Impact Of Broken Homes On The Educational Development Of Secondary School Students In Ikeduru Local Government Area Of Imo State

ABSTRACT

            This research study discusses the high rate of broken homes in Nigeria, its influence on the educational development of students in Ikeduru Local Government Area of Imo State.

The study also made clear the function of the family and their fundamental importance to human social life which was discussed under biological, physical, psychological, educational and economic functions of the family toward the child. The research study also went further to digest the influences of divorce on the student’s academic performance, gender differences in the effect of broken home and the causes of broken homes, broken home is also discussed.

Since the study centered on students in Ikeduru Local Government Area of Imo State, five secondary schools were randomly selected. A survey research design was adopted and the research instrument – the questionnaire was developed to collect information from the students of the schools selected. The data collected were analyzed using the percentage and frequency table. Form the results, recommendations were made.

 CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

The researcher organized this chapter under the following subheadings; background of the study, statement of the problem, scope of the study, purpose of the study, significance of the study, research questions.

BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

           The home is the primary institution for children. According to Oxford Dictionary, a home is a place where one lives permanently especially as a member of a family living together or household. Cambridge International Dictionary of English, low price edition (1996) stated that home is someone place of origin or a place where a person feel belong.

A home is a harmonious entity providing security, sense of belonging, affection, care, love, shelter and among other things to the children as a result of marriage. A good home consists of a father, mother and their children.

Broken home is a term used to describe a household usually in parenting in which the family unity does not function properly according to accepted social norms – (Wikipedia Online). The level at which the home operates can determine the academic achievement of the students. While co-relational research finds that the odds of finishing high school are 50 percent lower for children with an incarcerated parent, parents who are in prison may have less education, lower income, more limited access to quality schools and other attributes that adversely affect their children’s success in school.

Generally, the home has been identified as an overwhelming factor affecting student’s performance academically. It would appear then that broken homes may present a very serious damage to the emotional, personal and mental adjustment of the young adolescent.

In such homes where children are born and abandoned without care by parents shows that the gift of God which are these children are not well cherished and appreciated.  St. Thomas Aquinas suggests that the education of children lye solely on the shoulder of the parents.

Hurts and Calender (1984) classified the functions of family under these headings;

1. Biological care
2. Physical care
3. Psychological
4. Educational
5. Economical

The biological function involves bringing of the child into the world through child birth into a family.

The physical care is the nurturing of the child by providing food, cloth, and healthcare etc in order for the child to survive.

The psychological function is that of a role model which parents offer their children love, affection and the social control they teach the children.

The educational function is to send the child to school and providing him/her with the necessary materials which includes books, school fees, uniform, motivation books and words of encouragement to the child while

The economical function is that of supporting the child financially in his needs.

In other words, if any of these functions above are lacking in a child’s upbringing, it may affect the child negatively which can in turn affect the educational activities/development of the child. Students’ life in broken homes is observed to be associated with emotional stress that can impair intellectual development, theory giving for such child to grow up without proper training. This subsequently, result to quitting from school or poor academic performance of student.

Broken home may have profound negative impact on students’ academic performance as parent play an important role in most children’s academic development. Guardians or single parents are attributed to limited time they have to spend on their child’s academic work.

While the effects of broken homes may be different in children according to their stages of development, age, gender. According to Frazer (2014), psychological home conditions arise mainly from illegitimacy of children, the label of adopted children, broken home, divorce and parental deprivation, such abnormal conditions of the home are likely to have a detrimental effect on school performance of the child he asserts.

Living with a single parent or broken home can be stressful for both the child and the parent. Such families are faced with challenges of inadequate financial resources.

In some cases, broken homes can add up making children to feel extremely lonely, which is usually because one parent may be absent for a long time. The resultant effect of this situation on the child’s learning is lack of concentration and misplacement of printing. It is from the foregoing that a child in a broken home is most likely going to have a low academic performance when compared with children with both parents.

The state of the home can affect the individual since the parents are the first socializing agents in an individuals’ life. This is because the family background and context of a child affects his reaction to life situations and his level of performance. The school is responsible for the experiences that make up the individual’s life during school periods, yet parent and individual experience at home plays tremendous role in building the personality of the child and that the environment in which the student come from can greatly influence his/her performance in school.

However, a lot of factors constituted to marriage –ups like, lack of communication, early marriages, extra marital affairs, incompatibility either from blood group or issues of wicked mother-in-laws etc.  Since children from these homes face these problems, it is to this effect that this study is undertaking to find out the effect of broken homes on the educational development of students in Ikeduru Local Government Area of Imo State.

