TABLE
OF CONTENTS
CHAPTER
1
INTRODUCTION
1.1
Background to the Study
1.2 Statement
of the Problem
1.3. Purpose
of the Study
1.4.
Significance of The Study
1.5 Research
Questions
1.6 Hypotheses
1.7. Scope
Of The Study
CHAPTER
2
REVIEW
OF RELATED LITERATURE
2.1. Conceptual
Framework
2.1.1 Concept
Of Peer Group Influence
2.1.2 Parenting Styles
2.1.3 Authoritarian Parenting Style
2.1.4 Authoritative Parenting Style
2.1.5 Neglectful Parenting Style
2.1.6 Indulgent Parenting Style
2.1.7 Parental Discipline
2.1.8 Social Behaviour of Adolescents
2.1.9 Concept
of Aggressive Behaviour
2.1.10 Causes Of
Aggression
2.1.11 Some
Other Causes Of Aggression Include:
2.1.12 Characteristics
of Aggressive Children
2.1.13 Classification
of Aggression
2.2 Theoretical Framework
2.2.1 Social Learning Theory By Albert Bandura (1977)
2.2.2 Psychoanalytic Theory (Sigmund Freud 1917, 1929)
2.2.3 Attachment Theory by Baumrind (2001)
2.3 Related Empirical Studies
2.4 Summary of Related Literature
CHAPTER
3
RESEARCH METHOD
3.1 Design
of the Study
3.2 Area of the Study
3.3. Population of the Study
3.4 Sample and Sampling Technique
3.5. Instrument for Data Collection
3.6
Validation of the Instrument
3.7.
Reliability of the Instrument
3.8. Method of Data Collection
3.9. Method of Data Analysis
CHAPTER 4
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
4.1 Results
Presentation
4.2 Summary
of Major Findings
4.3 Discussion of Findings
CHAPTER
5
SUMMARY,
CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS
5.1 Summary
5.2 Conclusion
5.3 Recommendations
5.4 Educational
Implication of the Finding
5.5 Limitation of the Study
5.6 Suggestions for Further Study
Reference
Appendix A: Students’
Aggressive Behaviour Identification Scale (Sabis)
Scale
Appendix B: Reliability
of the Instruments and Stability of the Instruments
Appendix C: The
Population Distribution of the Senior Secondary Schools
LIST
OF TABLE
Table 4.1: Mean Ratings and
Standard Deviations of Respondents on the Aggressive Behaviour among Senior
Secondary School Students in Abia State
Table 4.2: Correlation
Matrix of Peer Group Influence and Aggressive Behaviour of Senior
Secondary School Students in Abia State
Table 4.3: Linear
Regression Analysis of Peer Group Influence and Aggressive Behaviour of Senior
Secondary School Students in Abia State
Table 4.4: Correlation
Matrix of Parenting Styles (authoritarian, authoritative, indulgent, neglecting, over- parenting styles) and
Aggressive Behaviour of Senior Secondary
School Students in Abia State
Table 4.5: Multiple
Regressions on Parenting styles (authoritarian,
authoritative, indulgent, neglecting, over- parenting styles) and aggressive behaviour of
senior secondary school students in Abia State
Table 4.6: Scheffe test on
Relative Contribution of Parenting Styles (Authoritarian,
Authoritative, Indulgent, Neglecting, Over- Parenting Styles) in Aggressive Behaviour of
Senior Secondary School Students
Table 4.7: Gender Differences in the Relationship
between Peer
Group Influence and Aggressive Behaviour of Senior Secondary School Students
Table 4.8: Linear Regression on Gender Differences in the Relationship between Peer Group Influence and Aggressive Behaviour of Senior Secondary
School Students
Table 4.9: Gender Differences in the Correlation
between Parenting Styles (Authoritarian, Authoritative, Indulgent, Neglecting,
Over- Parenting Styles) and Aggressive Behaviour of Senior Secondary School Students
in Abia State
Table 4.10: Linear Regression on Gender Differences in the Relationship between Peer Group Influence and Aggressive Behaviour of Senior Secondary
School Students
Table 4.11: Location Differences in the Relationship
between Peer
Group Influence and Aggressive Behaviour of Senior Secondary School Students
Table 4.12: Linear Regression on the Differences in locality (urban and rural areas) in the
Relationship between Peer Group Influence and Aggressive Behaviour of Senior
Secondary School Students
Table 4.13: Location Differences in the Correlation
between Parenting Styles (Authoritarian, Authoritative, Indulgent, Neglecting,
Over- Parenting Styles) and Aggressive Behaviour of Senior Secondary School
Students in Abia State
Table 4.14: Linear Regression on Differences in Location in the correlation between Parenting styles
(authoritarian, authoritative, indulgent, neglecting, over- parenting styles)
and aggressive behaviour of senior
secondary school students
Table 4.15: Scheffe test on
Relative Contribution of Location (Urban and Rural Areas) in the
Correlation between Parenting Styles (Authoritarian, Authoritative, Indulgent,
Neglecting, Over- Parenting Styles) and Aggressive Behaviour of Senior Secondary School Students
CHAPTER
1
INTRODUCTION
1.1
BACKGROUND
TO THE STUDY
Aggressive behaviour has been defined by
some educational psychologists in various ways. Wood, Wood and Boyd (2014),
defined it as the intentional infliction of physical or psychological harm on
others. From this definition, it is obvious that for an act to be classified as
an aggressive behaviour, the infliction of physical or psychological harm on
others has to be intentional. Hence, unintended and accidental infliction of harm
on others may not be rightly classified as aggressive behaviour (Ifeagwzi,
2010).
