ABSTRACT
The study examined the effect of parental
socio-economic status on students’ personality adjustment at the secondary
level in selected public secondary schools in Shomolu Local Government Area of
Lagos State. Also, this study reviewed some relevant and related literatures
under sub-headings. The
descriptive research survey was applied in this study for the assessment of the
opinions of the selected respondents for this study, with the use of the
questionnaire and the sampling technique. A total of 200 respondents were
sampled for this study. Five null hypotheses were formulated and tested, with
the application of Pearson Product Moment Correlation and the t-test tools at
0.05 level of significance. At the end of the testing of hypotheses, the
following results emerged: there is a significant relationship between parental
socio-economic status and students’ personality adjustment, there is a
significant relationship between broken homes and adolescents’ personality
adjustment, there is a significant gender difference between the performance
adjustment of adolescents in intact homes and those in divorced homes, there is
a significant influence of parental discipline on adolescents’ personality
adjustment in schools, and there is a significant influence of family size on
adolescents’ personality adjustment in schools. Based on the conclusions
reached in this study, the following recommendations were made: parents should
ensure that they give every support that their children and wards need in their
academic endeavour and social adjustment. Parents should endeavour to have the
number of children that will not give them much stress in training or bringing
them up. At this present period where the economy has nose-dived, parents
should be aware of this down-ward economic trend, and therefore be conscious of
the number of children they rear in their families. This is because, too many
children will give much stress to the parents and this can affect their
economic well-being and the education of the child.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Title Page i
Certification ii
Dedication iii
Acknowledgements iv
Abstract v
Table of Contents vi
CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background
to the Study
1.2 Theoretical
Framework
1.3 Statement
of the Problem
1.4 Purpose
of the Study
1.5 Research
Questions
1.6 Research
Hypotheses
1.7 Significance
of the Study
1.8 Scope
of the Study
1.9 Definition
of Terms
CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE
REVIEW
2.1
Concept
of Personality
2.2
Factors
Affecting Personality
2.3
Theories
of Personality
2.4
Influence
of Socio-economic Status on Personality Adjustment
2.5
Influence
of Broken Home on Personality Adjustment
2.6
Influence
of Parental Discipline on Personality Adjustment
2.7
Influence
of Intact Home Factors on Personality Adjustment
2.8
Influence
of Family Size on Social Adjustment
2.9
Influence
of Birth Order on Social Adjustment
2.10
Parents’
Support to Adolescent Education
2.11
Who
is an Adolescent?
2.12
Summary
of Review
CHAPTER THREE: RESEARCH
AND METHODOLOGY
3.0 Introduction
3.1 Research Design
3.2 Population of the Study
3.3 Area of Study
3.4 Sample Size and Sampling Method
3.5 Research Instrument
3.6 Validity
and Reliability of the Instrument
3.7 Procedure for Data Collection
3.8 Data Analysis
CHAPTER FOUR: DATA ANALYSIS AND
PRESENTATION
OF RESULTS
4.1 Introduction
4.2 Descriptive Analysis of Respondents’ Bio
Data
4.3 Testing of Hypotheses
4.4 Summary of Findings
CHAPTER FIVE: SUMMARY, CONCLUSIONS AND
RECOMMENDATIONS
5.1 Introduction
5.2 Summary
of the Study
5.3 Conclusions
5.4 Recommendations
References
Appendix
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1
Background to the Study
Parents are the greatest single
influence on their children’s development in two indisputable ways. Parents act
as socializing agents in providing goals and value system from which the child
develops various patterns of behaviours. In some situations, parents adopt
care-free attitude towards the learning of their children, even their social
orientation, and this has in many instances, caused the low academic
performance of children even maladaptive behaviours in their immediate society
(Hake, 2009).
According to Ndubuisi (2005) there is a positive
correlation between parental attitude and children’s social orientation and
academic achievement. Ndubuisi (2005) is of the opinion that parents’
dimensions of value placement on their children’s well-being or otherwise,
significantly affects the child’s positive or negative adaptation to his/her
society and even the way he/she carries out his/her academic work in school.
Many factors contribute directly or indirectly to the personality
development of a child both within and outside the school system. These factors
stem from either heredity or environment. Many psychologists such as Freud (1952)
and Adler (1958) de-emphasize the significant role of heredity in the total
development of the child while underlining the prominence of the environment.
Craft, Allport, Barns and Mondi (2002), made some contributions to the
understanding of the relationship between the child’s home background and his personality
adjustment in school. A child is the product and reflection of the society.
