CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
Background to the Study 1
Statement of the Problem of the Study 3
Purpose of the Study 5
Significance of the Study 5
Scope of the Study 7
Research Questions 7
CHAPTER TWO
REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE
Conceptual Frameworks 8
Theoretical Frameworks 9
Review of Related Empirical Studies 12
Summary of Literature Review 28
CHAPTER THREE
RESEARCH METHODS/METHODOLOGY
Research Design 29
Area of the Study 29
Population of the Study 29
Sample and Sampling Technique 29
Instrument for Data Collection 30
Validation of the Instrument 30
Reliability of the Instrument 30
Method of Data Collection 30
Method of Data Analysis 30
CHAPTER FOUR
ANALYSIS OF DATA AND RESULTS
Analysis of Research Question 31
CHAPTER FIVE
Discussions of the Result 36
Conclusions 38
Educational Implications 40
Suggestions for Further Studies 41
Limitations 41
Summary of the Study 42
Recommendations 42
REFERENCES
APPENDIX
ABSTRACT
This study investigated Academic Indiscipline and Failure among Secondary School Students. (A case study of some selected schools in Enugu East Local Government Area of Enugu State). The general purpose of this study was to investigate the Academic Indiscipline and Failure among Secondary School Students. The research method adopted in this study was a descriptive survey method and data were collected from both primary and secondary source. The accessible population of the study was 800 individuals (both male and female including staff, students and parents) of the selected school in Enugu East Local Government Area of Enugu State. A well structured questionnaire was used as the main instrument of data gathering. However, eight secondary schools were selected for the purpose of this study while a convenient sampling technique was applied. The total number of questionnaires distributed was 800 in all the eight schools and 500 were returned to the researcher which was the sample size. The data was summarized and interpreted using simple percentage. The responses from the questionnaires were measured with likert scale. Based on the data collected, the following findings were made with regards to types of academic indiscipline and how it linked to failure. These types include: defiance of school authority, class disruptions, truancy, fighting, use of profanity, theft, examination malpractice, leaving campus without permission and so many others. These acts of indiscipline can lead to failure, thus: repetition of class, bad result, drop out, engage more in risky behaviours, looking older than class mates etc. The researcher recommended that there should be adequate facilities for teaching and learning; parents and teachers should show good examples to students; Moral punishment, rewards, praise and blame create room for reinforcement of positive performance; schools should abolish harsh rules and regulations, Parents should give their children the necessary home training; All secondary schools have guidance and counselors.
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
Background to the Study
Indiscipline may be said to be as old as the time when men started to organize him into society and consequently made laws to order the affairs of men in a social set up. In the Holy Scripture Cain exhibited some form of indiscipline when he out of envy murdered his brother Abel in their abode. According to Oxford Advanced learners Dictionary (7th editions) failure is lack of success in doing or achieving something. It is pertinent (relevant) to know that everybody in every walk of life is afraid of failure. According to American Heritage (R) Dictionary, failure is lack of discipline or restraint (control) while failure to fulfill promise is called indiscipline. We have heard of people engaging in indiscipline behaviour on daily basis. Many of our students today especially those in our secondary school exhibit various forms of indiscipline in form of juvenile delinquency. This could be in the form of arson, murder and robbery etc. these acts involve both adult and youths, the rate of indiscipline tends to be on the increase in the modern world. Africa is not an exception of this general increase in the young stars, negative attitude to constituted authority.
This rate of indiscipline tends to be on an increase despite the various measure taken by successive government most especially Nigeria, to curb the menace among our students so as to bring about a socially stable society. We read our newspapers and hear from the electronic media of students in the country committing all forms of crimes raging from the violation of parental regulations to truancy, stealing, assault, robbery and other socially undesirable behaviours. Available information shows that our students are most frequently implicated in the acts of indiscipline that in every five caught for a criminal offence; there are usually young stars. These offence ranges from drugs and robbery. During the military rule, several measures were put in place to curb the trends, on its assumption to power on the 31st December 1983, the government of general MohammuaduBuhari (Rtd) made it known that one of the causes of our problems in our country (Nigeria) was indiscipline and as such, the war against indiscipline (WAI) was introduced into all aspects of the life of the nation. Also our past head of states, General SaniAbacha (Lt) on assumption I office (1993) launched the war against indiscipline and corruption (WAIC). President OlusegunObasanjo also launched independent corrupt practices commission (ICPC) and economic financial crime commission (EFCC). This was aimed at checking the various corrupt practices in our society. Despite all these commendable effort of our youth are still very much indiscipline. The Nigeria youth is yet to embrace the principles behind the war against indiscipline and corruption programme even when he is supposed to have great roles to play in the success of the programme. There is often the saying that our youths are the leaders of tomorrow, but from what happens on a daily basis, one is forced to wonder if actually the youths are the future leader of tomorrow, if they could actually be entrusted with the leadership roles of the futures, people from various works of life have expressed concern. OlusegunObasanjo formal president and head of state of the Federal Republic of Nigeria lamented over the rate of indiscipline in the Nigeria society. He pointed accusing fingers to most youths and adults noting that they suffering from what he called social, moral, political and economic indiscipline. Also formal head of state general Ibrahim Babaginda confirmed the obvious fact that the rate of indiscipline and crime among youths was growing fast. He said moral decadence is threatening the nation as evidenced by the get rich quick syndrome that pervaded all facts of the society. Crimes of violence in which our young stars are involved in indication of the malaise which affects most of our communities.(Daily Times 26th December, 1985. pp 1). The problem of indiscipline among students is fast becoming a canker worm that is eaten deeper and deeper in to the fabric of our society and thereby constituting a greater threatens to the stability of the nation.