Aggressive behaviour among secondary
school students takes various forms. It can be physical or verbal. Physical
aggression refers to inflicting injury on others, while verbal aggression
entails using words that are intended to harm another person. Aggressive
behaviour among secondary school students sometimes take the form of over
reaction, screaming, shouting or becoming very agitated as a result of a very
minor setback (Eziyi & Odoemelam, 2008). It also takes the form of
quarrelling, insubordination, bullying, revolution, destruction of school
property, protest, angry shouts of rebellion and so on.
At times, other terms are
used that refer to unobservable internal states such as, ‘angry’ ‘vengeful’
‘over stimulated’ and ‘poor impulse control’ (Sturmer, 2011). The term
“aggression” may be applied to a specific behaviour such as killing. It can
mean causing another injury or creating destruction, attacking another, or simply
engaging in fighting. It can refer to strong, assertive behaviour (an
aggressive lover), to self-imposition or an offensive-besetting manner (an
aggressive salesman), or a particular quality or style (an aggressive
commercial, an aggressive driving style, an aggressive chess player). It can
refer to a disposition (an aggressive personality) or an action. It may be used
to refer to a host of emotional and attitudinal states such as anger, hate and
hostility. It may be conceived of as a personality trait, a learned habit, peer
group influence, a stereotyped reflex, or an underlying biological process (Walsh & Ugumba-Agwunobi, 2012).
It may refer to motivation or intention without regard to consequences, or to
the consequences (example injury) without regard to motivation. It can be
self-assertive, or sado-masochistic. It can be instrumental or ritualistic,
playful or spontaneous. It can be benign or malignant, positive or negative. In
addition to all these, there is the usual dictionary definition which is concerned
mainly with the moral justification or legitimating of an act (Rummel, 2015).
In some disciplines,
there is general consensus that ‘aggression’ implies ‘approach behaviour’, as
the original Latin word, agreed’ (advancing against) denotes. Aggression
according to American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (2018) is a
reactionary and impulsive behaviour, which is violent and unpredictable. Myers
(2015) defined aggression as any verbal behaviour intended to hurt or destroy,
whether done reactively out of hostile or proactively as a calculated means to
an end. Welsh & Buboltz (2017) refers to the original meaning of aggression
as a tendency to go forward or approach an object. Allen, cited in Carson,
Butcher & Mineka, (2016) describes it as the will to ensure and to test our
capacity to deal with external forces; which may or may not involve hostility
to the vigour with which either constructive or destructive acts are carried
out. According to Sturmer (2011), aggression is more likely in persons with one
or more of the following: greater degrees of intellectual disability, organic
ethology; organic brain damage; temporal lobe epilepsy, sensory disabilities,
difficulties in language, poor coping skills, poor problem skills, poor social
support, poor religious orientation, peer group influence and poor parenting
styles. Some findings suggest that early aggression does not necessarily lead
to aggression later on, although the course through early childhood is an
important predictor of outcomes in middle childhood. In addition, physical
aggression that continues is likely occurring in the context of family
adversity, including socio-economic factors (Nwankwo, 2013).
According to Freud, cited by Ndirika (2016),
stressed that the human species have a volcanic potential to erupt in
aggression. Freud thought that one harbours not only positive survival
instincts but also a self-destructive “death instinct,” which once usually
displaces toward others as aggression or release in socially approved activities
such as in the arts or sports .The frequency of physical aggression in human
beings’ peaks at around (two-three) years of age, and then declines gradually
on average (Phelam, 2014). These observations suggest that physical aggression
is not only a learned behaviour but that development provides opportunities for
the learning and biological development of self-regulation (Nwoke, 2014).
However, small subsets of children fail to acquire all the necessary
self-regulatory abilities and tend to show typical levels of physical
aggression across development. These may be at risk for later violent behaviour
or, conversely, lack of Aggression that may be considered necessary within
society (Ifeagwzis, 2010).
There are times when even the most docile
children appear to have the aggressive tendencies of a professional wrestler.
While a certain amount of pushing and shoving is to be expected from all
children, especially when they are very young, there are a few for whom
aggression becomes a way of coping with almost any situation. These overtly
aggressive children are not bullying; they often get into fights with people
who are stronger than they are. They face problems not because they are
aggressive, but because they become aggressive at times that are inappropriate
and in ways that are self-defeating. They routinely argue with teachers and
wind up in far more than their share of schoolyard scraps. In some cases, this
pattern of easily triggered aggression appears to be rooted in the children’s
developing nervous systems. They appear to be physiologically unable to control
their impulses as much as other children in their age. For others, it is often
a matter of needing to learn and practice social skills (NICHD, 2014).
