AN ASSESSMENT OF THE EFFECT AND CAUSES OF DEVIANT BEHAVIOR AMONG 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 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.
1. What constitute a deviant in a given school?
2. What are the observable deviance found among students?
3. What are the general course of deviance in students?
4. What are the effect of deviances in the academic performance of the students?
5. 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:
1. The effect the deviant behaviour on the academic performance of the child in Egor Local Government Area.
2. To look into the various dimension of deviances as they affect the general school?
3. To categories deviance into various classification.
4. To unravel the cause of deviant behaviour in children.
5. To suggest ways by which deviance (crime of juvenile, delinquency can be prevented in school.
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.