CHAPTER ONE

1.1 INTRODUCTION

Deviant behaviour is the product of social and economic conditions and

is essentially a coefficient of the friction between the individual involved and

the community (Mangal, 2010). This definition is in line with parenting styles

because parents belong to a particular community, and communities are made

up with different parents. For Ramalingam (2006), delinquency is the act of

violating the law, minor offenses against the legal code, especially by a minor.

With this definition it is proper to blame parents and their parenting styles as

the major factor in delinquency. For Mangal (2010), defective and deficient

family environment is a fertile ground to germinate the seed of delinquency. In

line with this, Verma (1970), Tannenbaum (1983) and Kavale and Forness

(1985), carried out studies on delinquency and their studies revealed that,

family life and delinquency are closely correlated. Among their findings were

improper parental control, uninteresting home environment, denial of

reasonable freedom and independence to the children. These could be as a

result of parenting styles, because whenever a child is not satisfied with the

situation in the environment and lacks opportunities for the satisfaction, the

tendency to manifestation-social behaviour (delinquency) are not properly

attended, so they become victims of emotional problems such as inferiority

1
complex, and insecurity. These can change the child into a hostile, rebellious

and delinquent individual. Mangal (2010), further contended that delinquent

children belong to the category of exceptional children who exhibit

considerable deviation in terms of their social adjustment and are known as

socially deviants. These are children who manifest criminal attitudes, yet they

are not legally charged as criminals because of their age difference between

adults. These children have the tendency to commit crime yet they violate the

law of the land and commit offences punishable by law. According to the

United Nation’s report (2000), the result of self-report studies indicated that

majority of young people who participate in delinquent behaviours are about

the same age and gender, and in most cases, the offenders are male acting in

groups. United Nations reported that young people who often manifest

delinquency always live in different circumstances such as breakdown of the

family, overcrowded environment and observe conditions in the home. Report

indicated that the number of children in difficult situations is estimated to have

increased from 80 million to 150 million between 1992 and 2000 (Organization

of Africa Unity and UNICEF, 1992).

Wikipedia Encyclopedia (2012), defines achievement as similar to

accomplishment. Academic achievement has been seen as one of the most

important goals of educational process. It has been of great concern to parents,

2
teachers, guardians, students and even the wider society. The desire for a high

level of achievement puts a lot of pressure on students, teachers, schools, and

in general, the education system itself. Academic achievement is the result got

by students or grades awarded to them after series of teaching and learning

between them and their teachers. Academic achievement is the extent to which

teachers or institutions have achieved their educational goals. In this study, it is

defined as the successful result of an interactional session between a teacher

and a student. Poor academic achievement brings untold hardships and

frustrations to an individual and backwardness in the development of a country

(Eze, 2002).

It is based on these premises that this study seeks to sociologically

investigate the influence of delinquent behaviour on the academic achievement

of secondary school students.

1.2 Statement of the problem

Generally, educational failure is an economic loss and colossal loss in a

country’s financial investment. Going by the report and analysis of the West

African Examination Council (WAEC), as recorded by the chief examiner’s

report on students general performance in the past six years, there are

evidences that if something is not done to save the situation in relation to

academic achievement, there will be problem in the country. Academic

3
achievement is a key mechanism through which in-school adolescents learn

about their talents, abilities and competencies which are important parts of

developing career aspirations. Usman (2000), defined academic achievement as

the measure of students; learning or acquisition of certain skills at the end of

teaching and learning activities. It reflects in examinations written by students

after the process of learning. Academic achievement is based on the degree of

intellectual stimulation that the child could receive from learning situations.

Chime (2004), defined academic achievement as the result of an interactional

session between a teacher and a learner. The process of teaching culminates in

assessment or evaluation and the end point of evaluation is academic

achievement. The components of evaluation are marks, grades, remarks and

results.

This is simply because these students are expected to be the country’s

future leaders. In 2008, they scored 57.27%, in 2009, the score was 47.04%,

2010 and 2011recorded 47.76% and 38.93% respectively. In 2012 and 2013 the

scores were 37.82 and 42.76 respectively (WAEC). Going by the records of

students general performances in the past six years, there are evidences that if

something positive is not done to save the situation in relation to the academic

achievement of these students who are expected to be our future leaders, there

will be big problem. In fact, the unsatisfactory state of affairs in education is

4
distressing on the general public especially with parents, teachers and those in

charge of education in the zone and the entire state. In considering the impact

of gender on deviant behaviours and academic achievement of students

location was also included in the present study.

It is believed that when children exhibit deviant tendencies, there is the

likelihood that they would either be less studious, lose focus or play truancy in

school. These will have to affect negatively on their academic pursuit.

1.3 Objectives of the study

The study seeks to:

1. Identify the different forms of deviant behaviour prevalent in secondary

schools.

2. Examine the causes of deviant behaviour among secondary school

students

3. Examine the general effects of deviant behaviour on academic

performance

4. Determine the influence of location on deviant behaviour of secondary

school students

5. Investigate the influence of location on the academic achievement of

secondary school students.

5
1.4 Significance of the study

The emergence of a problem leads to the need for research and this is

why all research studies are often geared towards solving problems and

arriving at an established fact. The study, definitely plays a vital role towards

the advancement of the educational system as well as that of the human society

since it exposes the how, why and what next to the question being studied.