Aggression is one of the first responses
to frustration that a baby learns. Grabbing, biting, hitting, and pushing are
especially common before children develop the verbal skills that allow them to
talk in a sophisticated way about what they want and how they feel. Children
are often rewarded for their aggressive behaviour. The child who acts out in
class generally gets the most attention from the teacher. The child who breaks
into the line to go down the slide at the playground sometimes gets to use the
slide the most. One of the toughest problems parents and teachers face in
stopping aggressive behaviour is that in the short term it gets the child
exactly what he wants. It’s only after a few years that inappropriately
aggressive children must cope with a lack of friends, bad reputations, and the
other consequence of their behaviour (Santrock, 2008).
Researchers has
discovered six major types of aggression which includes, Hostile aggression that takes place when
the aggressor’s primary intension is to harm the victim as a result of anger
(Onukwufor, 2012). Instrumental
Aggression is aggression that is a means to some other end. Thus,
instrumental aggression occurs when there is an intent to injure, but the
aggression is mainly a means towards achieving some other non-injurious goals
such as to win social approval or to get money. Robbery, kidnapping and
terrorism are examples of instrumental aggression (Onukwufor 2012). In
emotional aggression harm is inflicted for its own sake. Emotional aggression
is often impulsive and it is carried out at the heat of the moment. For
example, the jealous lover strikes out in rage, while fans of rival soccer
teams go at each other with fists and clubs (Brehm, Kassin & Fein, 2010). Relational
aggression is an aspect of indirect aggression. Relational aggression is mainly
concerned with targeting a person’s relationships and social status such as
threatening to end a friendship, engaging in gossip, backbiting and trying to
get others dislike the target (Brehm, Kassin & Fein, 2010).
According to Sameer & Jamia (2011) the behavioural cases
related to aggression can be divided into two broad groups namely: Physical and
verbal aggression. This postulation is in consonance with Myers definition
which sees aggression as “Physical or verbal behaviour intended to hurt
someone. Physical aggression is hostile form of aggression. Its aim is to cause
bodily damage. It includes kicking, molesting, harassing, biting, pushing,
torturing, fighting, bullying, vandalism, destruction and gangsterism, shoving,
hair pulling, stabbing, shooting (National
Youth Violence Prevention Research Centre, 2002). Verbal aggression includes
acts such as insulting with bad language, displaying anger, threatening,
swearing and being sarcastic all in order to cause emotional and psychological
pain (Sameer & Jamia, 2011), while National Youth Violence Prevention
Research Centre (2012) state that verbal aggression includes such behaviours as
threatening, intimidating others and engaging in malicious teasing and
name-calling.
For some children, this tendency toward physical
aggression and other difficult behaviours appears to be inborn. There’s some
evidence that a proportion of these children may be identified as restless
foetuses that kick significantly more than other foetuses. Many very aggressive
children are noted to be restless infants even before they begin to crawl and
walk (NICHD 2014). Aggressive behaviour begins early in life, and in most
children reaches a peak around four years of age, declining after that. Often
it isn’t until a child starts school that aggressive behaviour becomes
apparent. This is because aggressive behaviour is often explained away as age
related behaviour, for example ‘the terrible twos’ or gender related, for
example, ‘boys will be boys’ or ‘she’ll grow out of it’ (Opara, 2014).
Aggression researchers have increasingly
supported the notion of two specific types of aggressive behaviour: proactive
and reactive aggression. Reactive aggression is usually fear-based and
impulsive in nature (Thompson, 2008). We all remember the child that would cry
at the sightless sense of threat or anxiety. In contrast, proactive aggression
is a predictor and calculated – such as what you see in some types of bullying
behaviours. Kids with high levels of proactive aggression are not necessarily
reacting to the perception of threat, but instead may engage in aggression
coldly to obtain rewards or impose their will. Studies with both humans and
non-human primates have shown that these two types of aggression have distinct
physiological profiles. For example, reactive aggressive children have
significant higher endocrine responses during a stress task while proactive
aggressive children do not (Lopez & Duran, 2008).
Sometimes children do not have the social
skills or self-control to manage their behaviour and when they cannot deal with
aggressive feelings or are not encouraged to express themselves, they become
frustrated. At other times, children cannot cope with growing levels of anger
in themselves or in others. In infants, the most common complaint is their
crying or biting, both are signs of aggression. Crying is one-way children
talk. They let you know when they are happy (coo & babble) or when they
need something (cry). We should find out what they need and provide it, whether
it is a dry diaper, food, or warm touch (Putallaz & Bierman, 2009).
In toddler, the most aggressive acts occur
over toys. To adults it looks like fighting, but to children it’s learning how
to get along. They have not learned how to say, “Let’s play.” However, turning
the incident into a punishment or control by force will only cause the child to
think of ways to strike back. It may help to ask the child to rest from the
activity that creates aggression. In pre-schoolers, with loving guidance,
parents will see children from two to five years of age decrease their physical
aggression as they begin to use words to communicate needs.
