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

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

A home is described as a place of residence, which includes a house, flat, or any other physical accommodation in which an individual lives with his or her family. A house is also the location in which a child is raised by his or her parents or guardians. A home, in another sense, is a location where a person receives domestic affection from his or her family members. On the other hand, family refers to a group of individuals who live under the same roof and are linked via genetics, blood, marriage, law, tradition, adoption, or mutual agreement (Hornby & Parnwell, 2004). The family is the smallest, yet most fundamental element of society, providing the psychological, moral, emotional, educational, and spiritual support necessary for a child's total growth and development.

A family might be shattered or it can be intact/unbroken. When both parents fulfill their individual responsibilities toward the kid, the youngster will be well-behaved and emotionally stable. Since the child's birth, the parents have been the primary socializing agency in his life. Before the child enters school, the family establishes the educational foundations, and his personality is shaped by his experiences at home. Both parents have critical responsibilities to play in their child's education. Yara (2010) argued that while several factors can influence academic success, the significance of family relationships on a child's academic progress and overall development cannot be overstated. As Salami (1998) notes, the father is supposed to provide the financial resources necessary for the child's scholastic advancement, while the mother is expected to aid the father in accomplishing these goals. When a father or mother is gone and neither of them is able to provide for the kid's fundamental necessities, including monitoring his academic activities, the youngster will not perform well in his studies. When parents create a pleasant household, a youngster performs better.

A broken household is one that is fundamentally compromised as a result of divorce, separation, the death of one of the parents, illegitimacy, or irreconcilable disputes. According to Akomolafe (2011), a broken household is one in which both the father and mother do not live together owing to unresolved conflicts. Life in a broken household is often difficult for both children and parents due to restricted financial resources, restructuring of daily routines, and adaptation to new living patterns. The majority of children from broken households suffer from emotional crises such as melancholy, frustration, low self-esteem, and inferiority complex (Tonybee, 2008). Students from broken households frequently struggle with focus in class, resulting in low academic accomplishment. Additionally, these kids exhibit maladaptive behaviors such as truancy, cultism, bullying, substance misuse, prostitution, theft, examination malpractice, and thuggery, among others (Ichado, 2007).

When families disintegrate or become disorganized, the children bear the brunt. They frequently continue to live with emotional, mental, physical, and intellectual traumas for the remainder of their lives. However, the majority of single-parent families can remarry and become two-parent households. Thus, the union of two single parents creates a new family. Children from each parent's first marriage become step-siblings in this type of family; also, children born in 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 create tension in a stepfamily; however, this tension is heightened when the children of each single parent live with them as siblings. These types of home environments have been shown to have an effect on children's academic success. Children may struggle with remarriage because they are required to learn and adjust to a new family structure. A family headed by a single parent may be less favorable to younger children (Nzewunah, 2012). Nonetheless, a broken household has a direct effect on a child's academic success.

Academic accomplishment is a quantitative measure of a student's performance on a particular or general educational assignment (Salami, 1998; Tenibaje, 2011). There is no globally accepted metric for assessing students' academic progress, however in Nigeria, academic achievement is determined by a student's performance in class, on assignments, and on internal and external tests. While several factors influence academic success, the significance of familial relationships on a child cannot be overstated. The home's tension, strife, hatred, and instability create a hostile emotional sanctuary. If not handled swiftly, it can develop into conflict, animosity, and struggle between parents and children, resulting in shattered households (Yara, 2010; Tenibaje, 2011). The steady progression of these difficulties presents itself in a disruption of these children's focus and learning skills in school. Thus, the familial structures from which a child emerges have a significant impact on his success, particularly throughout adolescence.

The effect of a broken household on a child's accomplishment may be analyzed from a gender and geographical viewpoint. Gender is a collection of sociocultural phenomena that categorizes people as male or female, with each sex having its own set of duties, characteristics, and stereotypes (Webster Dictionary). There is a strong possibility that both male and female children will feel the impact of a broken household on their academic attainment. Apart from gender, geography has a bearing on a student's academic success. Children from broken households that live in urban settings perform better than their rural counterparts. When children observe their parents cohabiting peacefully, they develop an affinity for their siblings, friends, classmates, teachers, and other adults in their lives. They will be delighted to attend school and actively engage in class activities. Thus, happy households are necessary for happy children, and happy children are necessary for students to attain greater academic accomplishment.

1.2 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

In Nigeria, broken houses have emerged as the fastest increasing family structure. Despite the government's, religious institutions', traditional institutions', non-governmental organizations', and marriage counselors' efforts to promote marital stability and fidelity among couples/families in Nigeria in general and Zamfara state in particular, no significant results have been obtained. Students from dysfunctional families have emotional difficulties such as frustration, despair, and demotivation, a lack of emotional support, and low self-esteem and self-concept (Okon, 2013). Additionally, according to Ebiere & Dorgu, (2014) these pupils exhibit maladaptive behaviors such as cultism, stealing, thuggery, examination malpractice, substance addiction, and prostitution, among others. All of these factors contribute to students' academic underachievement. Academic accomplishment among students may be affected as a result of broken households. Thus, the study's objective is to conduct an empirical examination of the effect of broken households on the academic success of senior secondary students in Zamfara State.

1.3 OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY

The broad objective of this study is to examine the effect of broken homes on senior secondary school students' academic performance. Specifically, this study seeks to:

i.          Find out the prevalence of students in secondary schools from broken homes.

ii.        Determine whether broken homes has an effect on the academic performance of students.

iii.      Examine the effects of broken homes on students in secondary schools.

iv.      Examine ways students from broken homes can be helped to thrive in their academic performance.

1.4 RESEARCH QUESTIONS

The following research questions will be answered in this study:

i.          What is the prevalence of students in secondary schools from broken homes?

ii.        Does broken homes has an effect on the academic performance of students?

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

iv.      What ways can students from broken homes be helped to thrive in their academic performance?

1.5 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

The study's findings will assist students, instructors, policymakers, marriage counselors, and future scholars enormously.

Teachers will get enough training on how to interact with, assist, encourage, motivate, and prepare students from broken homes to thrive academically.

Policymakers and curriculum creators will guarantee that appropriate policies are created and implemented to increase academic success among students from broken homes.

Counselors for marriages will be better prepared with information and advise methods to counsel students and parents.

Future researchers in this field will profit from this study's findings in their future research endeavors.

1.6 SCOPE OF THE STUDY

This study will be focused on examining the effect of broken homes on senior secondary school students' academic performance. Specifically, this study will be focused on finding out the prevalence of students in secondary schools from broken homes, determining whether broken homes has an effect on the academic performance of students, 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 academic performance.

Teachers and students from Illorin in Kwara State will serve as the respondents for this study.

1.7 LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY

This study will be limited to examining the effect of broken homes on senior secondary school students' academic performance. Specifically, this study will be limited to finding out the prevalence of students in secondary schools from broken homes, determining whether broken homes has an effect on the academic performance of students, 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 academic performance.

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

1.8 DEFINITION OF TERMS

Academic Achievement: The extent of a student’s performance in classroom activities, internal and public examinations.

Broken Home:  A home in which both parents (father and mother) are not living together due to unsettled conflict, demise of one of the parents, infidelity, divorce or separation.

Child:  A person below the age of adulthood, that is yet to attained the legal age of responsibility and accountability.

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