Perceived Influence of Divorce on Academic Performance of Students in Secondary Schools in Enugu Education Zone

Abstract

One of the social challenges and realities of modern Nigeria is the rise in divorced, separated and single parent homes. The direct consequences of divorce are just being assessed in Nigeria, however, more worrisome has been its impact on students academic development. The study investigated the perceived influence of divorce on academic performance of secondary school students in Enugu education zone. Three research questions guided the study. Three null hypotheses were formulated and tested at .05 level of significance. The study adopted descriptive survey research design. The population for the study consisted of 81 students from divorced families from Enugu education zone. There was no sampling because the population was manageable. The instrument for data collection was a structured questionnaire. The instrument was validated by three experts. A reliability coefficient of 0.68 was obtained using Cronbach Alpha method. Copies of the instrument were administered to the respondents by the researcher with the help of five research assistants. Mean with standard deviation was used to answer the research questions. The null hypotheses were tested using t-test statistic at 0.05 level of significance. Mean score of 2.50 and above was regarded as agree and items with mean less than 2.50 were regarded as disagree. The findings showed that interference from third party, lack of trust, infidelity and infertility are the major causes of divorce among couples in Enugu education zone. Furthermore, divorce is a risk factor which has exposed the affected students to low educational aspirations, which eventually negatively influences their academic performance, while the rural and urban students had uniform opinions on the causes, effects and preventive measures of divorce in Enugu Education Zone. It was concluded that there is a significant influence of parental divorce on academic performance of secondary school students in Enugu education zone. It was recommended among others that counsellors, psychologists, social workers and teachers should identify students from divorced families and counsel them. Again, the government should provide rehabilitative progamme for the students of divorced family in schools so that they can adjust in their academic performance.