ANALYSING THE INFLUENCE OF BROKEN HOMES ON THE ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE OF SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS

ABSTRACT
This study is focused on the influence of broken homes on the performance of students in Ilorin West Local Government Area of Kwara State.

A total of 200 respondents were used form ten secondary school in the local government.

A questionnaire developed by the researcher was used to gather data in the study.

The simple percentage techniques was used to analyze the data collected and the reliability co-efficient is 70%.

From the study it is revealed that broken homes affect students performance in different ways and achievement in life.

It was recommended that parents should desist from what can jeopardize their children’s future.

It is also recommended that seminars be organized to advice both parents and the society on negative influence of a broken home.

CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background to the Study
In every society in the world, broken homes are gradually becoming a common phenomenon.

The family unit was enjoined by God to bring up their children.
In the way they should behave, adding that they would not depart from it.

It is therefore intend that a man and his wife should co-habit till. However, this has not always been the case, God also institute death which can cause separation.
Separation can also come about through divorce which is the legal separation of marriage.

A marriage is said to be legal when it is contracted according to the customary or English law.
Therefore a separation occurs to such a marriage the home is regard as a broken home.

Usually the family must have had children before the home becomes broken. In actual fact children of such are either left to the care of the woman or the man depending on the custom, tradition or common understanding.

Such situation usually has more serious implication when such children are in the school age.
Children look up to both parents for guidance as they start the journey of life.

They need the encouragement of parents in the first attempts to learn and they need the discipline of parents to deter them from breaking the rules and norms of school and society.
Indeed the whole content of the child needs the parental backing in order to develop normally and in line with the goals and values of society.
But in this age of trail marriages and single parent mothers, many children are being denied these essential foundation of life.

No day passes without one hearing of divorce suits in our law courts while the children of such marriages are left as pawns in a game of chess. Where the home is broken.

The tendency is that the child lacks the co-operative care of both parents.

He has a lot of idle time and like an idle brain is the devils workshop, the child finds pleasure in all the forms of misdemeanor and the became delinquent.

Invariably these delinquent behaviors are carried to the school system and are copied by other students.

They become a source of bad influence to every secondary school because of the powerful influences of peer group and these in turn go round the schools. Children from separation homes are problems to their parents, teachers and to themselves.

Their basic problem is one of social adjustment. Since they have never learnt to establish good relationship with other people.
They are often describe as maladjusted children.

They may be uncontrolled in class and have delinquent tendencies. Others may have excessive desire for attention, or withdrawal and must have a difficulty in establishing normal friendly relationship with others.

The effect of broken home and it’s attendant result is a serious state of affairs that calls the attention of any right thinking citizen and a responsible government as well. Hence the United Nations created the international year of the child for a solution.
1.2 Statement of the Problem
There are so many proven cases of matrimonial disputes and breakages in Ilorin West Local Government Area of Kwara State.

These cases ranges from voluntary separation maltreatment, desertion, ejection to dispute about maintenance and child custody.

These broken homes have degenerated to many social ills such as mass prostitution and child abandonment on the part of adults.

When there is disagreement which results in disintegration of such couples, the children are frequently anxious and have the feeling they cannot cope with other children.

There is no doubt that dishonesty, truancy, imprudence, hostility and cheating are commonly seen in children from broken homes. In many of there cases, the innocent teacher is blamed for not attending to the school pupils properly.

Some school teachers and even principals are even know to have been punished over these vices.
The influence of broken homes on secondary school students has therefore become a concern that require careful scientific investigation which would be of values to secondary school administration in their periodic review and modification of the secondary school system.
The most reasonable point is that this study will surely serve as an eye opener to the people from all works of life to know that broken homes contributed to their making of bad values unscrupulous elements and social misfits in any society.

It will also go a long way to enlighten individuals especially the married couples to realize that the making of such a broken home is a total menace to our societies and that there will be lots of socio-economic set backs due to non conformity of families in our societies to the socio-economic goals.

Thus, this will make for a check on the art of divorce and of broken homes.

1.3 Purpose of the Study
(1) To investigate has broken homes affect the physical development of the child.
(2) To determine how broken homes affect the child’s education and behavior.
(3) To investigate how broken homes affect the child’s education.
(4) To make some useful recommendation and suggestion towards the solution of the problem identified.
1.4 Research Question
In this study the following research question with be used as a basis of finding out the influence of broken homes in Ilorin West Local Government Area in Kwara State in Nigeria.
i. Are children from broken homes always maladjusted in the midst of other children?
ii. Do children from broken homes always suffer and are they frequently faced with financial problems?
iii. Does separation of families have adverse on the secondary school education of children?
iv. Do children from separated families perform well accordingly?
1.5 Significance of the Study
The study will help educationists to understand the strategies of the evils of broken homes and the result would be to check it.
The study will enable the educationist to know actually what the problem of broken homes is and what are really involved in it with particular reference to secondary school students.
The study will identify the role o education in finding solutions to the problem of broken homes since it is causing some social problems to the secondary school children and the public in general.
It will help the educationists to know students involved in this issue and the ways of helping them to cope or be on the same level with their classmates in the teaching/learning experience.
The study will go a long way to enlighten individuals especially the married couples to realized that the making of a broken home is a total menace to our societies and that there will be lots of socio-economic set-backs due to non-conformity of families in our societies to the socio-economic goals.

Thus, this will make for a check on the act of divorce and making of broken homes.