CAUSE AND EFFECTS OF DEVIANT BEHAVIOUR IN HIGHER INSTITUTIONS OF LEARNING

ABSTRACT

This research on the causes and Effects of Deviant Behaviour in higher institutions of learning is designed to look into the main causes and effects of deviancy in out higher institutions. The school is a social organization nad has got it’s established patterns of behaviour expected from al its members. The non-conformity to the norms of behaviour by members of any group or organization is what sociologist called “Deviant Behaviour”. The researcher tried to find out the extent to which the age if students, family background, the school, lecturers and our society in general contribute to the act of deviancy in our higher institutions. The hypothesis also stated that many students perform poorly academically as a result of deviant acts and that deviancy may hider student future success. The researcher was based on three higher institutions (that is) two universities and one polytechnic in Enugu urban of Enugu state. 100 questionnaires were distributed out and collected back and used for the study. The data collected was presented with the percentage method.

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.0 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

Deviant can be said to be all types of behaviour or acts which are inconsistent with the rules and regulations of an organizational set up. Organization as defined by Ejiogu (1990) is a social unit that pursues specific goal which they are structured to serve. Typical organization includes prisons, schools, churches and universities. In each organization members interact with one another to achieve the desired goal. This type of inconsistent behaviour can be seen in the homes, societies, establishments or institutions of learning. Social organization therefore can be described more operationally as the ways in which human conduct becomes socially organized and how the structure of the social relations therein and share beliefs and orientations that unit the members of the organization eect the members conduct. The school is a social organization and as such it has got its established pattern of behaviour expected in the form of rules and regulations which given the oicial actions of the rector, lecturers, students and anyone group of personnel that work in it. The noncomformity to the norms of any group or organization is what sociologist called “Deviant behaviour”. It is a behaviour whereby one turns away from the social standard of the society. IT is common in students of higher institutions not to follow the patterns of behaviour laid down for them by the school authority. Higher education is the form of education received aer secondary education and before going further to any other stage. Students between the age of 18 and 24 are expected to be in higher institutions. This is the age group where the students will be trying to understand their environment. While doing this many things may happen which may lead to juvenile delinquency, deviancy etc. which are psychological problems. It is very hard any day passes without any comment on it coming from individuals, newspapers, radio news and television news and bulletins. Opinions are divided as to who is to blame for deviant behaviour in institutions of higher learning. Some hold management boards and lecturers responsible while others hold parents and students. Yet a section argues that it is caused by government take-over of schools, lack of moral and religious instructions in schools and some say it is caused by inadequate supply of necessary equipment and personnel to schools. Apart form these views expressed, it is clear that many students have no respect for their lecturers and this attitude they carry over outside the school. No child can survive in isolation.

The peer group they move with, the parents, the school environment and our society in general contribute seriously to the problem of deviancy being faced in our community in general and higher institutions in particular. Poor parental relationship causes deviant behaviour because some of the parents, in pursuit for money leave their children in the total care for themselves. Deviant learning experience in the school giving society the false impression that the development are not taught in the school or that the school administration is weak. In Nigeria society, deviancy may be conceived as a factor which militates against the good work of lecturers since it is believed that lecturers effectiveness is mostly evaluated in terms of student educational achievement and behaviour of the child. Some of the common deviant behaviour include stealing, truancy, disobedience to school, parents and community at large, mass demonstration leading to destruction of property, drug abuse, smoking etc.