THE EFFECT OF BROKEN HOMES ON SENIOR SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS’ ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE

THE EFFECT OF BROKEN HOMES ON SENIOR SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS’ ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

A home is a place of residence that includes a house, flat, or any other physical accommodation in which a person lives with his or her family. A house is also where a child is raised by his or her parents or guardians. In another sense, a home is a place where a person receives domestic affection from family members. Family, on the other hand, refers to a group of people who live under the same roof and are related through genetics, blood, marriage, law, tradition, adoption, or mutual agreement (Hornby & Parnwell, 2004). The family is society’s smallest but most fundamental unit, providing the psychological, moral, emotional, educational, and spiritual support required for a child’s development.

total growth and development.

A family can be broken up or intact/unbroken. The child will be well-behaved and emotionally stable if both parents fulfill their individual responsibilities toward the child. Since the child’s birth, his parents have served as his primary socializing agency. The family lays the educational groundwork for the child before he starts school, and his experiences at home shape his personality. Both parents have important roles to play in their child’s education. According to Yara (2010), while many factors influence academic success, the importance of family relationships on a child’s academic progress and overall development cannot be overstated. According to Salami (1998), the father is expected to provide the financial resources required for the child’s academic advancement.

While the mother is expected to assist the father in achieving these objectives. When a father or mother is absent and neither is able to provide for the child’s basic needs, including monitoring his academic activities, the child will struggle in school. A child performs better when his or her parents create a pleasant home environment.

A broken household is one that has been fundamentally harmed by divorce, separation, the death of one of the parents, illegitimacy, or irreconcilable differences. A broken household, according to Akomolafe (2011), is one in which both the father and mother do not live together due to unresolved conflicts. Due to limited financial resources, life in a broken household is often difficult for both children and parents.

Daily routines must be restructured, and new living patterns must be adopted. The majority of children from broken homes experience emotional crises such as depression, frustration, low self-esteem, and an inferiority complex (Tonybee, 2008). Students from broken homes frequently struggle to focus in class, resulting in poor academic performance. Furthermore, these children engage in maladaptive behaviors such as truancy, cultism, bullying, substance abuse, prostitution, theft, examination malpractice, and thuggery, to name a few (Ichado, 2007).

When families disintegrate or become disorganized, the children bear the brunt of the consequences. They frequently live with emotional, mental, physical, and cognitive traumas for the rest of their lives. However, the majority of single-parent families can remarry and have two children. As a result of the union of two single parents, a new family is formed. Children from both families

In this type of family, children from the parents’ first marriage become step-siblings; additionally, children born from this subsequent marriage are half-siblings to the children from the first marriage (Uwaifo, 2012; Ebiere & Dorgu, 2014). Problems with non-biological parents and children cause tension in a stepfamily; however, this tension is heightened when each single parent’s children live with them as siblings. These kinds of home environments have been shown to influence children’s academic achievement. Children may experience difficulties as a result of remarriage because they must learn and adjust to a new family structure. A single-parent family may be less favorable to younger children (Nzewunah, 2012). Regardless, a broken home has a direct impact on a child’s academic success.

Academic achievement is a quantitative assessment of a student’s performance on a specific or broad educational assignment (Salami, 1998; Tenibaje, 2011). Although there is no globally accepted metric for measuring students’ academic progress, academic achievement in Nigeria is determined by a student’s performance in class, on assignments, and on internal and external tests. While many factors influence a child’s academic success, the importance of familial relationships cannot be overstated. Tension, strife, hatred, and instability in the home create a hostile emotional sanctuary. If not addressed quickly, it can lead to conflict, animosity, and struggle between parents and children, resulting in broken families (Yara, 2010; Tenibaje, 2011). The steady progression of these difficulties disrupts these children’s focus and learning skills in school. As a result, the

The familial structures from which a child is born have a significant impact on his success, especially during adolescence.