The study examined the causes of deviant behaviour among secondary

school students as well as to renew trust in educational Institutions also with

the aim of helping students put the right attitude towards learning.

The study as an intellectual research has both theoretical and practical

significance. Theoretically adds to the existing knowledge and literature on the

study; sociological investigation into the close effect of close deviant

behaviour on academic achievement of secondary school students.

1.5 Scope of study

The research is geared towards a sociological investigation into the

effect of gender on deviant behaviour and academic achievement of secondary

school students in Owan East Local Government Area. The study intends also

to cover all the students in the local government, as to examine the effects of

deviant behaviour on academic achievement of secondary school students.

6
1.6 Research questions

1. What is the influence of deviant behaviour on the academic achievement

of secondary school students?

2. What is the influence of location on the delinquent behaviour of

secondary school students?

3. What is the influence of school location on the academic achievement of

secondary school students?

1.7 Research Hypotheses

H01: Deviant behaviour has no significant influence on academic

achievement of secondary school students.

H02: Location has no significant influence on the delinquent behaviour of

secondary school students.

H03: Location has no significant influence on the academic achievement of

secondary school students.

7
 CHAPTER TWO

LITERATURE REVIEW AND THEORECTICAL FRAMEWORK

2.1 Deviance

The subject of deviance is a well established field of sociological

research. Durkheim (1938), in writing about criminals explained that ‘what

confers this…character upon them is not the intrinsic quality of a given act but

that definition which the collective conscience lends them’ and Becker (1963)

stated that ‘deviance is not a quality of the act a person commits, but rather a

consequence of the application of others by rules and sanctions to an

‘offender’. Both focused on how deviance is a matter of interpretation rather

than of fact, therefore making it possible to theorize deviance in different ways.

Positivistic interpretations locate deviance in quantifiable facets of the

individual such as ‘IQ, family size, physical characteristics, overcrowding at

home, gender and social class’ (Furlong, 1985). Other sociologists saw the

school as the cause of deviance. Phillipson (1971) and Reynolds et al (1980)

compared different styles of schools to investigate why some had lower

incidence of deviant behaviour than others. Reynolds (1976) wrote about the

delinquent school, arguing that ‘a hostile school with no sense of ‘truce’ causes

more deviance’. Hargreaves et al (1975), found that ‘deviance will be reduced

if the number of rules are reduced’.

8
 The Marxist’s interpretation of deviance argued that the ‘real purpose of

schooling is to reproduce an unequal society’ (Furlong, 1985) and focus on

how schools are essentially middle class and so, by design, alienate working

class students (Cohen, 1955). Cohen posited that ‘those who are spurned or

condemned as base or low and deviant in character have little incentive to give

loyalty, hard work and cheerful cooperation in return. Bourdieu (1986) argued

certain groups of people in society have access to ‘social capital’ which he

defined as ‘the benefits accruing to individuals or families by virtue of their

ties to others’. People who do not have social capital have less incentive to

conform to society’s norms and so were more likely to become ‘deviant’.

Sullivan (1979) argued that ‘Marxists would see the values of the school as the

values only of those in power’ and that schools functions ‘are the reproduction

of the existing social and economic relations of a capitalist society’.

Symbolic interactionist interpretations of deviance focus more on ‘how pupils

are purposively choosing their behaviour as a result of the way they interpret

the world’ (Furlong, 1985). From this developed labelling theory:

Labelling theorists argue that people break the rules of

society in minor ways all of the time…deviant behaviour
takes on a qualitatively different form when it is discovered;
when it is labelled as deviant, particularly by those in
authority (Furlong, 1985).

9
 Becker (1963) in his study Outsiders argued that ‘deviant behaviour is

behaviour that people so label’ and Hargreaves (1976) argued that labels

create deviance, and also explored the process through which pupils come to

accept or reject the labels they are offered: ‘speculation...elaboration …

stabilization’ (Hargreaves et al, 1975). He stated that labels are more likely to

stick if the label is applied regularly, by a teacher whose opinion matters to the

pupil and if the labelling is carried out publicly. Once labelled, Hargreaves

argued that reform is almost impossible as the teacher looks for the behaviour

which confirms in the label and so fails to notice new behaviour. These views

are still currently accepted as valid.

Labelling theorists see teachers as crucial to the formation of identity in

school. ‘Once a deviant identity has been established, it is difficult for the child

to not be of it,’ (Cullingford and Morrison, 1997). Pupils I interviewed talked

about the difficulty of shaking a negative reputation once acquired. ‘Once a

negative identify is established an individual’s self-confidence would be

damaged and this in turn will affect confidence and competence in new

situations’ (Cullingford and Morrison, 1997). I was interested in how teachers

could avoid labelling and how they could encourage students not to label each

other. Cullingford and Morrison were also interested in the effect of labelling

on self-esteem and how this then had the effect of a downward spiral. This was

10
not fully explored in the literature on deviancy but I found my answers in the

work of Jean Illsley Clarke and others in the Phase Two reading.

Linked to the labelling theory is the role teacher’s play in constructing

deviance. There is a body of research that argued that ‘deviance’ and ‘bad

behaviour’ are, in fact, created by both the pupil and teacher, rather than

locating it in the pupil alone and we shall see my findings supporting this.

