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 that maladjusted 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
TABLE OF CONTENTS
PAGES
Title Page i
Certification ii
Dedication iii
Acknowledgement iv
Abstract v
Table of Contents vi
CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION
Background to the Study 1
Theoretical Framework 5
Statement of the Problem 10
Purpose of the Study 11
Research
Questions 12
Research Hypotheses 12
Significance of
the Study 13
Scope
of the Study 13
Limitation
of the Research 13
Operational
Definition of Terms 14
CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW
Concept
of social problem 15
Concept
of Academic Performance 18
Age and Promotion
of Maladaptive behaviour in school causing low Academic 20
Performance
School
Entry Age and Academic Performance 22
Cult activities and Academic Performance 24
Examination Malpractices and Academic Performance 25
Truancy and Academic Students’ Performance 26
Deviant / Delinquency and Academic
Performance 29
Social Problem and Academic Performance 31
Appraisal of Literature Reviewed. 32
CHAPTER THREE: RESEARCH METHODOLOOGY
Research Design 33
Area of Study 33
Population of the Study 34
Sample and Sampling Procedure 35
Research Instrument 35
Validity of Research Instruments 35
Reliability of Research Instrument 36
Methods of Data Collection 37
Administration of Research Instruments 37
Procedure for Data Analysis 37
Scoring of Research Instruments 37
CHAPTER
FOUR: RESULT AND DISCUSION
Demographic Data 38
Testing of hypotheses 41
Summary of findings 47
Discussion of findings 47
CHAPTER
FIVE: SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION
Summary of the Study 53
Conclusion 54
Recommendations 54
Suggestions for further Research 55
REFERENCES 56
APPENDIX 61
LIST OF TABLES
Table 1: Sex Distribution of Respondents 38
Table 2: Age Distribution of Respondents 39
Table 3: Religion Distribution of Respondents 40
Table 4.1: Testing Hypothesis 1 41
Table 4.2: Testing
Hypothesis 2 42
Table 4.3: Testing
Hypothesis 3 43
Table 4.4: Testing
Hypothesis 4 44
Table 4.5: Testing
Hypothesis 5 45
Table 4.6: Testing
Hypothesis 6 46
LIST OF FIGURES
Figure 1: Sex Distribution of Respondents 38
Figure 2: Age Distribution of Respondents 39
Figure 3: Religion Distribution of
Respondents 40
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, but
rather 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.
Cultism:
a cult is a pattern of a devotional worship of
a deity. It is a deviation from the orthodox norms of public worshiping
Truancy: staying away from school
without any good reason. It means an act of or practice of deliberately staying
away from school without any acceptance reason, whether or not the parents or
guardians know and approve of it (Fugleman and Richardson, 2001).
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