The Effect Of Teenage Pregnancies On The Academic Progression Of Female Students

The Effect Of Teenage Pregnancies On The Academic Progression Of Female Students

Abstract

This study’s main goal is to identify how adolescent pregnancies affect female students’ academic achievement by using a few secondary schools in the Oye-Ekiti LGA of Ekiti State as a case study. The study used a survey research design, and 147 teachers and students from four secondary schools in the Oye-Ekiti LGA were registered for the study with the help of practical sampling procedures. A thoughtfully designed questionnaire was given to the participant, and a total of 141 replies were obtained and verified for the study.Simple percentage analysis of the data was done using a table and frequencies.The study’s conclusions showed that teenage pregnancy had socio-cultural impacts, including ignorance on the part of the girls, peer pressure, and media influence, which affected the girls’ ability to advance academically. Furthermore, the study shows that teenage pregnancies might hinder a female student’s academic advancement and, in the worst case scenario, result in her dropping out of school. The study thus advises that the home and educational surroundings be strong enough to protect the kids from exposure to harmful influences. Additionally, parents and educators should be concerned about the safety of the girl child by educating them about sex, sexuality, and the risks involved.

Chapiter 1

Introduction

1.1 The Study’s Background

Since it prepares children for the working world and other aspects of life, education is essential to a young person’s development. Sexual exploration and maturity are increasingly coexisting with secondary schooling as young people spend longer amounts of time in education as part of the natural path of development (Panday, Makiwane, Ranchod & Letsoalo, 2009:5).

Many young people continue to explore, and if sex does take place, there are signs that teenagers are using some type of contraception while they are still in school (Bhana, Morrell, Shefer & Ngabaza, 2010:873). But for many schoolgirls, it leads to pregnancy, HIV infection, or other STDs (Mwaba, 2000:32). There are repercussions for a schoolgirl’s ability to continue her education if she becomes pregnant or a mother.

Procreation is one of a woman’s duties, as established by God. However, there are specific requirements that must be met before a woman can begin to procreate. In the African context, procreation is the duty of mature young adults who have been determined to be spiritually, emotionally, physically, and generally psychologically mature. As a result, marriage is highly regarded and cherished in modern civilizations. Girls as young as ten years old have been observed to be sexually active, occasionally become pregnant, and give birth. As a result, the observed situation is common in both developed and underdeveloped countries, and girls between the ages of thirteen and nineteen are now becoming pregnant at an alarming rate.

Researchers Briggs (2001), Onuzulike (2003), and others conducted surveys, and the results showed that adolescents start having sexual activity at a young age and have high fertility. Teenage pregnancy is a common term used to describe this problem.Teenage pregnancy is defined as “a teenager or under-aged person becoming pregnant,” usually between the ages of thirteen and nineteen. The phrase is typically used to describe pregnant women who have not attained the age of majority (Oguguo, 1995).

Adolescence and teenage years are frequently used interchangeably. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), secondary sex traits first occur between the ages of 10 and 19 years. According to Turner and Helms (1993), teens typically range in age from 13 to 19 years old. Teenage pregnancy seems to be one of the social issues that Nigeria and a number of other countries across the world are currently dealing with.

Kinby (2001) asserts that teenage pregnancy victims lacked knowledge or were likely not sufficiently taught about safe sex by their parents, schools, or development organizations, which may have helped them deal with friends who pressure them into having sex too soon. He emphasized once more the increased risk of teenage pregnancy for children of single parents. In a same vein, kids who are exposed to pornographic and sex chart rooms, sexual content on television, and sexuality in the media may become more inclined to engage in sexual activity (L’Engle et al., 2006; Park, 2008). Teenage pregnancy has also been linked to accepting gifts in exchange for sex and some adults taking advantage of vulnerable youths and urging them to engage in sex (United Nations, 2001).

According to Yampolslaaya, Brown, and Greenbaum (2002), roughly 60% of adolescent mothers live in poverty at the time of the birth of their children, and “approximately 73% go on welfare within 5 years of giving birth”. Motherhood and its associated experiences are marked by shame and disgrace, and school dropout can sometimes put an individual’s dreams of pursuing higher goals at risk.

