INFLUENCE OF BROKEN HOMES ON ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT OF SECONDARY SCHOOLS STUDENTS IN NSUKKA EDUCATION ZONE OF ENUGU STATE

Abstract

This study ascertained the influence of broken homes on academic achievement on English language of secondary students in Nsukka Education Zone of Enugu State. Five research questions and two null hypotheses were formulated for the study. The study adopted ex-post factor design. The population of the study was seven thousand, six hundred and seven junior secondary school students in Nsukka Education Zone of Enugu State. Two different instruments were used for this study. The first instrument was in Broken Home Questionnaire (BHQ) designed to collect data on students’ family structure (broken) and their academic challenges while the second was student’s academic achievement checklist. The instrument was face validated by experts in the Department of Educational Foundations, Faculty of Education, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Enugu State. Cronbach Alpha method was used to determine the internal consistency of the instrument. This yielded an average index of .78 which was considered reliable enough for the study. The researcher with two briefed research assistants collected the data for the study. The data were analysed using mean and standard deviation to answer the research questions while the hypotheses were tested using t-test. The major findings of the study revealed that secondary school students from broken homes within Nsukka Education Zone face education challenges like lack of sufficient text books, inability to meet education related financial obligations, poor academic achievement and lack of concentration while in school. Also, result showed that secondary school students from broken homes within Nsukka Education Zone face emotional challenges like emotional stress, despair, inferiority complex, feeling insecure and unhappiness. It was also found that secondary school students from broken homes within Nsukka Education Zone face social challenges like neglect, prone to sickness due to malnutrition, among others. Result also showed no statistical significant difference in the mean academic achievement scores of secondary school students from broken homes based on gender and no statistical significant difference in the mean academic achievement scores of secondary school students from broken homes based on location. The  researcher recommends, among others, that State  ministry of education should make  arrangement  for  the  provision of special  packages for secondary  school students from broken homes with a view  to improving their attendance in  school.