ABSTRACT
The study examined the effects of broken home on academic
performances of secondary student schools in Nigeria. Descriptive survey
research design was adopted with the sample consisting of 200 students
and teachers drawn from ten randomly selected secondary schools in Esan
West Local Government Area, Edo State, Nigeria. One validated instrument
(Effect of Broken Homes on Academic Performance of Secondary School
Questionnaire (EBASSQ) was used for data collection and the data
collected were analyzed using descriptive statistic. three null
hypotheses were answered. The results showed that there were no
significant effects on secondary school students in term of broken home.
There were no significant differences in the academic performances of
secondary school students from broken homes and unbroken homes. There is
no significant effect on the academic performance of secondary school
students in term of socialization of the home. It is recommended that
school counsellors should be employed in all schools where they should
provide necessary assistance to students especially those that are from
single-parent families or broken homes to enable them overcome their
emotional concerns. Implications of the findings for the parents and the
school counsellors were highlighted.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Title page…… …………… ………….. ……………………………. ……..i
Certification …………… …………….. …………………………………...ii
Dedication …………… …………….. ………… …………………………iii
Acknowledgment ……………. ………………. …………………………..iv
Abstract ………………….. …………………. …………………………….v
Table of Contents ………………… …………………. …………………..vii
CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION
Background to the study ……… … ……… …… ………..………………..1
Statement of the problem …. ……. ……… ……….. ……..……………...10
Purpose of the study …………. ………… ………… ……..……...............11
Research question …………. …………. …………… ……........................12
Hypothesis …………… ……………. …………. ……………...…………13
Significant of the study ………… ………. …….. ………………………..13
Scope of the study ……………. ………… ………….. …………………..14
CHAPTER TWO
Literature Review …..……………….. ……….. ………….. ……………16
CHAPTER THREE
Research methodology ………….. …………….. ………… …………….34
Research design ………….. ……….. ……… …….. …………………….34
Population of the study ……………. …………….. ………………………35
Sample and sampling technique ……….. ………. ………………………..36
Instrument for data collection ………… ………….. ……………………...36
Validation and reliability of the instrument………. ………………............37
CHAPTER FOUR
Data presentation and analysis ……….……. ……………. ……….. …….39
Analysis of questionnaire respond by sex …………………………………40
CHAPTER FIVE
Summary Conclusion and Recommendation ………………………. …….54
Conclusion …………. ……………. ……………….. ……………… ……56
Recommendation …………… …………. ………….. ……………… …...57
Recommendation for further research ………… ……………………. …...58
References …………………………………………………………………60
Questionnaire ……………………………………………………………...62
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
The home is the primary institution for children, home as perceived
by Abdulganiyu (1997), Christe (2009), defined home as a place in which
an individual or a family can rest and store personal property. Haven’t
define the concept of home it is therefore important to define family.
The family can therefore, be looked at as a social group characterized
by common resident, economic, cooperation and production. When a child
is born, the family is the first primary group with which they come into
contact. Transmission of social values of right and wrong, what is
morally and religiously accepted or condemned by the family, it follows
therefore that by the time a child attained five to seven years of age
he must have learnt what are his rights, obligations and roles within
the society.
However, the background of a student goes along way to determine
his/her individuality. As the child enters schools, he/she will start
manifesting different attitudes and expectations. In addition they may
be of the same age group, developed at different rates and so may be
able to cope with the intellectual and social task of the school in
varying extent. However, a home can either be stable or broken.
A stable home is one in which both parent (mother and father) lives
together with their children, while a broken home is the one in which
one or both of the parents are not living together with the children. It
is the level at which the home operates that determine the academic
achievement of a students in school. Broken homes been it unstable can
influence the achievement of a students academically. Also, children
that have suffered from neglect or lack of love (in broken homes) are
known to be psychologically imbalanced to face the realities of life.
When there is disunity in the family, or a difference between a mother
and a father, the child is caught in the middle and will be at
disadvantage. According to Blackby (2000), adequate research needs to be
conducted in this direction to ensure smooth transition of children
from early stages to adulthood.
Background of the Study.
Many authors have defined the home and deal fully and give various
definitions to it. According to Homeby (2004), broke home is a home in
which the parents are separated or divorced or are no more together as a
result of death. In the same way Udry (2004), define a broken home
means a house in which the parental are no more living together. Other
researcher studies been carried out on broken homes seem to agree that
broken home are associated increase aggressive and juvenile delinquency
in children. From such home (broken home) children from this lack proper
care and security. In assessing the definition such as a situation
(broken home can result to poor academic achievement in student as once
the child misses such opportunity of guide, securities affection and
assistant where necessary).
