1

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 countrys 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 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 ones 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% 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), dropout 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 will It not has like been to complete by their most school school

programmes.

observed

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 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 childs 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 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 girls 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 researcher is disturbed and motivated to investigate those causes of drop-out 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. and also proffer solutions to tackle these

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 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 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?
3. How has poor school infrastructure caused school dropout

among students?
4. How has location of the school contributed to dropout

among students?

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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 school.

orientation among peers in

secondary

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

The Concept of Poverty as it Affects Dropout among Secondary School Students

Poverty defies objective definition because of its multidimensional 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

11

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 United cross-country Nations has

comparisons

(Walton,

1990).

The

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 lifes 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

12

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. Socio-economic status of parents contributes

immensely to school dropout. Students that come from wellto-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

13

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 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

14

the neighbourhood are factors that are often found to be associated with childrens ability and performance at school. 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.

15

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 rural areas, where the major source of income is agriculture, parents may have difficulties

16

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 mothers 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 ones 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.

17

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 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

18

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 selfesteem. 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). 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 ones chances of gaining employment in an unjust society may motivate students to drop out (WolfstetterKausch & Gaier, 1981).

19

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 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 students behavior, school size (population) has shown to have an impact upon a students

20

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 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 facilityrelated 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,

21

which are low compared to 100 percent transiting rate envisaged under the countrys education scheme. Although, there has been a slight increase in transition rates, opportunities for entering into junior secondary 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

22

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 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 the community and

23

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 oversubscribed, 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 at other schools. This also meant that their children would be more exposed to the dangers associated with schooling far away

24

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).

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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.

26

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

27

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 Pearsons Product. Moment correlation procedure.

28

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:
x= fx N

Where,

summation sign = Summation sign f x = frequency = nominal/observation

N = total No. of response

x

= mean value

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.

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4 + 3 + 2 + 1 10 = = 2.5 4 4

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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 secondary does poverty cause in school dropout South among Local

school

students

Ughelli

Government Area?

Table 1: Effect of poverty on school dropout.

S/N 1. 2. 3. 4. VARIABLE Poverty is a major cause of school dropout. Poverty makes it impossible for student to pay their fees. Parents poverty influence school dropout. Parental poverty makes it impossible for them to pay their 5. school bills. Poverty is not a factor that cause school dropout. 424 159 38 30 26 81 120 78 41 621 178 401 3.49 Agree 2.25 Disagree SA A D 2 SD 1 33 33 29 29 TOTAL NO 178 578 178 602 178 539 178 3.25 Agree 3.38 Agree 3.03 Agree

DECISION

4 3 110 35

440 105 83 56 15 332 168 30 78 56 15 312 168 29 106 43 19

162 41

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Table 1 shows the mean response of the respondents on the e ffect 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 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 parents poverty influence school dropout and parental poverty makes it impossible for them to pay their school bills.

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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 6. VARIABLE Poor value orientation from parents influences student from school 7. 8. dropout Lower self-concept influences school dropout. Inability of students to model good and responsible characters influence 9. 10. school dropout. Unnecessary display of riches by illiterates influences school dropout. Improper orientation affect student with deviant behaviour and this leads to school dropout. 348 105 46 33 532 2.99 Agree 388 138 58 6 61 91 9 11 244 273 18 11 8 35 23 33 390 178 546 178 3.31 3.07 Agree Agree SA A D SD TOTA L NO 178 609 178 530 178 2.98 Agree 3.42 Agree X DECISION

4 3 103 56

2 1 10 9

412 168 20 9 59 77 21 21

236 231 42 21 97 46 29 6

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

33

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 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.

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Research Question Three How does poor school infrastructure cause school dropout among student?

Table 3: How poor school infrastructure cause school dropout.

S/N 11. 12. VARIABLE Lack of school structure cause student dropout Insufficient infrastructure cause discomfort among students and influence 13. them to dropout. Availability of requisite infrastructure in schools 14. attract student to schools. Lack of adequate laboratory contributes to school 15. dropout. Inadequate learning facilities cause school dropout. 392 172 42 3.43 Agree 440 105 98 59 21 105 178 2.95 Agree 24 486 10 110 35 5 35 525 178 2.95 Agree 248 144 82 6 162 5 27 5 507 178 2.81 Agree SA A D 2 9 SD 1 20 20 27 TOTA L NO 178 578 178 3.36 Agree X DECISION 4 3 113 36

453 108 18 62 41

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

35

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.

36

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 16. 17. VARIABLE Distance influences dropout of SA 4 81 A 3 72 D 2 14 SD 1 11 11 21 21 10 10 TOTA L NO 178 179 178 564 178 539 3.31 Agree 3.25 3.17 412 69 112 20 448 60 62 36 72 Agree Agree X DECISION

school. 324 216 28 Fear of being raped due to long 103 23 31 distance to school cause students to drop from school. Fear of being attacked by animals along bush parts due to long distance to school cause students to drop from school. Long distance cause students to go late to school and

18.

19.

96

18

12 24 38

52

178 2.89 Agree

20.

eventually cause the to dropout 384 54 Inability to pay transport to 25 15 school due to long distance to school cause student to dropout from school. 100 45

52 514 100 178

Agree 76 100 669 3.19

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

37

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 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

38

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 selfconcept, inability of students to model good and responsible characters, Unnecessary display of riches by illiterates and 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

39

was brought by the acceptance of items 16, 17, 18, 19, and 20, with mean scores that are above 2.5 cut-off mark.

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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.

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.

41

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 dont 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.

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

42

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 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:

43

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 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.

44

Recommendations
Based on 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. 2. Parents should be educated on the effects of their childrens 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 the following, the researcher wish to

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.

45

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. 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

46

sense that it turned that plan of the study in eliciting useful information. 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

47

secondary

school

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.

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