THE EFFECTS OF BROKEN HOME ON PSYCHOLOGICAL ADJUSTMENT OF SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS

ABSTRACT

This research work investigated the eects of broken home on psychological adjustment of secondary school students in Abeokuta South Local Government Area of Ogun State. This research work employed the use of questionnaire in gathering data for analysis and it consist of the following item, school of the respondents, age, sex, class, religion. Data is presented in tables and frequencies while percentage was used to analyse. From the analysis children from broken home do lack affection, involved in delinquent behaviours and always hostile and aggressive, and do not perform well academically. And more so, single mother and father affect the children educational outcome.

With the result obtained and fact finding highlight families and the causes of with whom children live have more impacts on children’s educational achievement. In conclusion, it was recommended that children from single parent family or broken homes, should be encouraged on three basic dimension of self esteem namely sense of belonging, sense of worth and sense of competence. They need positive change for the overall adjustment. Also parents should tolerate, accommodate, appreciate and understand each other in marriage so as to curb the effects on children’s future. Both parent should try to stay together for the sake of good upbringing of their children, when ever there is problem in the home,the couple should seek God’s direction and a good counsellor for help or otherwise, settle the problem within themselves amicably.

CHAPTER ONE

1.0 Introduction

1.1 Background of the Study

The academic performance of students in schools is a product of many factors which are: (i) Home (ii) The quality of teachers (iii) The availability of learning materials (iv) The willingness of the learner. But the most important of them all is the “HOME”. All over the world, Nigeria in particular education has been accorded a place of pride because it is the means through which the cultures of different societies are transmitted from one generation to another. Imogie (2002) says that one of the factors affecting standard of education in the country is single parenthood and broken homes which has had serious eect on many students nationwide. In Nigeria today, broken home is a great problem and it occurs in a situation whereby couples are not able to cope with each other. It may be as a result of financial constraint or incompatibility of their behaviours. Hence the child live with either of the parents. In order to make ends meet, the parent will not be at home most of the time. The child is deprived of love and affection and parents’ enlightenment and motivation on how to go about things.

The family in this situation becomes less important as an educating agent, where the parent who has the custody of the child will have to remarry, the child may not be acceptable by the step-parent, such a child becomes a liability instead of an asset. The child maybe maltreated in various forms i.e. inadequate food and money to schools and will therefore be exposed to social ills. Broken home are being experiences by all categories of students either high, middle and low socio-economic. It is worthy to note that majority of high school students in the country who got poor grades in their academic subjects came from broken home. Some of them were not just having poor academic performance but instead they let themselves be retained at their year level after dropping out their respective subject.