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The Social Problems And Academic Performance Of Students In Selected Secondary Schools
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The
conflict theorists reject the idea that social problems can be solved
by reforming major contradictions in the way society is organized;
contradiction that lead to large-scale conflict between those who have
access to the “good life†and those who do not.. In “The communist
Manifesto†and “capital†and other works, Marx attempted to prove that
social problems like unemployment, poverty, crime, corruption, conflict
and violence, and so forth, are not usually the fault of individuals or
of poorly functioning organizations. An evitable outcome of capitalism
is class conflict, especially conflict between those who own the means
of production and those who sell their labour for wages. Conflict is a
fact of life in modern industrial societies.
Functionalist and Interactionism Theories by Dahpendorf (1959) and Thomas (1923)
The
functionalist theory looks at the way social institutions like the
family, education, economy, polity, religion and their sub-systems
function. Functionalist sociologist do not focus on the behaviour and
problems of individuals, instead they see social problems as arising out
of the failure of institutions of society, like the family, education,
economy, polity, and religion to adapt to changing social conditions.
Every part or institution of society is seen as having a function in the
sense that it contributes to the smooth running of the society. Hence,
when one part of the society is out of the line with the others, there
is pressure for its reintegration with the other related parts. In this
way, stability in society, by and large, prevails. It is not only
stability based on functional necessity but stability based on consensus
of values. Individuals in society, according to this theory, share the
same basic values and are thus agreed on the way they behave towards
each other as individuals or as members of groups.
The functionalist
theory of deviance-disorganization can be fruitfully used in the study
of such current problematic condition in Nigeria as, examination
malpractice, cultism, deviant and delinquent activities among students
in secondary school that affect academic performance as well as
society’s criminality, violence, as well as, poverty, unemployment,
population problem, problem families, environmental degradation and
pollution, and homelessness, and insecurity.
Interactionism theory
offers an explanation which gets us closer to the individual level of
behaviour. Research based on this perspective looks at the processes
whereby different people become part of a situation that the larger
society defines as a social problem. The interactionism approach focuses
on the ways in which people actually take on the values of the group of
which they are members. It also explore how different groups define
their situation and in so doing “construct†a version of life that
promote certain values and behaviours and discourages others. From the
interactionism perspective, an individual or a group’s definition of the
situation is central to understanding the action of that individual or
group: “situation people define as real are real in their consequences
(Thomas, 1923). Above all, labeling theory as discussed earlier is a
major application of the interactionism perspective that offers an
explanation for certain kinds of social problems. The interactionism
perspective of the “definition of the situationâ€, peer group
interactions and labeling can be related or applied to the understanding
of some current problems in Nigeria , which include: crime and
delinquency, violence, human trafficking, prostitution, drug abuse ,
child abuse, prejudice and discrimination, corruption, and insecurity
that affect student’s academic performance..
Social cognitive theory by Albert Bandura (1977-1986)
Social
cognitive theory rests on several basic assumptions about learning and
behaviour. One assumption concern triadic reciprocality or the view that
personal behavioural and environmental factors influence one another, a
bidirectional and reciprocal fashioning is a product of a continuous
interaction between cognitive behavioural and contextual factors. For
instance, classroom learning is shaped by factors within academic
environment experienced by oneself and by another. At the time learning
is affected by student’s own thoughts and self belief and their
interpretation of the classroom context.
A closely
related assumption within social cognitive theory is that people have an
agency or ability to influence their own behaviour and the environment
in a purposeful, good-directed fashion (Bandura, 2001). This belief
conflicts with earlier form of behaviourism that advocated a more
rigorous form of environment determinism. Social cognitive theory does
not deny the importance of the environment in determining behaviour, but
it does argue that people can also, through forethought self-reflection
and self-regulatory processes, exert substantial influence over their
own outcomes and the environment more broadly.
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ABSRACT - [ Total Page(s): 1 ]The study basically examined the relationship between social problems in schools and academic performance of students in selected secondary schools in Mushin Local Government Area of Lagos State. Seven research objectives leading to seven research questions and hypotheses were stated to guide the study. A total number of 250 teachers were carefully selected from the entire population through the method of stratified and simple random strategy. The research design was descriptive survey in nature ... Continue reading---