While the school runs the formal education system, the home provides formal and
non formal educational experiences.
Many psychologists have advocated that the immediate
environment (Home) should be made quite stimulating so as to enhance the
development of a child’s intellect and good personality adjustment. According
to Locke (1970), the child is like a clean slate at birth and that the
environmental influences determine what fills the vacuum. This is what Locke
referred to as “Tabula Raza”. In other words, whatever the child inherited from
the parents may be enhanced or dampened by the kind of environment he/she lives
in.
Studies carried out by Mudock and Mudock
(2004) show that the first six years of a child are very important because
whatever goes wrong at this stage will have long lasting effect on the child
when the child grows up. It is during this early period that the personal
characteristics and mental health of the child are established. The child
learns how to love and be loved and how to cope with sibling rivalry. Also, it
is at this time that the child develops feelings of hostility and aggression if
the environment is not conducive. This early socialization process is important
because it helps a child adjust to places outside his home.
Psychologists and sociologists like Jersild (2005),
Hurlock (2006), believe that if solid foundations are not laid for the
acquisition of basic skill when the child is young, learning and personality
adjustment becomes a problem later in life as they are is often unsuccessful.
Joyce, Almond and Edith (2005) have long established
that in effective schools where high quality education is provided, there is
usually frequent communication between the school and parents and this is
mainly positive, such as at award days and parent days and two-way, with
parents often initiating contact with the school. This should involve parents
monitoring efforts to accountability and acting as advisors in school
improvement efforts. This may be achieved by having parents serve on standing
and ad-hoc special committees and boards of the school such as special events
committee, disciplinary committee and governing board. This way, parents get
first hand knowledge of the needs and problems of the school and work
co-operatively with the school in resolving them (Aloe, 2006).
When parents possess the necessary knowledge and
skills relevant to the school curricula such parents may serve as information
sources, the audience for school academic activities and/or class assistants.
There also seems to be ample evidence to suggest that parental involvement in
home work and assignments may improve children’s performance in school. Also, parental
positive and co-operative attitude towards the development of the school has
been found to influence positively on children’s personality adjustment in home
or school. Such parental behaviours are reflected in good attendance at PTA
meetings, sending children to school on time, fees are paid on time, children
are made to complete homework on time and parents visit the school regularly to
monitor the progress of their children. Teachers have a remarkably difficult
job and will appreciate any one who supports them and acknowledges their work.
1.2 Theoretical Framework
The Conflict-Marxian
Theory of Family
Marx Weber (1864 –
1920)
This theory see the
process of marriage and the family as sympathetic in which members of the
family encounter unending problem of conflicting interests. The
Conflict-Marxian theorists perceive marriage and the family as a continuous
competitive social system. Arnolds
(1990) stated that competitive, due to its nature of being a state of negative
interdependence between the elements of social system. Due to this conflict,
there is gain/loose situation, because what is gained to one party, becomes
loose to the other party in the great divide. The most important ingredients or
elements in the conflict – Marxian theory is that conflict is unavoidable part
of humanity and associations which involves family life and marriage. Adamson
(2000) observed that the Marxian theories see the family as an institution
surrounded with inevitable confrontation or conflict and of constant state of
change. The emphasis worthy of note in this theory, is the competing needs,
values, goals or objectives of partners who are involved in marital unions. For
the fact that people’s wants/needs are scarce and in little quantity,
therefore, this desires to attain or get one’s needs or wants, brings about
competition and conflicts among people in the society, more especially the
family.
Edith (1998) stated that the Conflict – Marxian
theorists do not see the constant confrontation in the family as necessarily
destructive, rather they consider conflict in the family as essential element
and catalyst of interest that are out to be treated in a constructive manner
through negotiation and compromise. The Conflict-Marxian theorists therefore,
perceive conflicts in the family potentials for the promotion and enhancement
of interpersonal growth and development in the family.
The above theory is apt to the topic polygamy and
family size and the students’ academic performance. This is because in
polygamous and large sized families, there tend to be rivalries between wives
and among children of the wives. Most times, this rivalry bring about hatred
among the children and among the wives of the polygamous man. The after effect
could be the man loving some children and hating some of them. In other words,
he could be selective of who to sponsor to school and whom he should not.
