THE EFFECTS OF SICKLE CELL ON STUDENT’S ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE IN KANO COLLEGES

ABSTRACT

This research examined the effect of Sickle Cell on Students Academic Performance in Kano Colleges. The survey research was used in this study to sample the opinion of respondents. This method involved random selection of respondent who were administered with questionnaires. The target population of the study comprised selected students from colleges in Kano State, Nigeria. The questionnaire administered was three hundred and ten (310) copies and three hundred copies (300) retrieved which constitute the sample size. The descriptive and analytical approach was adopted using Chi-square to test and analyze the hypotheses earlier stated. Relevant conceptual, theoretical and empirical literature was reviewed.Finding revealed that there is a significant effect of Sickle Cell on Students Academic Performance in Kano Colleges. The finding of the study also reveals that school absenteeism is one of the prominent factors that affect the level of academic performance in children with sickle cell Anaemia. The findings of the study also reveal that. The finding of the study also reveals that socio-economic status is one of the prominent factors that affect the level of academic performance in children with sickle cell Anaemia. The findings of the study reveal that there is an impact of family function on the academic performance in Kano colleges. It was therefore concluded that there is a significant effect of Sickle Cell on Students Academic Performance in Kano Colleges.

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1. Background of the Study

Sickle cell disease (SCD) in youth increases the likelihood of low academic performance. They are more likely than healthy kids to do poorly on academic achievement tests, receive subpar grades, need special education services, and have a grade retained than healthy kids do (Boulet, Yanni, Creary, & Olney, 2010; Peterson et al., 2005). Poor neurocognitive functioning, mostly brought on by stroke, high disease severity, and low socioeconomic status are factors that have been connected to poor academic performance in kids with SCD (SES). Family functioning, on the other hand, is a component that has largely gone unconsidered in relation to the academic functioning of children and adolescents with SCD. Behavior issues in young people with SCD have been linked to poor family functioning (Thompson et al., 2003), poor mental health (Kell et al., 1998) and quality of life (Barakat, Lutz, Nicolaou, & Lash, 2005). Preliminary research has connected elements of family functioning to academic accomplishment in youth with SCD, and evidence also ties lower family functioning in healthy youth to worse academic performance (King, 1998; Barbarin et al.,1999).

The term "sickle cell disease" (SCD) refers to a wide range of hereditary blood disorders that are chronic and impact the chemical composition of red blood cells. Currently, 90,000 to 100,000 Individuals are affected by the illness (National Heart Lung and Blood Institutes, 2012). It primarily affects Americans of African origin, while it can also affect those of Latino or Mediterranean ancestry. SCD occurs in 1 in 500 births among African Americans and 1 in 36,000 births among Latinos.Sickle cell trait, a genetic condition that increases the risk of transferring SCD to future generations, affects 1 in 12 African-Americans (Centers for Disease Control and Prevetion [CDC], 2012).

High levels of sickled hemoglobin (HbS) in the blood of persons with SCD lead deoxygenated red blood cells to polymerize and take the rigid sickled, or "C," shape as opposed to staying round and flexible (Steinberg, 2005). Vasoocclusions are brought on by these abnormal blood cells attaching to the blood vessel walls and to one another. Moreover, these cells pass away more quickly than regular red blood cells and are less effective at delivering oxygen. A number of problems, including acute and chronic pain, anemia, severe infections, acute chest syndrome, stroke, organ failure, eyesight loss, and leg ulcers, can be brought on by sickled red blood cells.

The most prevalent form of sickle cell disease (SCD), known as HbSS, is brought on by possessing two copies of the HbS gene, one from each parent (Bonner, Hardy, Ezell, & Ware, 2004). When a person inherits both a HbS gene and another defective hemoglobin gene, various types of SCD can develop. Hemoglobin C sickle disease (HbSC) and sickle cell beta-thalassemia (HbS), which has two variants, are two of the most prevalent SCDs, respectively. HbS+ or HbS° (Redding-Lallinger& Knoll, 2006). Interestingly, disease severity can be roughly anticipated by the SCD genotype since the HbSS and HbS° types of the disease are thought to be more severe than the HbSC and HbS+ varieties because they are linked to more issues related to SCD (Sebastiani et al., 2007Medical advancements since the 1949 SCD discovery have significantly improved the outlook for SCD patients (Bunn, 1997). With a life expectancy of 14 years in 1973, SCD was traditionally regarded as a childhood condition (Platt et al., 1994). With a life expectancy of 42 and 48 years for men and women with HbSS and 60 and 68 years for men and women with HbSC, respectively, people with SCD are now able to live into adolescence and adulthood. People with SCD tend to live longer, which makes focusing on their academic performance more crucial because academic performance is a clear indicator of adult economic prospects (Cheeseman Day &Newburger, 2002).