Verkylen argued that in fact, it is the teacher who should be held accountable

for pupils’ behaviour and that pupils think that ‘keeping order was considered

the teacher’s responsibility’ (Verkylen, 2002). ‘The respect (pupils) are

expected to show their teachers is not always being reciprocated’ (Cullingford

and Morrison, 1997) and this erodes the working relationship in the classroom.

Pollard (1979) and Marsh et al (1978) explored ‘teacher offences’ as

defined by pupils and Werthman (1963) explored what pupils thought made an

effective teacher. Hargreaves et al discussed the ‘deviance provocative’ teacher

who creates situations in which deviance is more likely and the ‘deviance

insulative’ teacher who, through positive expectations, minimizes the need for

deviant behaviour. More recently, Davies (1994) explored teacher deviance

and Woods (1979) categorized strategies used by teachers to control pupils:

Socialization…domination…negotiation…fraternization…
absence or removal…ritual and routine…occupational
therapy …morale boosting, (and the effect that they had on
the students). It is not the work that is important, and any
11
 intrinsic satisfaction to be had from it dependent on the
relationship with the teacher concerned (Woods, 1990).

Much has been written about which teacher behaviours pupils liked and

disliked. The literature showed that pupils liked teachers who could teach, who

were interested in them, who were human and fair (Verkylen, 2002). Students

liked teachers who were friendly, who gave people a chance and had a sense of

humour (Kinder et al, 1999). They wanted teachers to help them and who were

‘respectful of the individual and their relationships’ (Cooper et al, 2000) and

who were understanding (Cooper, 1993). Teachers who ‘know their job, can

keep control (and whose) perception of the teachers’ role does not require...any

different behaviour pattern than that of the human being role’ (Woods, 1976)

were more likely to be able to get pupils to work.

Pupils disliked staff who humiliated them, who used physical contact or were

racist or sexist (John, 1996). They did not like teachers who over-reacted, who

were arrogant or big headed or who showed off in front of other teachers

(Davies, 1984). Weakness and indecision were disliked, as were ‘being boring’

and ‘going on’ (Rosser and Harre, 1976). Cooper listed in detail that pupils

dislike teachers who are:

12
 Too formal, too strict, ‘stuck up’, unfriendly, intolerant,
humourless, uninterested in pupils’ personal welfare, not
prepared/able to give pupils individual attention, guilty of
labelling pupils with negative identities, guilty of treating
some pupils unfairly, guilty of conducting boring lessons,
insufficiently helpful to pupils with learning difficulties.
(1993).

‘Teachers who lacked respect, blamed, singled out, punished excessively

and shouted were more likely to elicit deviant behaviour (Kinder et al, 1996,

p17). Most recently, Burke and Grosvenor (2003) wrote about the kinds of

teacher behaviours which pupils liked and disliked. These findings have

remained consistent over time.

Woods explored deviant behaviour from the pupils’ perspective. In The

Divided School (1979) he explored ways in which pupils survived school

through such adaptations as optimism, instrumentalism, ritualism, rebellion and

intransigence. He famously explored how laughter acted as an antidote to

schooling, offering pupils respite from boredom, symbolic rebellion and a way

of uniting with peers against the school. Willis (1976) also explored how

deviant behaviours were a way in which pupils sought to counteract the power

of the school. Working class children ‘take control of classes, insert their own

unofficial timetables and control their own routines and life spaces’.

Writers such as West (1979), acknowledged the role of the peer group in

the construction of deviance as did Cullingford and Morrison (1997) who

13
argued that the peer group provides an alternative source of self-esteem when

the family or the school are unable to provide it. This idea was explored further

by Kinder et al (1996) who said:

Relations with peers and friends as a cause or stimulus for

both truancy and disruption… Instigating disaffected
behaviours was seen as a means of gaining kudos with
peers.

2.2 Causes of deviance

Angelides (2000) offered a summary of some of the frameworks used for

understanding the causes of deviance as:

 Biophysical theory

Deviance can occur as a result of bio-physical problems, e.g. excessive

secretion of hormones.

 Psychodynamic theory

The child has not successfully negotiated the various intra-psychic

and external conflicts associated with the process of maturation.

 Behavioural Theory

A person behaves in a certain way because he has been taught to

behave in that way. Behaviour which is reinforced tends to reoccur…the

implications of this are that, teachers can modify pupil’s behaviour by

rewarding desired behaviour.

14
  Sociological and ecological theory

Society has created deviance through a process of labelling individuals

as deviant

I am going to be developing these typologies to show that deviance is the

result of transactional and emotional causes.

These themes have also been explored in a more recent group of

sociological works. Vandemeulebroeke et al (2004) argued that many deviant

pupils come from homes where divorce was common and that teachers could

assist pupils at such times through building trustful relationships, a theme also

suggested by John (1996) and Cooper et al (1993 and 2000). Kinder et al (1996

and 1999) noted that pupils had felt anger at the moment of their exclusions

and confirmed that family factors such as ‘bereavement, abuse, violence and

drug-taking’ increased the likelihood of deviant behaviour in school. Cooper

(1993), added to the list of possible causal factors ‘economic and material

deprivation, severe emotional tension and discord between family

members...and unsatisfactory child rearing practices’. It is this group of writers

to which my work is most closely linked.

