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SOCIAL
PROBLEMS AND ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE OF STUDENTS IN SELECTED SECONDARY SCHOOLS
ABSTRACT
The study
basically examined the relationship between social problems in schools and
academic performance of students in selected secondary schools in Mushin Local
Government Area of Lagos State. Seven research objectives leading to seven
research questions and hypotheses were stated to guide the study. A total
number of 250 teachers were carefully selected from the entire population
through the method of stratified and simple random strategy. The research
design was descriptive survey in nature where questionnaire was developed to
gather the data used for the study. The Pearson Correlation Statistics was
employed to test the null hypotheses stated for the study using 0.05 Levels of
Significance in order to accept or reject them. Findings of the study showed a
significant relationship between age and promotion of maladaptive behavior that
lead to poor academic performance; there is a significant relationship between
school entry age and academic performance; Equally, results also showed
significant relationship exists between cult activities and academic
performance; significant relationship between examination malpractice and
academic performance. Other findings of the study showed a significant
relationship exists between deviancy/delinquency and academic performance of
students; significant relationship exists between truancy to school and
academic performance of students, Recommendations were made following the
outcomes of the research findings. They include. need for counseling services
in Secondary Schools in Mushin Local Government Area of Lagos State; Children
should be exposed to reading and writing at very early age; Government should
place indefinite ban all form of associations in secondary schools that are not
promoting students’ knowledge, skill and attitude; Government should also
continue in the fight against corruption in all its ramifications and punish
offenders to show deterrent to others; It was also recommended thatmaladjusted
students in secondary schools in Mushin Local Government Area should be given
psycho- socio therapy. Also, parents should ensure that their children get to
school early every day, and that the present curriculum on religion and
national values should be properly implemented
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background to the study
Social
problems are issues happenings which are frequently occurring in the society in
recent times. They are the issues that affect everybody in the society. The
issues are of great concern to both the young and adults. They are not personal
or individualized issues but general issues and as such require general
solution. Some of the social issues that pervade the length and breadth of our
country such as corruption, social inequality, ethnicity, limited resources,
poverty, criminality, and other socio-economic crises have manifested in
different dimensions in secondary school levels of our education system and appear
to be taking alarming proportions. It is important to consider the effect
social problems have on students’ academic performance. Although several
socio-economic and psychological variables like hard work and discipline,
family income, parent’s education, ability, interest and aptitude have been
identified to impact on academic performance, often lost in this inquiry,
however, is consideration of adolescent biological age, school entry age, cult
activities, examination malpractice, truancy/ deviancy and late-coming to
school which are some of the social issues happening in secondary school
students. The relative lack of attention to these prevalent social problems in
secondary schools is unfortunate given the academic and behavioural performance
problems noticeable in our country.
First,
adolescents’ age has been identified as identity crises. They are faced with so
many questions about life ‘what’,’ how’, ‘where’ and ‘when’. They are anxious
to get quick result; a situation that exposes them to different dangers. Our
mass media are filled with different reports of social evils perpetrated by
adolescent students in schools. Equally, school entry age may be a cause or
benefit to child’s education. In this way, parents’ socio-economic development
dictates the time a child will be exposed to learning in school. Research
findings on the relationship between school entry age and academic performance
are in mix. There is a need to strike a balance between these mixed results.
Second, cult
activities among secondary school students were a thing unheard of in recent
past. Today cultism has taken a center stage in the secondary schools. When
cults strike, chances are that there is some disruption in the stability of the
academic calendars (Olusakin, 2004). Students who are not serious with their
academic work, whose bulk are found (if not all) in the secret cults, usually
precipitate confusion capable of leading the closure of schools. The cultist
disturbs the peace of the academic environment through their violent
activities. The violent activities that happened at secondary schools in
Port-Harcourt, Rivers State and Adamawa State in 2012 were reported in the
daily Newspapers (Nation Newspaper, 2012; the Nigerian Tribune, 2012). This
situation may lead to closure of schools thereby keeping students home for very
long time which may affect their education. Some of the cultist when caught may
face suspension or outright dismissal from schools. Whatever may be the case,
cultism among students in secondary schools is necessary evil that affect students’
outcomes in schools since those who engage in it pay less attention to reading
and studying in schools.
