An Assessment Of The Effect And Causes Of Deviant Behavior Among Students

Project and Seminar Material for Education

Abstract

The purpose of the research work is to find out the An assessment of the effect and causes of deviant behaviour on the academic performance among some selected secondary schools students in Egor Local Government Area of Edo State. To achieve the above stated objectives, five research questions were raised which includes:

What constitute a deviance in a given school?
What are the observable deviance found amongst students?
What are the general cause of deviance in students?
What are the effects of deviances in the academic performance of students?
How can we prevent deviance in schools?

From the above research questions, a questionnaires was drawn, 20 items was used for the studies with the population of two hundred and fifty respondents from the four selected secondary schools in Egor Local Government Area of Edo State which is as follows:

Ihogbe grammar school
Idia college
Emotan secondary school
Akenzua secondary schools

Recommendation were also given which if employed, will help in no small way towards the reduction of deviant behaviour amongst students.

Chapter One

Introduction

Background of the Study

In the past decades due to the side of schools regards compulsory education, child labour laws, deviant behaviour have been problem to the school which they have always found difficult to handle. Deviance is found every where people live here is no agreement about the behaviour constitute deviance. Everyday conversation show that what some people regard as deviant others regards as normal what some people praise other and political consensus about deviance, if never the less permit unfull discussion of the important dimensions of deviance.

Deviant behaviour is an anti social behaviour that opposed or contrary to normal social instincts or practices (Oxford American dictionary, 1999) a violation of social relationship. As classroom instruct on and interpersonal relationship including a clear contrary behaviour against established value of education.

Westende (1998) status that profoundly ill discipline and violent students behaviour are detrimental and disturbing not only to an individual or students, but also to effective learning and teaching in classroom. Students who present uncontrolled violent anti social behaviour lack ability of self discipline. The lack of agreement about what constitutes deviance is especially highlighted by the fact that every schools who study deviance are not in agreement on which people act or condition are deviant.

According to Cohen (1990) deviance concern Knavery, Skulld uggery, cheating, unfairness, deviances sneakiness betrayed, graft, corruption wickedness and so on. It also deals with drug users. Thieves, homosexuals, and their blackmailers hooligans, suicides, and industrial saboteurs. According to Goulder (1975), the definition of deviance have focused largely on the world of the hip, right people drifters, grafters, and skidders the cool world. Howard (1984) see deviant behaviour as the behaviour of jazz musician, and marijuana users. For Dints Dynes and Clarke (1975), the following person are deviant drafts, midgets, paints, sinners, hereties bums, traps, hippies, and bohemians be hi are that genius in a deviant Stafford and Scott (1986) deviant include such disapproval condition as old age, paralysis, cancer drug addition metal unless homosexuality, unemployment being Jewish blindness, epilepsy, receiving welfare illiteracy divorce ugliness stuttering, being female poverty, being an amputee mental retardation and deafness.

We see then that deviance include for these scholars, behaviour (e.g. deviance), condition (e.g. stuttering and types of persons (e.g. hippers). Also the act could be voluntaristic (e.g drinking) and involuntary (e.g., epilepsy). We may find problems trying to discover what is common about these last especially when see that it include behaviour that is positive valued (e.g. the genius) it may be positively sanctioned (rewarded), negatively sanctioned (punish or simply accepted without reward or punishment). In practice, deviant usually refers to behaviour that result in negative sanctions. The oxford dictionary (2000) define deviance as when a child or pupils deliberately absent himself from school without the permission of the parents, or the school authority or without a reasonable acceptable excuse. The pr0hlem of deviance manifest itself and dedication to their work, lateness to work ostentation, neglect of duty etc. most of the problem of poor academic performance of students in school might not be unconnected with deviancy, but some people still do not see deviant behaviour and a social ill because they think that the society is dynamic and children should not be expected to remain static in their behaviour or attitude to this effect some behaviour are reaction to social pressure.

Statement of the Problem

Deviant behaviour is posing a serious threat to learning in most school, some antisocial behaviour in school are charged by bullying extortion, in subordination and physical fighting others include adolescents aggression or act of violent behaviour against other students and stuff, sexual assaults harassment, gang activity or weapon carrying, the school on there part do not seem to be able to cope with the problem because no significant attempt has been made to reach its root. Recent studies show that students, violent behaviour is more directed towards teaching staff and students making it very difficult for teacher to intervene because the need to protect there own. One thing is however obvious in the issues that is there is a proving tendency for school children to be involved in such bad habits as stealing, truancy deviant character, smoking etc because most homes no longer play their tradition function of training the child in an upright manner this is because many parents are so pre-occupied with duties outsides the homes that they have little or no time to keep watch over the action and behaviour of their children who are unfortunate to fail into bad peer groups would copy their bad behaviour and they are bound to play truants. Broken homes can also contribute to deviant behaviour because children from a single parent tend to be exposed to dangers of the society for example, a single parent child will leave the mothers house without either of the parent knowing because the mother will think he is in the father house and vice versa.

Research Questions

This study is therefore aimed at finding out the An assessment of the effect and causes of deviant behaviour on the academic performance of the students. And also to find answers to the following research questions.

What constitute a deviant in a given school?
What are the observable deviance found among students?
What are the general course of deviance in students?
What are the effect of deviances in the academic performance of the students?
How can we prevent deviance in school?

