CAUSES OF DROPOUT AMONG SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS IN UGHELLI SOUTH LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA OF DELTA

STATE

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

Background to the Study

Education, which has rightly been conceived as

a preparation for life, is a productive activity and an

investment in human resources. A progressive and

welfare state (country) would never ignore its

indisputable need for socialisation of its masses of

which education is considered to be the chief organ

for this purpose. Education is an important

component of economic and social development and

contributes significantly to a country’s progress. It is

considered to be the investment in human capital as

it builds human capabilities, which is a vital nation-

building ingredient. Without spread of literacy, the

1

dream of socio-economic development of the

country can never be realized (Abdul, Q.M.,

Muhammad, A. and Faiza, B., 2004).

According to Abdul etal (2004), Secondary

education is an important sub-sector of the entire

education system. It varies from country to country.

It is the schooling designed for students in the age

bracket of 12-16 years who are enrolled in

secondary schools. Secondary education is a stage

where, a student enters at adolescence, the most

crucial state in one’s personality development. It

comes at a time when a child is in his/her most

impressionable and formative years. At this

particular time, the features of future men, women

and citizens are beginning to appear and require full

encouragement and sympathetic help in the

development.

A common feature observed in most developed

nations is higher attainment in education than the

developing nations. For instance, according to

Egwunyenga and Nwadiani (2004), Britain had 98%

2

education attainment, United States of America 89%

while Nigeria and Sudan had 59% and 33%

respectively as reported by the World Bank (1996)

on development indicators. This properly informed

the reason the Federal Government is seen to have

priority attention to the supply of education in the

first two levels (primary and secondary) as reflected

in the launched Universal Basic Education (UBE)

Scheme in May 2000. A common feature in the

Nigerian educational system in the issue of drop-out.

According to Hornby, A.S. (2008), drop-out means a

person who leaves school or college before they

have finished their studies. It also means one who

withdraws or quits from school or a given social

group.

The rate at which secondary school students

are observed to be leaving school at will to engage

in diverse socio-economic activities calls for

concern. This is with a view to saving scarce

productive resources which would have been put

into alternative use from being wasted on those who

3

will not like to complete their school programmes. It

has been observed by most school administrators

that boys withdraw from school to go into buying

and selling while the girls migrate into urban centers

in search of daily bread. According to Nwadiani

(1998), some parents have preference to menial jobs

done by their wards that brings quick monies to

solve domestic problems. It is also important to note

that besides students dropping from the system,

there are those who are observed to dropout within

the system. These are students that willfully leave

one public school and enter another or from one

public school to a private school (Nwakobi 1990).

In Nigeria, about 7.3 million children dropout of

school, of which 62% are girls (UNICEF 2004). The

same UNICEF report indicates that girls’ primary

school completion rate is far behind that of boys, at

76% compared with 85% for boys. This gender gap

means that millions more girls than boys are

dropping out of school each year. This goes to show

4

that the majority of children not in school are girls.

UNICEF (2003) showed a worrisome report from sub-

Saharan Africa where the number of girls out of

school rose from 20 million in 1990 to 24 million in

2002. The report also indicated that 83% of all girls

out of school in the world live in Sub-Saharan Africa,

South Asia, East Asia and the Pacific. Mohammed

(2004) equally reported that a girl may be withdrawn

from school if a good marriage prospect arises. Early

marriage is a socio-cultural factor that hinders the

girl child’s access to school. Some parents, in an

attempt to protect their teenage daughters, give

them out to wealthy old friends. Some of these girls

who attempt to escape from such forced marriages

end up in disaster. Efforts should be made to ensure

that girls go to school and complete their schooling.

According to Egbochuku (2002), efforts made to

ensure that adolescent girls who re-enrolled in

school are retained with a view to acquiring

education will permanently close the door to poverty

and ignorance and at the same time open that of

5

prosperity in terms of economic buoyancy, social

advancement and civilization. Alika and Egbochuku

(2009) found that the socio-economic status of the

girls imposes considerable constraints upon their

continuing stay in school. In fact, they asserted that

a girl’s particular socio-economic inheritance may

have a direct and important effect on educational

attainment.

Statement of the Problem

It has been noted that drop-out syndrome

among secondary school students constitutes gross

educational wastage to the country and also, that

the victims of the incident are at a loss. The

problem of drop-out rate among secondary school

students in Nigeria has its untold effects on the life

of the individuals and the society in general. It is

quite unfortunate that some parents do not allow

their children to attend school, who engage them in

one form of economic activity or the other.

