
methods to be adopted in combating an issue such as drug abuse.
Secondly, this research will also be of
importance to publishers who specialize on children’s books. The
findings here could go a long way in their instructional materials and
their subtle advices to these secondary schools students.
1.6 Research Hypothesis
This work is working on the premise that
drug abuse is highly rife in secondary schools and is a great
deterrent to learning at this stage.
1.7 Scope of the Study
As was mentioned in the background to
the study of the present research, this research work would focus it’s
study on the prevalence of drug abuse and it’s hampering of child’s
academic performance at secondary school level only. This means that
attention would be given first to the problems of drug abuse peculiar to
secondary school students first before treating those that they share
with other age range.
Secondly, the scope of this research
will be around how drug abuse is problematic to the child’s academic
performance. The health and sociological implications would be given
secondary attention.
1.8 Limitations of the Study
A research such as this one would
require a thorough examination of the large pool of students and
reading materials as it is a research that requires lots of one on one
counselling of students from various topography which will enquire
particularly, of the reasons why they engage in drug abuse. This means
that lots of questionnaires would be distributed to secondary school
students with questions designed to explicate the problems involved I
drug abuse among them aandwhy they engage in it. The above are the
limitations of this research work namely the time constraints and
financial inadequacies to cover wider grounds.
1.9 Definition of Terms
Drug Abuse
This refers to any use of pharmaceutical
products for none medical purposes. This is also referee to as
substance abuse. The drugs in question are usually illegal in majority
of the countries.