The Effect of Marital Instability on the Academic Performance of Students (a Case Study of Ovia North East Local Government in Benin City, Edo State)
CHAPTER ONE
OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY
- To find out the effect of marital instability.
- To determine the implication of marital instability.
- To educate couples on how to achieve stability in their marital homes.
CHAPTER TWO
REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE
INTRODUCTION
The negative influence of broken homes on children are traumatic. Broken homes can cause children to question their self-worth, to experience unnecessary grief, guilt, or deperssion. Young children especially, have difficulty understanding the rationalities of their parents’ decision to divorce. In a broken marriage it is difficult for children to find a sense of security because experience shows them that what seemed stable and good fell to pieces and left them empty. Growing up in a broken home may also cause children to have difficult in future relationship.
A family is a social institution instituted by God meant to bind a group of individuals based on marriage, law, and societal norms. It represents the foundation on which lives are shaped and defined. Amato and Sobolewski suggest that “children’s wellbeing is highest when children are close to two continuously married parents who have a low conflict relationship” (2007). Unfortunately, between 40% and 50% of first time marriages end in divorce, impacting more than 1 million children per year in the United States (Soria and Linder 2014). Between 25% and 35% of college students have felt these effects as well (Soria and Linder 2014). Those who experience family issues at a young age tend to have “significantly more current life stress, family conflict, and avoidant coping…” thus causing an increase in antisocial behavior, anxiety and depression (Short 2002). Therefore, the children of marital discord have an increased risk of academic, behavioral, emotional, and social problems compared to their peers. Evidence suggests that over time, these children will continue to face similar issues into adulthood (Short 2002).
The concept of marital instability is associated with separation, divorce and widowhood. Separation and divorce are social phenomena which are allowed or created by the husband or the wife or of both. Meanwhile, widowhood is beyond the control of human being because it is related to death. (Lesmin & Sarah, 2008; Amina, 2010). Meanwhile, Dunkins, 2000 posited that there are numbers of factors that are seriously threating stability of marriage in Nigeria and most of these factors are traceable to some inherited behaviour and thinking from the ancient African society, and imported ideas from other sources that are beyond the African concept of marriage.
CHAPTER THREE
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
RESEARCH DESIGN
The researcher used descriptive research survey design in building up this project work the choice of this research design was considered appropriate because of its advantages of identifying attributes of a large population from a group of individuals. The design was suitable for the study as the study sought to examine the effects of marital instability on the academic performance of students.
Sources Of Data Collection
Data were collected from two main sources namely:
(i)Primary source and
(ii)Secondary source
Primary source:
These are materials of statistical investigation which were collected by the research for a particular purpose. They can be obtained through a survey, observation questionnaire or as experiment; the researcher has adopted the questionnaire method for this study.
Secondary source:
These are data from textbook Journal handset etc. they arise as byproducts of the same other purposes. Example administration, various other unpublished works and write ups were also used.
CHAPTER FOUR
PRESENTATION ANALYSIS INTERPRETATION OF DATA
INTRODUCTION
Efforts will be made at this stage to present, analyze and interpret the data collected during the field survey. This presentation will be based on the responses from the completed questionnaires. The result of this exercise will be summarized in tabular forms for easy references and analysis. It will also show answers to questions relating to the research questions for this research study. The researcher employed simple percentage in the analysis.
DATA ANALYSIS
The data collected from the respondents were analyzed in tabular form with simple percentage for easy understanding.
A total of 133(one hundred and thirty three) questionnaires were distributed and 133 questionnaires were returned.
CHAPTER FIVE
SUMMARY CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION
INTRODUCTION
It is pertinent to note that this research was aimed at assessing the impacts of divorce home on student’s academic achievement, thus the topic “the effect of marital instability on the academic performance of students”.
In the preceding chapter, the relevant data collected for this study were presented, critically analyzed and appropriate interpretation given. In this chapter, certain recommendations made which in the opinion of the researcher will be of benefits in addressing the challenges associated with marital instability on the academic performance of students in Nigeria.
SUMMARY
The literature reviews cited in this study are of the opinion that family instability are injurious to the educational pursuit of the offerings of divorced couples, it was discovered that broken homes have a list of bearing on academic performance.