Recently, high drop-out rate has become a

public outcry. As a result of the above problems, the

6

researcher is disturbed and motivated to investigate

those causes of drop-out and also proffer solutions

to tackle these problems.

The Ughelli South Local Government Area offers

adequate curriculum for its students with many

academic avenues open and available to students,

yet, each year, students drop out of school. Concern

in this matter is felt not only for these youngsters,

but for the Ughelli South Local Government Area,

Delta State, and the nation as a whole. It is the

writer's endeavour to find particular factors or

causes relating to students who drop out in the

Ughelli South Local Government Area.

7

Purpose of the Study

This study sought to determine the major

causes of school dropout among secondary school

students in Ughelli South Local Government Area of

Delta State. Specifically, this study was designed to:

1. Examine whether poverty causes school dropout

among secondary school students in Ughelli South

Local Government Area.

2. Determine whether poor value orientation among

peers cases school dropout.

3. Ascertain whether poor school infrastructure is

causal to school dropout.

4. Determine whether location of school is part of

the causes of school dropout.

Significance of the Study

This study has immense implications for

Nigerian education. The study will throw more light

on the factors responsible students’ dropping out of

secondary school in Ughelli South Local Government

Area of Delta State with an objective of providing

8

solutions which will go a long way in assisting the

concerned or affected area of Delta State,

educational institutions and planners, and parents in

correcting the anomalies.

The research will also assist the management

of secondary schools in Ughelli South Local

Government Area to adopt measures that will put an

end to, or at least reduce the rate of drop-out

among secondary school students in the area.

It is also an attempt to impart upon the youths

in Ughelli South Local Government Area the need to

appreciate education and flee from social vices such

as armed robbery, secret cults etc. which is capable

of disrupting their education. There is also a

systematic approach in assisting in the development

of the secondary schools in the area and also

provide assistance to the educational needs of the

society, and the needs of the Local Government

Area.

The research will therefore, help to determine

the necessary conditions that will be made available

9

to divert the attention of the students from dropping

out of school at all secondary school levels in

Ughelli South Local Government Area and also to

encourage them to hold fast to education.

Scope of the Study

This study was designed to determine the major

causes of school dropout among secondary school

students in Ughelli South Local government Area of

Delta State.

Government secondary schools in the area was

used for the study.

Research Questions

To guide the study, the following research

questions were formulated:

1. How does poverty cause school dropout among

secondary school students in Ughelli South Local

Government Area?

2. In what ways do poor value orientation cause

school dropout among students?

10

3. How has poor school infrastructure caused school

dropout among students?

4. How has location of the school contributed to

dropout among students?

CHAPTER TWO

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

This chapter is discussed under the following

subheadings:

The concept of poverty as it affects dropout

among secondary school student.

Poor value orientation among peers in secondary

school.

Poor school infrastructure in Nigeria education

system.

Location of school dropout among students in

Ughelli South Local Government Area of Delta

State?

Summary of review of related literature

11

The Concept of Poverty as it Affects Dropout

among Secondary School Students

Poverty defies objective definition because of

its multi-dimensional nature; there is yet no

universally accepted definition of poverty. There is

always the difficulty in deciding where to draw the

line between the “poor” and the “non-poor”. Aluko

(1975), refers to poverty as a lack of command over

basic consumption needs, which mean in other

words, that there is an inadequate level of

consumption giving rise to insufficient food, clothing

and/or shelter, and moreover the lack of certain

capacities, such as being able to participate with

dignity in society.

Poverty has been defined as the inability to

attain a minimum standard of living (World Bank

Report, 1990). The report constructed two indices

based on a minimum level of consumption in order

to show the practical aspect of the concept. While

the first index was a country specific poverty line,

the second was global, allowing cross-country

12

comparisons (Walton, 1990). The United Nations has

introduced the use of such other indices as life

expectancy, infant mortality rate, primary school

enrolment ratio and number of persons per

physician. Poverty has also been conceptualized in

both the “relative” and “absolute” sense. This is

generally based on whether relative or absolute

standards are adopted in the determination of the

minimum income required to meet basic life’s

necessities.

The relative conceptualization of poverty is

largely income-based or ultimately so, of which this

work will largely use. Accordingly, poverty depicts a

situation in which a given material means of

sustenance within a given society is hardly enough

for subsistence in that society (Townsend, 1962). In

essence, when considering poverty as a factor that

affects dropout among secondary school students,

the socio-economic condition of such parents is

what is being discussed.