STATEMENT OF THE PROLEM

        There is a global awareness of the importance of the home environment on students’ educational development in Nigeria. In Nigeria, most homes are not intact as a result of issues of compatibility of the couples, separation, divorce, death of a parent and the quest of oversea trip to make money and at times marital infidelity.

Families are experiencing many problems today. Until the 1960s, divorce or broken marriages has been a relatively rare phenomenon. Fundamental changes in our society in the past few decades have change both the structure and the effect of the family. Humphrey Ikueze (2005) states that some with some formal education and in high social-economic class go into marriage with fully comprehending what it is. It is rather seen by some people as one of those values that should be taken for granted. It is seen by some societies as an affair for two persons, any third party is seen as an intruder. When marriage is based on assumptions, the result is that those involved find it difficult to withstand any external forces, while those who in one way or the other have a bit of understanding of marriage are better equipped to face its’ trauma with endurance, tolerance and hope.

The effects of these broken homes are enormous which are; lack of proper upbringing of a child at home and immediate environment, the child’s feeling of missed parents has psychological and emotional impact to the child’s effort to learn, also the child could be a nuisance to the immediate environment and society in general by engaging in stealing, drugs, kidnapping and also prostitution, the child could lack manners due to fact that no ideal model was extended to the child through copying good parental behavior, the child looks un-kept, insecure, engages in examination malpractices, become beggars and they pick pockets on the streets; all these situations will lead to failure in school. Consequent upon the problem, the researcher thereby intend to determine the effect of broken homes on the educational development of a child.

SCOPE OF THE STUDY

This study is delimited to some selected Government and private owned secondary schools in Ikeduru Local Government Area. The study covers the family background of the child, parental care, morality, inter-relationship with their fellow students and academic achievements.

PURPOSE OF THE STUDY

           The main purpose of this research is to investigate the impact of broken homes on the educational development among secondary school students in Ikeduru Local Government Area. Specifically the study tends to find the following;

1. The relationship between student family background and educational development.

2. The relationship between parental care and educational development.

3. The effect of morality on the academic achievement of the secondary school student in Ikeduru Local Government Area.

4. To find out what sex among students from broken homes that suffers most.

5. To find out the effect of broken homes on student level of interaction with fellow students.

SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

           The significance of this research work has to do with the benefactors of this study and how they stand to benefit from it. The following persons or bodies will stand to benefit from this study; curriculum planners, ministry of education, teachers, students, parents, and youths.

Curriculum planners; are charged with the duty of planning the curriculum or scheme of work. Hence this study will provide a background upon which curriculum planner will base their administration on student from broken homes. This study tends to help curriculum planners understand the differences in intellectual capabilities, social adjustment and academic development rate among students.

Ministry of education; this study will give the ministry of education a better insight in organizing and conducting seminars/workshops and providing necessary assistance to the teachers at improving their understanding of the student psychological conditions which may impel their rate of understanding and response in class. This research work can serve as a guide or reference material at such seminars/workshops and conferences as the case may be.

Teachers; this research will also be beneficial to teachers whom I refer to as curriculum implementers and the closest to the students as far as the school is concerned. This study will help the teacher introduce various teaching techniques to suit every student. Students from broken homes exhibit low level of understanding and academic development hence, this research will help teachers to understand their students and the difficulties they face to enable him/her introduce a good and effective teaching technique.

Students; the students will benefit from the research through the teacher since as a result of this study the teacher is aware of the challenges they face which affect their level of concentration, response and understanding in class therefore, the attitude of the teacher changes.

Parents; the study will serve as a lesson to parents. Parents should learn their lesson on the need of staying together as one family. The love and affection required by the children from their parents if denied will affect them emotionally which will in turn affect their academic activities.

Youths; this research will also remind the youths in our societies on the effect of early marriage. It would also be of lesson to any young intending divorce family to rethink and cherish each other.

RESEARCH QUESTIONS

The following research questions were posed to guide the study;

1. Is there any relationship between student family background and their educational development?
2. Is there any relationship between parental care and educational development?
3. Is there any relationship between morality and academic development?
4. Is there any relationship gender and effect of broken homes?
5. Is there any relationship between broken homes and inter-personal relationship among students?
   

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Pages:  66

Category: Project

Format:  Word & PDF         

Chapters: 1-5                                 

Material contains Table of Content, Abstract and References.