A Survey Of Personal-Social Problems Of Adolescent In Post-Primary Schools

ABSTRACT

        The study examined the psychosocial problems of adolescents in Ilorin metropolis.

        Two hundred randomly selected samples responded to the psychosocial problems of adolescent questionnaire. Data collected were analysed with frequency counts percentage and t-test.

        The results indicated that adolescents suffered from problems arising from fear of oppression negligence, discriminated education and hopelessness. It was also revealed there that there were no significant differences in the psycho-social problems on the basis of sex, religion and parents education. But significant differences was of solved on the basis of age group.

        Based on the findings in the study, it was recommended that all stakeholders on education should core together to issues in alleviating the problems of the adolescents, that guidance and counselling should made functional in all schools to provide services for students.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

CONTENTS                                                          PAGE

TITLE PAGE                                                             i      

CERTIFICATION                                                       ii     

DEDICATION                                                           iii

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS                                          iv    

ABSTRACT                                                               vi    

TABLE OF CONTENTS                                             vii

LIST OF TABLES                                                      x

CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION

1.0   Background to the Study                                                 1

1.1   Statement of the Problem                                        4

1.2   Purpose of the Study                                                       6

1.3   General Questions                                                   7

1.4   Research Questions                                                 7

1.5   Research Hypotheses                                               8

1.6   Significance of the Study                                                 9

1.7   Delimitation and Scope of the Study                               11

1.8   Definition of Terms (Operational Definitions)           12

CHAPTER TWO

REVIEW OF THE RELATED LITERATURE                   

2.0   Concept and Onset of Adolescents                           14

2.1   Adolescence as a period of storm, stress and

change                                                                     19

2.2   Factors Responsible for poor Study Habits by

Adolescents                                                             24

2.3   How to Cultivate Good Study Habits by Adolescents       27

2.4   Problems of Adolescent                                            31

2.4   Summary of the Related Literature Reviewed           33

CHAPTER THREE: RESEARCH METHOD

3.0   Research Design                                                      35

3.1   Population of the Study                                           36

3.2   Sample and Sampling Techniques                           36

3.3   Instrumentation                                                       37

3.4   Validity of the Instrument                                        38

3.5   Reliability of the Instrument                                    38

3.6   Administration of the Instrument                            39

3.7   Data Analysis                                                           39

CHAPTER FOUR: RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

4.0   Results                                                                    40

4.1   Discussion of Findings                                            46

CHAPTER FIVE: SUMMARY, CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

5.0   Summary                                                                         51

5.1   Conclusion                                                              52

5.2   Implication of the Study                                          53

5.3   Recommendations                                                   53

5.4   Limitations of the Study                                          56

5.5   Suggestions for Further Study                                         56

LIST OF TABLES

Table 1:    Distribution of Respondents by Gender   40

Table 2:    Distribution of respondents by Age          41

Table 3:    Distribution of respondents by parents’

Education                                                        42

Table 5:    t-test analysis of male and female

adolescents                                              43

Table 6:    t-test analysis of young and old

adolescents                                              44

Table 7:    t-test analysis of adolescents by parents

education                                                         45

Table 8:    t-test analysis of adolescents based on

Religion                                                   46

CHAPTER ONE 

INTRODUCTION

1.0   Background of the study

Human being progress through a series of developmental stage and each stage has its character tics developmental tasks. Bukoye (2005) suggested that there are some tasks the adolescents must solve during this stage of development, such as a more masculine or feminine role, acceptance of his physique, and acquisition of emotional and financial independence from the significance others and  advancing a social responsible a socially responsible behaviour.

Any period of chance is likely to be a period fraught with problem, therefore, the attainment of maturity and development as well as change and aspirations during adolescent may be accompany by many potential difficulties. The degree of difficulty and individual experience may be function of cultural and societal expectations. The period of adolescence has generated a lot of controversy as regards the problems adolescents encounter. Some findings conclude that the period is stormy and stressful Hake (2002) add that is it is complicated by the nature of the developmental task of this period. Such adolescent tasks include:-

–       Learning to accept one’s physique

–       Forming new relations with age mates of both sexes

–       Selecting and preparing for an occupation

–       Developing intellectual skills and concepts necessary for civic competence

–       Devising and accruing socially responsible behaviours

–      Learning to play appropriate sex roles

Other findings maintain that storm and stress are not inevitable direct product of adolescent but instead appear to originated in cultural and societal expectations. Peck (2005).