The findings which form the analyzed data indicates that the students from broken homes complete favourably the same way with students from stable homes in academic. This contradicts the popular view of most educators from iterative review. For example, Ezema (1981) stressed that the child’s mental and emotional development which are factors of school and education could be greatly influenced by the nature of family into which the child is born. A child who is brought up in a stable home is well provided for to learn better. Meanwhile, the present findings from the research work can be uphold due to social awareness that is prevalence in our society.
Most of the works reviewed violently contended against single parent fostering of children, in that, the traits of both parents are necessary for production of a complete human being both educationally and otherwise. From this work it can be seen hat even product in the society. This may be due to the educational awareness and financial stability of most single parents nowadays.
Furthermore, the finding from the analysis on t4he performance of male and female from broken homes perform averagely the same in academic standards. This finding does not agree with the popular opinion by the educators for example Wallersteen and Kelly (2004) concluded divorce may have a more severe and enduring impact on son (male than daughters (female). In addition, there is high level of understanding in education in both male and female children this day in our society unlike what was obtainable before. Hence, uncles, aunty, cousins and relations even friends can take the responsibility of training children broken homes.
CONCLUSION
The study examined the effect of marital instability on academic performance of students in Utekon Community in Ovia North East Local Government, Nigeria. The results of the findings indicated that children of divorced/separated are prone to drug addiction, armed robbery, commercial sex workers and other forms of criminal activity. The reason is that most of them tend to be deviants or non-conformist by virtue of the fact that there was no body to monitor them and control their behaviour. Meanwhile, it was also discovered that children of the divorced/separated parents tend to go wayward, naughty, unruly and rebellious. Furthermore, the study also established that children who grow up in a single parent family are more used for trafficking, rituals and house helps than the children who grow up in an intact family. Majority of the respondents also agreed that children of the divorced parents are likely to face rejection, suffering and economic hardship and those of them that find themselves in unstable homes tend to be aggressive in nature and are more likely to be fostered out than the children whose parents are not divorced. A convincing assessment of the impact of marital instability on children status therefore requires a credibly exogenous determinant of marital instability. The findings from this study demand urgent attention by all concerned, including counselling psychologists, marriage counsellors, religious leaders, married couples and the entire public. This is because the study has revealed and confirmed the reality of marriage instability. Prevention they say is better than cure. Therefore, the results from this study should be of paramount interest and concern to marriage counsellors.
RECOMMENDATIONS
On the bases of the results obtained in the research and the literature reviewed, the following are recommended.
- The community members including teachers, neighbors and all children lovers should make it their responsibility for all the children regardless of being their biological parents.
- Schools at all levels should have a strong guidance and counseling unit to help all the children divorce or separated parents.
- Every secondary schools in Nigeria should have guidance counsellors, who could counsel students from broken homes, experiencing challenges from home, especially the boys who may be adversely affected as a result of broken homes.
- Parents should be made to stand up to their responsibilities by making provision for adequate school materials for their wards.
- There is the need for personal social counselling in group or on individual basis where children with challenges from broken homes are counselled.
Reference
- Agulana, G.G. (1999). Family structure and prevalence of behavioural problems among Nigerian adolescents,. The Counsellor, 17(1), 154-161.
- Ajila, C. & Olutola, A. (2007). Impact of Parents’ socio-economic status on University student’s academic performance: Ife Journal of Educational studies. 7(1), 31-39.
- Ayodele S.O. (2006). Educational opportunities for Nigerian learner; How do we fare thus far? A paper presented at the workshop organized by Network for Gender Sensitive Educational Management in Africa and the British Counsul in Nigeria.
- Akinlayo (2002) Single Parents Families can Succeed page 6 Awake.Alec C. and Babara M. Children in Distress Penguin Books Limited London 1994).
- Amadi, M.L (1997) Broken Homes and Academic Performance of Students, Research Paper Dept. of Education University of Nigeria.Asabor I. The Family in Distress Daily Champion December 24th 1996, p. 5.
- Bielinski, T., & Davidson, M.I. (2001). A sex difference by item difficulty interaction in multiple choice item administered to national probability samples. Journal of Educational Measurement, 38, 51-77.
- Bliss, I. (2004). Social class differences in conception of the use of Toys. London: Macquibben Kee, 45-47.
