CHAPTER
ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 BACKGROUND
TO THE STUDY
Education is an instrument for developing the
nation. It is also an instrument for developing hidden talents in an individual.
It is the only means of eliminating illiteracy in any society. The importance
of education to the development of individual and the nation as a whole cannot
be over emphasized. It is a great investment any country can make for
accelerating development of its technology, economic and human resources. Isife
and Ogakwe (2012) explained that education is a powerful tool or weapon that
can be used to eradicate ignorance, poverty, and diseases and produce
individual that can function effectively in the society. Onwuka (2012) pointed
out that education is the instrument that is used to free people from
incapacitation and exclusion.
When an individual is freed from incapacitation
and exclusion or illiteracy, there is usually a change in that person’s behaviour.
This change influences the person’s attitude and his whole life (Apebende,
2013).
School dropout in its
simplest meaning is the untimely withdrawal from school. These students who
withdraw from school prematurely end up not obtaining any certificate of
graduation. The issue of school dropout is a global problem confronting the
education industry round the world. Researchers like; Mohsin, Aslam and Bashir
(2004); De Cos (2005); Bridgeland, Dilulio, and Morison (2006), and Oghuvbu
(2008) have since buttressed this fact.
The issue of school
dropout in Nigeria has been with us for a very long time. Fafunwa (1983) noted
that dropout is one of the most serious problems that have continued to bedevil
our educational system since independence in 1960 from the colonial
administration. Even before our independence, the problem of dropout has
already established its grip on our educational system. This can be buttressed
with the remark made by Nuffied foundations in 1953 that in the West coast of
Africa, a considerable proportion of student’s dropout of school each year.
This study has come
at a time when there is high rate of insecurity in the country as a result of
criminal activities. Survey by both the print and electronic media tends to
indicate that over 85% of the criminal activities perpetuated in Nigeria are
done by youths who dropped out of school. This development has become a cause
of serious concern to all well meaning Nigerians. This tends to suggest that
our educational system is in trouble and thus needs a very serious attention in
refocusing it and restructuring it for the attainment of national goals.
De Cos (2005)
commenting on the importance of graduation from higher institution noted that;
with the economy changing from a dependence on manufacturing towards more
reliance on technology, services, and a “knowledge economy”, the need for
education up to tertiary level has grown. In Nigeria of today, Bachelor or
Diploma degree from tertiary institution is considered as the minimum required
for most jobs and status positions. This development has serious implications
for the economic well being of dropouts and the society at large. In this era
of global economic meltdown and global economic competitiveness, Nigeria as a
nation that has vision must make concerted efforts to raise the educational
attainment of all its youths who are the leaders of tomorrow.
Globally, reasons
why students dropout from school can be categorized into four clusters. These
include; School related, Job related, family related, and community related.
Study by Frendenberg
and Ruglls (2007) identified twenty four factors under family cluster; three
factors under community cluster and twelve factors under school cluster. The
factors identified under family cluster include; low family socioeconomic
status, racial or ethnic groups, male, special education status, low family
support for education, low parental education, residential mobility, low social
conformity, low acceptance of adult authority, high level of social isolation, disruptive
behaviour conduct, being held back in school, poor academic achievement,
academic problems in early grades, not liking school, feelings of “not fitting
in” and of not belonging, perceptions of unfair or harsh disciplines, feeling
unsafe in school, not engaged in school, being suspended or expelled, conflicts
between work and school, having to work and school, having to work or support
family, substance use and pregnancy. In community cluster, the following
factors were indentified: living in a low income neighborhood, having peers
with low educational aspirations and having friends or siblings who are
dropouts.
Under school related cluster, these factors were identified; low
socioeconomic status of school population, high level of racial or ethnic segregation
of students, high proportion of students of colour in school, high proportion
of students enrolled in special education, location in central city, large
school district, school safety and disciplinary policies, high-stakes testing,
high student –to- teacher ratio, academic tracking, discrepancy between the
racial or ethnic composition of students and faculty, and lack of programmes
and support for transition into next level. While job related cluster entails:
those students who could not work and school at the same time, those who had to
do a job to survive and those who found job.
1.2 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
This study was
carried out to correct the imbalance in research efforts on our knowledge of
school dropout. Most of the researches on dropout have been centered on causes,
effects and remedies. Most if not all the researches in Nigeria on the same
subject matter followed the same pattern with case studies on primary and
secondary school. No studies to my knowledge in Nigeria studied dropout
problems using the tertiary institutions. This study is therefore very timely
and significant.
1.3 OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY
The following are the objectives of this study:
1. To
examine the causes of drop out among undergraduates in Lagos State.
2. To
examine the effects of drop out among undergraduates in Lagos State.
3. To
identify the solution to the issue of drop out among undergraduate in Lagos
State.
1.4 RESEARCH QUESTIONS
1. What
are the causes of drop out among undergraduates in Lagos State?
2. What
are the effects of drop out among undergraduates in Lagos State?
3. What
is the solution to the issue of drop out among undergraduate in Lagos State?
1.5 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY
The following are the significance of this study:
1. The
results from this study will educate the undergraduates and the general public
on the causes and effects of drop out among undergraduates. This study will
also reveal the solutions to the issues of drop out among undergraduates.
2. This
research will be a contribution to the body of literature in the area of the
effect of personality trait on student’s academic performance, thereby
constituting the empirical literature for future research in the subject area.
1.6 SCOPE/LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY
This study will cover the causes and effects of drop
out among undergraduates in Lagos State. It will also cover the solutions to
the menace of school drop-out in Lagos State.
LIMITATION OF STUDY
Financial constraint- Insufficient fund tends to impede the
efficiency of the researcher in sourcing for the relevant materials, literature
or information and in the process of data collection (internet, questionnaire
and interview).
Time constraint- The researcher will simultaneously engage in this
study with other academic work. This consequently will cut down on the time
devoted for the research work.
