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THE EFFECT OF INDISCIPLINE ON ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE OF STUDENTS IN SECONDARY SCHOOL

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1    BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY

Our society is made up of organizations all of which have goals to meet. However, without proper discipline, none of these would be realized. For them to operate smoothly, all of them have a set of rules and regulations by which all members of the organization are expected to abide by, failure to which sanctions are imposed on the workers to discipline them accordingly. The same applies to educational organizations. For serious learning to take place, discipline has to be maintained in schools. Mbiti (2007:83) defines discipline as the moral capacity or disposition which when ingrained in the human capacity, becomes a powerful habit for self-control. Discipline therefore involves the development of an informed conscience within the individual person as part of his or her personality. Jeng (2011) points out that indeed it encompasses training of the mind and character of a person which results to self-control and a habit of obedience. The main reason why students attend school is to receive good education. Sound education can only be provided when there is discipline in schools. Discipline is the number one topic among others in education. 2 Soet (2005:1), quoting Charles (1981), on attitude towards Education, stated that, teachers, parents, students and the public all place discipline at the top of their concern, with teachers ranking it at the top because it affects learning, their emotional lives and it outweighs all other factors combined in determining a teacher’s success. Jeng (2011) advises that students should understand that discipline is one of the most fundamental characteristics of a human being in school, in our homes and indeed everywhere in the world. Stakeholders concur that ensuring discipline in schools is top on the agenda because one cannot acquire knowledge without character. Soet (2005:2) in his study, “Perception of the causes of indiscipline among students in secondary schools. It is the one thing in learning that everyone expects and wants. Most educators agree that discipline is the one thing that can make or break a school, for without it, a teacher’s finest efforts may go to zero. People view discipline in different ways. For some people, discipline is equated with taking preventive measures. According to Okumbe (1998) this type aims at taking precautionary measures and may assume the form of guidance or clarifying values and regulations to students. Padilla (2012), an experienced speaker who facilitates parent workshops for school districts in California, is also of the opinion that, it is indeed a positive procedure that emphasizes and rewards good behavior, instead of punishing bad behavior. Others view discipline as punishment; a view supported by Mbiti (2007:79) who observes that the proponents of the traditional scheme of discipline believed that physical punishment was a necessary deterrent to tendencies of wrong –doing in a child. Wilson (2000:30) is of the same opinion. He notes that even though it is an unpleasant line to take, any parent who needs to stop their son bullying a little sister, or any honest teacher who needs to make absolutely sure that the weak pupils are not 3 bullied by the stronger ones in school, knows perfectly well that such a line has sometimes to be taken.

Sessional Paper No. 6 of 1988 on Education and Manpower Training classifies all schools as either public or private. Public schools receive financial support from the government. In this context, all public schools are expected to be developed with the required facilities and staff in order to cater for the high demands for quality education. Besides this sessional paper, other policies have also been proposed by the government to improve education standards in the country. In spite of the policies and the various sessional papers that the Government has set up to ensure quality education, learning institutions in Nigeria have been plagued with cases of students’ unrest and indiscipline.

Indiscipline is the intentional refusal to follow rules and regulations of a given society. It is not only deeply rooted in Kenyan schools but regionally and internationally too. According to the task force on student discipline and unrests in secondary schools, (Wangai report, 2001), learning institutions have been faced with increased cases of student unrests. The issue of learner indiscipline has taken center stage for a long time internationally and regionally. For example, in India, Khanbab (2010) laments that schools and colleges in India have become an abode of indiscipline to the extent that examinations have to be conducted with the help of the police. He blames it all on poor study habits by students, incompetent teachers and political leaders who incite students against the government. Recent research in the U.S.A has documented that bullying is a common and potential damaging form of violence among children, which not only harms its intended victims and the perpetrators, but also has a chilling effect on the school climate, thereby indirectly 4 affecting the ability of all students to learn to the best of their abilities, (Limber and Nation, 1997). The countries in West Africa have not been spared either. In one incident, two students of Shama senior high school in Ghana were suspended for watching pornography on campus in March 13th 2011. Kwajo (2011), reports that the students had downloaded the pornographic materials onto their mobile phones, and were consequently handed an internal suspension with hard labour. In another incident at Wesley girls’ senior high school, sexual advances being made to the girls by some male teachers in the school compelled the angry students to vehemently protest on 18th June 2011. They were sent home, (Kwajo, 2011). This study is however aimed to expose the rate of indiscipline and the effect it has on the performance of students in Nigeria secondary schools.