13

Socio-economic status of parents contributes

immensely to school dropout. Students that come

from well-to-do and educated families try to

persevere in school programme overcoming all the

odds on the way to success, while those from poor

and uneducated families do easily succumb to and

thus dropout of the school system (Osagie 2010).

Also, families socio-economic background contribute

to students dropout in secondary schools because

those from the upper and middle classes are more

motivated, encouraged and socialized to value

education in its meaning, while those from lower or

bottom class lack those incentives and education as

a means to an end. When they could not achieve it,

they simply dropout of schools.

Okedara (1979) identified dropout as financial

crisis. They revealed that dropouts are those

students who could not pay their school fees and or

who could not meet financial expenses.

Okorodudu (1993) states that family poverty

breeds deficient satisfaction of basic needs among

14

growing children. When a need is not fulfilled,

people may be frustrated and the resultant

behaviour is aggression, and they may also resort to

stealing to satisfy their basic needs. However,

Scotcon (1965) states that “the socio-economic

status of the students and parent determines the

dropout rates. Students from low income home are

exposed to failure at school than those from high

income homes because, those students from the low

income home are later socialized to value and see

education as a pre-requisite for belonging to the

upper class and prestige. Those from low income

home see education as waste of time and money and

so look for other means of acquiring quick materials

wealth”.

Ukebe (1979) states that the poverty which

include family home standard of living, occupation

of parents, number of persons per house and the

general standard of the neighbourhood are factors

that are often found to be associated with children’s

ability and performance at school.

15

According to Nakpodia (2010), students from

low income families are 2.4 times more likely to

dropout of school than students from middle income

families and 10.5 times more likely than students

from high-income families. All these factors are due

to direct cost of education on parents. This direct

cost includes school fees, cost of uniform,

schoolbooks, school equipment, transportation

system. The ability of each parent to be able to

meet the needs of their wards will determine their

stability in the school. For pupils in rural areas,

transportation cost can easily become the most

expensive element of private cost of education. No

school bus is provided; pupils either walk or use

public transportation, ride bicycle or motor cycle.

Parents admit that this extra expense is something

they cannot afford to come up with on a daily basis

and they would have little to argue if the children

use this as an excuse to stay at home.

16

Poor Value Orientation among Peers in

Secondary School.

Children are precious gifts from God. They need

to be cared for, loved, cherished, adored,

appreciated and understood. Many students have

been misled due to the wrong and poor value

orientation they have among their peers, parents,

society, school e.g. student in most cases are easily

affected by their peers and the type of company

they keep and walk with. These can either make or

mar their education and future life.

It is universally acknowledged that parents lay

the foundation for moral development of their

children. Some students dropout out of school due to

their poor orientation about the value of education.

They however tend to imbibe this kind of orientation

from their parents.

According to Brouillette (1999), some parents

can be unaware of the benefits of education even if

the quality of education and the link between

education and work are as they should be. In the

17

rural areas, where the major source of income is

agriculture, parents may have difficulties imagining

lives for their children that are different from their

own and thus tend to undervalue the potential

benefits of education. Parents have control over

their children, therefore parents’ perception is an

important factor in determining whether or not their

children will attend school. A research conducted by

Faculty of Economics Thammasat University in 2000,

shows that mother’s level of education is a

significant factor in determining whether or not the

children will go to school.

Associated with students’ poor value

orientation and their dropping out of school is what

is called “Locus of control”. Kronick and Hargis

(1998), stated that most research shows that

dropouts report external as opposed to internal

locus of control. The research in locus of control

began with the work of Rotter (1966). He defined a

control orientation as the extent to which an

individual perceives that an event occurs due to

18

one’s own actions (internal locus of control) or due

to luck or chance (external locus of control). Peng,

Lee, Wang, and Walberg (1992) found that locus of

control was a significant predictor of academic

success.

In another development, Kronick and Hargis

(1998) point out that it is commonly accepted that

dropouts have lower self-concepts than graduates

do, at least before they drop out. House (1999),

found that self-beliefs were significant predictors of

school withdrawal. Research has revealed that for

some dropouts, self-concept increases after

dropping out, especially if the environment outside

of school provides more opportunities for status

attainment than does school. This concept of “strain

theory” was named by Merton (1957), who explains

that “deviant behavior acts as a result of the

malintegration of cultural ends and societal means”

(Kronick & Hargis, 1998). As cited by Whaley and

Smyer (1998), students view academic performance

as less relevant to their global self-esteem than

19

their middle-class counterparts do (e.g., Hare, 1981,

1985; Jordan, 1981; Mboya, 1986). These youth

invest more of their self-esteem in peer-related

activities (Hare, 1985). Another area these youths

may invest their self-esteem is job competence. A

major reason students give for dropping out is that

they have to work (Tidwell, 1988). As cited by House

(1999), some research suggests self-perceptions

may be mediating factors between risk factors for

dropping out and whether or not students stay in

school.

