Influence of Family Structure on Children's Motivation to Learn And
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1 INFLUENCE OF FAMILY STRUCTURE ON CHILDREN’S MOTIVATION TO LEARN AND ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT IN MINNA METROPOLIS, NIGER STATE. BY NWAKAIBIE, KATHERYN BRIGHT PG/M.Ed/08/49656 DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATIONS, FACULTY OF EDUCATION, UNIVERSITY OF NIGERIA, NSUKKA. JULY, 2015. 2 TITLE PAGE INFLUENCE OF FAMILY STRUCTURE ON CHILDREN’S MOTIVATION TO LEARN AND ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT IN MINNA METROPOLIS, NIGER STATE. BY NWAKAIBIE, KATHERYN BRIGHT PG/M.Ed/08/49656 A PROJECT SUBMITTED TO THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATIONS, FACULTY OF EDUCATION, UNIVERSITY OF NIGERIA, NSUKKA. IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENT FOR M.Ed ART, MASTERS DEGREE IN CHILDHOOD EDUCATION SUPERVISOR: PROF. J.O. CHUKWU JULY, 2015. 3 APPROVAL PAGE This project has been approved for the Department of Educational Foundations, Faculty of Education, University of Nigeria, Nsukka. By ……………………………… …………………………… Prof J.O Chukwu Prof. C. Onwuka Supervisor Head of Department ……………………………... …………………………….. External Examiner Internal Examiner ……………………………………… Prof. U. Umo Dean of Faculty 4 CERTIFICATION This is to certify that Nwakaibie Katheryn Bright, a postgraduate student in the Department of Educational Foundations with registration number PG/M. Ed/08/59656, has satisfactorily completed the requirements for courses and research work for Master in Childhood Education. The work in this project is original and has not been submitted in part or full for any other graduate or post graduate programme of this University or any other institute of learning. …………………………….. ………………………………… Nwakaibie, Katheryn B. Prof. J.O Chukwu Student Supervisor 5 DEDICATION This work is dedicated to God Almighty who made it possible, my family members for their assistance and prayers throughout the period of my study at the university. 6 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The researcher is most grateful to the King of Kings, the All-Knowing God, who has brought this work to completion and thus, far in the world of academics. The researcher is very grateful to her supervisor, Prof. J.O. Chukwu, an amiable vessel, for her valuable suggestions, criticisms and guidance at every stage of the work. Special thanks go to Prof. E.C. Umeano, Prof. J. Ibiam, Dr. G.C. Ugwu, Dr. E.N. Nwosu and Dr. C.S. Uguwnayi whose wisdom and intellectual contributions helped in shapening the focus of this work, may God continually bless you with all your heart desires. With a heart of gratitude the researcher specially thank Dcns. Esther Silas S., Prof. I. N. Mogbo, Dr. C.S. Gana and Mallam A.M. Hassan at Federal University of Technology (FUT) Minna, Samuel, Muideen my typist and Mrs. Okonkwo Vivian Ifeoma and Pst. (Dr.) & Dcns Ekere. My parents inlaw Mr. and Mrs. Mary Nwakaibie, my Mumy Mrs. Okoduwa Victoria, my siblings Mrs. Omoyibo Roseline, and family Mrs. Okobi Veronica and family, Mrs. Gordons Julieth and family, Miss Queennette and Sandra Okoduwa, Mr. L.F.M. Okoduwa and family, Pst. Kelvin Okoduwa and family, Mr. Richard Okoduwa and family, whose contributions and encouragement boosted the effort of the researcher. The researcher’s heartfelt gratitude goes to her husband, Pastor Bright C. N. her lovely and blessed children; Praise, King – David, Flourish, Excel and Chizoba for their unconditional love, wise councel and support at all times. She is grateful to all her friends, course mate and others, too numerous to mention for helping her pull through this programme. Nwakaibie, Katheryn B. 7 TABLE OF CONTENTS Title page ii Approval page iii Certification iv Dedication v Acknowledgements vi Table of Contents vii Abstract x CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION Background of the Study 1 Statement of the Problem 9 Purpose of the Study 10 Significance of the Study 10 Scope of the Study 11 Research Questions 12 Research Hypotheses 12 CHAPTER TWO: REVIEW OF LITERATURE Conceptual Framework 14 Concept of Family 14 Concept of Family Structure 14 Concept of Motivation 23 Concept of Learning 26 Concept of Gender 28 Concept of Achievement and Concept of Academic Achievement 29 Relationships Among Family Structure, Children’s Motivation to Learn and Academic Achievement 31 8 Theoretical Framework 32 Sensitivity and Responsibility Theory by Mary Ainsworth 32 Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs Theory 33 Review of Empirical Studies 33 Studies on Influence Family Structure on Children’s Motivation to Learn and Academic Achievement 33 Studies on Influence of Gender on Children’s Motivation to Learn and Academic Achievement 36 Summary of Literature Review 37 CHAPTER THREE: RESEARCH METHOD Design of the Study 41 Area of the Study 41 Population of the Study 42 Sample and Sampling Techniques 42 Instrument for Data Collection 43 Validation of the Instrument 44 Reliability of the Instrument 44 Method of Data Collection 44 Method of Data Analysis 45 CHAPTER FOUR: RESULTS Summary of Findings 51 CHAPTER FIVE: DISCUSSION OF RESULTS, CONCLUSION, SUMMARY, IMPLICATIONS, AND RECOMMENDATIONS Discussion of Findings 52 Conclusion 55 