CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
Today our educational policy makers
are faced with the problem resulting from improper behavior of students in
Nigeria school otherwise known as “indiscipline” Consequently, the purpose of
education which is to teach and learn is usually hampered. While the school is
regarded as an institutionalized setting for promoting moral, etiquette,
teaching the basic skills and subject matter, the ability to maintain discipline
among students also form one of the major factors required for good and
effective teaching (Segun and Adebisi 2009)
The school climate established by
the educator can have a major impact on learners’ motivation and attitude
towards learning. As such, the skills involved in establishing a positive
classroom climate are of immense importance. Clearly, learners need order in
the classroom if the activities, which take place, are to facilitate effective
learning. The most important point to bear in mind in considering discipline,
is that creating the necessary order is more to do with the skills involved in
effective teaching in general than it is to with how one deals with learner
behaviour itself. If the learning activities are well-planned and prepared, if
the presentation elicits and maintains learners’ attention, interest and
involvement, and if the activities are challenging and offer realistic
opportunities for success, then the necessary order will be established as part
of these qualities
Parents should educate their children; have
close discussions, joint socialization and moral and religious upbringing.
Ajala, (2002) pointed out that among other factors that contribute to
discipline among primary schools pupils are peer group, environment factors,
healthy access to parent’s social class achievements, sport as an alternative
therapy and parents as role models. The environment where a child is being
brought up also affects the child’s development. Parent whose children are
brought up in market places, motor parks and the like have to tighten their belts
in order to achieve their desired goals for their children in terms of
discipline.
The expression “like father, like
son” is a clear indication of how the behaviuor of the child mirrors the home
training given by parents. The home remains the first place for character
building and emulation of vices. Recent observations also revealed that the
educational standard of the Nigerian school system is on a serious decline.
This has been attributed to lack of discipline in the Nigerian schools and
society. Enlightened parents are curious and getting more worried about
indiscipline that has become a major obstruction to educational advancement in
Nigeria, most especially when the inculcation of self discipline in the youths
is one of the major goals of Nigerian Education. They have been asking series
of intriguing questions such as: What is indiscipline? What is counted as
discipline? What impact has it on the youths? Does it involve concern for
others? (Segun and Adebisi ,2009)
Furthermore, there is a wide range
of complaints, one of which is that since missions have been prevented from
playing actives roles in educational system and religious and moral instructions
have been de-emphasized, Nigeria has witnessed a total decay or slump in the
level of discipline in the Nigeria, Secondary School. Current disturbing news
about the gross misbehavour of students, especially at the Secondary School level of Nigerian schools,
justify this assertion.
A child well brought up will remain
a source of joy and happiness for such family in particular and the community
at large. Similarly, a neglected child has a high level of probability to bring
shame and disgrace to the family and a big threat to other community members . Boys with poor discipline may become
dropouts who later graduate to street boys, bus conductors, or touts, otherwise
known as area boys . Gradually they get involved in hard drug use and physiological
and social effects make them further violent after dropping out of school due
to poor academic performance. Girls may become prostitutes, engage in truancy
and early pregnancy due to lack of discipline.
Akubue (1991) says that a good
servant makes a good master; only he who knows how to obey will know how to
command. Discipline implies subjection or subordination of ones own will to
external authority. The habit of implicit homage to power has a natural;
tendency to convert one into a mere machine. Alexander (1945) said that
discipline is heavens first “law”, this is also the first law in any school.
Life is a preparatory stage for future well being and the much that is required
there carries one through life. If one is ill-bed during his delicate stage, it
will be realized that one ends up as a threat to the community. A school that has
poor discipline is likely also to have poor public image, low morals among
staff, frequent quarrels and antisocial acts among student, poor academic
performance in their examination. The students in our primary school were not
born with problems of indiscipline. They did not inherit it from or any body,
it is not genetic. The children became hard when they started to socialize with
their peer group. Homes and the environment of the school may also influence
them.