Finn and Rock (1997) found that students with

low grades who persist in high school show higher

levels of self-esteem. Vallerand, Fortier, & Guay

(1997) found that dropouts showed a lack of self-

determined motivation when compared to students

who persisted in school. Numerous studies have

found a significant relationship between academic

self-concept and subsequent grade performance

(e.g., House, 1993a, 1997; Marsh & Yeung, 1997;

Mboya, 1986; Vrugt, 1994).

20

There is also the perception of some students

that in a country like Nigeria, where graduates are

not employed after their graduation from school

tend to drop out from school, and probably sought

to the informal sector for job acquisition like

“roadside technicians” or “mechanics”.

According to Wilson (1980), work provides an

opportunity to assume adult roles. The perspective

that schooling does not improve one’s chances of

gaining employment in an “unjust society” may

motivate students to drop out (Wolfstetter-Kausch &

Gaier, 1981).

From the foregoing, students tend drop out of

school when such orientation has been passed on to

them by their parents.

Poor School Infrastructure in Nigeria Education

System as it Affects Dropout Rate of Students

Education in Nigeria, which is regarded as an

instrument for social change, is bedevilled with

wastage in the form of building structures and

inadequate facilities cause students’ dropout. Many

21

students in our secondary school system do not want

to go to school because of the overcrowding of

students in the schools. This can lead to suffocating

of the students in a particular classroom.

The importance of school infrastructure to

students’ learning cannot be overemphasized. In an

era of increased graduation requirements, schools

are finding it more important to prevent students

from dropping out of school instead of meeting the

advanced expectations (Viadero, 2001). As with the

issues of academic achievement, students’

attendance and student’s behavior, school size

(population) has shown to have an impact upon a

student’s decision to remain in a secondary school

or to dropout (Lee & Burkam, 2001). Lee and

Burkam (2001) note that, along with curriculum and

social relation variables, schools with large

population and little infrastructure to complement

such large population tend to see more students

drop out prior to graduation than their smaller

counterparts. This incident of students dropout is

22

more prevalent in rural areas than the urban areas,

where there are poor school infrastructure and the

rate students are withdrawing from the school

system is high.

Studies are beginning to surface that expose

facility-related instructional and curricular strategies

that deter students from leaving school

prematurely. A Georgia study showed that

technology integrated into the classroom and

allowing for more real life applications in the

classroom decreased dropout rates (Wright, 1997). A

Louisiana study found that students’ dropout rates

were impacted by how grade levels were configured

within school buildings (Franklin & Glascock, 1996).

The Nigerian government should work on the

transition rates from primary school into junior

secondary school, which are low compared to 100

percent transiting rate envisaged under the

country’s education scheme. Although, there has

been a slight increase in transition rates,

opportunities for entering into junior secondary

23

school are limited. Nations data shows that more

than half of the children who would have been

admitted are denied admission due to unavailability

of space. This can be explained by lack of adequate

school structure. In many cases, the great distance

to school is a major obstacle to enrolment. In

addition, those enrol in school either dropout or

attend irregularly. In 1996, only 33% of the students

completed junior secondary school.

Location of school as a Contributor to dropout

among Students in Ughelli South Local

Government Area of Delta State?

In most rural areas, the odds that a student will

dropout of secondary school increases with increase

in the distance a student moves to school. Students

traveling long distances to school are more likely to

dropout of school (Mukungu, 2004). Whereas

distance was found to be insignificant in influencing

dropout for urban households, it is generally

significant in rural areas. This phenomenon could be

attributed to the easier access to schools in urban

24

areas as compared to rural areas. The influence of

distance to school on the chances of dropout is more

pronounced among the younger students (boys and

girls).

According to Begi (2000), as a result of

insecurity due to the long distance, threats to

personal and physical security can make students

drop out of school. Students and their parents

sometimes found it difficult to attend school and/or

to enforce school attendance because of lack of

guarantees to the physical security along the road

of students attending school. Major among the

threats against physical security was the issue of

rape and this mostly affected female children.

According to Begi, in Kenya, parents in both

Viwandani and Korogocho sometimes withdraw their

children from school for fear that the children might

be raped on their way to school. This fear was

expressed by all the students regardless of gender.

