CHAPTER FIVE
DISCUSSION, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION
Introduction
The purpose of this study is to investigate the consequences of child abuse on students’ academic performance as perceived by their teachers in secondary schools in Ilorin metropolis. A total of 200 teachers participated in the study. The study also sought to establish whether variables such as gender, religion, teacher’s experience and subject area would influence the consequences of child abuse on students’ academic performance.
In the course of carrying out the study, four null hypotheses were generated and tested using the t-test and ANOVA. The main instrument employed for gathering information from the respondents was the questionnaire. Thus, this chapter mainly contains the discussion of the findings, the basic conclusions drawn from the study, the counselling implications of the study, recommendations and the suggestion for further studies.
Discussion
The analysis of the twenty (20) items on consequences of child abuse on student academic performance revealed that item 2 ranked first with a mean score of 3.40 and it states that consequence of child abuse on students’ academic performance leads to poor understanding and assimilation. Item 1 is ranked second (2nd) with a mean score of 3.88 and the item states that the consequence of child abuse on students’ academic performance leads to “lack of concentration in academic programmesâ€. Item 4 is ranked third (3rd) with a mean score of 3.34 and the item states that the consequence of child abuse on students’ academic performance leads to poor performance in examination.
According to Anastasi (1982) a test is a psychological instrument that is essentially an objective and standardized measure of a sample of behaviour. The most common test used at school level is the achievement test which includes the teacher made test and the standardized test that is used to predict the future of an individual’s performance in a future task. A student facing psychological problem will lack proper physical co-ordination in the class, will not be able to participate in group activities, resulting to low rate of learning and all these will lead to poor performance in examination. Item 17 is ranked fourth (4th) with a mean score of 3.32 and the item states that the consequence of child abuse on students’ academic performance leads to development of truancy attitude. I tem 5 is ranked fifth (5th) with a mean score of 3.24 and the item states that the consequence of child abuse on students’ academic performance leads to lack of motivation in academic achievement.
Item 3, 7, 11 and 16 are ranked ninth (6th) with a mean scores of 3.2 respectively and the item respectively states that the consequences of child abuse on students academic performance leads to inactive attitude towards academic activities, inability to develop a good academic processing skills, emotional distress and instability and inability to develop of personal worth.
This agrees with Herbert W. (1990) in his finding that child abuse is any behaviour directed towards a child by a parent, a guardian and family members or another adult that endanger or impairs a child physical or emotional health or development which will eventually affect their academic performance.
Item 13 is ranked tenth (10th) with a mean score of 3.18 and the item states that the consequence of child abuse on students’ academic performance leads to repeated failure due to constant absenteeism. Item 6 is ranked eleventh (11th) with a mean score of 3.16 and the item states that the consequence of child abuse on states that the consequences of child abuse on students’ academic performance leads to manifestation of delinquent behaviours. James (1990), explained that abuse children have little chance of growing up normally. If they survive, they may be mental retarded or physically disturbed or develop psychotic illness as a result, many of battered children become criminals, refuse to attend classes, and involve in delinquent behaviours.
Item 12 is ranked twelveth (12th) with a mean score of 3.1 and the item states that the consequences of child abuse on students’ academic performance leads to psychological imbalance. Item 14 and 20 are ranked 13th with mean score of 3.06 and the items respectively states that the consequence of child abuse on student’s academic performance is that it leads to deviant behaviours and constant development of maladaptive behaviour. Child abuse denies the child the right to education and opportunity to attain full physical and psychological development (Anon, 2002) states that deviant behaviour is behaviour which does not adhere to widely accepted social or cultural norms. Psychologically deviant behaviour is caused by the way and manner a child associates himself with peers. William (2009) refers to maladaptive behaviour to types of behaviours that inhibit a person’s ability to adjust to particular situations, that is why most abused children involve in taking alcohol and abuse drug to control stress and anxiety.
Item 10 is ranked fifteenth (15th) with a mean score of 3.02 and the item states that the consequence of child abuse on student’s academic performance leads to carelessness in handling academic instructions. Item 15 is ranked sixteenth with a means score of 2.90 and the item states that the consequences of child abuse on students’ academic performance leads to lack of manipulative skills. Item 18 is ranked seventeenth (17th) with a mean score of 2.88 and the item states that the consequence of child abuse on students’ academic performance leads to lack of interpersonal relationship.