However, the factors that could lead to
aggression may include peer group influence, parenting styles child’s location
and a child’s gender. Gender is a factor that plays a role in both human and
animal aggression. Males are historically believed to be generally more
physically aggressive than females from an early age, and men commit the vast
majority of murders (Buss, 2008). This is one of the most robust and reliable
behavioural gender differences, and it has been found across many different age
groups and cultures. There is evidence that males are quicker to aggression
(Frey, 2013) and more likely than females to express their aggression
physically. Although females are less
likely to initiate physical violence, they can express aggression by using a
variety of non-physical means. Exactly which method women use to express
aggression is something that varies from culture to culture. In eastern
Nigeria, the Igbo culture is based on male dominance and physical violence;
women tend to get into conflicts with other women more frequently than with
men. When in conflict with males, instead of using physical means, they make up
songs mocking the man, which spread across the land and humiliate him. If a
woman wanted to kill a man, she would either convince her male relatives to
kill him or hire an assassin. Although these two methods involve physical
violence, both are forms of indirect aggression, since the aggressor herself
avoid getting directly involved or putting herself in immediate physical danger
(Anichebe, 2010).
Peer
group influence could be seen as the influence exerted by peer group in
encouraging a person to change his or her attitudes, values or behaviour to
conform to the group of people who are relatively of the same age and come from
same social group such as, school, ethnic, and religion as postulated by Brown
(2014). Vigdor (2016), defines peer group as collections of adolescents
identified by interests, attitudes, abilities and personal characteristics they
have in common. Peer group according to
Burion &Mehta (2013), plays a role in the development of negative outcomes
such as poor academic adjustment, social anxiety and so on. They also stated that research on peer group
has demonstrated that the influence of peers’ peaks in middle adolescence and
begins a gradual decline in later adolescence. Adolescence is a period in human
development characterized by transition from childhood to adulthood. One of the
most important transitions occurring during adolescence is the rise of peer
group. Peer group influence provides an idea not only for the acquisition and
maintenance of friendships, but also for the development of social skills such
as good interpersonal relationship, social problem solving such as, lying,
stealing, and cheating and so on. Brown (2014) observed that the study of peer
group influence in adolescence has shown to be important to the development of
adolescents as it open up to the society, the gravity of this peer on the
adolescence. It also helps to understand adolescent friendships and their
correlates on aggressive behaviour, substance abuse among others, hence, peer
group plays major role on adolescent behaviour.
For example, the antisocial peer groups are often seen as the co.
relates of aggressive behaviour (Lipsey & Derzon, 2018). The influence of
peer group on aggressive behaviour seems to be strong, regardless of ethnic
group membership. Many ethnic group comparisons of peer influence on behaviour
have found that those with peers’ group, participating in negative behaviour
are more likely to engage in this behaviour as well, regardless of ethnicity
(Choi, Harachi, Gillmore & Catalano, 2010); Walker Barnes & Mason,
2009). Peer group provide adolescents with the attitudes, motivation that
support aggressive behaviour and they provide opportunities to engage in
specific delinquent acts (Cashwell & Vacc, 2010). In ways similar to the
community, the peer group becomes an agency of enculturation and learning. Even
very young children develop a sense of self from their perceptions of important
people in their surroundings, including relatives, teachers, and peers.
Socioeconomic status, ethnic identity and parents’ occupations affect how families
view themselves and the process by which they socialize their children
(Bornstein, 2008). Later as children leave the home setting, their
self-perception and socializing skills become influenced by how their peer view
them. Children move out from family to child-care centres, school, and the
community at large, they begin to form attachments, and friendships emerge
through their play. These relationships influence behaviour even infants and
toddlers are observed reacting to other infants by touching them, by crying
when others cry, and later by offering nurturance or comfort. By about age
three, early friendships begin to form and children’s peers begin to have a
more lasting influence (Berk, 2009). Peer group influence on behaviour
gradually becomes more dominant. Harris (2008) & Rowe (2009) maintained
that peer groups have an even stronger influence than that of the parents,
although that extreme position has been refuted by other researchers (Berk,
2009). Gradually, children discover that
others can share their feelings or attitudes or have quite different ones. The
perspectives of others will affect how children feel about their own families.
Children usually have a family view of their own and of other cultures. So,
when confronted with other perspectives, they often need to rethink their own
view points. It is often difficult for children to adjust to the idea that
other families can function radically differently from their own and yet hold
many of the same attitudes and beliefs and be equally nurturing and secure. The
peer group serves as a barometer for children examining themselves and their
feelings about self and family.
The
peer group also influences development of children socializing skills. These
early friendships help children learn how to negotiate and relate to others,
including their siblings and other family members. They learn from peers how to
cooperate and socialize according to group norms and group sanctioned modes of
behaviour. The peer group can influence what the child values, knows, wears,
eats, and learns. The extent of this influence, however, depends on other
situational constraints, such as the age and personality of student and the
nature of the group (Sirai, 2010). Socialization is very important for children
with disabilities, and it is the reason many programmes include peer group who
are typically developing in special education programmes or include children
with disabilities in general. It has been observed that there is a strong
correlation between peer group and parenting style on aggressive behaviours of
adolescent (Ifeagwzi, 2010). Locality seems to account for the disparity in
urban and rural children’s aggressiveness. Robert, Skipper and James (2016)
investigated differential rates of rural urban aggressive. Official studies
indicate that rural areas generate lower rates of aggressiveness than do urban
area.