Adeniyi (2005) emphasized that there are some biological, emotion and cultural dilemmas the adolescent may face. For example, he may experience some conflict due to his increase sex drive and his inability to graffiti them because of social inhibitions and pressures. Through he is no longer a child; he is still treated as one. He desires to free himself from control of his parent but cannot afford to give them up. Moreover, there are many grown-up duties and responsibilities that he is expected fulfill although he does not enjoy adult rights.

The observation of Nigerian adolescents through books and less scientific and authoritative sources such as the news papers, magazine, radio, television, internet, letter, text message, hearsay, peaceful and violent demonstrations, sneaking out of school, unwholesome writing on the classrooms and toilets walls, to name a few shows that adolescents are not achieving their developmental tasks without difficulty. It is probable that many youths healthy personal growth is by omission or commission hampered. The pursuit of their personal growth by themselves, or by other people on their behalf should be a legitimate goal in the society.

1.1   Statement of the problem

The child at adolescent endeavors to master skills those are essential for adulthood. During this psychological moratorium, he encounters problems largely as a result of cultural and societal expectations.

The culture and society determines who the adolescent interacts with, what age he is expected to do certain thing; perhaps what tasks are expected of different sexes. The norms, values and belief of the society also influence adolescents in the ways and manner they resolve those issues. These and other invitation could constitute problems for them.

In the light of the above, the problems have been broken down to answer the following questions:

1. With whom the adolescents in urban and rural areas find it difficult to interact with?
2. Are the western education on cultural practice of adolescents in rural areas different from those in the urban areas?
3. Have sex and age differences had any impact on the seriousness of these problems?
4. What avenues to they adopted to resolve their issues?

Against the background, there fore the main problem of this study is to examine the personal–social problems adolescents in Ilorin Metropolis Post-Primary Schools in Kwara State.

1.2   Purpose of the Study

The purpose of the study is to investigate the psycho-social problems of the adolescents in Ilorin metropolis. It also seeks to find out if:

1. There is any difference in the psycho-social problems of male and female adolescents in Ilorin metropolis.
2. There is any difference in the psycho-social problems of young and old adolescent.
3. There is any difference in the psycho-social problem of Christian and Muslim adolescents.
4. There is any difference in the psycho-social problem adolescent.

1.3   General Questions

What are the influences of western education on cultural practice of Adolescents in Ilorin Metropolis?

1.4   Research Questions

        The following research questions were answered in the study.

1. Is there any difference in the psycho-social problem of male and female adolescents?
2. Is there any difference in the psycho-social problem of young and old adolescents?
3. Is there any difference in the psycho-social problem of adolescents for literate illiterate house?
4. Is thereby any difference in the psycho-social problem of Christian and Muslim adolescents?

1.5   Research Hypotheses

        The following hypotheses were tested in the study.

1. There is no significant difference in the psycho-social problem of male and female adolescents in Ilorin metropolis.
2. There is no significant difference in the psycho-social problem of young and old adolescents.
3. There is no significant difference in the psycho-social problem of adolescents from literate and illiterate house.
4. There is any significant different in the psycho-social problem of Christian and Muslim adolescents.

1.6   Significance of the Study

The significance of the study is to show the interrelationship of education and western education on cultural practice of adolescents and how the problems could be alleviated in the schools, to achieve an overall development of the child.

If schools are to provide the adequate quality and quantity of psychological education, it is paramount to know the areas of personal growth that need to be developed within the school curriculum.

It can only be achieved when nature of the adolescents’ problem is known.

To elaborate further, among the educational objective as shown in the Federal Republic of Nigeria, National Policy of Education (2004) is the acquisition of appropriate skills, abilities and competences both mental and physical, as equipment for the individual to live in and contribute to his society. To achieve the commendable objectives, it is imperative to understand the problems of learners and derive the appropriate means of solving them.

The findings would help to understand the adolescents rather tan imposing some arbitrary standards of authority which might be detrimental to wholesome character development. An adolescent who is understood, rather than suppressed has nothing to fight and so may not rebel.

The finding of this study would assist the researcher in knowing that the problems of adolescent differ in sex, milieu and age. It will make us to identify those problems have significant impacts on their life. It will also indicate whether the different modes of counseling are required for urban and rural adolescents or whether different guidance service have to be emphasized for adolescents of different age or sexes.

