MORAL DECADENCE: FACTORS THAT CAUSE AS WELL AS IMPACTS ON TERTIARY INSTITUTION STUDENTS IN NIGERIA

MORAL DECADENCE: FACTORS THAT CAUSE AS WELL AS IMPACTS ON TERTIARY INSTITUTION STUDENTS IN NIGERIA

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1    BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY

According to Adedoyin (2012), moral decay is defined as excessive delinquent, disorderly, irregularity, destructive unfairness, and non-conforming behavior of stratified persons or individuals that continues to proliferate intra and inter-institutional campuses. These issues undermine academic integrity and harm peace, security, progress, and actual societal growth. Indiscipline leads to anti-human actions that violate all standards of decency and civilized living conditions. Different civilizations have different moral standards that are considered normal, ideal, and ethically acceptable in their societies (Ken, 2010). As a result, moral standards govern and influence people’s behavior in a society. Moral virtue is defined as the proclivity and capacity to recognize and do what is good rather than what is wrong. Moral excellence, Aristotle defines a habit as one that is formed intentionally through practice. Thus, from Socrates to Plato and through Aristotelian philosophy, good moral behavior has been emphasized and repeated in society. This may lead Fredrick Herbert to conclude that the goal of education, and indeed the entire purpose of education, can be summed up as morality. As a result, in the context of education, the public holds schools and teachers more accountable for the learning and behavior of their children. Disobedience among students is a worldwide issue. It pervades all educational settings. Statistics on student indiscipline exist in all educational institutions around the world (Lois, 2008). For example, Larson (2008) reports that the National Center for Educational Statistics discovered that 36% of students in grades 9-12

reported being involved in a physical fight the previous year in 2006. Students physically assaulted four percent (4%) of inner-city teachers and three percent (3%) of suburban and rural school teachers, according to the studies. According to Kuntz (2000), primary and secondary school teachers in both private and public schools are confronted on a daily basis with examples of bad behavior such as the destruction of school equipment and furniture, students’ lack of respect for one another, or for adults, all of which obstruct the normal school routine.

Danso (2010) bemoaned Ghana’s educational institutions’ high level of indiscipline and lawlessness. He observed that hardly a day goes by without a report of a youngster engaging in indiscipline in primary and secondary school. Secondary schools. He bemoaned the causes of drug abuse, rape, armed robbery, and even murder in educational institutions. He claims that if instructors and students are not disciplined, it is impossible to achieve meaningful teaching and learning aimed at achieving school goals. Despite efforts by stakeholders to address the issue, recent trends show an increase in the prevalence of violence and deviant behavior among a subset of students in public schools, causing instructors and students to be concerned. Many parents have expressed their dissatisfaction and sadness as a result of the declining rate of discipline in many schools, which has resulted in the erosion of high academic achievement, demoralized teaching staff, and caused pain and despair for many parents (Frimpong 2008). Morongwa (2010) identified three of them. Misbehavior in the classroom that interferes with the learner’s own learning, misbehavior by one learner that interferes with the learning of another, and misbehavior that is disrespectful, deviant, or abusive to the educator are all considered disciplinary problems for the educator. He went on to say that this type of misconduct could be done on purpose or by accident. According to Chukwuka (2013), students are not born with a discipline problem; they did not inherit it from anyone. Nobody is born with blemishes or wrinkles. Children become difficult when they begin to socialize with their peer groups. As a result, they may be influenced by their family and school environment. Our educational system was designed with the child in mind. and who he or she would become in the community. As a result, the family, school, and community must work together to engage the child in a way that instills discipline. There are numerous and diverse causes of student disobedience. They can, however, be divided into three categories: dysfunctional family life, ineffective school management, and the pervasive negative impact of a corrupt society. 2013 (Nigeria Information) According to Freire(2009), the causes of student indiscipline include those related to the student’s idiosyncrasies, his or her family context, external influences of social, economic, cultural, generational, and other types, teacher personality and professionalism, and those related to the school as an organization or the educational system as a whole.