Adolescence is a period of
transition from childhood to adulthood. It is a period that the child
encounters numerous problems from all areas of his growth and development such
as physical, mental, social, psychological, cultural and spiritual growth
problems. Such is the difficulties that confront the emerging child into
adulthood that some psychologists that describes it as a period of “storms and
stress”. This period varies from society to society as a result of cultural
variations and level of modernization. Generally, adolescents’ period commences
between ages of 11 or 12 years to 18 or 21 years. Girls begin transition
earlier than boys, about 11 - 12 years. Boys start between 12 -14 years. It is
a fact to reckon with that the youngest mother in the world was 9 years old and
in America, a 10-year-old was able to deliver her baby, normally without
surgical intervention (Abdullahi, 2010).
The influence of parenting styles at
adolescents‟ stage is very crucial. This is because parents play tremendous
roles in adolescents‟ transition to adulthood as well as moderating the
aggressive behaviour of the adolescents. The family unit is considered as one
of the most influential components of a child’s behaviour due to the fact that
the family is the first source of internal education for a child (Sumari,
Hussein, & Siraj, 2010). More specifically, parenting styles, discipline
techniques, involvement with their children and the home environment have been
shown to attract a child’s ability to proper adjustment in life.
Training is a central focal point
for society due to the idea that ensuring an education for adolescents helps
promote a more successful future, hence reduces aggressiveness among students;
parental behaviour negatively affects adolescents’ behaviour. Parenting Styles
involves combination of acceptance and responsiveness on one hand and to demand control on the other. Baumrind (2011) defined Parenting
style as a psychological construct representing standard strategy that parents
use in their children.
Parenting can be viewed as an
occupation which may need a lot of skill and works in order to influence a
child’s behaviour positively. Parents are considered as the primary shapers of
their children’s behaviours including aggressive behaviour. They tend to have
great influence over their wards behaviours and when considering parenting
styles in relation to behaviour, studies have shown relationship between parenting
styles and adolescent behaviour.
Studies have shown that associating
with deviant peers has been linked to earlier initiation of aggressiveness
(Rowe, 2009; Whitbeck et al, 2009). Furthermore, one of the strongest
predictors of delinquent behaviour in adolescence is affiliation with
delinquent peers, an association that has been attributed to peer socialization
(Dishion, Bullock & Growe 2009). The implication is that poor parent-child
relationships may therefore enhance susceptibility to peer-group influence or
increase the propensity of associating with deviant friends (Whitbeck, Conger
& Ilao 2010).
Parenting style has been defined by
(Baumrund, 2011), as the control which parents exercise over their children.
Baumrund identified types of parenting styles as authoritarian, authoritative,
neglecting parenting, indulgent and over-parenting. In her view, parenting is a
complicated occupation which requires variety of skills that work in concert to
influence the behaviour of the child (Ann, & Goh, 2011). No wonder it is used to capture
normal variations in parents’ attempts to control and socialize their children
as well as to influence, teach and control their children. It is therefore
evident that parenting style could enhance or diminish acceptable behavioural
outcomes in children (Weiss & Schwartz 2008). Although other studies found no clear
relationship between parenting style and child psychopathology (Havill, Olafsson, 2010; Revie-Petterson, 2008),
because of some moderator or moderating variables such as age, socio-economic
status, temperament, gender, family structure and the child’s perception of the
parenting style (Beyers & Goossens, 2013;
& Bystrotsky, 2008).
An authoritarian parent tend to have
the final decision in the home, usually they are demanding and directive.
Though they ordered environment with rules clearly stated, they are strict and
as a result adolescent from such homes are often afraid of their parents and
this tends to influence their decisions. Sternberg (2008) opined that boys from
such homes tend to be violent while the girls cannot withstand pressure from
the opposite sex and thus engage in antisocial behaviours such as alcohol, drug
abuse, promiscuity and aggressive behaviour. The reason being that, this
parenting style adheres strictly to the use of authority, punishment and do not
expect the children to express disagreements with their rules but to obey
without explanation (Havill, Olafsson, 2010). On the other hand, the
authoritative style gives the adolescent a free hand to regulate their
behaviour. They succumb to the child, giving few rules and avoiding
confrontation, as a result the adolescent lacks initiative and discipline and
expects everything to be done for them. Although, the parent here expects
maturity from the child, by maintaining their position and respecting the
child’s opinion which in turn gives the child freedom of speech (Martin & Colbert, 2008). Adolescents from
such homes view sex as an expression of mature love. Hence, authoritative
parenting style is a flexible, democratic style of parenting in which warm,
accepting parenting provide guidance and control while allowing the child to
decide how best to meet the challenges and obligations. The authoritative
parenting style falls in-between the authoritarian and permissive parenting
style. According to Templar (2008), children have to learn to plan their own
lives and that means learning the consequences of making the wrong decisions
too.
The indulgent parents tend not to
interfere with the child’s independence; thus, demands little obedience and
respect for authority. On the contrary the involved parent is much as the worst
because there are no rules and no guidance towards the direction of the child’s
behaviour. The adolescent is entirely on his/her own and may depend on their
peers for social and emotional development.
