ABSTRACT
This study investigated the influence of parent – child communication patterns on self-esteem and academic achievement of the in-school adolescents in Enugu Education zone. Three research questions and two null hypothesis (tested at p≤0.5) guided the study. The study is an ex-post facto or casual comparative researcher design. The sample for this study was made up of four hundred and eighty senior secondary class II (SSII) students in Enugu Education Zone of Enugu State. One intact class was randomly drawn from each of the ten schools that were randomly selected for the study. Three instruments, namely:- Perceived Parent – Child Communication Patterns Scale (PPCCPS), Students Self-esteem Scale (SSES),were used to elicit the parent – child communication patterns and the state of the in-school adolescents’ self-esteem. Information on the academic achievement of the students were obtained from the students’ academic results. The items in the questionnaires were validated by experts in the Faculty of Education, University of Nigeria, Nsukka. On the test of internal consistency, the parent – child communication patterns yielded an alpha of 0.847 for conversation (concept) orientation pattern and 0.833 for conformity (Socio) orientation pattern respectively. The students’ self-esteem scale on the other hand yielded an alpha of 0.874 which was established through cronbach alpha procedure. Mean, standard deviation and t-test of Equivalent values were used to analyze the data generated. All the null hypotheses were tested at p ≤ 0.5 level of significance. The major findings of the study includes, that;
- Conformity (socio) parent – child communication pattern is dominant in Enugu State.
- Parent – child communication patterns have significant influence on the self-esteem of the school adolescents.
- Influence of the parent – child communication patterns on the academic achievement of the adolescent students is significant. Based on the findings, discussions, conclusions, implications and recommendations of the study, suggestions for further studies were made.
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
Background of the Study:
Academic achievement of students is of utmost importance to parents, educators, concerned Nigerians and the government. This, of course, is because of the huge impact education has on the national and economic development of the country. Education is an investment as well as an instrument that can be used to achieve rapid scientific, social, political, technological, cultural and economic development in the country. Regrettably, however, the consensus of opinion all over the country is that academic achievement of students in Nigeria is poor (Adebule, 2004).
According to Davison Institute (2004), achievement is a measure of quality and quantity of success one has in the mastery of knowledge, skills or understanding. Achievement could also involve accomplishing whatever task or goal one sets for himself or herself. It is the attainment of a standard of excellence (Umeano, 2010).
Academic achievement, specifically, has been described by O’Donnel, Reeve, and Smith (2005), as the extent of an individual’s level of knowledge in a given task in school. In this context, academic achievement is the ability or level of success of the students in their academic work (which could either excellent or poor). Students should therefore put up personal efforts in order to achieve success or excellence in their academic work.
The annual releases of senior secondary school certificate examination (SSSCE) results conducted by West African Examination Council (WAEC), justified the problematic nature and generalization of the poor secondary school students’ achievement in different school subjects. Information from WAEC showed that, out of the 1,369,142 candidates who wrote the examination in May/June 2008, only 188,442, representing 13.8 percent got the necessaryrequirements of five credits including English and Mathematics. Out of 1,373,009 candidates that wrote the examination in 2009, only 356,981 students, representing 25.99 percent, passed with five credits including English and Mathematics which is the mandatory prerequisite for university and other tertiary institutions’ admissions. This poor result implies that 74.01 percent of the students failed. Also, in 2010, WAEC result showed that only 451,187 students, representing 33.38 percent, passed English while 560,974, representing 41.5 percent, passed Mathematics. However, statistics showed that only 23 percent passed whereas 77 percent failed to achieve the basic five- credit university admission requirement.
Furthermore, Uwadiae, (2011), while releasing the 2011 West African Examination Council’s May/June result , maintained that the students recorded mass failure again as only 472,906 candidates , representing 31 percent, passed with five credits including English language and Mathematics out of 1,540,250 candidates that wrote the examination nationwide. Available statistics from WAEC also showed that students even recorded poorer results in the sciences. For instance, Chief Examiner’s report (2008, 2009) indicates that out of 314,982 students that wrote the November/December 2008 examination in Biology, only 114,784, representing 36.44 percent, passed at credit level, while 161,200 students representing 51.17 percent, failed. The 2009, November/December WAEC result is even worse, since out of the 320,962 students who sat for Biology, only 122,872, representing 38.28 percent, had credit and above while 166,248 students who represent about 61.72 percent failed.