Third,
students get involved in examination malpractice because of their desire to get
best scores without the corresponding efforts in preparation. Corruption in
private and public places and the twin sister, Nigeria orientations on
certificate have not helped matter. Every high school student knows that
examination malpractice is evil and corrupt, but many of them still get
involved. Today, the situation is so bad that some parents, teachers,
proprietors / proprietresses, and examination officials, who should champion
the campaign against examination malpractice, are also aiding it. In any case,
students are less likely to adhere to formal examination regulations where they
perceive that rewards are based on personal rather than professional criteria,
where they perceive widespread corruption in national and local government than
in societies where high levels of integrity are perceived to prevail (Okolie,
2004).
Third, it is
not uncommon to see students reacting aggressively when teachers try to control
them when they make noise and distract other students in class. In similar
vein, rape or sexual promiscuity, arson and wanton destructions of buildings
and properties and copying of foreign ways of life seem to be the way of lives
of many adolescent students. It should be borne in mind that when students set
buildings ablaze and destroy properties, the resultant effect is the closing of
the school. Hence, deviant and delinquent activities among secondary school
students are social issues prevalent in school that have become so rampant.
This affects students’ learning and invariably the academic performance.
Four, the
situation in our secondary schools regarding the issue of absenteeism and
truancy is pathetic. Absenteeism and truancy are presently major problems
facing our schools, and the damaging effects to students’ academic performances
have largely been overlooked.
However,
academic performance in the context of this study is students’ ability to do
well, fairly or poorly in an examination. The evaluation for determining
students’ academic performance is carried out through various forms of
standardized tests and examination. It is worthy of mention that academic
performance, including academic failure is often viewed in narrow terms, as an
individual behavior limited to the early life course. In essence, academic performance has
implications that play out across life stages and on multiple levels. It is
pointed out that academic struggles predict individual’s short-term problem
behavior and dropout, and can derail educational and occupational trajectories
of well into adulthood. It can also create disorder and undermine the general
mission of schools, and more so, widespread academic failure has influence on
rates of fertility, mortality, marriage, and unemployment through its relation
to educational attainment and the development of human capital (Egenti, 2005).
Thus, what appears merely to be an aspect of the adolescent experience actually
has far-reaching consequences across a variety of social phenomena. This
further justifies the need to examine how social problems among students are
related to their academic performance in secondary schools.
Furthermore,
despite the law put against examination malpractices and the teaching of Civic
Education, Social Studies and Christian Religion / Islamic Religion at the
junior and senior secondary schools in Nigeria in order to promote good values
among students, yet social issues in secondary schools still persist. There is
therefore, the need to continue making inquiry on these problem areas among
secondary school students to stem the tide of circumstances.
Most
undeniably, the present Nigeria generation has been generation of youth
restiveness and moral decadence, corruption, arson and looting, kidnapping, and
terrorism among others are on the rise in deteriorated neighborhoods and large
cities like Lagos. Student participation in such activities is on a steady rise
and poses a serious threat to achieving our education objectives.
Undeniably,
academic and maladaptive behavior performance of students in the secondary
schools deserves a study of this nature. The impetus towards a research in this
direction is further reinforced by the trend in poor performance of the
secondary school students in their West African School Certificate
Examinations, and students’ emotional life. It therefore becomes a major part
of the educator’s responsibilities to be able to identify sources of emotional
stress in students to appropriate areas of professional and adult guidance in
school. It is against this background
information that this research seeks to examine the relationship between social
issues in school and students’ academic performance in Mushin Local Government
Area of Lagos State.