Parenting style no doubt has been
found to predict child well-being arising from the conclusion that adolescents
of autocratic parents tend to lack social competence in dealing with other people
and tend to withdraw from social contact, they hardly use their initiative
rather they depend on authorities to decide what is correct because they are
used to adhering strictly to rules without being allowed to express their own
opinion.
Conversely,
children of democratic parents have more self-control, while those from
indulgent parents exhibit immature behaviour and have difficulty accepting
responsibility for their own actions. And of course, adolescent’s forum
involved parents are totally dependent and cannot determine right from wrong
behaviour. Such adolescents no doubt will fall prey to their peers. Parent’s
approval of aggressiveness appears to be related to adolescent’s aggressive
behaviour. This was evident in a study by Dittus &Jaccard (2008) which revealed that
out of 10,000 adolescents studied, adolescents who were most satisfied with the
relationship they had with their mothers and who perceived their mothers
attitude as disapproving of aggression were less likely to initiate early aggressive
activity, and that the more satisfied the adolescents were with their
relationship with their parents the more likely it was that they had used
drugs. Similarly, in another study, Maguen & Aronstead (2008) concluded among
568 adolescents where girls showed similar relationship between parents’
approval and adolescent aggressive behaviour because the adolescents tend to
delay the onset of maladjustment behaviour when they perceived their parents’
attitude about drug as restrictive.
Consequently, adolescents from good home may have good home training and
may not likely to be engage in aggressive behaviour. Aggression
is also a term that is widely and loosely used to refer to any or all of the
following acts: physical assaults on peers, verbal threats and hostile
statements; threatening gestures; tantrums; and property destruction.
Democratic style is more directly
related to children’s psychosocial and behavioural adjustment than the other
parenting styles (Beyes & Goossens, 2009). Adolescents from autocratic homes do not
usually present behavioural problems (Weiss & Schwarz, 2008), although when
discipline becomes too rigid, the probability of the adolescent engaging in
antisocial behaviours becomes higher (Gerard & Buchler, Loeber. 2009). On the
other hand, adolescents with uninvolved parents are less socially competent and
present adjustment problems in all domains.
Neglecting parenting style is in
otherwise known as uninvolved or rejecting parenting style. The parents are
often emotional or at time physically absent from their children. With these
therefore, one would agree with Echebe (2010), that the entire child’s
characteristic behaviour and personality adjustment are seen as the direct
product of parental characteristics. This implies that the parental
characteristic to a large extent affects the future life of the child with the
parents as the supporting pillars on which the child and the entire family
rests. This of course provide basic necessary requirement for the character
formation of their children such as anxiety, motivation, hope, self-esteem,
coping strategies. Here, it is also the parent who sets the standard on which
the child operates. While in over-parenting, parents tend to involve themselves
in every aspect of their child’s life, often attempting to solve all problems
and stiffing the child’s ability to act independently or solve his/her problems
(Baumrund, 2011).
Some researchers point out that
adolescents from indulgent or Laissez-faire homes do not interiorize norms and
social rules adequately therefore is likely involved in antisocial behaviour
(Miller, 2013). Others are of the opinion that these adolescents show a social
and behavioural adjustment as good as those from authoritative homes (Wolfradt,
Hempel & Miles, 2008). It is therefore
possible that the specific culture where the various researches were conducted
could be responsible.
According
to the data from Federal Ministry of Education (2011, 2013), a total of 6,580
(68%) secondary school students were involved in 2,996 violence incidents in
the 257 public secondary schools in Nigeria. The report showed that occasional
harm was (63%), bullying/threatening/interference (21%), gossiping/nicknaming
(15%). In another study (Obi & Obikeze, 2013), observed that the act of getting
involved in at least one physical fight was 27% among boys and 27% among girls
in South-East, Nigeria. While previous studies tend to indicate that there is
no gender difference in aggressive behaviour as manifested by both boys and
girls, recent ones tend to present a differing view, hence knowing that boys
present more aggressive behaviours and engage in fighting, stealing, bullying
and other criminal activities than the girls whose aggressive behaviours are
more like verbal (Nwoke, 2014). Society
has seen an increase in the incidents of aggression/violence among youth.
However, developing countries today have a
large urban population than the developed countries. Almost all the developing
countries that have been concerned with the size and growth of urban population
are constituted with serious problem, in most developing countries rural to
urban migration puts even greater strains on cities such as youth restiveness,
cultism, juvenile delinquency, sexual harassment by fellow students in the
schools which has resulted in bullying and aggressive behaviour of the students
thereby destroying the student’s effort towards achieving the basic objective
of secondary education; this development has persisted despite the different
types of parenting styles intervention implored (Adebayo, 2014).
A
tremendous rise in urban population in the developing countries has often been
the major source of both social, economic problem and high aggression and
increase in crime rate (Albert, 2014).