Significance of Study

At the end of the study it is hoped that the finding of this research project would helps unravel some of the possible causes of deviant behaviour in our secondary schools, the effect and have helps to proffer solution from which policy matters, schools, administration teachers and students themselves will benefits.

Purpose of Study

The purpose of this study was to discover the behaviour of normal child so that we can identify degree of deviant of their causes.

Specifically, investigation includes the following:

The effect the deviant behaviour on the academic performance of the child in Egor Local Government Area.
To look into the various dimension of deviances as they affect the general school?
To categories deviance into various classification.
To unravel the cause of deviant behaviour in children.
To suggest ways by which deviance (crime of juvenile, delinquency can be prevented in school.

Scope and Limitation of the Study

This study is expected to cover only five (5) selected schools in Egor area of Edo State. The investigation is limited to the phenomenon of deviant behaviour among the students in the selected schools;

The selected secondary school are:

Asdoro grammar school
Ugbinien grammar school
Emotan secondary school
Ihogbe secondary school
Akenzuwa secondary school.

The selected schools therefore represent the secondary schools in Egor local government area of Edo State.

Definition of Terms

For the clarification, the following terms which were in the content of study are hereby defined:

1. Deviant:

This is the study of social deviance and crime.

2. Crime:

Activities that involve breaking the law.

3. Stress:

Pressure or worry caused by the problem in somebody life.

4. Violence:

This is to go against or refuse to obey the law or an agreement

5. Anxiety:

A state of feeling nervous or worries that something bad is going to happen.

Chapter Five

Summary, Recommendations and Conclusion

Summary

The purpose of this study is to specifically find out the effect of deviant behaviour on academic performance in some selected school in Egor local government area of Edo State. A questionnaire was designed and administered to students, teachers and parents, which amount to 90 questionnaires. It was noted from the questionnaires, observation and oral interview that the following deviant behaviour was practices by the students such as stealing, fighting, truancy and telling of lies to escape punishment, insult and assault and many others.

Deviant behaviour as school problems is a negative behaviour and it causes a lot of problem in the society. Some factors associated with deviant behaviour are broken homes especially as regard to the provision of their children with necessary school materials such as paying of school, fees, text books, note books, peers pencils etc. it is also noted that poor teaching attitude makes children to loose interest in the affected subjects taught in the class. As a result some pupils disturb their fellow pupils while lessons are going on.

Conclusion

In view of the above findings one could see that causes of deviant behaviour in the selected secondary schools in Egor area of Edo State are not from one angle. As we have seen there are different factors responsible for these problems and such as the anticipated solutions should not be expected from one angle alone. Therefore, it is now the duty of the relevant agents of socialization that is, the family the school, the society peer group, mass media government are to join hands in eliminating these problems among secondary school students. Realizing the future of leadership in a nation like Nigeria the agents mentioned above should make it a primary duty to eliminate the problem which threatens the stability of our continuity as civilized peoples. It is said that charity begins at home, infact this statement cannot be over emphasized the first agent of socialization to come in contact with the child is his home and as such, it is the duty of the parents to see to the good upbringing of their children, a well brought up child can hardly be influenced by bad companies in the society.

Furthermore, the society should not fail to play its own part as far as this problem of deviant behaviour concerned. In these way public seminars, symposiums, workshops debates and moral speeches could be organized for youths on this topic deviant behaviour among youths.

Recommendations on the Findings

From the findings to the regard questionnaires, the following recommendations have been made to improve behaviour of pupils and the quality of primary school in Egor local government area of Edo State. The findings that environmental influence is a cause of deviant behaviour among secondary school students have gone deep to numberless children in Egor local government area. In this wise, therefore, I recommend that both parents and the various government should ensure that the showing of bad films and the staging of plays that are dangerous to the image of the society should be bamed. Also provision of necessary mention should be madder for at the proper time; the various mass media should educate the people about conflicts in culture, which is no culture is better than the other. Culture is static and yet dynamic where the situation one should endeavour to adjust himself.

The use of punishment should be noted where care, school site should be chosen by experts in the teaching field to check deviant behaviour enhancing from schools parents should also discipline themselves before their children. Also care should be taken before marriage couples are chosen. If possible, the various government law enforcement agencies should defined number of wife or wives and children a man should have minimum cooperation between the school and the homes should be cordial in taking with the problems of deviant behaviour.

As a recorollary to the above the researcher also falls that many secondary school teachers are not affected by the teaching process in the schools. This lead them to give assistance to their pupils as the mass failure of their pupils is examination is a failure to the teachers. It is here recommended that there should be an over of the secondary school education system with emphasis on the retraining of the secondary school teachers. Also, making compulsory for all teachers not at the primary and secondary schools to go for seminars, workshops, and academic conference on various subjects content area this will help to improve the teaching knowledge of the content of subject taught in the school and also improve his/her methods of teaching. The ministry of education which is charged with inspector of school should carry out more inspections on teachers teaching performance in the classroom. The national policy on education should place emphasis o guidance and counselling as educational services. Each secondary school should have at least two guidance and counsellors posted to the schools. The government should enter this facility to professional guidance and counsellors to each secondary school to help maintain discipline and order. Since deviant behaviour is an act of indiscipline and has caused a lot of problems to the school and society as a whole, the researcher hereby suggests that this study be replicated in other school both within and outside Benin.