THE EFFECT OF POLYGAMY ON THE ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE OF PUPILS

A CASE STUDY OF SOME SELECTED PRIMARY SCHOOL IN UGHELLI NORTH LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA OF DELTA STATE

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

Polygamy represents expanded family studies that are based on marriage involving a husband with two or more wives interestedly; polygamy is legally and widely practiced in 850 societies across the globe.

In the last two decades, polygamy has been the focus of significant growth in public political and academic awareness. This form of marital structure has effect on behavioural, emotional and academic adjustment of children.

Psychologist and educationist are consciously emphasizing that there are dear evidence to the fact that pupils achievement in schools are partly affected by their family background. It is a general assumption that the types of family in which a child belong to or evolved from have effect on pupil’s academic performance.

The effect of polygamous on pupils’ academic performance has attracted the attention of schools and authorities. This is because the behaviour of the child in school or outside is a reflection of his or her home where he or she comes from.

In Nigeria today there are many problem on academic performance of pupils in school because there is no effective teaching in school and also the parcential background or home in which a child comes from have great or adverse impact on the pupils and this is due to the fact that academic performance has not be tailored and mastered from the beginning.

However Dempsey et al opined that the primary environment of the pupils the home and it stand to exert tremendous impact on pupil’s achievement. In a study conducted on the effects of family structure and parenthood on the academic performance of Nigeria pupils. Uwaifo (2008) found significant different between the academic performance of pupils from single parent and these from two parent structure. Uwaifo (2008) also noted that the school is responsible for the experiences that make up the individuals life during school periods. Indeed parent involvement and individual’s experiences at home play tremendous roles in building the personality of the child and making the child what he is. Furthermore, many pupils have been hindered from reading their optimum level in academic pursuit due to some negative factors arisen from home. These include lack of parental encouragement, lack of conductive environment, poor finance and housing, poor feeding, ill-health and lack of interest on the part of pupils. Pupils who school needs (physical and emotional) are not provided for at home may forever remain under achiever and this could affect the general development.  Effect of poor academic performance during school years often carry over to the childhood with a higher proportion of school dropouts, behavioural problems and even delinquency among their population.

Therefore, this study seeks to investigate the effect of polygamy on the academic performance of pupils using Ugelle primary school as a cause study. The number of children in polygamous home are likely to increase company to that of a single parent. Therefore parents in polygamy home is not as close to their children when it comes to monitoring their academic performance. To bridge the gap between these families, parent should devoted more of their time to the upholding of their children by providing academic imperative like textbooks, good nutrition, writing material e.t.c. pay less attention to their business or other activities. The government should focus attention on providing qualitative education to citizens. Adequate facilities and material should be made available in schools for the benefit of all pupils from monogamous, polygamous, single-parent families. Family background as primary and social agent has important role to play in child academic performance. Family size type and parent academic background have major role to play in child upbringing especially in third world country. Family background is the foundation for children development a family is refers to group of people knitted together by blood ties on marriage bond. In a large family, a child may not be given maximum attention especially in his academic. The issue of home works payment of school fees, attending parent teacher association and many more may not be convenient for the parent as they have to cater for many children.

Polygamous home make it competitive for their children to contest for limited resources available and parents affection in a situation whereby a man marries two or more wives at a time, it tends to unequal treatment to children, jealousy and survival for the fittest for a child to succeed in life he has to struggle which may be detrimental to his academic performance. The home is the premier agent of education to the child, therefore the way he lives the food he eats and his life style is influence by the hope. The type of family system the child is exposed to greatly influence his academic achievement in schools. Similarly, certain juvenile delinquent behaviour such as stealing, truancy and lying, appear to have their root in parent rejection and insecurity.

STATEMENT OF PROBLEM

In the study, effort will be geared towards providing answers to some question such as these.

(1) what are the effect of polygamy on the individual and societies

(2) What are the peculiar effect of polygamy in Ughelli North Local Government area, Delta State

(3) How can these problem been tackled polygamy has great influence on pupils academic performance especially when proper feeding and supervision are lacking

OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY

The objective of this study finds out the effect of polygamy on pupils academic performance using Ugelle primary school as a east study.

This study also aim in bringing out the following

(1) the relationship between family size and pupils academic performance

(2) the effect polygamous home have on child behaviour

(3) the study also point out how parent role and discipline affect a child academic performance

(4) The objective of this study is also to spotlight or compare a child from single-parent and polygamous home in respect to academic performance.

SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

This project work is of great importance in the sense that it will reveal the extent at which polygamy has affected pupils. Furthermore, this will help parent and the school authority to generate affection, love and provide security and acceptance to the pupils which in turn helps the society. This study will also help on individual on the kind of the family they should involve themselves in and to the educationist, education curriculum will be structured to help children from such home. More so, serving as a project that would be discovered that polygamy affect the academic performance of pupils.

SCOPE OF THE STUDY

The researcher work covers the effect polygamy has on pupils academic performance of pupils using Ughelle Primary School located in Ughelli north local government area delta state. The study also discusses parents and teacher roles in helping a child excel in his/her academics The study also goes on carrying an investigation on the academic performance from a child, from a single-parent and from polygamous home it also receive the thought of every scholars, psychologist and educationist as to what extent polygamous home and family size affect pupils academic performance. The study also looks into how the level of education of parents in a polygamous home affects child academic performance

RESEARCH QUESTIONS

(1) Does the income of parent affect the academic performance of pupils?

(2) Does the number of wives in a home affect the academic performance of pupils?

(3) Do polygamous homes affect the pupil’s academic performance in school?

(4) Does the parental care and affection affect the academic performance of pupils?

(5) Does the provision of essential needs by the parents affects the academic performance of pupils?

DEFINITION OF TERMS

Polygamy: the custom of having more than one wife at the same time

Family:a group consisting of one or two parent and their children. It can also be seen as a group of people knotted together by blood ties on marriage bond

Academic: connected with education, especially in school

Income: money received over certain period especially as payment from work as interest on investment. Money received from work, business e.t.c

Performance: an action or achievement considered in relation to how successful it is the ability to operate a capable of high effectiveness