Project – THE EFFECTS OF TRUANCY ON THE ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE OF JUNIOR SECONDARY SCHOOLS STUDENTS

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

Background to the Study

Truancy has been a global problem at every level of education for a long time. In short truancy which is deliberate or reasonable absenteeism from school by the pupil/students occurs at primary, secondary and tertiary levels of education.

In Nigeria where this study is being undertaken, not much has been done in the area of research on truancy among secondary school students. This could be as a result of the fact that the State is a Civil Service State and “rural” in nature when compared with states like Lagos, Rivers, Oyo, Kano and Anambra which have large industrial and commercial cities as well as large populations.

The next best level of education after primary school is the secondary school. Secondary education is very important because it sets the strong foundation in life for children in the quest for the ultimate academic fulfillment, which is the university education.

In an attempt to use education for the benefit of all citizens in Nigeria, in terms of its relevance to the needs of the individual and the desired society, the Federal Government in 1973 summoned a seminar of Adebo to deliberate on all aspect of a national policy on education. The recommendations of this seminar formed the twelve sections of the National Policy on Education first published in 1997 and revised in 1981. The broad aims of secondary education within the overall national objectives as contained in section 4 subsection 18 of the policy (1981, p. 16) are:

• To provide an increasing number of primary school pupils with the opportunity for education of a higher quality, irrespective of sex, or social, religion and ethnic background.
• To diversify its curriculum to cater for differences in talents, opportunities and roles possessed by or open to students after their secondary school course.
• To equip students to live effectively in our modern age of science and technology.
• To develop and protect Nigeria culture, arts and languages as well as the worlds culture heritage.
• To raise a generation of people who can think for themselves, respect the views and feeling of others, respect the dignity of labour and appreciate those values.
• To foster Nigeria unity with an emphasis on the common ties that unite us in our diversity.
• To inspire its students with a desire for achievement and self-improvement both at school and later life.

Truancy is one of its aspects and the most common among secondary schools students.

According to Webster’s Dictionary (1991), truancy is the act of a child absenting himself or herself from the school without permission or good reason. Also the Oxford Dictionary (1989) defined “truancy as absence from duty without leave, especially a child absenting himself or herself from school without permission or running away from one’s place of work or school without a good reason”.

From the above definitions, truancy could be taking to mean an act of staying away from school by a child without a good reason. According to editorial comment of Nigeria Tribune (20^th July 2001 Pg 10) the news was as worrisome as it was alarming. It was widely reported in the media recently that about 600 students from various secondary and secondary schools in Lagos State were found at a party organized by some of the at a hotel situated at lyana-Ipaja during school hours. Bewildered the matter to the Lagos state commissioner for education who promptly sent the rapid response team of education ministry to investigate the case.

By the time the team and some armed policemen arrived the hotel, the students has reportedly embarked on a drinking space and sexual orgy of unimaginable proportions. They were said to have dangled bottles of bear and condoms at the government team, which forced the door of the hotel open.

Subsequently, thirty students were arrested while the rest escaped leaving their bags behind. This is symptomations of the pervasiveness of the not in the society in general and the education sector in particular.

Such incident, has become imbiquistes all over the country in recent times. Rather than staying in schools, some students visits video games shop, hostel and recreation centres where they some cigarette, drink alcohol and generally indulge in vacuous nefarious activities.

It is this some set of students who are members of secret cults in Nigeria secondary or secondary schools. This situation is so bad that the students reportedly bring things to their schools to molest teachers and fellow students. Little wonder than that these students are daily being recruited as pimps, prostitutes, drug carries and even armed robbers by criminals who frequently besiege hotels like the one located at Iyana-Ipaja where students held their “Owanbe party”. It is therefore beyond the researchers imagination of hoteliers that would allow underage student’s to hold a party as early as a 9.00am and even sell cigarettes and alcohol to them.

Perhaps, it is such playing of truancy that has led to the phenomena decline in the standard of secondary and secondary education in the last ten years and the attendant increase in the examination mal-practices.

Secondary education as referred to in the National Policy Education (1998) is the education given in an institution for children aged normally 6-11 years plus.