The analysis of the above results shows that invariably, the academic achievement of our secondary school students (adolescents) is nothing to write home about. Poor academic achievement according to Aremu (2000) is an achievement that is adjudged by the examiner and some other significant examination body as falling below an expected standard. On the other hand, Bakare (1994) perceived poor academic achievement as any achievement that falls below a desired standard. In the context of this study, poor academic achievement is the inability of the adolescent students to attain the desired standard set up by the examiner in the achievement of their academic excellence.
The poor academic achievement of students has been seen as being a result of many factors. Some researchers have attributed students’ poor achievement to parental factors. Family stress and financial problems are the major parental factors blamed by many researchers for the emotional development and poor academic achievement of the students. According to Joshua (2010), students who had problems in school were often preoccupied with concerns outside the school setting. He further stressed that many lived in socially and economically disadvantaged home situations which significantly impede their emotional, social and economic growth and development. Poverty denies the students the opportunity of possessing such school materials as books that encourage high academic achievement. The students’ lack of the necessary time to read effectively, good food that enhance good mental development, proper dressing to boost their ego like other students are due to family stress which could be aggravated by poverty.
Some students who come from such poor and stress-laden families feel out of place and odd among their fellow students. They develop low self-esteem and feel depressed. Usually, achievement in school becomes a negative venture.
Some researchers such as Aremu (2000) have put the blame on students probably because of their low retention, association with wrong peers and so on. In fact, some students have a general belief that English language, mathematics and science subjects are difficult to understand and so achieving success in them becomes a mirage.
Such perception of these subjects as being difficult could instil loss of confidence in the students which could invariably degenerate to negative evaluation of themselves. This could be a reason for their poor achievement in those subjects. On the other hand, those students that do not see such subjects as being difficult, may evaluate themselves positively and may consequently achieve better.
Such positive or negative self-evaluation of themselves by the students could be termed self-esteem. A study by Crocker and Bourette (2003) revealed that self-esteem is a component of personality and for it to grow, people need to have self-worth and our self-worth will be sought from embracing challenges that result in the showing of success (Crocker & Niya 2006).
One’s self-esteem determines the level of one’s achievement in all endeavours of life. Ngwoke (2010) perceived self-esteem as how one regards or values oneself in terms of accomplishments and relationships. Ngwoke stresses further that it is actually the image one has for oneself. Self-esteem is the essence of living with positivity and responding to life’s difficulties in a realistic way. Self-esteem of a person has the potential to make or break him/her in his/her personal and professional life (Aiger, 2011). An individual may have either low or high self-esteem. The consequences of low self-esteem have been implicated in low level of achievement, depression, and other maladjusted behaviours (Ngwoke 2010). Low self-esteem generally is the result of untoward incidences from childhood that have prompted a person to go into the shell of aloofness which usually ultimately leads to self-degradation and robs a person of self confidence and rational thinking (Aiger, 2011). Low self-esteem makes a person face life with inference and negative attitude. It influences the emotions of people and has the potential to cause serious consequences like extreme emotions that can lead to depression, suicide attempts, mental and physical disorders, teenage pregnancy or even delinquency. In adolescents particularly, low self-esteem is responsible for violence which can cause irreparable and physical damages.
Low self-esteem could be blamed on such factors as background and status of the person, his surrounding, age, association with the outside world and so on. Laishram, (2011), stressed that children brought up in conditions where love and affection are lacking, feel abandoned and insignificant as they grow up. They find it difficult to trust people and mix up with them. He further maintained that parents tend to influence a child with the reflection of their unfulfilled dreams. For instance, when a child is constantly reminded that he is no good, it results in depression and the child loses his/her self-confidence. Such incidences create a feeling of worthlessness, making the child pessimistic and hesitant in doing anything positive. Laishram further opined that other factors that might lead to low self-esteem of a child include, among others, achievement, physical appearance, negative experience and child abuse.