Furthermore, the vast majority of research examining the academic performance of kids with SCD show that these kids perform less well in school than their classmates who are healthy. In a 2010 study, Boulet, Yanni, Creary, and Olney examined black children aged 0 to 17 years, 192 of whom had SCD and 19,335 of whom did not. The study's findings showed that black kids without SCD were less likely to obtain special education services than kids with SCD. Children with SCD fared below average on achievement and IQ tests, according to Peterson, Palermo, Swift, Beebe, and Drotar's 2005 study of 72 SCD patients aged 5 to 17.The study's findings included the following: 42% of SCD students reported having difficulties participating in school as a result of their illness; 36% had been retained at least one grade; 28% had specialized education plans; and 35% had missed 20 or more days of school. Fowler et al. (1988) compared 28 healthy children matched for race, age, sex, and SES against 28 children with HbSS aged 6 to 17 years. Children with HbSS performed worse than controls on tests of reading and math skills, the researchers discovered.This result is consistent with those of a study by Swift and colleagues (1989), which examined the performance of children with HbSS in comparison to healthy controls on tests of memory, reading achievement, and math achievement in a group of 28 HbSS children aged 7 to 16 and 21 of their healthy siblings. In addition, children with SCD scored lower on the K-ABC Achievement Battery and the Basic Achievement Skills Individual Screener (BASIS) than their healthy siblings, according to a 1993 study by Brown, Buchanan, Doepke, and Eckman, which included 70 children with SCD aged 3 to 17 and 18 healthy siblings.  It is based on this background that the present study seeks to evaluate the effect of Sickle Cell On Students Academic Performance In Kano Colleges.

1. Statement of the Problem

According to WHO (2013), Sickle Cell Anaemia (SCA) is a chronic health disease that has a significant global impact on morbidity and death. It mainly affects Africans and many children in Sudan, especially in the Khartoum region.It has an impact on their quality of life, particularly their academic performance, in addition to their health. While education is important for the growth of all people, including children, some things may have an impact on how well SCA youngsters perform in the classroom. Despite the fact that there is little study on the determinants affecting academic achievement in this demographic, these are at risk for neurocognitive impairment and low academic performance.This study is aim at examining to evaluate the effect of Sickle Cell on Students Academic Performance 1n Kano Colleges.However, in case of inadequate care, this research further helps wake the community to such matter and becomes a very important initiative for the improvement of the health and quality of life of school children with SCA in terms of academic performance.

1. Objectives of the Study

The main objective of this study is to examine the effect of Sickle Cell on Students Academic Performance in Kano Colleges. Other specifics objectives of the study are as follows;

1. To determine the significant effect of Sickle Cell on Students Academic Performance in Kano Colleges.
2. To identify the prominent factors that affect the level of academic performance in children with sickle cell Anaemia.
3. To examine the impact of family unction on the academic performance in Kano colleges.
4. To examine if there is a significant relationship between Sickle Cell and the students’ Academic Performance in Kano Colleges

Research Questions

The following questions were formed to give the present study a direction;

1. Does sickle cell have a significant on the students’ Academic Performance in Kano Colleges?
2. What are the factors that affect the level of academic performance in children with sickle cell Anaemia?
3. Does family functioning have impact on the academic performance in Kano colleges>
4. Is there is significant relationship between Sickle Cell and the students’ Academic Performance in Kano Colleges?

Research Hypotheses

The following were hypothesized;

Hypothesis 

H0: There is no significant relationship between Sickle Cell and the students’ Academic Performance in Kano Colleges.

H1:There is a significant relationship between Sickle Cell and the students’ Academic Performance in Kano Colleges.

1. Significance of the Study

The findings of this study will help the government, educationalist and the general population to effect of sickle cell on the academic performance of students.

The findings of this will also help school educators to know the factors that factors that affect the level of academic performance in children with sickle cell Anaemia.

The findings of this study will also help educators to know the impact of family function on the academic performance of students.

The findings of this study will fill a dearth in existing literature about the effect of sickle cell Anaemia on the academic performance of students.

The findings of this study will also be help to students and other researchers who are interested in this same topic.

1. Scope of the Study

This study is limited to the effect of Sickle Cell on Students Academic Performance in Kano Colleges. Only students who are Kano colleges will be adopted for the study.