Parenting style and its effect on the academic performance of secondary school students in the Buea municipality
Department: Educational
Psychology
No of Pages:
65
Project Code:
EPY4
References:
Yes
Cost:
5,000XAF Cameroonian
: $15 for International students
CHAPTER ONE
GENERAL
INTRODUCTION
Introduction
According to
Salami (2015), single-parenthood can be defined as when one out of two people
who is responsible for the nurturing and child rearing is not available, and
the work meant for two people, is now been carried out by only one person.
The author further added that single parenthood is
when the mother or father looks after children on their own, without the other
partner. Single parenting is a situation in which one of the two individuals
involved in the conception of the child is being responsible for the upbringing
of the child (Whitting, 2013).
Single-parenthood may arise when either the male or
the female decides to produce and rear a child or children outside wedlock This
chapter is made up of the background of the study, statement of the problem,
objective of the study, research question (general and specific), research
hypothesis (general and specific), significance of the study, justification of
the study, scope of the study, operational definition of terms, and closing it
finally with the chapter summary.
Background of
the study
Historical
Background
Historically due to parental mortality rate (due to
diseases, wars, and maternal mortality). Historically estimates indicate that
in French, English, Spanish villages in the 17th and 18th centuries one third
of children lost one of their parent during childhood (Whitting, 2013).
In the 19th century, MILAN about half of all children
lost one parent at least one parent by age 15years. Divorce was generally rare
historically (although this depends by culture and era), divorce especially
became very difficult to obtain after the fall of the Roman Empire, in medieval
Europe due to strong involvement of ecclesiastical courts in family life
(though annulment and other forms of separation were more common).
In the year
1980 United States census reported that 19.5% of children were single parent
households. About 16% of children worldwide lived in single parent household.
In 2006, a single parent, 80% of which were headed by a female, headed
12.9million families in the United States. Areas where there is extremely high
number of children living in single parent homes include Africa, Europe, Latin
America. North America and Oceania (sander, 2001).
Nyarko (2007), with experience of separation, divorce or death do not perform well or achieve academically. When both parents are present, it implies that the child would obtain most care.
However, when one of the parent is absent in a child’s life, a gap is created as the parent is absent in a child’s life, a gap is created as the child would lose the support that would lose the support that would emanated from that parent.
Salami and
alawode (2000) have asserted that, single parenting results from separation of
various kinds, divorce, having children from wedlock or death of one spouse
which leaves the roles in the hands of a single parent.
Researchers in the United States have consistently
found effects of single parent families on the child’s educational achievement.
For example, in reviewing research results from large longitudinal data (zill,
1996) found that, students from nuclear intact families had the best academic
performance, while students from alternative family types such as stepparent
families and single parent families performed not so well.
Children who are raised in a single parent family home
risk of not reaching their full potential. However, performance of students
from stepparent families became that of single parent families (sander, 2001)
Similarly, Han and Haung (2000) in their study on
college attendance and education expenditure in Taiwan also found that, in
Taiwan children in single parent families had a lower rate of attending college
than that from intact families.
The research done by Amoakohene (2013) in Ghana on
relationship between single parenting and academic performance of adolescents
in senior high school, found that there are some problems that are exceptional,
which create difficulties to raise children.
These problems include: bitterness towards the absent
spouse, loneliness, poverty and insecurity about raising children alone without
a help. The research concluded that academic performance and single parenting
and negatively related, hence the more cases of single parenting the poorer the
academic performance.
Conceptual
background
Donkor (2010) examines that single parenting refers to
the situation whereby one parent caring for the responsibilities of the child /
children instead of both parents. He further states that single parenting has
contributed immensely to destruction lives of many children because inability
to provide their needs.
Thomas (2018) states that single parenting is a person
who lives with a child or children and who does not have a wife, or husband
with live as a partner. He further
states that a single parenting may have either sole custody of the child or
joint physical custody, where the child lives part-time with each parent.
Reasons for becoming a single parenting include divorce. Coontz (2017) explains that Single-parent families can be defined as families where a parent lives with dependent children, either alone or in a larger household, without a spouse or partner.
There was a rapid and drastic
increase in the number of single-parent families in the latter half of the
twentieth century with many cases of Break-up, abandonment, death of the other
parent, childbirth by a single woman or single-person adoption.
A single parent
family is a family with children that is headed by a single parent. Adebola
(2013) defines Single
parenthood as when one of two parents
who are responsible for the nurturing and child rearing is not available and
the responsibilities meant for two people is now being carried out by one
person.