In Africa
most of the urban population are unstable and there are increasing
aggressiveness and high crime rate as a result of high unemployment rate,
uncontrolled and uncontrollable addiction, rape, fighting, and so on (Adebayo,
2014). It is pertinent to point out that
the social behaviour in adolescents is very crucial because it helps the
adolescents to learn right and wrong in a particular society. Thompson (2008)
postulated that adolescents acquire a sense of right and wrong partly through
parenting styles as well as in everyday conversation with parents, who convey
simple lessons about people’s feelings, the consequences of breaking rules and
what it takes to be a good boy or a good girl. Discipline is very important
when given by parents to their children; discipline is aimed at the total
development of adolescents to become responsible people in the society. Onyechi
&
Okere (2009) stated that, adolescence stage
requires parental love, care, warmth. Generally, the social behaviour of the
adolescents depends on the style of parenting. Utti (2010) observed that
parenting is a major vehicle in socializing the child. Parenting as defined by
Harvard (2010) as the family involvement process that consists of parent’s
attitude, value and practices in raising youths. Adolescents have some certain
characteristics regarding their social behaviour. Steinberg (2008) reported
that the adolescents experience some changes that have to do with
self-consciousness and thinking of the person they want to be. Adolescents
involve themselves in so many negative activities such as association with bad
peer group, lack of respect for elders, drug abuse. In the long run if
adolescents are not handled well or if appropriate parenting style is not
applied to checkmate them it may lead to behavioural failure, uncontrolled and
uncontrollable addiction and aggressive behaviour; for females it may to
maladjustment such as envy, lust for sex and addiction, gossiping, anger and
prostitution.
Strong gender differences in
aggression have been found in virtually every culture that has been studied
worldwide; about 99% of rape is committed by men as are about 90% of robberies,
assaults and murders (Graham & Wells, 2009). Among children boys show
higher rates of physical aggression than girls do (Loeber & Hay, 2009), and
even infants differ, such that infant boys tend to show more anger and poorer
emotional regulation in comparison to infant girls.
Although these gender differences
exist, they do not mean that men and women are completely different, or that
women are never aggressive. Both men and women respond to insults and
provocation with aggressiveness. In fact, difference between men and women are
smaller after they have been frustrated, insulted or threatened (Bettencourt
& Miller, 2008). And men and women are seen to use similar amount of verbal
aggression (Graham & Well, 2009). To the researcher’s
knowledge, in the last decade, no study correlating the set of peer group
influence and parenting styles variables in this study has been carried out
among secondary school adolescents in Umuahia education zones of Abia state,
which is the domain of this research. It is against this background that the
researcher was motivated
to carry out study on peer group influence and parenting styles as correlates
of aggressive behaviour among secondary school students in Abia State, Nigeria.
1.2 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
Secondary school is a post primary
education system that trains the student for useful living and as such imbibes
into the children or students the ethics of discipline to enable them survive
in the society. The students’ upbringing, peer group influence and locality are
supposed to shape the students’ discipline towards acquiring the basic ethics
to ensure they are trained well for useful living in the society. This is
because the parental styles and peer group influence and locality will help to
build the child into modesty or appropriate adjustment.
Also, researchers differ with regard to
conclusion about gender differences in peer group influence and parenting
styles on aggressive behaviour; with the majority seeming to infer that male
have higher levels of aggressive behaviour than female. Aggressive behaviour
seems to be experienced by many as of male students, especially the senior
students in Abia State Nigeria and seem to at least be partly responsible for
recent development of youth restiveness, cultism, juvenile delinquency, sexual
harassment by fellow students in the schools. This May likely result in
bullying and aggressive behaviour of the students thereby destroying the
student’s effort towards achieving the basic objective of secondary education.
This development has persisted despite the different types of parenting styles
intervention implored.
Aside this, a closer examination of
existing studies specifies the fact that aggressive behaviour among secondary
school students from developed nation could be accessed while the same could
not be said of students in developing countries especially among senior
secondary school students in Abia State. Since the existing studies on peer
group influence and parenting styles in aggressive behaviour showed a wide
variation from country to country there is the need to establish the range and
percentage of how locality could correlate/contribute to aggressive behaviour
in Abia State as well as the influence of gender. This will add to existing
literature and knowledge in this area. It is against this backdrop that the
study examined peer group influence and parenting style as correlates of
aggressive behaviour of Senior Secondary School students in Abia State Nigeria.
1.3. PURPOSE
OF THE STUDY
The
purpose of the study was to determine peer group influence and parenting styles
as correlates of aggressive behaviour among secondary school students in Abia
State, Nigeria. The specific objectives were to:
1. Determine the prevalent of aggressive behaviours among senior
secondary school students in Abia State.
2. Determine the relationship between peer group influence and
aggressive behaviour of senior secondary school students in Abia State.
3.
Establish the relationship, parenting
styles (authoritarian, authoritative, indulgent, neglecting, over- parenting
styles) and aggressive behaviour of senior secondary school students in Abia
State.
4. Determine the relationship
between peer group influence and aggressive behaviour of senior secondary
school students in Abia state based on gender
5.
Find out the relationship between
parenting styles (authoritarian, authoritative, indulgent, neglecting, over-
parenting styles) and aggressive behaviour of senior secondary school students
in Abia State based on gender.
6. Determine the
relationship between peer group influence and aggressive behaviour of senior
secondary school students in Abia state based on locality (urban and rural
areas).
7.
Find out the relationship between
parenting styles (authoritarian, authoritative, indulgent, neglecting, over-
parenting styles) and aggressive behaviour of senior secondary school students
in Abia State based on locality (urban and rural areas).