2.3 Exclusion

Whatever the cause, once an action is defined as deviant in school,

consequences follow, of which the most extreme is permanent exclusion with

15
fixed term exclusion being less impactful but more frequently used sanction.

‘Exclusion’ is the practice of leaving someone or something out. Much has

been written on pupils who self-excluded by school refusal or truancy but I

was interested in the pupils who were excluded by the school as a consequence

of a breach of the school rules. In my reading I wanted to know who was

excluded and why. I was also interested in the efficacy of exclusion for pupils

and the school alike. ‘The decision to exclude a child…is normally taken by

the head teacher’ (Christian Action, 2000), but how the head becomes aware of

the event causing the exclusion and who is involved in the incident causes

enormous variation in how an incident is dealt with.

There were clear national trends linked to gender. ‘The majority of

excluded pupils were boys….the majority of them excluded for ‘emotional and

behavioural difficulties’ (Raphael Reed, 1999). ‘Boys are between four and

five times more likely than girls to be excluded’ (Blyth and Milner, 1996,).

Spurgeons, a religious group, who had gained DFES funding to pay for the

youth work project at school, published national statistics showing that 83% of

exclusions were given to boys. (Christian Action, 2000) In my own research, of

the pupils who agreed to be interviewed following their exclusion, 53 were

boys and 14 girls.

16
 Age and special needs also seemed to be contributory factors as 80% of

those excluded nationally were 12 to 15 years olds and 50% 14-15 year olds.

Children with special needs were six times more likely to be excluded and

children in care were ten times more likely to be excluded (Christian Action,

2000). In 1999/2000 there were ‘8600 permanent exclusions from primary,

secondary and special schools’ with ‘82%…permanently excluded…from

secondary schools’ (DFEE, 2001). Of the pupils I interviewed following an

exclusion, three were in year 7, ten in year 8, and sixteen in year 9, peaking in

year 10 with twenty-three and returning to sixteen in year 11, so my research

confirmed the trend. An analysis of ethnicity is missing from these statistics,

but it is well documented that Afro-Caribbean pupils were excluded more

frequently than their white counterparts (Osler, 1997). In my own research I

interviewed only one non-white pupil; he was Asian. For the purpose of my

research I did not investigate figures around race, as the school was so

predominantly white, although I will consider race in my findings regarding the

above pupil. In my reading I found no statistics which showed a breakdown of

exclusions according to class.

Bates (1996), showed that exclusion leads to some very negative effects

for the student and in the long term, for the society: ‘Home Office Research in

1996 revealed that school non-attendees were up to three times more at risk of

17
being involved in crime’ (Bates, 1996). Of students permanently excluded,

‘85% may never return to mainstream education’. Permanent exclusion

therefore led to a disaffected and uneducated group of young people. Home

lives for many of the students were unsettled, as shown above, so, to be cast

adrift from school and its organization, is to lessen their access to any social

structure. Excluding a young person from the school may secure the immediate

needs of the excluding institution but ‘does little to support the individual who

would feel increasingly rejected and alienated from the mainstream society’.

So what leads schools to exclude pupils? Some literature suggested that

the advent of the national curriculum had led to a decrease in flexibility of the

curriculum. All pupils have to study the core subjects and have to take SATs

and GCSEs. Whereas in the past, there was space for the school to offer more

practical and vocational subjects, now everyone has equal access to the same,

more academic curriculum. Although the theory was to offer equality of

opportunity, in fact, national curriculum has privileged a certain type of

intelligence over others. The national curriculum ‘has privileged logo centric

subjects’ (Raphael Reed, 1999, p100), which means that those pupils who tend

to be kinesthetic in their learning styles and abilities have been penalized.

It is argued that national curriculum creates failure, and that pupils who

experienced this failure were more likely to find themselves excluded. The

18
national literacy and numeric hours can also be seen ‘as a reinforcement of

hegemonic masculinity through the form of pedagogy; privileging rationality

and the ‘mastery of reason’ as individual power…’ (Raphael Reed, 1999).

Capacities such as intuition, imagination, creativity, group work and role play

are not tested, not rewarded and so were often disregarded in the classroom

where there is often too much to do and too little time. Therefore, the talents

rewarded by the current educational system are very limited and it is no

surprise that pupils feel that their abilities are not valued.

‘A new business ‘ethos’ now driving schools with an emphasis upon

league tables and market forces’ (Bates, 1996) has put pressure on the schools

to achieve and they in turn put pressure on the teachers, who put pressure on

the pupils (Cooper et al, 2000). Stress can be defined as ‘unpleasant emotions,

such as tension, frustration, anxiety, anger and depression’ (Kyriacou, 1989)

and ‘the most potent threat to well-being and fear of losing face or esteem to

oneself, or in the eyes of others’. This stress can be felt by teachers who are

under pressure to control classes and achieve results, and by pupils who have to

pass exams and fit into the school system. Pupils who threaten the results of the

school or the class are sometimes seen as ‘unsaleable goods’ (Bates, 1996).

They can be seen to threaten results through their own ‘failure’, but also the

disruptive effect they have on a class. ‘An increase in competition and

19
selection within the system which leads to a greater number of “disciplinary

exclusions”, also leads to more students being excluded on the basis of other

undesired characteristics such as low attainments’ (Booth, 1996).