1.2 Theoretical Framework of the Research
The
theoretical background for this study stems from four theories. These theories
are:
i. The Social Control by Hirschi (1978)
ii. Labeling and conflict theories by
Howard Becker (1963) and Karl Marx (1867)
iii. Functional and interactionism theories
by Daphendof (1959), and
iv. Social cognitive theory by Albert
Bandura (1977 - 1986)
Social
control theory by Hirschi (1978)
The theory
asserts that ties to family, school and other aspects of society serve to
diminish one’s propensity for deviant behaviour. As such, social control theory
posits that crime occurs when such bonds are weakened or are not well
established. Control theorists argue that without such bonds, crime is an
inevitable outcome. Unlike other theories that seek to explain why people
engage in deviant behaviour, control theories take the opposite approach,
questioning why people refrain from offending. As a result, criminality is seen
as a possibility for all individuals within society, avoided only by those who
seek to maintain familial and social bonds. Hirschi, believes that these bonds are based
on attachment to those both within and outside of the family, including
friends, teachers, and co-workers; commitment to activities in which an
individual has invested time and energy, such as educational or career goals;
involvement in activities that serve to both further bond an individual to
others and leave limited time to become involved in deviant activities; and
finally, belief in wider social values. These four aspects of social control
are thought to interact to insulate an individual from criminal involvement
(Siegel and McCormick, 2006). Researchers have closely examined bonds, schools,
community and religion to determine the strength of social control theory as it
specifically relates to young people. It
is proposed that for young people, a key aspect of social control is found
within the family, particularly through interactions with and feelings towards
parents. Of the studies that have examined the impact of social control on
delinquency, a large proportion has found a negative relationship between
parental attachment and delinquency. As such, it has been found that the
greater the attachment to parents, the lower the likelihood of involvement in
delinquent behaviour. Empirical evidence supports the notion that parenting
practices and parental support can impact violent offending by youth. In
conjunction with parental attachment, adolescent attachment to school is seen
by Hirschi’s social control theory as a fundamental means of establishing social
control. A significant number of studies pertaining to social control theory
include measures of the role of school attachment and school support in the
lives of young people. It is to be noted, however, that strong attachment to
school was associated with less violent offending. The role of the community
and neighborhood as agents of social control has also been assessed in the
social control literature. In light of the fore-going, this theory is relevant
in explaining the relationship between social issues happening in secondary
schools in Mushin Local Government Area of Lagos State and students’ academic
performance.
Labeling and
Conflict theory by Howard Becker (1963) and Karl Marx (1867)
This is
another theory that strengthens the research investigation. As propounded by
Howard Becker (1963), this theorist viewed deviance as the creation of social
groups and not the quality of some act or behavior. He believed that social
groups create deviance by making rules whose infraction creates deviance, and by
applying those roles to particular people and labeling them as outsiders. From
this point of view, deviance is not a quality of the act the person commits,
butrather a consequence of the application of rules and sanctions to an’
offender’. The deviant is one to whom the label has been successfully attached.
The conflict
theorists reject the idea that social problems can be solved by reforming major
contradictions in the way society is organized; contradiction that lead to
large-scale conflict between those who have access to the “good life” and those
who do not.. In “The communist Manifesto” and “capital” and other works, Marx
attempted to prove that social problems like unemployment, poverty, crime,
corruption, conflict and violence, and so forth, are not usually the fault of
individuals or of poorly functioning organizations. An evitable outcome of
capitalism is class conflict, especially conflict between those who own the
means of production and those who sell their labour for wages. Conflict is a
fact of life in modern industrial societies.
Functionalist
and Interactionism Theories by Dahpendorf (1959) and Thomas (1923)
The
functionalist theory looks at the way social institutions like the family,
education, economy, polity, religion and their sub-systems function.
Functionalist sociologist do not focus on the behaviour and problems of
individuals, instead they see social problems as arising out of the failure of
institutions of society, like the family, education, economy, polity, and
religion to adapt to changing social conditions. Every part or institution of
society is seen as having a function in the sense that it contributes to the
smooth running of the society. Hence, when one part of the society is out of
the line with the others, there is pressure for its reintegration with the
other related parts. In this way, stability in society, by and large, prevails.
It is not only stability based on functional necessity but stability based on
consensus of values. Individuals in society, according to this theory, share
the same basic values and are thus agreed on the way they behave towards each
other as individuals or as members of groups.
The
functionalist theory of deviance-disorganization can be fruitfully used in the
study of such current problematic condition in Nigeria as, examination
malpractice, cultism, deviant and delinquent activities among students in
secondary school that affect academic performance as well as society’s
criminality, violence, as well as, poverty, unemployment, population problem,
problem families, environmental degradation and pollution, and homelessness,
and insecurity.
