Abstract

The main objectives of the study were to find out “the impact of Single Parenting on the academic outcome of students in Secondary schools”. This comes at the time when the divorce of parents greatly affects the way students see themselves and how it affects their academic performance.

The sampling technique used was the simple random sampling technique. Data was collected from some of the parents using the questionnaire, descriptive survey design, and presenting the information on frequency distribution tables. some recommendations that students, teachers, parents, and school authorities should take into consideration respectively; students should belong to a positive administration and teachers should create a friendly atmosphere that will motivate students to work in groups and set rules and regulations so as to avoid low self-esteem.

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background Of The Study

  1.1.1 Historical Background Of The Study

According to Wikipedia, (https://en.miwikipedia.org wiki single parent) 2015. Historically due to parental mortality rate (due to diseases, wars, and maternal mortality). Historically estimates indicate that in French, English, Spanish villages in the 17th and 18th centuries one-third of children lost one of their parents during childhood.

In the 19th century, MILAN about half of all children lost one parent at least one parent by age 15years. Divorce was generally rare historically (although this depends on culture and era), divorce especially became very difficult to obtain after the fall of the Roman Empire, in medieval Europe due to strong involvement of ecclesiastical courts in family life (though annulment and other forms of separation were more common).

According to Wikipedia (2010) the year 1980 United States census reported that 19.5% of children were single-parent households. About 16% of children worldwide lived in single-parent households. In 2006, 12.9million families in the United States were headed by a single parent, 80% of which were headed by a female. Areas, where there is an extremely high number of children living in single-parent homes, include Africa, Europe, Latin America. North America and Oceania.

Nyarko (2007), with experience of separation, divorce, or death does not perform well or achieve academically. When both parents are present, it implies that the child would obtain the most care. However, when one of the parents is absent in a child’s life, a gap is created as the parent is absent in a child’s life, a gap is created as the child would lose the support that would lose the support that would emanate from that parent. Salami and alamode (2000) have asserted that single parenting results from the separation of various kinds, divorce, having children from wedlock, or death of one spouse which leaves the roles in the hands of a single parent.

Researchers in the United States have consistently found the effects of single-parent families on the child’s educational achievement. For example, reviewing research results from large longitudinal data (zill, 1996) found that students from nuclear intact families had the best academic performance, while students from alternative family types such as stepparent families and single-parent families performed not so well.

Children who are raised in a single-parent family home risk of not reaching their full potential. However, the performance of students from stepparent families became that of single-parent families (sander, 2001)

Similarly, Han and Haung (2000) in their study on college attendance and education expenditure in Taiwan also found that in Taiwan children in single-parent families had a lower rate of attending college than that from intact families.

The research was done by Amoakohene (2013) in Ghana on the relationship between single parenting and academic performance of adolescents in senior high school, found that there are some problems that are exceptional, which create difficulties to raise children. These problems include bitterness towards the absent spouse, loneliness, poverty, and insecurity about raising children alone without help. The research concluded that academic performance and single parenting and negatively related, hence the more cases of single parenting the poorer the academic performance.

In Tanzania, the study conducted by mrinde (2014) about challenges that students with single parents face in attaining secondary school education in Buea municipal, realized that challenges that single parented students face in attaining secondary education are not only multiple but also self-contradictory. They are complex because no single challenge is without connecting to the other.

Therefore the challenges revealed are economic hardship, lack of parental care, lack of supervision and monitoring, lack of guidance and counseling, and socialization. It was also revealed that these have affected single-parented student’s educational attainment as they have poor academic performance, poor attendance, drop out of school, and engaging in bad behaviors. In view of the finding, sit was recommended that single-parent students who are living in economic hardship must be identified so as to be helped by the government in the payment of the fees.

The study conducted by bashagh (2015) on the relationship between parental involvement in the learning process and students’ academic performance in selected secondary in Arusha City, revealed that low income, teachers attitude towards parents, parents attitudes towards teachers, personal commitments on work, and poor communication between teachers and parents were factors hindering parents involvement in the learning process and students’ academic performance in secondary schools in Buea municipality, therefore the researcher aimed at assessing the effect of single parenting on students’ academic performance in public secondary schools in Buea municipality as a research gap.