As well as coping with the rigorous demands of these tests and

strategies, teachers are also overburdened with paper work and are often

underresourced. ‘The work load burden forced upon teachers by the much

increased amount of non-classroom work has squeezed and restricted the

amount of time and energy they have to spend on their pupils and their

individual learning and behavioural needs’ (Searle, 1996). Consequently, there

is less time to build the trusting relationships which Cooper (1993) and Cooper

et al (2000), found counteracted the causes of deviance. It has been indicated

by Davies, (1999), that school councils and a democratic ethos where pupils’

voices are heard, are better able to minimize exclusions. However, this takes

time and a willingness to trust pupils with authentic decisions. Not all

exclusions arose from staff/pupil interactions, many being the result of

conflicts between students, and the literature on deviancy and exclusion was

less good at explaining these events.

The literature on gender construction was helpful in understanding how

masculinity is constructed in relation to other boys and my findings would

explore how students carried out this construction and how it lead to exclusion.

20
Again, the reading on self-esteem was helpful in understanding these

interactions.

Some of the major themes arising from the phase one interviews

included anger, emotional literacy, power and self-esteem and it was these

themes which led to the phase two action research stage. As Head of Drama, I

read work around drama therapy to see if this could be used in the classroom

situation and my training in humanistic counselling informed the research

methods. However, it was found that it was my training in transactional

analysis which gave me a language to explain a body of concepts which could

be used to change behaviour through the process of interpersonal transacting.

The literature on gender construction and deviance focused on groups of

people and institutions while the work on self-esteem and emotional literacy

focused on the psychic and interpersonal life of the individual.

On the relationships of adolescent school-related antisocial behaviour

and victimization with psychological distress in metropolitan area in Spain.

The purpose of the study was to explore the mediating role that parents and

teachers have in adolescent psychological distress. The population was four

public schools of one million Spanish pupils. The sample was 973 Spanish

students aged 11-16 years old. Instrument for data collection were

questionnaires. Scale scores were formed by summing up across items

21
pertaining to each of the scales. Multi group, Component and factor analyses

were used to analyze the data and descriptive statistics were used to test

hypotheses. The result of the study showed that adolescent deviant behaviour

and victimization were positively related. A study was conducted by Herrero,

Estevez and Musitu (to psychological distress as seen by the total effects.

However, while victimization was directly related to psychological distress, the

association of antisocial behaviour and psychological distress were mediated

by adolescent- parent communication and adolescent-teacher relationships. The

above study is related to the present study for the fact that it portrays the

influence parents can have on their children. The findings of the study revealed

the influence of parenting styles on adolescents. The present study deals with

students who are at the same time adolescents, and the influence parenting

style can have on students; behaviour which is in line with the present study.

The findings portrayed that higher levels of antisocial-behaviours were

associated with a poorer communication with parents. Another study by

Unachukwu and Nwankwo (2003) on drug dependency among youths in

Eastern states of Nigerian, focused on drug dependency, among youths of

Nigeria and its implications for community development. A sample of100

doctors from 4 out of 5 eastern states of Nigeria (25 from Anambra, 25 from

Enugu, 25 from Abia and 25 from Imo) were used. They were randomly

22
selected from their various hospitals .The findings of the study revealed that

Nigerian youths were highly dependent on drugs. The factors responsible for

drug dependency include parental influence, peer group pressure, modelling,

inferiority complex, psychics tress and tension. Sarac (2001), commenting on

parenting styles, stated that parents are the major influence in their children’s

lives. Other factors such as genes, peers, culture, gender and financial status are

of less importance. In Ekiti state of Nigeria, Owoeye and Yara (2010)

conducted a study on the location of schools as it relates to academic

performance of students in Nigeria between 1990and 1997. The study

population was results of the West African School Certificate Examinations

(WASCE) conducted between 1990 and 1997 in 50 secondary schools in both

rural and urban areas of the state. One validated instrument, student location

questionnaire (SLQ), was used for data collection. One hypothesis was

formulated and tested. Data were analyzed using mean and t-test. The results

showed that there was a significant difference between students. Academic

achievement of rural and urban secondary schools in senior school certificate

examinations. The result also indicated that students in urban areas had better

academic achievement than their rural counterparts. Another study conducted

by Okorodudu (2010) was on the influence of parenting styles on delinquent

behaviour in Delta state of Nigeria.

23
2.4 Theoretical Framework

The Social learning theory was adopted as this study’s theoretical

orientation. Bandura (1977) social learning theory lays emphasis on the

importance of observing and modeling behaviours, attitudes and emotional

reactions of others. He noted that most human behaviours are learned through

observation and modeling. By observing others one forms an idea of how new

behaviours are performed and on later occasions, this coded information serves

as a guide for action. Social learning theory-postulate that human behaviour

comes in terms of continuous reciprocal interaction between cognitive,

behavioural and environmental influences. Bandura remarked that aggression

is learned through a process called behaviour modeling, that individuals do not

actually inherit violent tendencies but they model them. In this theory, he

argued that individuals especially children learn aggressive responses from

observing others, either personally or through observing the media or

environment. The theorist stated that many individuals believe that aggression

would produce reinforcement, which can be formulated into reduction of

tension, gaining financial rewards or gaining the praise of others or building

self-esteem. He highlighted that children can model the behaviour of parents or

the behaviour of a delinquent who is able to motivate them in one way or the

other. According to this view point, delinquent children behave the way they

24
do because they have not been guided appropriately by the parents and other

agents to imbibe the laid down rules and norms of the society and to translate

them into behaviour .One can see that this theory relates and explains the

present study well by postulating that deviant behaviour influences academic

achievement of secondary school students.