Durajaiye (1978) observed that in
our schools today, the students’ age ranges are all adolescents and they are
faced with the problems characteristic of the adolescents such as: increase
intellectual ability, increase in awareness of the physical strength, Increase
emotional capacity and expanded social interest. Allinstmita (1968)opined that
punishment and physical harm that is not consistent causes indiscipline since
the school is not regarded as a place where students enjoy not only learning
but also living. Some disciplinary problems in our schools today are sometimes
a projection or maturation of what began at home. It is in the home that the
student should be disciplined and brought up in the right manner. According to
Ahmed (1989), some children from broken marriages are often very harsh,
unhappy, insecure, and frustrated due to an unhappy home. They go to the extent
of wandering , pick pocketing and shop lifting to amuse themselves. He further
said that some parents offer alcoholic drinks, cigarettes, hard drugs, to their
children or a ward, which leads them to
armed rubbery, thuggery, theft, damaging of public property and killing
fellow human being. proved not to be solved.
Government nonchalant attitudes to education, parental factors and teachers’
attitude also contribute to indiscipline. The problem of indiscipline in
schools has persisted over the years. These acts have either been carried out
individually by the students or as a group which result to rioting or revolts.
There is no doubt that student’ indiscipline generally militates against
effective teaching and learning and production of useful acceptable members of
the society. It is therefore, observed that some parents appear to have denied
their parental roles or responsibilities towards their children. If the
teachers or school authority are frustrated and lack motivation in them, they
are not likely to motivate other to learn or occupy their time in productive
education. The Government contributes to indiscipline by not providing adequate
facilities/equipment in the school. Community/Society influence contributes to
indiscipline among secondary school students due to economic recession. It is against
this background that this study intends to investigate the effect of discipline
on pupils’ achievement in Socials Studies.
1.2 Statement of the Problem
The
education sector is known to be seriously handicapped by many problems which
still persist till today. Such problems
are include Inadequate planning, Lack of fund, Insufficient public/private partnership,
neglect of education sector by various administration. Indiscipline’s now considered as one of the
biggest problem of the Secondary School sector. Nigeria leaders in the past have tried to
remedy this situation but the problem seems to persist. Therefore there is need
to get at the root causes of indiscipline amongst the Secondary School students
and its effect on students achievement, with a view to finding a solution.
1.3 Objectives of the study.
The main aim of this study is to examine
“effect of discipline and authority on students academic achievement in Junior Secondary school. Other specific objectives shall
include to:
i.
Examine causes of discipline among
primary school pupils
ii.
Investigate the relationship between
discipline and authority on primary school pupils’ academic achievement.
iii.
Document the role of teachers in
promoting discipline among primary schools pupils
iv.
Offer recommendations toward promoting
discipline and authority on the pupils’ academic performance.
1.4 Scope of the Study.
The scope of this study covered discipline and
academic performance, teacher role in promoting discipline, in schools in
Junior Secondary School in Ijebu-Ode
Local Government Area of Ogun state.
1.5 Research Hypotheses
Ho1:
There is no significant relationship between discipline and academic achievement
of Junior Secondary School Students in Social Studies
Ho2:
There is no significant relationship between students’ home background and students’
discipline in Junior Secondary School
Ho3:
There is no significant relationship between home background of pupils and their
achievement in Social Studies
Ho4:
There is no significant difference in the response of students to school discipline
based on gender
1.6 Significance of the study.
The finding of this study will be of
great benefit to teachers, primary school administrators, government and non-governmental
organizations and the general public. The study will expose how discipline
contributes to pupils’ academic performance, the effects of home background on
pupils’ behaviors in schools, as well as the role teachers, school heads,
ministry of education plays in moulding behaviuor of students. Since Secondary
School pupils are at their formative year and they tend to duplicate the behavior
of their models (i.e) parents, teachers peer the study will therefore bring to focus the need
for all hands to be on deck toward achieving discipline in the school. Serve as
consulting materials to other researcher in the field of knowledge
1.7 Definition of Terms
Discipline: Discipline is the conformity with laid down
rules, procedures, values and patterns of acceptable behaviour within any
specified context.
Authority: Power
or might to obtain obedience
Teacher: A teacher is a person who imparts reasonable knowledge to
the students. Teachers are the most
important factors in determining the quality of education.
Achievement: Scores of students obtained from social studies achievement score SOSAT.
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