Researchers have found that individuals with high self-esteem often achieve higher in life than individuals with low self-esteem. Marold in Santrock (2001) maintained that individuals with high self-esteem tend to focus on their strength, whereas those with low self-esteem are more likely to dwell on their negative qualities and weaknesses. A student’s self-esteem can serve as his/her defence and survival kit in a competitive society where academic excellence is held in very high regard. Leky in Broga (1998) pointed out that students with high self-esteem tend to have high academic achievement while students with low self-esteem tend to have low academic achievement.
All in all, low self-esteem may result in poor academic achievement. According to Aiger (2011), when a child lacks confidence, he lacks motivation to try his best and to learn new things. The child therefore finds himself in a circular loop, as low self-esteem leads to lack of motivation and poor academic achievement; Poor academic achievement and low grades could result in lowered self-esteem. Leky in Broga (1998) pointed out also that students’ level of achievement might be related to the perceptions students have of themselves as learners.
At this point, one wonders whether there are some other particular parental factors that could influence these adolescents’ evaluation of themselves as well as their academic achievement. Could the pattern of communication adopted by the parents be blamed for the level of self-esteem of these adolescents who are more or less striving to identify with their environment?
The manner in which parents communicate with their children could play an important role in the lives of these children. Communication enables parents and children to express their thoughts and feelings to one another. Effective communication helps strengthen parent-child relationship and increases mutual understanding (Greg Duran, 2010). In line with this assertion, the manner in which parents communicate with their children could either make them or mar them. Laursen & Collins (2004) perceived that parent-child relationships without emotional bonds will likely breed disruption and unresolved issues during the child’s schooling period. In the light of this assertion it becomes obvious that parents who did not speak to their child about matters of interest at a young age should not expect the child to easily express his/her questions and ideas about issues of interest when that child is of age.
Socialization of children is seen as taking place within a socio-cultural environment where family patterns of communication play a pivotal role (Albert and Rosella, 2003) and two predominant patterns of parent-child communication that are likely to influence the growing child positively or negatively in their personality make up have been identified (Mcleod and Chaffee, 1972). These parent-child communication patterns are based on concept orientation and socio-orientation. For the purpose of this study, parent-child communication patterns are means through which parents and their children interact with one another for family peace and harmony. It offers parents the opportunity of coming closer and reaching out to their children for a better understanding of their plights.
According to Mcleod and Chaffee (1972), socio-orientation stresses interpersonal harmony in the family and avoidance of conflicts or controversy. According to them, concept-orientation encourages children to think independently and proffer solutions to some social issues relating to them and the society at large. Mcleod and Chaffee stress that a highly socio-oriented parent thinks that, in order to maintain social harmony, children should not argue with adults and should not express opinions that are different from those of the family members. In contrast, a highly concept-oriented parent believes that children should look at both sides of issues and talk freely about these issues.
From these two patterns of parent-child communication, Mcleod and Chaffee developed a four-fold typology of family communication patterns: parents who are high on concept-orientation but low on socio-orientation are labelled pluralistic. Pluralistic parents emphasize children’s free expression of ideas without fear of punishment. Parents low on concept-orientation and high on socio-orientation are labelled protective. Protective parents stress obedience and harmonious relationships with the children and show little concern over conceptual matters. Parents high on both patterns are labelled consensual. Consensual parents stress both relational harmony and free communication exchange. In this type of family, children are allowed to express their ideas as long as the family’s internal harmony is maintained. Parents who are low on both patterns are labelled laissez-fair. Laissez-fair parents encourage neither open communication between parents and children nor relational harmony. In this type of family, there may be very little conversation among parents and children. Communication research has provided evidence in support of the behavioural and/or attitudinal consequences of family communication patterns. Studies have found that children whose parents adopted socio-oriented pattern are more susceptible to persuasion and more responsive to source characteristics, such as source prestige. Conversely, children with concept-oriented parents are less vulnerable to persuasion and focus more on the persuasive message, such as the number and the quality of arguments (Mcleod & Chaffee 1972).