25
 CHAPTER THREE

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

3.1 Introduction

This chapter presented the methodology that was employed for the

study. It explained the research design and gave details about the population

and sampling technique, instrument of data collection as well as method of

data analysis.

3.2 Research design

The cross sectional study design was used in this study. The design is

suitable for the study because it aimed at finding out the prevalence of a

phenomenon, situation, problems, attitude or issue, by taking a cross section of

the population. The cross sectional design helped to decide what to find out,

identify the study population, select a sample and contact the respondents for

information.

3.3 Population of study

The target population consist of selected secondary schools in Owan

East local government area. The schools were Ihievbe Grammar School, Mixed

Secondary School, Warrrake, Saint James Grammar School, Afuze, Evbiame

Girls Grammar School, Edekin Grammar School, Otuo. The population of the

schools are shown in the table below.

26
SCHOOLS POPULATION OF STUDENTS

IHIEVBE GRAMMAR SCHOOL 480

MIXED SECONDARY SCHOOL, 525

WARRAKE

SAINT JAMES GRAMMAR 344

SCHOOL, AFUZE

EVBIAME GIRLS GRAMMAR 320

SCHOOL,EDEKIN

EDEKIN GRAMMAR SCHOOL, 325

OTUO

TOTAL 1994

3.4 Sample and sampling techniques

For the purpose of authenticity, the proportion technique (10%) and

random sampling technique were used. This method was adopted because it

gave a more objective result since the selection of sample was not influenced

by the researcher:

Sample Size = 10% of population size

; 10% of 1994 =199.4

Sample Size = 200 (to the nearest whole number)

27
3.5 Instrument of data collection

The structured questionnaire was used to collect responses from the

subject selected for the study. The structured questionnaire consists of two

component section i.e. sections A and B. The first section consists of

questions that made it possible for the demographic data to be collected. This

part of the questionnaire was intended to elicit information about the sex, age,

working category, length of experience and category of athletics sport of the

respondents. The second section of the questionnaire contained the dependent

variables which were designed to elicit responses from respondents.

3.6 Method of data analysis

Two basics analytical tools were used in the analysis, namely, the

simple percent age and the chi-square method of hypothesis testing. The chi-

square was used to test hypotheses about the distribution of observations into

categories. The null hypothesis (Ho) is that, the observed frequencies are the

same (except for chance variation) as the expected frequencies. If the

frequencies observed observe are different from expected frequencies, the

value of χ2 goes up. If the observed and expected frequencies are exactly the

same, χ2 = 0.Youtest whether a given χ2 is statistically significant by

testing it against a table of chi-square distributions, according to the number

of degrees of freedom for your sample, which is the number of categories

28
minus 1.Thechi-square assumes that you have at least 5 observations per

category. The formula is:

χ2=sum of (i.e., across categories) (observed frequency–expected

frequency)2
expected frequency

Percentage analysis is the method to represent raw streams of data as a

percentage (apartin100-percent) for better understanding of collected data.

29
 CHAPTER FOUR

DATA PRESENTATION AND ANALYSIS

4.1 Introduction

This section discussed the responses of the respondents from

Owan East Local Government Area on the effect of deviant behaviour

on academic achievement of secondary school students. It looked at an

analysis of these data in relation with the research questions and

objectives was made using tables and chart.

4.2.1 Data on socio-demographic characteristics

Table 1: Sex of respondents

Sex of respondent Response Frequency Percentage

Male 108 54
Female 92 46
Total 200 100
Source: Fieldwork, 2016

The table above shows the sex of the respondents in the study location.

It is obvious that most of the respondents interviewed were male. This is

backed with 54% of the entire respondents, while the female respondents

was 46% respectively

30
Table 2: Ages of respondents
Age of respondent Response Frequency Percentage
10-15years 72 36
15-20yrs 128 64
Total 200 100
Source: Fieldwork, 2016

Table 2 above shows the age of the respondents. Respondents with the

highest frequency were those within age bracket 10-15 years of age with

64%, and followed by 36% for respondent within age 15-20 years. The

reason for the high percentage of those in the age bracket 10-15years

was that they made up the population of the study.

Table 3: Religious Affiliation of Respondents

Religion of Response Frequency Percentage
respondent Christianity 190 95
Islam 08 4
ATR 02 1
Total 200 100
Source: Fieldwork, 2016

In getting the religious affiliation of the respondents, the table showed

that Owan East local government area where all form of religious

worship takes place, as the table revealed that 95% of the entire

respondents were Christians, 04% Muslims while the ATR had 1%. The

31
 reason for the high percentage of Christians is that the area is

predominantly occupied by Christian religion followed by Muslims.

Table 4: The class category of respondents

Class category Response Frequency Percentage
of respondent Junior secondary 44 22
Senior secondary 156 78
Total 200 100
Source: Fieldwork, 2016

On class category, the table revealed that 78% of the entire respondents

claimed to be in senior secondary school, duly followed by those in

junior secondary school with 22%.