Education describes the total process of human learning by which knowledge is imported facilities trained and skills developed. Schooling is only one form in which education is provided. The ideas are implicit in the world education, one is that of leading out into knowledge and experience, the other is that of feeding, thereby producing growth and development.

Both of these helpful in understanding what education is and both point to the fact that education is an essential process whereby the adult members of the society guide the development of the younger ones. It is how deviation of the expected roles affects the system that is the forms of this study.

Statement of the Problem

Truancy is accompanied with many maladjustive behaviours which have negative effects on the performance of the affected students. This is not only affect the school of the individual but many consequently affect the society on the long run.

It is asserted that truancy is a stumbling book in effective school which administration truancy apart from effect of low academic achievement may lead to school dropout. This is why this study is interested in investigating the causes of truancy among students as perceived by secondary school teachers of meant students in secondary schools in Ilorin Metropolis.

Purpose of the Study

The purpose of the study was to investigate the effects of truancy on the academic performance of junior secondary schools students.

Similarly, the study is aimed at finding if:

1. the effects of truancy on the academic performance of junior secondary schools students.
2. the difference in the causes of truancy among students as perceived by secondary school teachers of male and female students.
3. difference of in truancy in the causes among students as perceived by secondary school teachers of old and young students?
4. if there is any different in the cause’s truancy among students as perceived by secondary school teachers of students from illiterate and literature parents?
5. the difference in the causes of truancy among students as perceived by secondary school teachers of students from polygamous and monogamous parents.

Research Questions

The following questions were formulated to provide the study.

1. What are the effects of truancy on the academic performance of junior secondary schools students?
2. Is there any difference in the causes of truancy among students as perceived by secondary school teachers of male and female students?
3. Is there any difference of in truancy in the causes among students as perceived by secondary school teachers of old and young students?
4. Is there any different in the cause’s truancy among students as perceived by secondary school teachers of students from illiterate and literature parents?
5. Is there any difference in the causes of truancy among students as perceived by secondary school teachers of students from polygamous and monogamous parents?

Research Hypothesis

The following hypothesis were tested in the study

1. There is no significant difference in the causes of truancy among students as perceived by secondary school teachers of male and female students.
2. There is no significant difference in the causes of truancy among students as perceived by secondary school teachers of old and young students.
3. There is no significant difference in the causes of truancy among students as perceived by secondary school teachers of students from illiterate and literate parents.
4. There is no significant difference in the causes of truancy among students as perceived by secondary school teachers of students from on polygamous and monogamous parents.

Significance of the Study

The truancy homogenous in schools has been discovered to affect adolescent in schools in many ways. One of it is to keep an individual way from taking full advantage of educational opportunities. The study of this nature has the advantage of giving information on the prevalence and the extent of causes on the individual students.

The out come of this study may be beneficial to school teachers’ administrators and parents who may be on check out for such maladaptive behaviours of students.

The school counselors will be advantageous by assisting students to adjust positively. Thereby minimizing or eliminating truancy in the school.

It will also encourage government and philanthropist in the management of school such as paying, teacher salaries and other remuneration promptly.

Scope/Delimitation of the Study

The study covered some selected secondary schools in Ilorin Metropolis. These are only primaries 5 and 6 participants because they are matured to answer any question asked them. The study deals mainly with truancy and also tries to see if non-truants are better academically than truants.

Although there are many network of factors that affects students performance in examination, this study is basically concerned with causes of truancy on academic performance of students in Ilorin Metropolis.

Definition of Major Terms

Absentism: Is the practice of being absent from school work or other regular duty frequently and without good reason.

Causes: This means the reasons behind the behaviour of truancy among secondary school students. The causes could be few or many.

Delinquency:   Is the act of wrongdoing

Deviant:  To turn aside or wonder from common or right

Secondary School Students: This means some selected secondary schools are not all the schools in Ilorin Metropolis.

Truancy: Is an act of not wanting to go to school and making plan to do some thing else, it is one of the commonest deviant behaviour of the school children.

Truants:  Is any student who is absent from schools or classes without the consent of the school authorities for many occasions way.

Project – THE EFFECTS OF TRUANCY ON THE ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE OF JUNIOR SECONDARY SCHOOLS STUDENTS