In Korogocho region of Kenya, it was pointed out

that at least three people were raped every week in

25

the community and some of those raped were

victims of gang rapes. Research from other slum

areas in Nairobi (e.g. Kibera) corroborates that girls

have a heightened fear of being raped, with 60

percent of girls interviewed by the Population

Council in Kibera expressing a fear of being raped

(Erulkar and Matheka 2007).

In a related development, according to

Durdhawale (2004), Slum residents in city areas also

regarded longer distances to school as heightening

security threats. The longer the distance to school,

the less physically secure the children were deemed

to be. Children felt vulnerable if they had to pass

through insecure areas such as bushes or had to use

public transport or get transport from private

motorists on the road. Since local schools are over-

subscribed, children have to look for places

elsewhere. These children would then have to walk

long distances to school.

Most parents pointed out that because the local

schools were full they had to register their children

26

at other schools. This also meant that their children

would be more exposed to the dangers associated

with schooling far away from home. They pointed

out that some children had been kidnapped and

later found murdered, and in most cases the culprits

were not caught. Parents felt that the school could

not provide a protective environment for their

children. This reluctance to send children to school

fearing for their safety can be understood in the

context of Kenyan society where rape victims are

stigmatized (Begi 2000).

27

CHAPTER THREE

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

This chapter specifically dealt with the method

used in conducting the study. It includes the

following:-

Research Design

Area of Study

Population of the Study

Sample and Sampling Technique

Instrument for Data Collection

Validity of the Instrument

Reliability of the Instrument

Method of Data Collection and

Method of Data Analysis.

Research Design

A descriptive survey design was adopted for the

study. This was manifest in the nature of the study.

The opinions of the various people concerned are

sought to provide answers to the research questions.

28

Area of the Study

This study was carried out in Ughelli South

Local Government Area of Delta State.

Population of the Study

The population for this study comprises of all

250 teachers from the ten secondary schools in

Ughelli South Local Government Area of Delta State.

Sample and Sampling Techniques

The instrument used for data collection in this

study was a structured questionnaire developed by

the researcher titled “Causes of Dropout Among

Secondary School Students in Ughelli South Local

Government Area of Delta State”. The questionnaire

was made up to two parts: part one sought

information on personal data of the respondents,

while part two had 4 sub-sections. Each research

question had 5 question items. Thus the

questionnaire contained 20 question items. The

question items were designed using the four (4)

point modified likert scale of Strongly Agree (SA) 4

29

points, Agree (A) 3 points, Disagree (D) 2 points,

Strongly Disagree (SD) 1 point.

Validation of the Instrument

The structured questionnaire was given to three

experts in the Department of Educational

Foundations of Ebonyi State University (EBSU) for

validation. The three experts restructured the items

which helped to ensure that the items measure

exactly the expected constructs.

Reliability of the Instrument

The researcher had to test and retest ten

teachers from Ughelli South Local Government Area

to ascertain the reliability of the questionnaire. The

researcher visited five secondary schools in Ughelli

South and administered the questionnaire to ten

teachers out of 250 teachers in the five secondary

schools. the results from the five test yielded 0.74

after correlation using Pearson’s Product. Moment

correlation procedure.

30

Method of Data Collection

The researcher paid a visit to all the selected

schools for the distribution and collection of the

copies of questionnaire. The researcher did

administer the copies and waited patiently for the

collection. This helped to eliminate instrumental

mortality.

Method of Data Analysis

Frequency count and mean were used to

analyze the data collected. The formula for

calculation the mean was:

Where, summation sign

= Summation sign

f = frequency

x = nominal/observation

N = total No. of response

= mean value

31

Decision Rule

An item stands accepted if it scores a mean of

2.5 and above, while an items scoring less than 2.5

stands rejected.

32

CHAPTER FOUR

DATA PRESENTATION AND ANALYSIS

The chapter deals with the presentation and

interpretation of data collected and seventy-eight

copies were distributed by hand by the researcher

and were returned.

Research Question One

How does poverty cause school dropout among

secondary school students in Ughelli South Local

Government Area?

Table 1: Effect of poverty on school dropout.

S/N VARIABLE SA

4

A

3

D

2

S

D

1

TOTA

L NO

DECISIO

N

1. Poverty is a major cause of

school dropout.

11

0

44

0

35

10

5

-

-

33

33

178

578 3.2

5

Agree

2. Poverty makes it impossible for

student to pay their fees.

