Impact Of Parental Separation On Students Academic Achievement In Junior Secondary Schools

This research work investigated the impact of parental separation on academic achievement among junior secondary school students in Paikoro Local Government Area of Niger State. The study employed descriptive survey design. A total of 300 students from parental separation took part in the study; out of which sixty-nine (23%) students whose parents are dead, one hundred and eleven (37%) students from separated parents and one hundred twenty (40%) students from divorced parents. Academic Achievement Test score on English Language and Mathematics (AATELM) was used for data collection. Three research questions were answered with mean and standard deviation and three hypotheses were tested using t-test statistics at 0.05 level of significance. Results of the analysis indicated that parental death had no significant differential impact on the academic achievement of junior secondary school Boys and Girls. Similarly, result also showed no significant differential impact of parental separation and divorce on academic achievement of junior secondary school students in the study area. Finally result of analysis also revealed a significant differential impact of parental care on academic achievement of junior secondary school students brought up by either the fathers or the mothers. Based on these findings, it was recommended that Counsellors, School Psychologists, Teachers and school authorities should pay attention to set of students that lost their parents through proper counselling and other supportive services, in order to make them focused on their academic activities. Students from separated and divorce parents should be encouraged and given all support to enhance their academic achievement irrespective of gender through counseling interventions.