Perceived Influence of Parents’ Social Status and Environmental Factors on Students’ Personality Attributes
Chapter One
Purpose of the Study
The purpose of the study was to establish the influence of parents social status and environmental factors on students personality attributes in secondary schools in Port Harcourt, Rivers state.
Objective of the Study
The objectives of the study was to:
- To investigate the influence of parental level of education on
- To investigate the influence of parental economic status on
- To investigate the parenting style used at home to correct unbecoming behavior and their effect on general discipline at school.
CHAPTER TWO
REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE
The home environment plays a vital role in the development of a child’s personality and discipline. It is undeniable that children need a pleasing and interesting environment characterized by human care and at the same time providing various experiences and stimulations. New research shows how the impact of “environment of relationships” in a child’s developing brain architecture during the early years of life is significant. New evidence shows that these relationships do shape brain circuits and lay the foundation for developmental outcomes in academic performance, mental health and interpersonal skills later on in a child’s life (National Scientific council on the Developing child, 2004).
The chapter also outlines the theoretical and conceptual framework that guided this study.
An Overview of Personality attributes in Nigerian Secondary Schools
Over the years, the education system in Nigeria has gone through massive changes from the 7.4.2.3 system that was ubiquitous with the old East African Community to the current 8.4.4. system of education. It has not gone without notice that there have been a lot of challenges faced in the implementation of the current system of education.
During the early years of the curriculum implementation, the same problem of in personality attributes in schools was rampant. Therefore, this problem cannot be said to be new. Kangare (2008) asserts that violence has been going on since 1970, more so in boys’ schools. Bullying was at this time also very prevalent in secondary schools as noted by Olweus (1993). During these days, teenagers who were small in stature would fear to go to school because they could not adequately defend themselves when met with a threat or during an assault. There was a lot of physical, sexual abuse and teenage violence. Olweus further claimed that bullying was not given the due attention it deserved through professional investigations. This dark history has been carried on to the 90s and even features in the 21st century.
A list of these costly and sad incidents can be drawn. On July 13, 1991, reports indicate that over 70 girls were raped and 19 killed. On 25th May 1999, male students in Nyeri High School locked the school prefects in their cubicles while they were sleeping, killing four of them by pouring petrol on them and torching them. (See GoK, 2001; Githongo, 1999; Nation Correspondent, 2001; Nation team, 1999). In 2001, 68 students were burnt to death (ibid). On March 28, 2006 in mixed boarding school in Nyeri, 15girls were raped when staging a nighttime protest march for better living conditions (ibid).
After the 2008 post-election violence, there was uproar in the Nigerian secondary schools as never before witnessed in the history of the country. Schools everywhere were going on strikes which mostly were accompanied by great destruction. That year, about 72 students were charged with arson and other offences related to the huge unrest in secondary schools (Kangare, 2008). Other 90 students were arrested in connection with the chaos. Most of the students charged in court for destruction of property estimated at more than N. 5 million were form two and three students. Property worth N. 5.2 million was destroyed at the coast with 10 students being arrested as suspects.
However, it is to be noted that all cases of bad behaviour are not as extreme as those in the above cases. However, seemingly small cases of bad behaviour when not curbed are what will often lead to such extremes. Small changes in students’ behavior such as increased aggressiveness, late coming, noisemaking, truancy, petty theft amongst others should be carefully noted and nipped at the bud before they develop and grow into monstrous problems.
CHAPTER THREE
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
This chapter shall discuss methodically procedures of collecting data, analyzing the same data, the location of the study population, research design, sampling procedures, sample size and instrumentations.
Research Design
The study was a descriptive research as this mode of research describes data and characteristics about the target population being studied. The data collected is factual, accurate and systematic. However, causal relationships cannot be established. The data was analyzed to answer the how, when and why questions posed by the study. Statistical research generated frequencies, averages, modes amongst other measurements of value.
The main method of acquiring data was through administration of questionnaires. The questionnaires were thought to be the best way to collect data because they are useful in saving time and the researcher could collect a lot of information within a short period of time. For the research to be valid, the questions endeavored to be short and precise for better comprehension by the respondents.
Target Population
The target population of this study was approximately 1420 students from the 18 secondary schools. This comprised the students from the secondary schools in Port Harcourt. These schools are unique in location and gender distribution.