4.2.2 SECTION B: Sociological investigation into the effect of deviant

behaviour on academic achievement of secondary school students.

This section is a sociological investigation into the effect of

deviant behaviour on academic achievement of secondary school

students. However, it was analyzed using the objectives of the study in

drawing the various tables and interpreting the responses got from the

field.

32
Objective one: To examine paper knowledge in tertiary institution.
Table 5: Deviant knowledge by respondents.
Do you know it Response Frequency Percentage
deviant students exist
Yes 180 90
in your school?
No 04 02

Maybe 16 08

Total 200 100

Source: Fieldwork, 2016

It is obvious that the respondents know that deviant students exist in

their school, 90% affirmed, while 2% denied any knowledge of such and

8% were not sure of their knowledge on the question.

Table 6: Respondents’ knowledge on common deviant behaviour

prevalent in their school
What are the Response Frequency Percentage
common deviant
Truancy 60 30
behaviour?
Cultism 42 21

Stealing 58 29

Prostitution 40 20

Total 200 100

Source: Fieldwork, 2016

From the table 6 above, the study showed the respondents views on the

common types of deviant behavior. 30% of the entire respondents said

33
truancy, 29% opined for cultism while 21% stealing and finally 20% of

the entire respondents gave it to prostitution.

Table 7: Influence other students

Response Frequency Percentage
Yes 182 91

No 18 9

Maybe 0 0

Total 200 100

Source: Fieldwork, 2016

It is obvious that the respondents agreed that deviants influence others,

where 91% affirmed that individuals who are deviants influenced others

who are not, to become deviants while 9% disagreed that deviants

influenced others.

Table 8: Effect academic performance

Response Frequency Percentage
Yes 100 50

No 50 25

Maybe 50 25

Total 200 100

Source: Fieldwork, 2016

34
Table 8 showed that 50% of the entire respondents asserted that yes, and

respondents that answered no and maybe were 25% respectively.

Table 9: Do deviants perform well academically?

Whether deviants Response Frequency Percentage
perform well
Yes 40 20
academically?
No 160 80

May be 0 0

Total 200 100

Source: Fieldwork, 2016

The table above showed that majority of the respondent agreed that

deviant students do not perform well academically and this amounted to

80% and respondents who affirmed that deviant students still perform

well academically amounted to 40%. This is due to the influence and

activities which they involve themselves in during the process of

socialization.

Table 10: Reasons for poor academic performance

What is responsible Response Frequency Percentage
for poor academic
Distraction 40 20
performance?
Lack of time Study 70 35

Truancy 90 45

Total 200 100

Source: Fieldwork, 2016

35
Table 10 showed factors responsible for poor academic performance.

Distraction as one of the factors recorded 20%, Lack of time for Study

amounted to 35% and truancy was 45%.

Table 11: School management doing enough to curb deviant

behaviour
To know whether the Response Frequency Percentage
school management is
Yes 60 30
doing enough to curb
deviant behaviour? No 130 65

Maybe 10 5

Total 200 100

Source: Fieldwork, 2016

The table above showed the effort of school management in curbing

deviant behaviour. 30% of the respondents affirmed that the school was

doing well in curbing deviant behaviour, 65% of the respondents were

not satisfied with school management efforts and 10% was undecided.

36
Table 12: Dangers of deviant behaviour on academic performance

Dangers of deviant Response Frequency Percentage

behaviour on
Poor result 60 30
academic
performance? Poor learning 45 22.5

Drop-out 25 12.5

Examination malpractice 70 35

Total 200 100

Source: Fieldwork, 2016

The table above showed the dangers of deviant behaviour on academic

performance. 30% of the respondent said poor result, 22.5% answered

poor learning, and 12.5% of the total respondents ticked dropout while

examination malpractice amounted to 35%.

Table 13: Causes of deviant behaviour

Causes of deviant Response Frequency Percentage
behaviour?
Peer pressure 142 71

Societal factors 48 24

Cultural factors 10 5

Total 200 100

Source: Fieldwork, 2016

The table above showed that 71% of respondents affirmed that peer

pressure was the major cause of deviant behaviour, societal factors

amounted to 24% and cultural factors, is 5%.

37
 Table 14: Effect of school location on academic performance
Does location of the Response Frequency Percentage
school affect students’
Yes 162 81
performance?
No 38 19

Total 200 100

Source: Fieldwork, 2016

The above table showed that 81% the respondents gave a total

affirmation, while 19% of the respondents answered no.

4.2.3 Testing of research hypotheses

H0 1: Deviant behaviour has no significant influence on academic

achievement of secondary school students.

H02: Location has no significant influence on the delinquent behaviour of

secondary school students.

38
*Hypothesis one:

There is no significant influence of deviant behaviour

on academic achievement of secondary school students.

Chi-square 62.160a

Degree of freedom 3

Significance level .000

Ho There is no significant influence of deviant behaviour on academic

achievement of

Secondary students.

a. 0 cells (.0%) have expected frequencies less than 5.

From the chi square analysis above, at 0.05 level of significance and

degree of freedom at 7.82 which is the table value and the calculated value

stated 62.160, therefore, the result stated that the calculated value is greater

than the table value. On this premise, the null hypothesis is rejected and

therefore accepting the alternative hypothesis which states that there is a

significant influence of deviant behaviour on academic achievement of

students.