Home and the Childs’ family provide the best and
first education since the child serve as teachers. The parent laid the
foundation for the desired social, moral, emotional spiritual and
intellectual well being of the child. The training a child received from
home is of imperative in his/her total personality formation and the
academic performance as a student in secondary school. It can also be
observed that the pattern of life in the home (stable or broken), the
economic and social status of the family in the community and many other
conditions that give the performance of student in the school,
Abdulganiyu (2002), started that research have shown
that children differs in various ways as a result of variable of their
home background such as socio-economic status, parental attitude to
school and child rearing practices. These home background variables are
also found to be positive related to children’s academic performance.
Also Giwa (1997), have also investigated the various
factors within the students home background or family that affect their
academic performance in school, variable such as socio-economic status,
family size, birth order, parental attitude child rearing practices
parental absence or presence have been found to affect social and
intellectual learning experience of children in school.
This is so, because children are born with some
psychological, emotional and intellectual needs such as need for love
and security, the need for new experience, the need for praise and
recognition and need for responsibility. Many of these needs are not
offered to the children of broken home which influence their performance
in school. The extent to which these needs are met during the formative
years of children between birth and the age of six or seven in the
extent to which they enter school well equipped or ready to deal with
the social and emotional aspects of schooling. Based on the observation
above and in line with the assumption that economic and social future of
many children in most localities is being undermined by cultural
practices that promotes widespread divorce amongst couples and brought
unnecessary hardship to the growing children.
It is pertinent at this juncture to point out in spite of all the
needs expressed as to be met by the students most especially secondary
school students, this research also has intended to seek for how much
secondary school student is affected in academic achievement, either as a
result of his home been stable or broken.
Statement of the Problem
In our society, children are sometimes exposed at an early age to all
sort of dangers arising from malnutrition, diseases and various
temptation of surviving due to absence of one or both of their parents.
Student’s life in broken homes is observed to be associated with
emotional stress that can impair intellectual development, thereby
giving way for such children to grow up without being trained properly.
However, absence of one or both parents deprives young children of the
stable love, care, security and total support they have been accustomed
to and tend to make children different in the eyes of the peer group. If
children are asked where the missing parent is or why they have a new
parent to replace the missing parents, they become embarrassed and
ashamed. They may also feel guilty and unwanted by the society, such
stressful situation leads to psychological, emotional and intellectual
imbalance in growing children. These subsequently result to quitting
from school or poor academic achievement of secondary schools student as
education require critical thinking, relax mind and proper family
support to be able to perform to expectation in the school. Hence it
becomes necessary to investigate factors that cause broken homes with a
view to finding solution to the problems for psychological well being of
growing children in our society, and these lead us to look at the
effect of broken homes on the academic performance secondary schools
students in Nigeria.
Research Questions
The following research questions are formulated to guide this
study.1. Does the home have any significant effect on secondary school
student in Nigeria?2. Does broken home have any significant effect on
the academic performances of secondary school students in Nigeria?
3. Does the socialization of the home have any significant effect on
the academic performances of secondary school students in Nigeria?
4 Is there any significant different in the academic performance of
secondary school student from broken homes and these from unbroken home?
Research Hypothesis
1. There is no any significant effect on secondary school students in
term of broken homes.2. There is no any significant difference in the
academic performances of secondary school students from broken homes and
from unbroken homes.3. There is no any significant effect on the
academic performances of secondary school students in term of
socialization of the home.
Objective of the Study
The main objective of this research work includes the following.To
assess the impact or effect of broken homes influence on secondary
schools students in Nigeria.
To find out the causes of broken homes and the solution in Nigeria.
To seek for solution for widespread divorce among couples.
To find out how absence of one or both parent influence secondary schools students academic performances in school.
To suggest ways of women and men unnecessary divorce
Significance of the Study
The purpose of this study is to find out causes of broken home on
academic performance of secondary schools students in Nigeria. This is
with a view to suggest ways of minimizing and overcoming the problem.
Home play very significant role in child personality formation and
socialization, broken homes are identified as one of the factor that
undermined the socialization process at home, which consequently affect
the performance of student. If the concern of education, secondary
schools in particular is to look after socialization process of the
child as well as his intellectual development, then this research work
would be of great importance to parents and educators, teacher and
society at large that absence of one or both of the parent affect
children educational career.
Lastly, it will be of benefit to future researchers as the finding will serve as a source of literature review.
Scope and Limitation of the Study
Though, the questions which prompted this study were found to be in
existence in different part of the country, most especially in the
northern part of the country, it is not possible for this research to
cover all such areas. This is because the research/ researchers cannot
obtain data from all places concerned due to lack of time and resources
(both human and material resources). As the title of the research reads,
the research will be limited to only Esan West Local Government Area of
Edo state and it should be noted that the work may not represent some
areas in the local government and not all people during the course of
the research exercise will cooperate, hence the research is bound to
experience limitation.