THE EFFECT OF DIVORCE ON CHILD EDUCATION IN SOME SELECTED SECONDARY SCHOOL
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
In the past, marriage was a matter within the clan and its environs, parents were not anxious to see their getting married to girls from distance places or other tribes., marriage was arranged by parents on basic of family friendship scarcely of an ancient time, it was also very rate because of its penalties proven in fear of offending the elders of both families. There are four clearly defined types of marriages. Those performed at the church, those performed at the mosque are marriages contracted according to native law and customs of any ethnic group. The purpose of marriage is to have children and establish a family, when these children eventually arrive they are regarded as blessing from God and are social and economic assets to the parents. The family, this needs a home to live and feel secured. Therefore, a home is a place where a family lives and also a place where the children’s attitude are monitored and be secured.
A home is palce which provides all individual needs in order to fit into the society successfully. It provides food, psychological, mentally and spiritual development of its members. A home provides mutual understanding and good planning which is able to meet its goals. A home where mutual understanding is lacking that home is bound crack and fissure in all direction and it will lead to broken homes. Therefore, broken homes is a situation where either the father or the mother cease to be mention but a few.
Divorce therefore, can be defined to be a personal misfortune for either of the spouse in any society, but is a universal escape for the inevitable tension of marriage, divorce as a matter of fact is a strong bound that breach two united individual or family. Marriage is a big step in life in which a person plans as a career or business, certainly you either fail or succeed. This bond dissolution is as a result of extra merit practiced by the partners in early marriage, a situation where either the spouse is not ripe enough for marriage before getting married. The proper upbringing of children is a very important task for the family than the happiness of the parents, this is because the early life of the child are the formation of personality and these are the years that are spent mainly in association with parents and siblings in the family. The home forms the basis of personality development which accompanies the individual throughout his/her life. As a result of broken home or divorce children fails to develop ties to one or few important persons in the family and when these ties are disrupted, the children are taught imparted in developing classes relationship in adulthood, they feel better and caring as a happy person and at the same cannot concentrate on anything taught at school.
When a mother is out of a home, leaving the children under charity and mercy of step mothers, these children are prone to many problems such as poor feed, negligence not inspired to study or learn, diseases and sickness emotional disturbances (fear of insecurity) as such they marriage to be successful. There is the need for the couples to be in harmony mentally, and spiritually in other works of life, the husband and the wife must have a common goal and each has to contribute his or her quota towards its fulfillment and the key ward should be own.
STATEMENT OF PROBLEM
There are many problems with single parenting or broken homes which at the long run reflect on the performance of children in schools. Some of these problems are;
i. Meeting of a gap on the children’s existence because there is no adult to guide and direct their behavior and desires as children learn by imitation.
ii. There is increase in domestic work and redistribution of household chores, which leaves the children with little or no time for their studies
iii. Also, it has been observed that children from broken homes suffer some other problems such as non-provision of some basic material needs like non-provision of some basic materials needs like food, clothing and learning material
iv. In security, step parent do not show much love and affection to their step children. Thus, these children suffer from mental retardation, personality improvement and are always miserable. They show behavioral responses like lying, stealing, building and playing truant in school.
In view of this, the researcher is forced to wonder whether extra-relationship and financial problem could lead to broken home, and if broken homes, are they causes of decrease in the performance of children in schools. In that, a closer look at the turn out of secondary school graduates.
PURPOSE OF STUDY
With good observation, one can trace the good academic performance of children back to their parental influence which can be destabilized if parents relationship is dead due to divorced marriage, so it is the purpose of this research to investigate the effect of divorce on child education in school and provide possible solution to them.
RESEARCH QUESTIONS
1. Is there any significant difference between united family and family with divorced marriage?
2. Are there any significant difference between children sponsored by single parenthood and those sponsored by both parents in terms of their academic performance in school?
3. Is there any a significant cause or effect on child education?
4. Do children from broken homes opportune to plan their future career with their sponsors?
5. Does lack of encouragement on the part of step parents contribute to academic backwardness of the student?
6. Is there any effect made by the society and the government to solve this problem?
SIGNIFICANCE OF STUDY
It is hoped that findings from this study will enrich programmes of teaching social studies. The researcher is interested in the study of effect of single parenting on the performance of children in schools because whatever happens in the home has a bearing in the academic performance of children. It is necessary to educate the young stars who are yet unmarried about the problems and causes of single parenting and their consequences on the children. It will also make young stars to decimate their parents. Findings from this study will aid children from parent who have being thought single parenting in the understanding of problem experienced by their parents and give them assurance about their future.
DEFINITION OF TERMS
Family: A group of persons, two or more related by blood, marriage or adoption residing together; all such persons are considered as members of one family
Marriage: Union of man woman as husband and wife.
Couple: Two persons seen together as husband and wife.
Divorce: Put an end to a marriage by law.
Infidelity: Disloyalty or unfaithfulness of husband or wife sexually outside matrimonial homes.