39
Hypothesis two:

Ho There is no significant influence of the delinquent behaviour on

secondary school students.

There is no significant influence of delinquent

behaviour on secondary school students.

Chi-Square 32.220a

Degree of freedom 3

Significance level .000

a. 0 cells (.0%) have expected frequencies less than 5

From the chi square analysis above, at 0.05 level of significance and

degree of freedom at 7.82 which is the table value, and the calculated value

state 32.220, therefore the result stated that the calculated value is greater than

the table value. On this premise the null hypothesis is rejected therefore

accepting the alternative hypothesis which states that there is a significant

relationship between delinquent behaviour and secondary school students.

40
 CHAPTER FIVE

SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS

5.1 Summary

The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of deviant

behaviour on academic achievement of secondary school students. Academic

performance was predicted to be higher in non-deviant students than in deviant

students. Also, in individual factors, good performance was predicted to be

higher among all non-minorities than the minorities. Among students who

participated in extra –curricular programs as opposed to students who did not,

among those who spent more time on homework as opposed to students who

spend less time, among students who come to class prepared as opposed to

those who went to class unprepared. In school factors, academic achievement

was predicted to be higher among students who attended schools with more

resources than those students who attended school with less resources as well

as students who attended schools that had more rules and those who attended

schools with more school problems.

The result of this study showed that there is a statistically significant

influence of deviant behaviour on students’ academic achievement.

41
5.2 Conclusion

From the foregoing, it can be concluded that deviant behaviour is very

detrimental to the academic pursuit of a students and the dangers to children in

general cannot be over-emphasized. Every aspect of the society experience

different stages of deviant behaviour and the dangers that follow. However, the

solution to this menace is not far-fetched and if the recommendations

highlighted above are followed, there is definitely going to be light at the end

of the tunnel. The truth remains that deviant behaviour are dangerous and they

spread like wild fire and when any is noticed amongst students, it should be

handled with immediate effect. Students’ academic achievement can improve

when deviant activities are properly checked.

5.3 Recommendations

From the foregoing the following was recommended from the study:

1. The students should be properly addressed about the dangers of deviant

behaviour

2. The school management should structure disciplinary procedure to help

check the activities of deviant students and punishment melted should

serve as deterrent to intending defaulters

3. Moral values should be prominent in the school curriculum.

42
4. Activities of sub-group within schools should be monitored properly, to

avoid being breeding ground for deviant behaviour

5. The family, as the first agent of socialization should help inculcate the

right virtues in the children.

43
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47
 APPENDIX

QUESTIONNAIRE
DEPARTMENT OF SOCIOLOGY AND ANTHROPOLOGY
FACULTY OF SOCIAL SCIENCES
UNIVERSITY OF BENIN, BENIN CITY, EDO STATE, NIGERIA

SOCIOLOGICAL INVESTIGATION INTO THE EFFECT OF

DEVIANT BEHAVIOUR ON ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT OF
SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS: A CASE STUDY OF OWAN
EAST LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA.

Sir/Ma,

I am a student of the department of sociology and anthropology,

University of Benin presently carrying out a research titled ‘sociological
investigation into the effect deviant behaviour on academic achievement of
secondary school students; a case study of Owan East local government area i
am undertaking this research for the requirement of the award of B.Sc. in
Sociology and Anthropology. I attached herewith the questionnaire for your
completion. I promise that the information provided by you in the
questionnaire shall be used for this study only and shall be treated with utmost
confidentiality.
Thanks in advance for your cooperation.

-----------------------------------
MUHAMMED, ANIFAH

48
SECTION A: DEMOGRAPHIC CHARACTERISTICS

INSTRUCTION: Please tick ( ) appropriately the options that suits your

decision

1. Sex; Male ( ) Female ( )

2. Age bracket: 10-15 ( ) 15-20 ( )

3. Religious affiliation: Christianity ( ) Islam ( ) others, please specify ___

_______________

4. Class category: Junior secondary ( ) Senior secondary ( )

SECTION B
5. Do you think deviant students exist in your school? Yes ( ) No ( )
Maybe ( )

6. What kind of deviant behaviour is common in your school? Truancy ( )

Cultism ( ) Stealing ( ) Prostitution ( ) others ( ), please specify

7. Do think deviant students influence others by association? Yes ( ) No ( )

Maybe ( )

8. Do you think deviant behaviour can affect the academic performance of

students in your school? Yes ( ) No ( ) Maybe ( )

9. Do deviant Students in School do well academically? Yes ( ) No ( )

Maybe ( )

10. What do you think might be the reason for their poor academic
performance?
Distraction ( ) Lack of study time ( ) Truancy ( )

11. Do you think the school management is doing enough to keep Students in
Class and reduce deviant behaviour? Yes ( ) No ( ) Maybe ( )
49
12. What are the dangers of deviant behaviour on academic performance?
Poor results ( ) Poor learning ( ) Dropouts ( ) Examination malpractice
( )

13. Does the location of a school can influence deviant behaviour among
students? Yes ( ) No ( ) Maybe ( ).

14. What do you think are the causes of deviant behaviour among students?
Peer pressure ( ) Societal factors ( ) Cultural factors ( )

15. Do you think the location of a school can influence academic performance
of students? Yes ( ) No () Maybe ( )

16. If yes, how? _________________________________________________

50