The impact of a broken household on a child’s achievement can be examined from a gender and geographical standpoint. Gender is a set of sociocultural phenomena that classifies people as male or female, with each sex having its own set of responsibilities, characteristics, and stereotypes (Webster Dictionary). There is a good chance that both male and female children will suffer academically as a result of a broken home. Aside from gender, geography influences a student’s academic success. Children from broken households who live in cities outperform their rural counterparts. When children see their parents cohabiting peacefully, they develop an attachment to them.

for their siblings, friends, classmates, teachers, and other adults. They will be overjoyed to go to school and participate in class activities. Thus, happy households are required for happy children, and happy children are required for students to achieve greater academic success.

1.2 THE PROBLEM’S STATEMENT

Broken houses have emerged as the fastest growing family structure in Nigeria. Despite the efforts of the government, religious institutions, traditional institutions, non-governmental organizations, and marriage counselors in Nigeria in general and Zamfara state in particular to promote marital stability and fidelity among couples/families, no significant results have been obtained. Students from dysfunctional families struggle with emotional issues such as frustration, despair, and demotivation, as well as a lack of emotional support and low self-esteem and self-concept (Okon, 2013). Furthermore, according to

According to Ebiere and Dorgu (2014), these students engage in maladaptive behaviors such as cultism, stealing, thuggery, examination malpractice, substance abuse, and prostitution. All of these factors contribute to students’ poor academic performance. Academic achievement among students may suffer as a result of broken families. Thus, the study’s goal is to conduct an empirical examination of the effect of broken households on senior secondary students’ academic success in Zamfara State.

1.3 THE STUDY’S OBJECTIVES

The overarching goal of this study is to investigate the impact of broken homes on the academic performance of senior secondary school students. This study specifically aims to:

i. Determine the proportion of students in secondary schools who come from broken homes.

ii. Determine whether broken homes have an impact on academic performance.

performance of students.

iii. Investigate the effects of broken homes on secondary school students.

iv. Investigate how students from broken homes can be assisted in excelling academically.

1.4 QUESTIONS FOR RESEARCH

This study will address the following research questions:

i. How prevalent are students from broken homes in secondary schools?

ii. Does a student’s academic performance suffer as a result of a broken home?

iii. What are the effects of broken homes on secondary school students?

iv. How can students from broken homes be assisted in achieving academic success?

1.5 THE STUDY’S IMPORTANCE

The study’s findings will be extremely useful to students, teachers, policymakers, marriage counselors, and future scholars.

Teachers will receive adequate training on how to

to interact with, assist, encourage, motivate, and prepare students from broken homes to succeed academically.

Policymakers and curriculum developers will ensure that appropriate policies are developed and implemented to improve academic success among students from broken homes.

Marriage counselors will be better prepared with information and methods to counsel students and parents.

Future researchers in this field will benefit from the findings of this study in their future research efforts.

1.6 STUDY OBJECTIVES

This study will look into the impact of broken homes on the academic performance of senior secondary school students. This study will look specifically at the prevalence of students from broken homes in secondary schools, as well as whether broken homes affect students’ academic performance.

students, investigating the effects of broken homes on secondary school students, and investigating how students from broken homes can be helped to thrive academically.

Respondents for this study will be teachers and students from Illorin, Kwara State.

1.7 THE STUDY’S LIMITATIONS

This study will only look at the impact of broken homes on the academic performance of senior secondary school students. This study will be limited to determining the prevalence of students in secondary schools from broken homes, determining whether broken homes have an effect on students’ academic performance, examining the effects of broken homes on students in secondary schools, and examining ways students from broken homes can be helped to thrive in their studies.

academic performance.

The respondents for this study will be teachers and students from Illorin in Kwara State; thus, the sample size was limited because only a few respondents were chosen to answer the research instrument; thus, the results cannot be generalized to other secondary schools outside the state.

1.8 TERM DEFINITION

Academic Achievement: The extent to which a student excels in classroom activities, internal and external examinations.

A broken home is one in which both parents (father and mother) do not live together due to an unresolved conflict, the death of one of the parents, infidelity, divorce, or separation.

A child is a person under the age of adulthood who has not reached the legal age of responsibility and accountability.