Influence of Polygamous and Foster Homes on Scholastic Maladjustment among Secondary School Students in Obio or Akpor Local Government Area of Rivers State

Abstract

This study examines how foster homes and polygamy affect secondary school pupils' academic maladjustment in Rivers State's Obio/Akpor Local Government Area. The study employed a descriptive survey research design. The study was led by four null hypotheses and four research questions. All 16,596 public senior secondary school 1 and 2 students in the Obio/Akpor Local Government Area made up the study's population. There were 400 senior secondary school pupils in the study's sample. The sample size was determined using the fluid survey sampling calculator. The "Influence of Polygamous and Foster Homes on Scholastic Maladjustment Scale (IPFHSMS)," a questionnaire created by the researcher, serves as the study's instrument. To determine the face and content validity of the study's instrument, the instrument was sent to three measurement and assessment specialists who reviewed its structure and content. The instrument's reliability was assessed using a test-retest methodology. The instrument's reliability coefficient, r = 0.89, was determined by applying the Pearson Product Moment Correlation. The study questions were answered using the mean and standard deviation, and the null hypotheses were tested using the independent t-test at the 0.05 level of significance. The study's findings showed that while foster homes had no discernible effect on students' academic maladjustment based on parents' educational attainment, polygamous homes had a significant impact on students' academic maladjustment based on both gender and parents' educational attainment respectively. In order to address the particular difficulties experienced by adolescents from polygamous households, the researcher suggested, among other things, that school administrators establish gender-sensitive counseling programs in schools.