-
Influence Of Child Abuse On The Academic Performance Of Secondary School Students
CHAPTER ONE -- [Total Page(s) 3]
Page 1 of 3
-
-
-
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background to the Study
Child
abuse and neglect are fastly becoming universal phenomena in the current
world societies despite the fact the child’s rights are being
recognized and even to some extent, protected by legislations and
constitutions in many countries of the world. Childhood abuse
potentially has major economic implications for Nigerian schools and for
their students. Even conservative estimates suggest that at least 8
percent of U.S. children experience sexual abuse before age 18, while 17
percent experience physical abuse and 18 percent experience physical
neglect (Flisher, Kramer, Hoven, & Greenwald, 2007). Childhood
maltreatment, and aversive parenting practices, in general, has the
potential to delay the academic progress of students (Shonk &
Cicchetti, 2001). It therefore has the potential to undermine schools’
ability to satisfy standards of school progress entailed in the No Child
Left Behind legislation (U.S. Department of Education, 2005), putting
them at risk for loss of federal funding. It also has the potential to
adversely affect students' economic outcomes in adulthood, via its
impact on achievement in middle and high school (Cawley, Heckman, &
Vytlacil, 2001).
Child abuse has been defined by the African network
for the prevention and protection against child Abuse and Neglect
(ANPPCAN) as the intentional and unintentional acts which endanger the
physical, health, emotional, moral and the educational welfare of the
child. Hopper (2004) also described child abuse as any act of
maltreatment or subjection that endangers a child’s physical, emotional
and health development.
Gelles, (2007) affirmed that child abuse
include not only physical assault but also malnourishment, abandonment,
neglect, emotional abuse and sexual abuse.
According to Mba (2002),
prominent form of child abuse in Nigeria are child battering, child
labour, child abandonment, neglect, teenage prostitution, early marriage
and forced marriage. Kolander (2000) stated that emotional and sexual
abuses are highly noticeable in Nigeria. Oji (2006) observed that babies
born by teenage mothers in Nigeria were 625,024 as at the reporting
time.
According to Walsh (2005), unwanted pregnancy has been
identified to be a major cause of child abuse in Nigeria. Many abused
children were unwanted in the first place and turned out to be a severe
burden on their emotionally immature or impoverished parents. Odey
(2003) stated that children from poor homes are more vulnerable to abuse
and Todd, (2004) in his support said that Nigeria, which is known as
corrupt nation in Africa is heading towards a dangerous poverty where
its teeming population does not have enough food for healthy living.
Oluwole (2002) equally lamented when analyzing the situation of children
which are being used for house helps. Child labour is the major
obstacles to the achievement of education for all (EFA) and this result
into a setback on the achievement of the world target of universal
primary education by 2015.
CHAPTER ONE -- [Total Page(s) 3]
Page 1 of 3
-
-
ABSRACT - [ Total Page(s): 1 ]This project work focuses on the effects of child abuse on students’ academic performance. The study attempts to unravel the causes, effects and remedies to child abuse among secondary school students in Lagos State. It was carried out in Bariga Local Government Area of Lagos State. A sample of 100 was randomly drawn from selected secondary schools in the local government and questionnaires were administered to the respondents. The mean percentage test, which was adopted in the study†... Continue reading---