1.1.2 Contextual Background Of The Study

Single-parenting is a very important social issue that can have significant effects on a student’s academic success. Children who are raised in a single-family home are at risk of not reaching their full potential. (http:en.wikipedia.org. wiki/single-parent) updated 2015.  Students within our educational system encounter many challenges in their family lives that they bring with them into the classroom.

The family structure ideally provides a sense of security and stability that is necessary for students. When there is a breakdown in the family structure, it may have a tremendous impact on a child academically. In most situations, ordinarily or achieve academically. In most situations, the children no longer have two parents to depend on. Therefore, they have to rely on one parent to meet most, if not all their needs.

With limited finances, time and availability, parents are less likely to provide the adequate support a child needs to perform to the best of their ability. This is not to say, necessarily that the parent raising them is not providing them with more than adequate love and attention, but rather the single parent model within itself is comprised of many different factors that can affect a child’s level of academic success. (http://.en.wikipedia.org.wiki/single parent)

Some of these factors are:

The absence of the other adult may interrupt a child’s natural growth and development.

• Students may be inadvertently forced to grow up as they take on the duties of the absent adult.
• Limited time and income become an issue as in how much time is focused on homework or whether money is spent to build schema enjoying cultural activities.
• Educational goals and aspirations may not be set as high.

According to Kitange (2011), it is found out that in most regions within Kenya, children living with one parent were less likely to be in school at age 17 compared to those with both parents.

Another recent study carried out in the Coast, Nyanza, Rift valley, and North Eastern Kenya by Otieno in 2010 found out that children living in a single-parent home had a significant risk factor to manifest violent behaviors and they may therefore extend these violent behaviors into their school milieu which may affect them academically.

1.2   Statement Of The Problem

The increase of single-parent families causes an increase in psychosocial problems and illness associated with stress, divorce, separation, and lone parenting have now surpassed death as a cause of single-parent families. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov>articles. Currently, 88% of these families are headed by women. For the first time in history, children are most likely to live in a single-parent family for reasons other than the death of a parent. One in four children is born with their mothers not married usually teenage mothers. (http:en.ikipedia.org.wiki/single parent)

Given the difficulties, the single parent goes through to meet with the demands of their students to go through school. Although researchers have illustrated the fallacy of the model minority image affixed to Asian Americans (e.g occupational attainment) few have investigated the specific variations that exist across Asian American students from the 1992 wave of the National Educational Longitudinal Study (NELS), the authors examine variation in educational performance among students of Chinese, Filipino, Korean, Southeast Asian, and Japanese ethnicities.

Overall, they find significant differences in educational performance across these five Asian American groups, Religion, use of non-English language at home, levels of parental education, number of siblings, family income, and the unavailability of educational materials at home differentiate affected student performance, view at journals.sagepub.com.

Students are unable to reach their full potential as the single parent model rapidly becomes the norm, it is necessary to find a way to address these issues such as Divorce, Death of a partner. Unwanted pregnancy etc. so as to provide students and parents with solutions to help them achieve to their highest ability.

1.3 Main Research Questions

1.3.1 Specific Research Questions

1. How does a single parent’s financial status affect students’ academic outcomes?
2. What is the impact of parent’s separation on students’ academic outcomes?

1.4 Objectives Of The Study

1.4.1 General Objective

The purpose of the study is to investigate the effects of single-parenting on students’ academic outcomes in a secondary school in the Buea Municipality.

1.4.2 Specific Objectives

1. To examine how a single parent’s financial status affects students’ academic outcomes.
2. To ascertain the level of impact of parents’ separation on students’ academic outcomes.

 Further Readings

THE EFFECTS OF SINGLE PARENTING ON THE PSYCHOSOCIAL DEVELOPMENT OF STUDENTS IN THE BUEA MUNICIPALITY