Educational Implication of the Study 55 Recommendations 56 9 Limitations of the Study 56 Suggestion for Further Studies 57 Summary of the Study 57 References 59 Appendices 65 Appendix A 65 Appendix B 66 Appendix C 68 Appendix D 69 Appendix E 75 10 ABSTRACT The study sought to investigate the influence of family structure on children’s motivation to learn and academic achievement in Minna Metropolis, Niger State. To guide the study, four research questions were posed and answered while four hypotheses were formulated and tested at 0.05 level of significance. The study adopted ex-post facto or causal comparative research design. The population of the study comprised of all the primary five children in Minna metropolis, Niger State totaling 9,995. A total sample of 425 primary five children in public schools in Bosso and Chanchaga Local Government Education Authorities were used for the study. The academic achievement scores of children for a session were collected using children’s result for three terms. The instrument named influence of Family Structure on Children’s Motivation to Learn Questionnaire was used for data collection. Mean and Standard Deviation were used in answering the research questions, while analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to test the null hypotheses. The findings of the study revealed that; children from monogamous family structure had the highest mean motivation to learn followed by the children from multiple transition family structure while children from polygamous family had the lowest mean motivation to learn. Further analysis showed that family structure significantly influences children’s motivation to learn. Children from single parenthood family structure had lower mean achievement score than children from monogamous and multiple transition family structure while children from polygamous family structure had the lowest mean achievement score. However, it was further revealed that family structure has no significant influence on the children’s motivation to learn and children’s academic achievement. Gender has no significant influence on children’s motivation to learn and academic achievement. Based on the findings, it was recommended among others that parents should be fully involved in the education of their wards by assisting them in their home works and getting other relevant materials for study ready for them. 11 CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION Background of the Study Children’s lives are influenced by the number of parents and siblings that they live with, as well as by whether their parents are married. Parents with children make up a family. A family is a group of people who share Affinal, Consanguinal and adoption ties and are within two generations (Oti, 2005). Fairly is a close knit group of people who care about and respect each other (Hughes, 1999). The fairly is a social group characterized by common residence, economic corporaton and reproduction. It comprises adults of both sexes, at least of two of whom maintain a socially approved sexual relationship and one or more children own or adopted, of the sexually cohabiting adults. Family is a group of two or more people that are related by blood, marriage, adoption, step or fostering and who usually live together in the same household. This includes newly wedded couples without children, couples with dependants, single mums or dad with children, siblings living together. Family is the focal socializing unit in the society especially Africa (Oti, 2003). The family as an institution provides for the rearing, socializing and education of the child. It is a forum for the child’s initial contact with the society. It is the basic group for individual’s social identity. It is the most common unit of socialization. The stability of the family and its antecedents are important in the child’s education. It is also a general opinion that the quality of family interactions has important associations with children’s motivation to learn and academic achievement. Kellaghan (1993) asserted for example, that the family environment a the most powerful influence in determining children’s motivation to learn and academic achievement and the number of years of schooling they will receive. In this study family refer 1 12 to a group of people, comprises of mother, father and their children, related by blood or adoption, share responsibilities and live together or separate. Family structure is made up of different types of families, and marriages. These include nuclear and extended family, single parenting, monogamous, polygamous multiple transition, monoandrous and polyandrous family structure. Nuclear family structure is a group of people consisting of a pair of adults and their children (US NHI, 2007). Nuclear family is typically centre n married couple (US NHI, 2007). In this study nuclear family is a group of people consisting of mother, father and their children living together or apart. Extended family structure is a family that is beyond the nuclear family, consisting of grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins all living nearly or in same household (US NHI, 2007). Extended family is a combination of bother nuclear family and other relatives associated with the nuclear family members.