83

33

2

56

16

8

15

30

-

-

178

602 3.3

8

Agree

3. Parent’s poverty influence

school dropout.

78

31

2

56

16

8

15

29

29

29

178

539 3.0

3

Agree

4. Parental poverty makes it

impossible for them to pay

10

6

43 19 - 178

33

their school bills.

42

4

15

9

38 - 621 3.4

9

Agree

5. Poverty is not a factor that

cause school dropout.

30

12

0

26

78

81

16

2

41

41

178

401 2.2

5

Disagree

Table 1 shows the mean response of the

respondents on the effect of poverty on school

dropout. From the above analysis, it shows that

poverty is a major cause of school dropout. This is

evident in item 1 of the above table with an average

mean of 3.25, indicating a large number of

respondents attesting that poverty is a major cause

of school dropout in Ughelli South Local Government

Area.

In item 2, the respondents also agree that

poverty makes it impossible for student to pay their

fees. Therefore, there is every tendency to prove

that the problems brought about by difficulty in the

payment of school fees can make students to

dropout from secondary schools. With a mean of

34

3.38, respondents agreed that poverty makes it

impossible for students to pay their fees.

Also in items 4 and 5, with an average mean of

3.03, and 3.49, show that the respondents agree

that parent’s poverty influence school dropout and

parental poverty makes it impossible for them to

pay their school bills.

However, in item 5, respondents disagree to the

fact that poverty is not a factor that cause school

dropout. This is revealed from their mean score of

2.25.

Research Question Two

How does poor value orientation cause school

dropout among students?

Table 2: Influence of poor value orientation on school dropout.

S/N VARIABLE SA

4

A

3

D

2

S

D

1

TOTA

L NO

X DECISIO

N

6. Poor value orientation from

parents influences student from

school dropout

10

3

41

2

56

16

8

1

0

2

0

9

9

178

609 3.42 Agree

7. Lower self-concept influences

school dropout.

59 77 2 21 178

35

23

6

23

1

1

4

2

21 530 2.98 Agree

8. Inability of students to model

good and responsible characters

influence school dropout.

97

38

8

46

13

8

2

9

5

8

6

6

178

390 3.31 Agree

9. Unnecessary display of riches by

illiterates influences school

dropout.

61

24

4

91

27

3

9

1

8

11

11

178

546 3.07 Agree

10. Improper orientation affect

student with deviant behaviour

and this leads to school

dropout.

8

34

8

35

10

5

2

3

4

6

33

33

178

532 2.99 Agree

Table 2 shows the mean responses of the

respondents on the influence of poor value

orientation from parents on school dropout. It shows

that poor value orientation influence student

dropping out from school was a major factor. This is

because it has the highest mean score of 3.42. In

item 7, respondents agreed to the fact that students

dropout from school due to lower self-concept. This

is indicated with a mean score of 2.98. Item 8,

clearly proved the inability of students to model

36

good and responsible characters to stop them from

dropping out from school with an average mean

score of 3.31. In items 9 and 10, respondents agreed

to the item questions with mean scores of 3.07 for

item 9 and 2.99 for item question 10.

37

Research Question Three

How does poor school infrastructure cause

school dropout among student?

Table 3: How poor school infrastructure cause school dropout.

S/N VARIABLE SA

4

A

3

D

2

SD

1

TOTA

L NO

X DECISIO

N

11. Lack of school structure

cause student dropout

11

3

45

3

36

10

8

9

18

20

20

178

578 3.36 Agree

12. Insufficient

infrastructure cause

discomfort among

students and influence

them to dropout.

62

24

8

14

4

41

82

27

27

178

507 2.81 Agree

13. Availability of requisite

infrastructure in schools

attract student to

schools.

6

24

16

2

48

6

5

10

5

5

178

525 2.95 Agree

14. Lack of adequate

laboratory contributes to

school dropout.

11

0

44

0

35

10

5

-

-

35

10

5

178

- 2.95 Agree

15. Inadequate learning

facilities cause school

dropout.

98

39

2

59

17

2

21

42

-

-

178

- 3.43 Agree

38

Table 3 shows how poor school infrastructure

cause school dropout. In item 11, the respondents

agree that lack of school structure cause students to

dropout from school, with an average mean of 3.36.

Furthermore, item 12 clearly showed that

insufficient infrastructure causes discomfort among

students and influence them to dropout. The

respondents agree with an average mean of 2.81.

Also in item 13, respondents agree that

availability of requisite infrastructure in schools

attract students to schools and prevents them from

dropping out from school. The respondents agreed

with an average mean of 2.95.