1.2 Statement of the problem:

Teenage sexual behaviors also frequently rise in Nigeria (Nwosu, 2005; Okafor, 1997). Unmarried pregnancies, which can lead to abortion, childbirth, or even death, are a prominent effect of the rise in teenage sexual activity. Any stage of pregnancy can be a life-changing experience that transcends racial, educational, and socioeconomic limitations (Kost et al., 2010). One’s life is put under demands as a mother that didn’t exist before the lady was born. When a girl who should be in school gets pregnant, her entire life may change, shattering all of her ambitions and aspirations. According to Kost et al. (2010), teenage parents are those who have children between the ages of 13 and 19. According to Maynard (1997), adolescent pregnancy is a delinquent conduct that develops as a result of the stress, hostility, malice, boredom, and dissatisfaction that a teen girl experiences in her home setting. Alcoholism, drug addiction, and sexual promiscuity are additional risk factors.

Teenage years are the most trying and perplexing years of life, according to research (Deegan, 1989; Duval, 1995; Kohlberg, 1981). Teenagers are supposed to pick up the knowledge and abilities they’ll need in the future throughout this time. Contrarily, many young girls have premarital relationships, which exposes them to the dangers of STIs and teen pregnancies (Umeano, 2003). When it happens at the right time, such as at a mature age and during a marriage, pregnancy is typically welcomed. Contrarily, it is most undesired when it happens outside of marriage or when a person is still a teen, when they should be learning skills in official or informal settings.

countless studies Teenage pregnancy has been linked to a number of causes, including peer pressure, poverty, pornography, the media, and the WHO (1997), Audu (1997), Noble (1996), and WHO (1997), as well as Onuzulike (2002). All teenagers who have premarital intercourse run the risk of becoming pregnant.

Teenage pregnancy is no longer a novel issue in any civilization, whether it be one that is developed, developing, or less developed. Its existence has been explained by a number of factors, but the fundamental issue is that it continues to spread geometrically despite the efforts of government, schools, religious organizations, and non-governmental organizations to address some identified causes of this cancerous or decadent state in our societies.

1.3.1 Purpose Of The Study

Determining The Effect of Teenage Pregnancies on the Academic Progression of Female Students: A Case Study of Oye-Ekiti LGA is the overall goal of this study. The particular goals are:

1. To determine whether pregnant schoolgirls can handle the academic rigors of the classroom.

2. To determine whether pregnant schoolgirls’ academic performance is impacted by teen pregnancy.

3. To ascertain the connection between teenage pregnancies and the percentage of female students who drop out of school.

4. To determine whether teenage pregnancy endangers the class’s overall performance.

5. To learn if pregnant schoolgirls’ financial stability is impacted by teen pregnancies.

1.4 Research questions

The following pertinent research inquiries are connected to this study:

1. Can schoolgirls handle the intellectual expectations of the classroom?

2. Does adolescent pregnancy have an impact on pregnant schoolgirls’ academic performance?

3. How do teenage pregnancies and the percentage of female students who drop out of school compare?

4. Does teenage pregnancy pose a risk to the class’s overall performance?

5. Does pregnancy influence pregnant schoolgirls’ financial stability?

1.5 The Study’s Significance

For schools, parents, and guardians, the study’s conclusions are crucial. It can be utilized to inform kids about the negative effects of having premarital sex and how teenage pregnancies can harm their academic goals.

Lack of awareness is one of the main causes of teenage pregnancy, according to research, thus parents and guardians should teach their children about sex. Although the number of adolescent pregnancies among female secondary school students is concerning, it is crucial to teach female pupils how to refrain from sexual activity.

Other researchers who will probably conduct a study on a related topic can utilize the findings from this research as a source of information.

1.6 The Study’s Scope

This study’s focus is solely on how teenage pregnancies affect female students’ ability to advance academically—a case study of the Oye-Ekiti LGA. Oye-Ekiti secondary schools are utilized as the test sample.

1.7 Limitations of the study:

Lack of time, respondents’ unwillingness to provide information, and restricted resources were some of the main obstacles the researchers faced when conducting this study.