THE EFFECT OF BROKEN HOME ON ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE OF STUDENT

ABSTRACT

This project work was carried out purposely to instigate the effect of broken home on academic performance of student in Odeda Local Government Ogun State. One hundred (100) randomly sampled respondents were used by administering well-constructed questionnaire on the work, using simple random sampling techniques. Data collected and analyzed confirm that there are negative impact of broken home on student academic performance which have led to unwanted pregnancy of some students, and it causes so many students to drop out of school and other regular attention should be placed on student from broken home by their teacher and also students facilitator should not be too harsh in dealing with learners that have separated or divorces parents.

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1       BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

            A broken home can be referred to as a home that is not structurally intact as a result of divorce, separation, death of one of parent and illegitimacy. It can also be a house containing a family that is set apart due to tension and certain problems. According to Frazer (2011), psychological home condition arise mainly from illegitimacy of children, broken homes, divorce and parental deprivation. Such abnormal conditions of the homes are likely to have detrimental effect on student performances.

            Life in a single parent family or broken home can be stressful for the parent, such families are faced with challenges of inadequate financial resources.

            Schultz (2010) noted that if student from unstable homes are to be compared with those that are from stable homes, it would be seen that the former have more social, academic, and emotional problems.

            Johnson (2010) asserts that students from broken homes often fail and are at risk emotionally. However, this may not be completely applicable in all case of broken homes.

            Some students irrespective of home background or structure may work hard and become successive in life.

            Okoye (2009), postulated that sex  differences may have little or no effect on academic performance rather he submit that eventually achievement by learners is predicted more on personal effort than sex variable. However,the overall picture suggest that male and female may learn differently in the same vein, socio economic background is another factor that may affect academic performances of student.

            This background refers to the parent educational attainment, occupation, level of income and social class placement. When student need are not properly addressed his/her learning ability could be affected due to lack of motivation.

            Generally, the home has been identified as an overwhelming factor affecting student performances academically. It would appear then that broken homes may present a very serious danger to the emotional, personality and mental adjustment of the students.

            Student who experience conflict and are under this parenting structure suffer from serious emotional difficulties, living in shame, their sense of self-under-mined and with little confidence for the future. They are anxious, living in fear and waiting for the next violent episode to occur (Jaffe 2000). Adolescent   react either by running away or becoming involved in delinquent behaviors or trying to take on responsibility for keeping the peace and ensuring the safety of their family.

            Broken home is an effect which can seriously impair the function of the family as a socializing agency. Thus, the rising incidence of broken home suggest that the institutions of marriage and the family as a whole are in serious trouble. This increasing trend in marital discord is greatly hindering the current wellbeing and the future prospect of children, who are most effectively socialized with two parents present in the home. Broken home is generally associated with increased stress and emotional difficulties among adolescents that several aspect have a medicating effect.

            A broken marriage becomes a social problem when husband and wife dissolve their partnership and try to create two house hold. Moreover, the children are the unwilling target or scape goat as the case may be in broken marriages. They are either too young to understand the breakup of the family or they are too emotionally involved in the disputes between their parent to aspects the final decision without bitterness and resentment might have adverse effects on the child’s psychological adjustment in terms of aggressive behavior, withdrawal or on the child’s academic performances.

1.2       STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

            Intact home is very important in the sense that it helps the children to behave according in the society; for instance higher level of supervision by the parents help the child morally and academically. Many factors have been homes incriminate has been responsible for coming from broken homes and poor academic performance of the student. Among such factors of coming from broken home is that broken home may represent a very serious danger to the emotional, personality and metal adjustment of the students, when student need are not properly addressed his/her learning ability could be affected due to lack of motivation. These have negative impact on the academic performances of the students. In particular illiteracy or ignorance of single parent can affect the academic performances of the students. In view of the points above, this project focuses on the effect of broken home on the academic performance of the students.

1.3       PURPOSE OF THE STUDY

            Specifically, the purpose of this study is to find out if a student delinquent attitude as a result of coming from broken home can influence his/her academic performance.

        i.            Examine if the children from intact homes performance academically betterthan those from broken homes.

      ii.            To assess the impact of broken home on student learning

    iii.            To proffer possible solutions to problems of broken home on student academic performance.

    iv.            Find out the influence of a student’s delinquent attitude as a result of coming from broken home on his/her academic performance.

1.4       RESEARCH QUESTIONS

Based on the stated problems these study aims at finding answers to the following research questions.

        i.            Do student from intact home perform academically better than those from broken homes?

      ii.            To what extent have broken homes affected the students in the learning process?

    iii.            What solution can be proffer to the identified problems?

    iv.            Could psychological and emotional disturbance lead to academic and social backwardness on a student?

1.5       SIGNIFICANCE OF STUDY

            The findings of this study will provide insights on the importance of safeguarding the family as the basis social organ of society.

            The study will also attempt to provide empirical research finding on the effect of broken homes on student academic performance while also contributing to the body of knowledge on the relationship between the home and academic performance of students.

This study primarily seeks to give an insight into the adverse influence of broken homes on academic performance of student’s and also seeks to suggest those who will benefit from this work and how?

            The knowledge gained from this study can be of help to student or adolescent from broken homes by helping them to make smoother and positive adjustment.

1.6       SCOPE OF THE STUDY

            This research study or work in limited to the effect of broken homes on academic performance of students. It is also limited to some selected secondary schools in Odeda Local Government Ogun State.

1.7       DEFINITION OF TERMS

Broken Home:This term refers to a home with unfavorable background. A home where the mother and father are no longer living together “Broken home” is perceived by social welfare societies as family where one of the parent is not present or there is/a serious problem.

Marriage: is a union of two adults, a women and man decided to take each other as husband and wife.

Family: a group of persons united by the ties of marriage, blood, adoption, consisting of single house hold, interesting and intercommunicating with each other in their respective social roles of husband and wife, mother and father and children under a culture.

Divorce: it is the legal dissolution of a marriage by a court or other competent body.

Academic performance: these are scores/grade of the individual in a given test or a series of examination.