Item 14 of the above table indicate lack of

adequate laboratory contributes to school dropout.

This is because it leads to students’ poor academic

performances thereby leading to dropout situation.

The respondents agreed to this item with an average

mean of 2.95 of the above table.

39

Research Question Four

How has location of the school contributed to

dropout among students?

Table 4: Effect of the location of the school on students dropping out of school.

S/N VARIABLE SA

4

A

3

D

2

SD

1

TOTA

L NO

X DECISIO

N

16. Distance influences dropout

of school.

81

32

4

72

21

6

14

28

11

11

178

179 3.25 Agree

17. Fear of being raped due to

long distance to school

cause students to drop from

school.

10

3

41

2

23

69

31

62

21

21

178

564

3.17 Agree

18. Fear of being attacked by

animals along bush parts

due to long distance to

school cause students to

drop from school.

11

2

44

8

20

60

36

72

10

10

178

539 3.31 Agree

19. Long distance cause

students to go late to

school and eventually cause

the to dropout

96

38

4

18

54

12

24

52

52

178

514 2.89 Agree

20. Inability to pay transport to

school due to long distance

to school cause student to

dropout from school.

25

10

0

15

45

38

76

10

0

10

0

178

669 3.19

Agree

40

Table 4 clearly shows the effect on the position

of the school as a strengthening factor towards

school dropout.

in Ughelli South Local Government Area. These were

proved by the respondents in the various schools.

From the above table. It shows that distance

influences dropout of school. The respondents agree

with an average mean of 3.25, in item 16.

In item 17, fear of being raped due to long

distance to school causes students to drop from

school., with a mean score of 3.17. This is because,

students will see no reason for continuing schooling

if they are not secured on their way to school. That

is going to school would almost be the same as not

going to school.

Also students responded positively to items 18

on the issue of fear of being attacked by animals

along bush parts due to long distance to school, with

mean score of 3.31.

Furthermore, students attested to the fact that

teachers usually punish them severely due to their

41

coming late to school, which is as a result of the

long distance they have to travel to come to school,

which thus cause them to drop out from school (item

19), with a mean score of 2.81.

In item 20, students disagreed that they

dropout from school if they are unable to pay

transport to school due to long distance to school

and from school. This is indicated with a mean score

of 1.80.

Summary of Findings

From table 1, it is obvious in items 1,2,3,4, and

5, that respondents agree that poverty is a major

reason why students dropout from school.

From the analysis in Table 2, it is observed that

in items 6,7,8,9, and 10, that respondents agree on

the following as factors that cause students to

dropout from school; poor value orientation of

student from parents, lower self-concept, inability of

students to model good and responsible characters,

Unnecessary display of riches by illiterates and

42

improper orientation affect student with deviant

behaviour.

From the analysis in Table 3, items 11, 12, 13,

14 and 15, respondents agree that poor school

infrastructure cause school dropout.

Finally, from the analysis in Table 4, the

location of school with respect to students homes is

a strengthening factor towards school dropout was

revealed. This indication was brought by the

acceptance of items 16, 17, 18, 19, and 20, with

mean scores that are above 2.5 cut-off mark.

43

CHAPTER FIVE

DISCUSSION OF FINDINGS, CONCLUSIONS AND

RECOMMENDATIONS

Discussion of Findings

Effect of poverty on school dropout

Poverty could be said to be one of the causes of

school dropout. From table 1 in chapter four,

findings has it that respondents agree that poverty

is a major reason why students dropout from school.

From the findings, poverty nature of parents makes

students unable to pay their school fees, thereby

making them to dropout from school. Okedara

(1979) corroborated this reason, who identified

dropout as financial crisis. He revealed that

dropouts are those students who could not pay their

school fees and or who could not meet financial

expenses.

44

Influence of Poor Value Orientation on School

Dropout

It was observed from the findings in chapter

four that poor value orientation equally contributes

to school dropout. This is indicated in the responses

to item questions in table 2 of chapter four. The

respondents agreed among other things that the

kind of orientation students receive from their

parents are poor, and as such encourage them to

dropout from school. Such parents don’t see any

value in education. This is in line with what

Brouillette (1999) stated that, some parents can be

unaware of the benefits of education even if the

quality of education and the link between education

and work are as they should be. In the rural areas,

where the major source of income is agriculture,

parents may have difficulties imagining lives for

their children that are different from their own and

thus tend to undervalue the potential benefits of

education.

45

Poor school infrastructure in Nigeria education

system.