Interactionism
theory offers an explanation which gets us closer to the individual level of
behaviour. Research based on this perspective looks at the processes whereby
different people become part of a situation that the larger society defines as
a social problem. The interactionism approach focuses on the ways in which
people actually take on the values of the group of which they are members. It
also explore how different groups define their situation and in so doing
“construct” a version of life that promote certain values and behaviours and
discourages others. From the interactionism perspective, an individual or a
group’s definition of the situation is central to understanding the action of
that individual or group: “situation people define as real are real in their
consequences (Thomas, 1923). Above all, labeling theory as discussed earlier is
a major application of the interactionism perspective that offers an
explanation for certain kinds of social problems. The interactionism
perspective of the “definition of the situation”, peer group interactions and
labeling can be related or applied to the understanding of some current
problems in Nigeria , which include: crime and delinquency, violence, human
trafficking, prostitution, drug abuse , child abuse, prejudice and
discrimination, corruption, and insecurity that affect student’s academic
performance..
Social
cognitive theory by Albert Bandura (1977-1986)
Social cognitive theory rests on
several basic assumptions about learning and behaviour. One assumption concern
triadic reciprocality or the view that personal behavioural and environmental
factors influence one another, a bidirectional and reciprocal fashioning is a
product of a continuous interaction between cognitive behavioural and
contextual factors. For instance, classroom learning is shaped by factors
within academic environment experienced by oneself and by another. At the time
learning is affected by student’s own thoughts and self belief and their
interpretation of the classroom context.
A closely related assumption within
social cognitive theory is that people have an agency or ability to influence
their own behaviour and the environment in a purposeful, good-directed fashion
(Bandura, 2001). This belief conflicts with earlier form of behaviourism that
advocated a more rigorous form of environment determinism. Social cognitive
theory does not deny the importance of the environment in determining
behaviour, but it does argue that people can also, through forethought
self-reflection and self-regulatory processes, exert substantial influence over
their own outcomes and the environment more broadly.
A third assumption within social
cognitive theory is that learning can occur without an immediate change in
behaviour or more broadly that learning the demonstration of what has been
learned and distinct processes. One reason for this separation is that social
cognitive theory also assumes that learning involves not just the acquisition
of new behaviour, but also that of knowledge and cognitive skills, concepts,
abstract rules, values and other cognitive constructs. This division of
learning and behaviour is a shift from the position advocated by behavioural
theories that students can learn but not demonstrate the learning until
motivated to do so.
This theory emphasizes cognitive
compression as the cornerstone of adolescent behaviour. The adolescents here
acquires the mental activity to deal with the world around him, with this
developed mental capacity, he perceives and examines his environment, form
ideas and make inferences. The basic explanation of deviant behaviour or
delinquency is on mentality. Jean Piaget brought about the stage concept of
cognitive development, when people go through series of moral stages beginning
early in childhood and continuing through the adult years. Each stage of
development assumes a relatively a variant order in the course of development.
Also each stage is marked by a different view of right and wrong.
1.3 Statement of the Problem
The problem
that necessitated this research is students’ indiscipline which could be seen
in their poor academic and behaviour performance in various secondary schools
in Mushin Local Government Area of Lagos State.
The rate of
late coming to schools and absents from schools among students is very
disturbing which appear to make students to miss some topics taught in schools.
The end result may be too devastating to the students and parents.
Most
students nowadays are too stubborn and don’t seem to take corrections. Rather
than reading and studying hard for their school works, they students tend to
distract while teaching is going on in classroom, fight and act in a manner
calculated to disrupt the teaching and learning process. All these down facing
attitudes among students are threat to achieving better students’ outcomes in
schools.
Today’s
students see shortcut as a means of passing examination. Every year, several
students’ results are cancelled and withheld in some examination centers where
cases of examination malpractice are reported. This causes gear deal of damage
to the students, parents schools and government in terms of repeating the
examinations, paying the school and examination fees all over again. The
destructive effect this may have on our country’s image is such that this
menace should be fought at all vehemence.
More
problems arise from students’ cult activities, deviancy / delinquency which
make students to resort to violent means in achieving their academic ends. Every now and then, we experience disruption
of academic activities because of students’ cult activities, and other violent
crises happening in our secondary schools. At times, human lives are lost and
school properties destroyed. This leads to closing of schools for months and
when schools eventually re-open, students may likely forget what they have
learnt. It may also cause high school dropouts among students who can’t cope
with academic learning. This is a great threat to our country’s education
system in training the right personnel that will occupy in various sectors of
our economy and provide solution to socio-economic development of our country.
