ABSTRACT

The main focus of this study was to find out the influence of delinquent behaviour on academic performance of student as expressed by secondary school teachers in Ilorin metropolis. The variables considered in this study ware gender, school type, age and religion. Two hundred respondents participated in the study.

A self designed questionnaire tagged “Influence of Delinquent Behaviour on Academic Performance of Students (IDBAPS)” was employed to collect necessary data for the study. The data were analyzed using frequency counts and simple percentages for the demographic section while t-test and Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) statistical tools were used to test the research hypotheses of 0.05 level of significance.

The main findings base on the tested hypotheses indicated that some of the variable tested had significant influence on the influence of delinquent behaviour on academic performance of secondary school students in Ilorin on the basis of gender, school types, age and religion. Based on the finding of the study, recommendations were made. The need to establish counseling centers and organize enlightenment programme, information should be made known to parents, teachers and students so that they will be aware of the influence of delinquent behaviours, secondary school teachers should sensitized students on the need to acquire adequate delinquent information and discuss same freely with their friends they may be able to make well informed decisions about their future.

This measure are expected to help students in correcting and avoid delinquent behaviour in order to make them useful for themselves and the society as a whole.

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

Background to the Study

          Around the world, human beings always strive to reduce indiscipline and improve peoples conformity to the rules and regulations of the society, violation of rules still occur. School environment is one part of the society that is not independent of what happens in the larger society (Daramola, 2004). It is a known fact that series of crimes witnessed in the larger society today manifest themselves in the school environment. In Nigeria for example, there are reports of students engaging in examination malpractices, raping of fellow students, truancy and organized students destructive behaviours like riot, arson and theft (Adobayero, 2004). However, many of these students crimes cannot be precisely classified as crime but rather, they are technically referred to as delinquency. Delinquency refers to the violation of law by a juvenile. It includes those acts which do not conform to societal norms and which are committed mostly by adolescents. The term juvenile acts has also come to include anything that youngsters do that goes against the norms of the society, regardless of whether the action is legal or illegal (Deborah, 2003).

The subject of delinquency is one in which most members of the general public are interested. One needs not to search far for indications that in literature, authorities have a number of firm opinions about delinquency, including beliefs about its causes and views about its consequences. Most of these popular attitudes and beliefs are straight forward instances of folk wisdom. They imply that the causes of delinquency are easily discernable to any reasonable man and that delinquency can be curbed by one panacea or another. Like a good deal of folk wisdom, these opinion about delinquency are in most instances varied and can assist in furthering research efforts like the one that will be carried out in this study. Polk and Scalifer, (2009), argue that, popular belief and comments in the electronic and print media on youthful crime have been increasing alarmingly. West (2010) argue further that, more youngsters are being received into social welfare homes and detention centre as a result of their involvement in juvenile crime.

          Gibbons (2009) postulates that juvenile delinquents constitute a social problem about which something must be done. According to him, these children must be converted into normal non-delinquent individuals by some rehabilitation techniques. Though the total number of delinquents is far greater than it was revealed in court statistical and police records but it is inadequate to discuss statistical facts without finding solutions to what the statistics pointed to.

Gibbons (2009) observed that there is an abundance of evidence of misbehaviour among youths. The situation therefore, is that a large number of youth at all social levels and in all kinds of communities engage in acts of misconduct and law breaking which may remain hidden or undetected. Also, Power and Mossis (2002) found an even higher prevalence of juvenile delinquency in “their” study. This is the reason why Wolfgang (2004) Figho, and Selhin (2007) estimated that among males born in Philadelphia in 2005 a half would have an offence record by the age 35.

          In another survey, Dentscher (2001) indicates that American’s rate juvenile delinquency as the most serious moral problem, out of about eleven issues tabled for consideration. This is to tell us that delinquent rampant is becoming alarming rate and that people are taking note of its negative impact in the society. It is against this background knowledge that the researcher intends to survey the influence of delinquent behavior on academic performance among secondary school students in Ilorin. Delinquent acts according to Gibbons (2000) is a common act in which case nearly all youngsters engage in at least some delinquent acts during their juvenile career. While Namadi and Fage (2009) argue that delinquents have characteristics that may be sociological or economic which distinguishes them from the rest of us. They pointed out that there is the need to comprehend the “how” and “why” of young people’s behaviour before much can be said about delinquency i.e. “how” involves focusing upon the earlier sequence which has resulted in the current pattern of behaviour. Such knowledge will help reduce occurrences of undesirable behaviour among children and adolescents, it will also help to develop more adaptive behaviour that is preventive rather than cure.

          Sociologists have come to agree that delinquent acts constitute a social problem about which something must be done. West (2002) agrees in one way or the other that delinquent acts has been on increase all over the world. Dada (2009) observes that the world today is where delinquency is assuming an unprecedented and alarming increase, and the material challenges of life has forced many parent to shelf their responsibilities to their offspring’s. Money and position have relegated the family to a secondary concern with the resultant behavioural chaos. 

Nearly every language has a word or phrase which is always negative to describe and stereotype teenagers and adolescents who violate the law of the land. In Nigeria, for example, such words or phrases like “Janduku Omo” (Yoruba), “Dan-hiska” (Hausa) and “Nwata na-eme Isike” (Ibo) are just few of the tribal reference that are often made to youngsters whose actions and behaviours are at variance level with the norms of the society.        Gibbsons (2009) pointed out that, although the United State has the highest delinquency rates of the nations of the world, Juvenile misconduct has increased markedly in many other nations since World War II. He argues further that, large number of youth engage in acts which technically qualify as delinquents. The total number of delinquents in the nation in his view is far greater than that revealed in court statistics, police records and social brothel departments. There is an abundance of evidence from studies of “hidden” mis-behaviour in which youth admit behaviour ranging over the entire gamut of delinquent acts.