In table 3 of chapter four, the position of the

school management as a strengthening factor

towards students’ from school was analysed. The

findings revealed that certain factors such as; lack

of school infrastructure amongst others contribute to

why students dropout from school. In line with the

above, Wright (1997) showed that technology

integrated into the classroom and allowing for more

real life applications in the classroom decreased

dropout rates.

Location of school as a Contributor to dropout

among Students in Ughelli South Local

Government Area of Delta State?

In table 4 of chapter four, the location of school

as a contributor to dropout among students from

school was analysed. The major findings on this item

showed that students indicated that they were

afraid of their security situation along the long

distance walk to school. This is because, some

46

students were being attacked along the way to

school, some girls being raped.

In line with the above, Begi (2000) stated that

as a result of insecurity due to the long distance to

school, threats to personal and physical security can

make students drop out of school.

Educational Implications of the Study

From the findings of this study, the following

are the educational implications of the study:

1. Counsellors should identify indigent students,

who are likely to dropout of school as a result of

poverty, and help negotiate some form of

scholarship or financial assistance for them.

Adolescent girls who are not doing well

academically should be identified by the

counsellors and remedial classes should be

organized for them.

2. Guidance counsellors should also be

introduced into the school system in order to

change the value orientation and character of

students. This is to prevent poor value orientation

47

of student from parents, lower self-concept,

inability of students to model good and

responsible characters etc cause students to

dropout of school.

3. The Ministry of Education at the state level

should endeavour to improve on school

infrastructure and make the school environment

conducive for learning.

4. Finally, Government should locate schools

centrally in order for it to be easy for students to

easily go to school within treckable distance from

their homes.

Recommendations

Based on the following, the researcher wish to

recommend that:

1. Principals of secondary school should ensure that

school equipment are taken proper care of, any

damaged materials such as desks, tables, chairs

etc should be repaired properly. This will make

school equipment last longer.

48

2. Parents should be educated on the effects of their

children’s life, by meeting their financial needs.

3. The government should pursue a genuine program

of poverty alleviation and economic empowerment

of parents so that they would be able to send their

children to school.

4. The government can intensify public

enlightenment campaign to educate the public on

the importance of education and the

consequences of school dropout, and that money

is not everything. The government should not

overlook the school dropouts rather establish

secondary schools and skilled teachers. Parents

should inculcate n their children the worth of

education through empowerment with

consequential greatness as long-term benefit.

5. Education should be deployed to help the youths

appreciate principles, opinions, manners, talents,

because the power of education is knowledge and

a nation without education is powerless or dead.

49

And the absence of education produces crude

leaders that lack sound education.

Limitations of the Study

In an attempt to make the exercise a successful

one, the researcher was faced with a lot of

obstacles, which formed the limitation of the study.

The researcher encountered the following

constraints.

1. Firstly, the researcher had the problem of

equality, which means that she was not given

adequate access to the local government offices

of some of the high administration in that area.

2. Another limitation or a major constraint

suffered by the researcher is the attitude of the

respondents for example; some of the

respondents were feeling so reluctant in

completing the questionnaires administered to

them. Whereas some who filled theirs fail to

return in time to the researcher so, it is so

problematic in the sense that it turned that plan

of the study in eliciting useful information.

50

There is no research work that does not require

money, so the researcher also suffered from

insufficient finance with which to travel to other

institutions for relevant materials.

Suggestions for Further Study

The following are suggested for further studies:

1. There should be a study on the influence of

high male drop-out rate among secondary school

students in this same local government area.

2. There should be a study aimed at unravelling

ways by which the negative trend of high male

drop-out rate among secondary school students

could be reversed in the area.

Summary of the Study

The focus of this study was to find out the

causes of dropout among secondary school students

in Ughelli South Local Government Area of Delta

State. Four research questions were posed to test

the causes of dropout among secondary school

51

students. Related literatures were reviewed in the

course of the research. The result of the findings

showed that parental socio-economic background,

poor value orientation of students, poor school

infrastructure and location of school are those

factors that cause dropout among secondary school

students in Ughelli South Local Government Area of

Delta State.

Conclusion

The findings of the study revealed some of the

factors that cause students to dropout of secondary

school in Ughelli South Local Government Area of

Delta State. It is the researchers opinion that if

those identified problems will be properly addressed

by the government and educational authorities in

Delta State, the rate of dropout among secondary

school students will be definitely eliminated to

increase the rate at which secondary school

students attend schools and minimize wastage of

government funds in Delta State.

52

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