In an
attempt to find lasting solutions to myriads of social problems in the country,
government has tailored the curriculum of our compulsory education with a view
to solving some of the problems and also towards achieving the objectives of
the Millennium Development Goals (MGDs) policy initiatives. One of the major
outcomes of the committee was the integration of social studies, civic
education, Christian and Islamic religion and security education into Religion
and National Values. The innovation carried out was both national and
pedagogical in nature.
It is not certain whether efforts taken by
government to curbing these behaviours have yielded any fruits in the past.
Student participation in anti-social behaviors is on a steady rise. At same
time, the alarming effect of this behavior constitutes a major challenge to
teachers, parents, guardians, and the government, the stake-holders in the
educational sector and even among the well- meaning Nigerians at large.
In the light
of the overall challenges of social problems in schools, this study sets out to
examine the relationship between social problems and academic performance of
students in secondary school in Mushin Local Government Area of Lagos State.
1.4 Purpose of the Study
The purpose
of the study is to examine the relationship between social problems happening
in schools and academic. Specifically, the study is aimed at finding
1. The relationship between age and
students’ moral behavior in relation with academic performance.
2. The relationship between school entry age
and academic performance.
3. The relationship between cult activities
and academic performance.
4. The relationship between examination
malpractice and academic performance.
5. The relationship between truancy and
academic performance.
6. The relationship between
deviancy/delinquency and academic performance.
The Research
Questions
The
following research questions will guide the proposed study:
1. What is the relationship between age and
students’ moral behavior in relation with academic performance?
2. How does school entry age have
relationship with academic performance?
3. Is there a relationship between cult
activities and academic performance?
4. How is examination malpractice related
with academic performance?
5. What relationship exists between truancy
and academic performance?
6. Is there relationship between school
deviancy delinquency and academic performance?
7. Is there relationship between social
problems and academic performance of students?
1.6 The Research Hypotheses
The
following null hypotheses will guide the proposed study.
1. There is no significant relationship
between age and students’ moral behiour in relation with academic performance.
2. There is no significant relationship
between school entry age and academic
performance.
3. There is no significant relationship
between cult activities and academic performance.
4. There is no significant relationship
between examination malpractice and academic performance.
5. There is no significant relationship
between truancy and academic performance.
6. There is no significant relationship
between deviancy/delinquency and academic performance..
1.7 Significance of the Study
This
research study has implication for addressing social problems in our society
and specifically the problem of anti-social behavior associated with urban
secondary school students the Lagos metropolis. In view of the prevailing
undesirable behaviours in youths, this study will expose the students to the
harmful effects of deviance on academic performance and thus serve as a
cautionary measure for students. It will
enlighten teachers and school managers or administrators on the behavior pattern
of students thereby helping them to use education to adjust the maladjusted
students in their anti-social behaviours. This research study will equally
educate parents on the associated risk behaviours of adolescents which their
children sometimes involved themselves that contribute to their poor
performance in school work. This will help inculcate in the students the
behavior pattern that the society expected of her citizen, more so, now that
the present democratic dispensation is bent on eradication of all corrupt
practices. It will also contribute to the existing literature on social problem
of among secondary school students and academic performance in the Lagos
Metropolis.
1.8 Scope of the Study
The scope of
the study is limited to the entire secondary school student in Mushin Local
Government Area of Lagos State.
1.9 Limitation of the Study
The study
examined social problems happening in secondary schools with particular
emphasis on age, school entry age, cult activities, examination malpractice,
truancy, deviancy/ delinquency and how the relate with academic performance of
students in secondary schools. Also, obtaining materials used for the study
poised some constraints.
1.10 Operational Definitions of Terms
Academic
performance: This is the behavior of a student that can be directly observed by
evaluating what he/she has learnt during a course of study. This behavior can
be measured through class work, homework, class participation and tests.
Absenteeism: Absenteeism is regular persistent absence
from work or school.
Deviance: This refers to possibility of an individual
or group deviating from an established norm. Any behavior which does not
conform to the rules, regulations, norms, and values of a given time is viewed
as deviance.
Delinquency:
this is the behavior pattern that breaks certain rules or laws enacted by
constituted authority.
Social
problem: A social problem exists when a significant number of people in a
society believe that a certain condition is in fact a problem
Examination
Malpractice: a deliberate act of wrong
doing contrary to official examination rules and is designed to place a
candidate at unfair advantages and disadvantages.
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