CHAPTER FOUR
DATA ANALYSIS, INTERPRETATION AND PRESENTATION
This chapter has the findings of the research carried out in Port Harcourt, Rivers state. It documents the data collected from the questionnaires given to sampled students from the target population of the study. Explanations are provided for every graph or Table in relation to the stated objectives of the study. The data was analyzed, interpreted and presented by use of SPSS.
CHAPTER FIVE
SUMMARY, CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
This chapter makes a summary, conclusion and recommendation from the findings of the research carried out. The conclusions drawn focus on the objectives of the study.
Summary
The purpose of the study was to investigate the influence of parents social status and environmental factors on student’s personality attributes in secondary schools in Port Harcourt, Rivers state. The parents social status and environmental factors that were investigated were chosen bearing in mind that the home environment is the first environment an individual is exposed to and therefore has a significant impact on the individual’s life, and especially how they relate within the society. In this case, the society being the school constituents which include teachers and fellow students.
The literature review covered some of the factors in the home environment that contribute to personality attributes in students namely the breakdown of the traditional family setup, parenting style, the economic status of a parent/guardian and parental/guardian level of education.
One hundred and thirty two respondents filled in the questionnaire out of the expected one hundred and forty two. The respondents were randomly chosen by virtue of their school type (that is whether mixed or not) and level of education. The questionnaire was the major research instrument used in the collection of data in this study.
The data was qualitatively and quantitatively analyzed using SPSS. Noise making, as a form of bad behaviour, was reported to have the highest percentage (93.1%), followed by stealing at 79.2%, failure to complete assignments at 69.2% and disobedience to teachers at 46.2%. The second lowest form of bad behaviour was smoking cigarettes at 6.2% and the lowest being inciting of others to defy teachers at 3.1%
Conclusions
Personality attributes in secondary schools is inseparable from home related factors such as parents/ guardian economic status, parenting style and level of education. These two factors were found to have a significant influence on the personality attributes in students in secondary schools.
Cases of theft in schools, which was the second highest form of bad behaviour, stemmed from the poor economic status of parents. Poverty was a major contributing factor to incidences of bad behaviour. Therefore if the economic status of parents were improved, levels of personality attributes in secondary schools would decrease significantly.
Counseling is the best way of correcting behavior as opposed to other methods such as suspension, canning and manual punishment. The commonest method of instilling personality attributes in students by their parents/guardians was found to be giving of explanations at 88.6%. The method of correcting behavior can be attributed to the level of education of parents/guardians in the area of study as over 70% of them had attended secondary schools.
Highest incidences of bad behaviour were likely to occur in SS1 and the lowest being in SS3 and JS3. SS1 students were reported to have considerably a higher percentage of increasing cases of bad behaviour. The findings are consistent with the general knowledge that SS3 students are generally more focused in their final year, their main preoccupation being to study in the hope of passing the WAEC. at the end of the year. SS1 students are usually about 16 years of age and at the peak of their adolescence stage. The report demographics indicate the same. At this age, the students are still learning and figuring out who they are, what they want in life and hence the issue of identity can lead them to form “clicks” that are destructive discipline wise. This means that a student acting out and even engaging in cases of bad behaviour is not surprising.
Recommendations
The following are the recommendations of the study:
- The Ministry of Education should develop a curriculum in the form of civic education for the general public on how to enhance their livelihood through self- This can be done by furnishing parents with the information that their economic status may affectthe level of personality attributes that their children displayedin school. With this information, parents will be better equipped to understand and handle their children.
- The government should encourage parents to pursue further education, both formally and informally. This will place them at a better place in understanding the needs of their children even as they grow and get into higher institutions of A parent who has attended schools of higher levels of education is better placed to advice and prepare his/her child for the same than one who has no previous experience. These parents are better equipped to put realistic demands on their children that facilitate a healthy home environment. Also, parents should be willing to change their parenting style as their children transit from childhood to adulthood to better child-parent relationship by embracing more dialogue and lessening physical punishment.
- The Ministry of Education should ask teachers at school to be more observant of their students. This will enable early detection of a troubled child and hence help can be provided earlier than later. Teachers should be more understanding of their students by realizing that they come from diverse backgrounds and have different needs emotionally and materially. Guidance and counseling office should have an open door policy where students can be comfortable to open up with no fear that their issues will be leaked out to other students and teachers. The school should involve the parents when it is found out that parents social status and environmental factors affect their child’s discipline. A way forward should be sought with the input of the child so that all parties, that is the teacher, child and parent can work
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