Robbery, cheating, cultism, forgery, corruption, fraud, indecent dressing, and contempt for established authority are examples of moral misbehavior by students in Nigerian higher education institutions. This study looks into moral wrongdoing among Nigerian students at higher education institutions.

1.2 THE PROBLEM’S STATEMENT

According to the research that prompted me to begin writing this project, modernity and western technologies are infiltrating adolescents’ perceptions of what constitutes civilisation. If such power is not reined in, it will vanish. The values and rituals of the youth will become integral components and forces in their lives, particularly in learning processes (Amado, 2010). Some young people are pleased to be recognized because their dress and orderly activities have conformed them to western ideals such as cultism. Tobacco use, prostitution, exam malpractice, drug abuse, drinking, thievery, and so on. Something effective must be done to improve the situation of Nigerian youth. The situation for young people is among the worst in the world. To improve their physical and mental health, youths must be instilled with not only information and skills, but also drive and values. Homes, schools, health-care institutions, community groups, peer groups, and the media must do more in the area of health promotion, emphasizing health education, life skills development, and increasing knowledge of the human psychological system, so that youths can have good intrapersonal and interpersonal behaviors and avoid risky behaviors through understanding of their health (Asake, 2012). Parents’ laxity, in the sense that they neglect their children

when they see their children at home during school hours, they should send them back to school. Furthermore, school administration and teachers fail to enforce school rules and regulations on students. Students engage in a variety of indiscipline behaviors when they learn that the school administration and teachers are lax in enforcing school rules and regulations (Orobosa, 2009). The smooth and successful operation of any institution is heavily reliant on dialogue. Students are given rules and regulations; indiscipline acts will occur if these rules and regulations are not followed in some way, and there is no conversation between professors and students. Teachers spend more time policing indisciplined students’ behavior, limiting instructional contact hours, resulting in poor academic performance.

1.3 THE STUDY’S OBJECTIVES

The

The primary goal of this research is to identify the factors that contribute to moral decay among tertiary institution students, as well as the impact it has on their academic performance. The study’s specific goal is to:

i. To ascertain the causes of moral decay among university students.

ii. To determine whether there is a link between moral decay and poor academic performance among students.

iii. Identifying solutions for reducing moral decadence and restoring morality and good moral behavior among students in higher education.

1.4 QUESTIONS FOR RESEARCH

The following research questions guide the researcher in achieving the study’s objectives:

i. What are the causes of moral decay among university students?

Is there a link between moral decay and poor academic performance in students?

iii. What are the solutions for reducing moral decadence and restoring morality and good moral behavior among students in higher education?

1.5 THE STUDY’S IMPORTANCE

It is critical for academics and policymakers alike to conduct research on the influence and effect of moral decay. Learning is impossible in a chaotic environment. Academicians, policymakers, administrators, and teachers will benefit from the study’s findings because they will be better able to understand the causes of student indiscipline and, as a result, will be in a better position to create a conducive environment free of high levels of student immorality. The findings will also assist the government in identifying flaws in current techniques and will lead to the development of new methods of combating moral decay in schools. The study will also educate parents.

on the importance of home-schooling their children in order for them to be well-behaved at school, in the neighborhood, and in society as a whole. As a result, the community will produce members of society who do not pose a threat to social stability and peace. That is why the phrase “charity begins at home” is used. The study will also contribute to the current body of knowledge, inspire further research on the subject, and serve as a roadmap for future research.

1.6 THE STUDY’S OBJECTIVE

This study was intended to include all tertiary institutions in Kaduna state, but samples were only obtained from Kaduna State University due to time constraints and other unanticipated circumstances.

1.7 THE STUDY’S LIMITATION

Because of time constraints and Due to a lack of funds, the research was limited to one university institution in Kaduna state.