The State of the Home and Academic Performance of Secondary School Children in Nigeria

Abstract

The focus of this paper is more on children’s academic outcome when challenges like divorce occur in the home, and the emphasis is on children in secondary school level of education in Nigeria which are usually children aged 11 to 16 years. The primary environment of the child is the home and this can exert tremendous impact on students’ achievement. The home is the primary agent of education, thus, the way the child lives, the food he/she eats and his/her life style are influenced by the home. Parent/child interactions are forces that can lead to better academic performance. Home in this context refers to a union of a man and a woman in marriage with children, all living together in the same house. The paper focuses on the academic achievement of children from such homes as against the academic achievement of children where the parents are no longer married and not living in the same house with their children. In order to differentiate this, two types of homes, the term “unbroken” and “broken” home, are used which is a common perlance for such homes in Nigeria where the study is carried out. Furthermore, the home (family) can be either broken (one-parent home as a result of divorce) or unbroken (two-parent home). Broken home is a family where father and mother are no longer married together and are not living together in the same house with their children, and the children are only living with either parent or relatives as a result of divorces, separation, death of one parent and illegitimacy; while unbroken home is a family where father and mother are married together and are living in the same house with their children.