Azuka-Obieke,
(2016). Explains that Single parenting a situation when a mother or father who
looks after his or her children on their own, without the input of the other
partner. He further states that Single parenting have been on the increase,
although the actual percentage is unknown, but practical experience and
newspaper reports revealed that there is an increase of single parenthood in
the country.
Contextual
background
In Cameroon, the existence of single-parenthood was unknown and where they existed they are ignored as exceptional cases. However, nowadays, they are fast growing family patterns both inside and outside Cameroon.
The maternal roles are that of child-rearing, home training and playing of
complimentary roles, while the paternal roles are that of economic
responsibilities and disciplines of children.
The child is morally, mentally upright and emotionally
balances when the caring responsibilities are carried out by both parents. According to Asah Jacob Fotoh, (2008),
children from single parent homes are more hostile, hyperactive and aggressive
in nature. Many of the problems that single parents have are similar as those
for two parent’s family, but these problems seem more difficult to bear or
manage when the home is being tutored by only one person.
For example, all children feel hostile towards their parents as they grow-up and try to be independent. But in a situation, where the anger and rebellion are all directed towards one person, it may seem worse, if there is only one to bear it, not for the two to share.
The studies on academic performance among
children suggest that children’s academic performance improve when both parents
are actively involved in their education (Nyarko, 2007).
Some studies seem to neglect the issue of
single-parenting as a variable. Generally such studies have tied academic
performance of children to socio-economic status, parents’ educational level,
student attitudes to learning, school environmental factors, housing and
residential experience (Bowan, 2013).
For instance, in most ethnic groups in Cameroon, parental and maternal roles are clearly defined among the Bakwerians, maternal roles include children rearing, home training and playing complimentary roles, while that of paternal roles are that of providing for the family basic necessities and discipline of the children, when any of the parents are not available to fulfilled their responsibilities it may affects their children upbringing and may turn the children into wayward and academics failures.
George (2015), define a single parent is a parent not living with a spouse. The single parent has most of the day to responsibilities in raising the child or children. This herculean task cannot be accomplished by an individual. Ossat (2017) emphasizes that corroborated thus, single parenthood is the practice of raising children or building a family without a spouse or partner.
As a form of building a family, single parenthood (single parenting) is now permissible in our society. In western society in general, the child ends up with the primary caregiver usually the mother or the father when there is separation.
Some sociologists perceive the prevalence of single parenting as an alternative
family form, rather than as (2003) states that the death of a partner was a
major cause of single parenting and other causes include separation, divorce of
a married couple, divorce of children that were in cohabitation, early
pregnancy, etc.
However, children with single parents are three times
more likely to drop out of school than children from two parent families. The
demographic of single parenting shows a general increase worldwide in children
living in single parent homes. A child from a home where the father and mother
are present will be taken care of and will socialize in the best way possible.
This is due to the fact that the process of
socialization depends on both parents playing complementary role in the
upbringing of the child, such a child is likely to achieve self-actualization
later in life, unlike children from single parent home who are likely to suffer
deprivation and denial of some right and opportunities.
Statement of
the Problem
In human development, it is physiologically expected
that both parents participates in the life and growth of the child. This is
because each parent has a key role to play for the physical, cognitive,
psychosocial and emotional development of the child. In this case, each parent
compliment the other (financially, emotionally and socially) for the proper
development of the child under their care.
But from empirical observation in our society
particularly Buea municipality, there has been a growing trend of sing
parenthood, probably caused by divorces, separation or death of a spouse. This
leave a single parent to bring up the child (children) without the other.
The child is left without the warm support and
affection of the other parent, this leaves the child in a deficit as compare to
other children who are having both parents’ presents. Such deficit can be
financial, psycho social, emotional and even academicals.
It is for this reason that the study of this nature to find out the effect of single parenting on the academic performance of secondary school students in the Buea municipality become necessary. It is on this backdrop that this study is aim to investigate more on the effect of single parenting and academic performance of students in the Buea municipality.
Objectives of
the Study
General
objective
- To investigate the effect of single parenting on the academic performance of secondary school students in the Buea municipality.
Specific
objectives
- To examine the impact of parental death on the academic performance of secondary school students in the Buea municipality.
- To investigate the effect of divorce on the academic performance of secondary school students in the Buea municipality.
- To find out the effect of parental separation on the academic performance of secondary school students in the Buea municipality.