1.3
Statement of the Problem
The problem of low socio-economic
status among parents and its attendant effect on the personality adjustment of
students cannot be overemphasized. Most parents in Nigeria today are poor and the majority
of them are unemployed. This can be linked to poor economic situation in the country and the
world economic recession. As a result, parents lack the wherewithal to maintain
themselves and their children. Most Nigerian parents fail in their duties to
send their children to school. Many of them whose children are in school, do
not take adequate care of them because they lack the financial power to carry
or foot their children’s school bills. This has caused many children whose
parents are poor to constantly absent themselves from school, while majority of
the children have finally dropped out of school. This has caused the children
to become socially maladjusted due to lack of socialization with their peers in
the school.
Not only that, the children of the
poor are not properly cared for. For instance, children whose parents are not
rich, do not feed well before and after school. Thus most of them go to school
in an empty stomach, and while in school, they do not pay attention to what is
going on in the classroom. A child needs proper feeding to complement social
adjustment and cognition, but children of the poor do not feed adequately not
to talk of balanced diet. For lack of money, children whose parents are poor,
are meant to live in an unfriendly environment where they are incapable of
reading freely and the materials to study are not available for them to carry
out meaningful academic work. This also leads to poor learning outcomes and
poor interaction with their mates at school and at home. The above problems
therefore, necessitated this study.
1.4
Purpose of the Study
The main purpose of this study is to
examine parental influence and socio-economic factors as correlates of
personality adjustment among youths in Lagos Island Local Government Area of
Lagos State.
The specific objectives of the study
include:
1. To find out whether there is a
relationship between parents’ socio-economic status and adolescents’
personality adjustment.
2. To examine whether there is a
relationship between broken homes and adolescents’ personality adjustment.
3. To assess whether there is a difference
between personality adjustment of adolescents from intact homes and divorced
homes.
4. To investigate whether parental
discipline will influence personality adjustment of adolescents.
5. To examine whether family size will
influence adolescents’ personality adjustment.
1.5
Research Questions
The following research questions were
raised in this study:
1. Will there be any relationship between parents’ socio-economic
status and adolescents’ personality adjustment?
2. Will there be any relationship between broken homes and
adolescents’ personality adjustment?
3. Will there be any difference between personality adjustment of
adolescents from intact homes and divorced homes?
4. Will there be any influence of parental discipline on
personality adjustment of adolescents?
5. Will there be any influence of family size on adolescents’
personality adjustment?
1.6
Research Hypotheses
The following research hypotheses
were formulated to guide this study:
1.
There
will be no significant relationship between parents’ socio-economic status and
adolescents’ personality adjustment.
2.
There
will be no significant relationship between broken homes and adolescents’
personality adjustment.
3.
There
will be no significant difference between personality adjustment of adolescents
from intact homes and divorced homes.
4.
Parental
discipline will not significantly influence personality adjustment of
adolescents.
5.
Family
size will not significantly influence adolescents’ personality adjustment.
1.7
Significance of the Study
This study will be of great benefit
to the various segments of individuals and group of individuals in the society.
For instance
(1)
The
students will benefit from this study because its findings and recommendations
will help them to appreciate that they need parental care and positive values
for them to be successful in school and society at large. It will make the
students to be more adaptive to parental control and care.
(2)
Parents
would also benefit from this study because it will enable them to be up and doing
in the upbringing of their children if they want them to be successful in both
academic and in life. This study will enlighten parents on the best methods of
bringing up a child in the home.
(3)
Teachers
would be beneficiaries of this study because, it will enable them to be more
enlightened on how best to train their children in the home and at school, as
surrogate parents.
(4)
The
society will undoubtedly, benefit from this study because it will enable the
adults members of the society to learn that parental value system has something
to do with the child’s behaviour and his/her academic success in the school.
1.8
Scope of the Study
The study examined the influence of
parental and socio-economic factors on the youths personality adjustment in
selected five senior secondary schools in Lagos Island Local Government Area of
Lagos State.
1.9
Definition of Terms
Operational definitions of terms were
appropriately provided in this study. Virtually, all the variables in the study
were defined accordingly.
(1)
Parents: This means father, mother or
ancestors e.g. our first parents (Adam and Eve).
(2)
Students: This means a person who is studying
at a college, polytechnic or university; boy or girl attending schools; anyone
who studies or who is devoted to the acquisition of knowledge.
(3)
Academic Performance: This refers to the level or rate at
which students in school perform in their academic career. It also shows the
level at which students carry out their school works at a given period of time
and the result of it.
(4)
Socio-Economic Status: This refers to the level of social
stratification of individuals in a given society. It is the socio-economic
distinction amongst members of the society.
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