Furthermore, the teachers would benefit from the findings and recommendation of this study because they would be able to understand problems of their students which have significant influence on their students’ bad habits.

The findings of this piece of work will be useful to teachers, school administrator, curriculum planners, parents and other significant adults who are involved in helping adolescents to achieve adult identify.

1.7   Delimitation and Scope of the Study

The study investigated the psycho-social problems of adolescents in Ilorin metropolis. It involves all the randomly selected adolescent in secondary schools and only those that responded to the psycho-social problems of the adolescents questionnaire. Those adolescents that were not in secondary school or outside Ilorin metropolis were not part of the study.

1.8   Operational Definition of Terms

Personal-Social Problems: These are the physical and psychological problems that inhibit a good interpersonal relationship.

Puberty: The point in life at which sexual maturity begins.

Pubescence: About two years immediately before puberty.

Adolescents: People between eleven and twenty years of age.

Early Adolescents: Period from the beginning of pubescence until about a year or two years after puberty (11years – 14years).

Late Adolescents: The period up to adulthood.

WASSCE: West African Senior School Certificate Examination; the external examination that secondary schools students take at the end of their sixth year (SS 3). The examination body is the West African Examination Council.

Teachers College: This is a school for the training of secondary school graduates, who wish to take teaching as a career after graduating they go back to primary schools to teach.

Guidance Programme or Service: Organized activities within the school programme which are intended to assist students with their individual developmental tasks.

CHAPTER FIVE

SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS

5.0   Summary

        The study investigated psychosocial problems adolescents in Ilorin Metropolis. In order to achieve this purpose, the researcher used simple sampling techniques to select two hundred samples in the study. The questionnaire used for data collection was psychosocial of adolescents’ questionnaire (PSPOACQ). Data collected were analysed using frequency counts, percentage and t-test was the statistical. The results showed that there significant differences in the psycho-social problems, of adolescent on the basis of sex significant on the basis of sex and significant difference were observed on the basis of age and parents education.

5.1   Conclusion

From the findings of this study, it can be concluded that:

1. There is no significant difference in the psycho-social problem of male and female adolescents in Ilorin metropolis.
2. There is no significant difference in the psycho-social problem of young and old adolescents.
3. There is no significant difference in the psycho-social problem of adolescents from literate and illiterate house.
4. There is any significant different in the psycho-social problem of Christian and Muslim adolescents.

5.2   Implications of the Study

The finding that there was significant differences in the psycho-social problems of the basis of age and parental education means that there is need to assist in the adolescents so cope with the problems so that they overcome hindrances to their studies.

5.3   Recommendations

        In the light of the findings of this study the following recommendations are made:

1. There is need for the adolescents to be properly guided by their teacher and parent in all aspects so as to develop effective study habits.
2. The state government should endeavour to help up the provision of health facilities most especially in the rural area.
3. The amount of pocket money given to the students by their parent should be watched, because if the children is been given N100 and if the parent did not have enough money at hand and they give him/her N40, it can cause problems in the life of the children.
4. Some changes in teachers’ roles are urgent, for this study showed that most of these young people do not talk to their teachers about their personal concerns. Some type of personal and social education in the classroom is recommended. Such a step will encourage the formation of a new learning climate in schools.
5. Parents/Teachers associations should be made mandatory in the schools. These associations should be made mandatory in the schools. These associations will enable the school to educate parents on various problems of their children. It will be a forum to devise some means of parents/teachers co-operation for the overall development of these children.
6. Many of these problems could be solved through adequate guidance by competent persons. The researcher recommends establishment of guidance programmes in schools.
7. The early adolescents will need more emphasis on health and physical problems, while the late adolescents need more counselling on home life problems.

Such studies will look into:

• The subject content
• The possibility of its incorporation into social studies or whether it will be a discipline on its own.

5.4   Limitations of the Study

Limitation of the study emanated from the inability to get the cooperation of respondents. To overcome this block, the researcher had to limit the number of respondents.

5.5   Suggestions for Further Studies

Although the study was titled “Influence of Western Education on Cultural Practice of Adolescents in Ilorin Metropolis. The following could be examined in future research work:

1. Survey of way of solving the problems of adolescents in Ilorin Metropolis.
2. To investigate into how the adolescents can cope with or adjust to the problems of the parent.