Effect Of Cognitive Restructuring And Shaping Techniques In Handling Lateness To School Among Secondary School Students

There are some other aspects of negligence by parents. Some parents may refuse to give their children money for transport, even when the home is very far from the school. Also, there are other parents, especially women (housewives) who may still be on bed when it is school opening time and as such may fail to help the child leave for school on time. Some other parents would not even bother to examine the school activities of their children. Iffih (1990) observed that some parents do not have time to examine the lifestyle of their children. Halilu (2001) on his own part asserted that some parents are indifferent to the development or studies of their children.
(ii)    Low Socio-economic Families
Adeloye (2001) opined that some parents, particularly the poor ones usually send their children out of the home to engage in some kind of labour… or to engage in street hawking to supplement the family’s income or even feed themselves. Anagbogu (2002) and Osisioma (1997) were of the view that this sending out of students to hawk in the morning, before going to school, makes them come late to school. By the time a student would have finished selling or hawking in the morning; the student may definitely be late to school.
iii.    Improper Parental Training/Up-bringing
Osisioma (1997) identified improper training as causing lateness to school among secondary school students. Some parents train their children so poorly with the result that some turn out to be spoilt, and thus maladjusted. These students who are pampered have such maladjustment problems as being sluggish in taking their bath, dressing up, taking their breakfast and so may go late to school.
iv.    Family Situation
According to Oni (1986), children from broken homes are most likely to be maladjusted than those from stable homes. When a family is broken, home training becomes defective and supervision may be lacking. Students from this kind of family will be coming late to school. If also the parents of the child or student have been quarreling before the child leaves for school, definitely, the child will be emotionally disturbed and unhappy and this is enough to destabilize or disorganize the child leading to his being late to school (Oni, 1986). In some cases, the child may have been involved in settling the quarrels.
v.    Not Living With Parents
Osisioma (1997, p.32), stated, “There is general tendency to believe that house-helps are maltreated. When the actual children leave home, they are kept behind to tidy up and so they go late to school”. Experience shows that most often these house-helps are arch latecomers.
vi.    Type of Family
According to Osisioma (1997), the type of family a child is brought up in, can cause a child to be late to school. She was of the opinion that laissez-faire types make students develop disobedient attitudes. Some of these students refuse to do any work given to them, and would exchange words with their parents, which may delay their going early to school. There are parents who allow their children to have their way at all times. The word of God warns that a child left to himself bringeth shame to his mother (Proverbs 29: 15). Madukwe (1988) observed that when parents over-indulge their children, the children become spoilt. This results to acts of delinquency, including lateness to school.
vii.    Students Engagement in Domestic Activities in the Morning
Emore (2005) noted that lateness is common among female students because of their involvement in the domestic activities given to them by their parents. By the time a child may have gone to cut grasses for their goats, for instance, before preparing for school, the child is most likely going to be late.
viii.    Genetical/Biological
Green (2007) was of the opinion that lateness could be inherited. He argued that his reason for being late even when he would not like to, was that he inherited some sort of genetic disposition. Parents that have in their blood to go late always can transfer this to their offspring. They have in this way produced children who go late to school.
ix.    Parental Life Style
As noted by Osisioma (1997), young children learn to pattern their parents’ behaviour and that parents who are latecomers to events have children who come late to school.
Obe (1979) affirmed this by saying that child’s behaviour is usually a reflection... and emulation of both parents and teachers.   Children are keen observers and great mimickers, so it will not be surprising that these children (students) copy late-coming behaviour from their parent late-goers and thus go late to school. The Scriptures say “as is the mother, so is her daughter” (Ezekiel 16: 49).
x.    Parent/Guardian Owning a Car
According to Okoye (2001, p.30),
Some habitual latecomers may not be solely responsible for their late coming. The parent who decides to be carrying his or her children or wards to school may be responsible for sending the children and wards to school late because the school goers waiting for him or her in the car are at the mercy of the parent, who drives to the school when it suits him not when it suits the children and wards.
Students who experience this are really in difficulty going to school in time, especially if the school is far from their homes.
xi.    Sending Children on Errand
According to Osisioma (1997), some students are sent on errands, such as sending food to sick relatives and taking the younger relations to school, which delay them from getting to school early. Equally, some others are given too many works to do in the morning before going to school. This can also make students to be late to school.