1.2   STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

Indiscipline is the act of disobeying laid down rules and to behave immorally, whereby discipline is to be morally uprights, following all rules diligently and giving respect to a higher authority. Secondary schools in Nigeria is full of indiscipline students, nowadays youth now see civilization as an excuse to behave immoral, young guys now sag their trouser, paint their hair, ladies sag as well and wear skimpy dress that reveals sensitive part of their body. School as it is define is a formal setting where knowledge is been acquired, but in most schools in Nigeria it is otherwise, formal means properly arranged, rightly structured that is for something to be formal there is a rule that guide the people involve, there is a dress code, time to resume and close for the day, all this qualities are now missing in schools nowadays especially in  public schools in Nigeria, students threatens to beat up their teacher after school, secondary schools students now smoke, rape, involve in cultism and some other immoral act, all this contribute to the lower standard Nigeria education system has in the world, this research is however created to find out the reasons, effect an way out of indiscipline is our secondary schools.

1.3   OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY

The main objective of conducting this research is to find and the effect of indiscipline on the performance of secondary school students in Nigeria. The specific objectives that guide this research are outlined below:

1.     To establish the main causes of indiscipline among students

2.     To find out if there are any positive measures put in place to curb indiscipline

3.     To find out the role of the parents to help their children become discipline

4.     To discover the rate at which indiscipline is affecting secondary school students in Nigeria.

1.4    RESEARCH QUESTIONS

The following research question will guide the researcher during the course of his research and help to get reliable and valid results:

1.     What are the causes of indiscipline secondary schools

2.     Are there any rule put in place to cub indiscipline among students

3.     What measure are the parents taking to help their children become disciplined

4.     How high is the rate of indiscipline in secondary schools

5.     Does indiscipline has any effect on the performance of students in secondary schools.

1.5   SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

The findings of this study contributed to the existing literature of knowledge on the specific causes of indiscipline among students in secondary schools. It also shed light into the nature of indiscipline bound to arise as a result of these factors. The study was significant in availing positive ways of improving discipline. Teachers often punished students without clear consideration of what made them misbehave; they seldom tried to understand the motivating force. Focusing on these factors would enable them to handle their students in a more understanding and better way. It may also assist parents in monitoring the movement and association of their children with a view to guiding them to become responsible individuals. They are better placed in ensuring good upbringing of their children.

1.6   SCOPE OF THE STUDY

This research covers the entire secondary school of the federal republic of Nigeria but sampling are taken from five schools in five local government in Lagos and Ogun sate respectively they are; ODEDA LGA, ADO-ODO LGA, IKEJA LGA, MUSHIN LGA, AND ETI-OSA LGA.

1.7   DELIMITATION OF THE STUDY

This study is to cover at least ten different state in Nigeria but the difficulty encountered by the researcher is the limited time given to conduct this research and also insufficient fund to sponsor the project.

1.8   DEFINITION OF TERMS

INDISCIPLINE: act of disobeying laid down rules and to behave immorally

DISCIPLINE: to be morally uprights, following all rules diligently and giving respect to a higher authority

ACADEMIC: anything that relate to education

PERFORMANCE: the result of a students is in his/her academic aim or goal

STUDENTS: somebody who is learning or studying in a formal settings to achieve a certain goal.

SECONDARY SCHOOL: the school in between basic school and college

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