1.4. SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY
This
study has several dimensions of benefit, not only to adolescents, but also to
parents, teachers, psychologist, counsellors, researchers, school
administrators, and public at large.
The
findings of the study, can help the parents or guardians gain insight and
understand the importance of discharging their family responsibilities towards
the upbringing of their children. It can inform the parents about the
appropriate parenting styles to handle, in different situations, in terms of
adolescent school adjustment.
Secondary
school adolescents’ can be ignited and inspired by the knowledge from this
study. It will help them understand their emotions and way to carry themselves,
which will help them develop positive adjustment.
Psychologists
can also acquire abundant wealth of knowledge from this study, in the sense
that it can give them insight on why adolescents behave the way they do, the
type of family they come from, and how to help them adjust in school.
Teachers
and school counsellors will also find the results of the study useful. As
students learn by observation and initiation, the result will help the teachers
know what is expected of them as the role model. It will help them know the
type of behaviour; they will showcase which will be favourable for students’
adjustment.
Furthermore,
school counsellors will gain more insight on relevance of adjustment to
adolescents’ personalities and stand in a better position to know the
appropriate techniques and procedures towards solving adjustment problems in
school situation.
The
finding from this study can go a long way in helping government formulate
policies towards child rearing practices. The result will boost their efforts
in the sphere of adult education and public enlightenment campaign which will
enlighten the parents on the importance of appropriate parenting.
Future
researchers will also share in the numerous benefits of this study, as the
information and recommendation will be a source of research material or
empirical data for them when published.
Lastly,
experience has shown that disciplined students learn faster and perform better
academically than undisciplined students. The finding of this study will go a
long way to help the school administrators, know the type of disciplinary
method and measures to be used in correcting maladjusted behaviours of
adolescent, as to produce students who can perform better academically and
contribute meaningfully towards the development
1.5 RESEARCH QUESTIONS
The
following research questions were raised to guide the study:
1. Which aggressive behaviour is prevalent among
senior secondary school students in Abia State?
2. What is the relationship between peer group influence and aggressive
behaviour of senior secondary school students in Abia State?
3.
To what extent do parenting styles
(authoritarian, authoritative, indulgent, neglecting, over- parenting styles)
correlate with aggressive behaviour of senior secondary school students in Abia
State.
4. What are the gender
differences in the relationship between peer group influence and aggressive
behaviour of senior secondary school students in Abia state?
5.
To what extent do gender differences
exist in the correlation between parenting styles (authoritarian, authoritative,
indulgent, neglecting, over- parenting styles) and aggressive behaviour of
senior secondary school students in Abia State?
6. To what extent do
differences in location (urban and rural areas) exist in the relationship
between peer group influence and aggressive behaviour of senior secondary school students in Abia state?
7. To what extent does
location (urban and rural areas) create differences in the correlation between
parenting styles (authoritarian, authoritative, indulgent, neglecting, over- parenting styles) and aggressive
behaviour of senior secondary school students in Abia State?
1.6 HYPOTHESES
The
following null hypotheses formulated guided the study and they were tested at
0.05 level of significance:
H01: There is no significant
relationship between peer group influence and aggressive behaviour of senior secondary school students in Abia
State.
HO2: Parenting styles (authoritarian,
authoritative, indulgent, neglecting, over-parenting
styles) do not have
significant correlation with aggressive behaviour of senior secondary school students in Abia
State.
HO3: There is no significant gender differences in the relationship
between peer group influence and
aggressive behaviour of senior secondary school students in Abia state.
HO4: Gender is not a significant factor in the
correlation between parenting styles (authoritarian,
authoritative, indulgent, neglecting, over- parenting styles)and aggressive
behaviour of senior secondary school students in Abia State.
HO5: Differences in location (urban and
rural areas) are no significant factor in the relationship
between peer group influence and aggressive behaviour
of senior secondary school students in
Abia state.
HO6: Location (urban and rural areas) is not a significant factor in the
correlation between Parenting
styles (authoritarian, authoritative, indulgent, neglecting, over- parenting styles) and aggressive behaviour of senior secondary school
students in Abia State.
1.7. SCOPE OF THE STUDY
The research was delimited to senior students in public
secondary schools in Umuahia metropolis, Abia State. It is assumed that the
aggressive behaviours are common among senior secondary students. In some of
the secondary schools, there may be few S.S.S. II students who are little above
19 years of age. Obviously, the senior secondary school students are made up of
teenagers or adolescents. Emphasis was basically on this because it is assumed
that adolescents are found at this higher level of secondary school. In this
case, the research was limited to adolescents male and female students within
the age range of 15-19 years. The study was delimited to SS1 and SS2 students
in 2017/2018 academic session of the education zone. The study specifically
focused on determining the prevalent of aggressive behaviours among senior
secondary school students and determining the relationship between peer group
influence and aggressive behaviour of senior secondary school students as well
as the relationship between parenting styles (authoritarian, authoritative,
indulgent, neglecting, over- parenting styles) and aggressive behaviour of
senior secondary school students in Abia
State. Gender and location are the moderator variables.
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