Indiscipline of various types has eaten deep into the fabric of the social system, it is a problem that is increasing at a fast rate and needs prompt attention. We have come to notice that hardly any family exists without a child possessing one trait of indiscipline or the other. It is either the child steals, is rude, not well mannered, runs away from classes, and or at time if the child is a female, it may be that she posses indulgent illiant sexual acts which may create great concerns for the parents. It is also possible that the child is one way or the other drug addict. In whatever way it is viewed whether the child exhibits any of these features or many others, which are socially undesirable, such a child is certainly a problem to the family and the society at large. It is also sad, to note that student indiscipline has had a lot of negative effects on the school system and learning, many academic calendar are being disrupted as a result of this indiscipline many students now form themselves into gangs, they threaten the life of fellow students and even teachers.
It is as a result of this indiscipline that we now have secreted societies or secrete cults even in our primary and secondary schools is necessary for the nation to pay attention to the frequent indiscipline among our students, if she is to achieve fame and progress in all field of human endeavour,. This is because the fate of any nation depends on the youths she breeds, as they are the leaders of tomorrow.
Statement of the Problem
It is with dismay (a worried, sad feeling) to observe the damaged academic indiscipline has done to our schools even our secondary schools which the preparatory stage of higher education. Teachers are not coping well with the implementation of the curriculum, hence the low achievement of the product of secondary schools illiteracy.
Despite the efforts by the stakeholders to instill discipline in schools, such as strengthening of Board of Management to deal decisively with this problem and training of administers and teachers through workshops, indiscipline has persistently remained a big problem. There are many extreme cases of indiscipline that attract newspapers headlines, there are routine cases of truancy, boycotting of lessons, watching and practicing pornography, lies telling, violence, dishonesty, disobedient to teachers, prefects, and school administration, rapping school/class mates, alcohol consumption, confronting and stabbing teachers in schools, vandalism, lateness to school, cultism, drug abuse, insulting/assaulting, stealing, absenteeism, fighting and other example of indiscipline in the classroom which do not appear or are reported in the Newspapers. Parents blame teachers for the indiscipline among school children and teachers blame parents, government and school administrators for the indiscipline in the society. Student’s misconduct in theClassroom interferes with teaching and learning and is thought to be precursor to later school dropout and similar negative social out-comes.
A close investigation on why our students fail in their Senior Secondary especially on Economics will reveal the fact that most of the students, susceptible i.e influenced or harmed to failure are those who indulge in academic indiscipline such as truancy, lateness to school, fighting, vandalism (crime of destroying or damaging something) and others.
The rate at which students are engaging in different vices is breath taking. Many measures have been applied in recent past by government and school administrators in the bid to check the occurrence of indiscipline. However, the worry is that despite all stern measures the rate of indiscipline among students is on the increase. Measures have not adequately addressed the situation. However, the researcher discovered in recent times that students’ poor academic performance is attributed to school’s administrator, teacher and student indiscipline. Indiscipline in schools can manifest itself in students’ violent behaviour, poor disciplinary style, ineffectiveness and inefficiency of teacher, poor time management, and ineffective code of conduct and so on. These acts of indiscipline engage by the schools disrupt learning and have direct impact on students’ achievement.This has enabled the researcher to pose the question: have parents, school counselors and religious organizations in schools abandoned or neglected their duties in nurturing their children of becoming acceptable citizens of the community and the future? With this nonchalant attitude, teachers find it difficult to motivate their learners to learn because they equally lack peace and motivation within the school.
Purpose of the Study
The general purpose of this study is aimed at Investigating into Academic Indiscipline and Failure among Secondary School Students in Economics. (A case study of some selected schools n Enugu East Local Government Area of Enugu State). Specifically, the study seeks to:
- Critically define indiscipline and failure in secondary schools in Enugu.
- Identify the frequent and regular types of indiscipline in secondary schools in Enugu east local government.
- Investigate the causes of academic indiscipline and failure into our schools.
- Recommend possible ways of cubing academic indiscipline and failure among secondary school students.
