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EFFECT OF MORAL DECADENCE ON THE ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT OF SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS IN KAURA LGA, KADUNA STATE: COUNSELING IMPLICATIONS.

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

• Background of the Study

There are many outcries against immorality in the Nigerian society today. The level of indiscipline and crime wave among the youths has seriously escalated in geometric progression. Moral decadence in Nigerian society today is beyond sexual perversion. From general observations, the severity of moral actions ranges from cheating at school to drug abuse, murder and the exhibition of other anti-social behaviors. Chima (2010) observed that educational institutions have become comfortable dens for gangsters, cultist and prostitutes, wearing of decorated rags and seductive attires has become a fad for ladies, and the virtue of virginity is becoming unthinkable and abominable. Examination malpractice, which is aided by parents and teachers, has become common place in Nigerian schools. This entails that students rely on fraudulent means to earn certificates; thereby giving little or no regard to hard work.

   In Nigerian society, morals have been greatly shaped by the media as compared to the 1950’s. Moral changes can be depicted in language, dressing and general life style aspects. School children tend to imitate what they see in the media and entertainment circle. Mayanchi (2011).  Many secondary schools in Kaduna state are infested with vices such as indecent dressing, use of abusive languages, early pregnancies, drug abuse, examination malpractice, etc.

According to forster (cited in Atuhaire, 2009). Morals are the socially accepted customs, values traditions and conventions held as appropriate, conducted by a particular group of people sharing originality and locality or nativity. Morals are principles and standard in the society to compare what is good or bad depending on the environment or the people involved

 Decline of morals among secondary students have been greatly affected by poor parenting, media, group influence, the use and development of various internet technology such as facebook, sending and receiving emails, goggling and charting.  

According to Adedoyin (2012) defined and observed moral decadence as extreme delinquent, disorderly, irregularity, destructive unjust and non- conforming behaviors characteristics of stratified people or individuals which continues to spread among secondary schools students. These problems reduce the value of the education and destroy human capacity for leadership and good citizenship, lowers the academic integrity of the institution and destroys peace, security progress and real development of the society, collectively indiscipline lead to antisocial behaviors that have failed all tests of  decency and civilized living conditions.

 Wilfred and Dobbie (2001) observed that children are defeated in developing the proper morals. They cannot make their right choices of how to behave. They mostly copy that which pleases their minds. This is why some are caught in the gaps of culture emotions, leisure, beauty, drugs and many others.

Some of the secondary schools students, who do not controls their emotional feelings terminate their education, as a result of poor academic performance and most of  them engage themselves in truancy, premature marriage, labeling of the disadvantaged groups, discrimination, selfishness and rejection by their fellow learners.

• Statement of the Problem.

Education is and has remained a central technique in transforming society from generation to generation. It is a vehicle of bringing about positive changes in behavior in the individual adolescent in Kaduna State and indeed Nigeria .It is in recognition of this, the state government sends its sons and daughters to secondary schools. Despite the efforts by the state government towards curbing morals decadence through education among students who are mostly adolescents, the problem continues to be in the increase. The problem is also a matter of concern and source of worry to parents, education managers, principals, teachers, guidance and religions leaders.

Secondary schools students in Kaura Local Government Area of Kaduna State are progressively declining in academic performance and morality. This situation is prevalent all over Nigeria society. Observed by Onyejioku (1991) who noticed that there is high rate of failure in the West African School Certificate (WASC) examination and an alarming rate of instability, insecurity, hooliganism, examination malpractice and teenage girls’ unwanted pregnancies. All these have posed negative effects on academic achievement and morals behaviors of youths.

In views of the poor academic achievement and poor morality and moral decadence among secondary school students. It is the investigators believe that, investigating the effects of moral decadence and proffering solutions will help in improving students’ academic performance in secondary school students in Kaura Local Government Area.       

• Purpose of the study.

The main purpose of this study is to find out the effect of moral decadence on the academic performance of secondary school students in Kaura Local Government of Kaduna state. However specific objectives of the study include the following:

1. Examine the extent to which moral decadence affects academic performance of students in Kaura Local Government of Kaduna state.
2. Find out how guidance and counseling can help in curbing moral decadence of secondary school students in Kaura Local government area of Kaduna state.
3. determine the influence of moral education on academic performance of secondary school students in Kaura local government area of Kaduna state.
   • Research Questions
4. Does moral decadence affects the academic and moral behaviors of secondary school students in Kaura local government area?
5. Can guidance and counseling activities in secondary school influence the morality of students in Kaura local government area?
6. Can moral education influence the morality and performance of secondary school students in Kaura local government area?
   • Research Hypothesis

The study has the following research hypothesis

H01: There is no any significant effect of moral decadence on the academic achievement of secondary school students in Kaura local government area.

H02:There is no significant difference in morality between the secondary school students in Kaura local government area who are expose to guidance and counseling activities and those who are not exposed to guidance and counseling activities 

H03: there is no any significant difference in the behavior of males and females secondary school students when taught moral education in Kaura local government area of Kaduna state.

• Scope of the study

The research was carried out in secondary schools in Kaura Local Government Area spread in the three chiefdoms of Kagoro, Moro’a and Takad. The study was to investigate the effects of moral decadence on the academic achievement of secondary schools students in Kaura Local Government Area of Kaduna State. The study will use questionnaire in collection data from the students and teachers

1.7     Significance of the Study

Just as the Bible declares that “righteousness exalt a Nation, but sin is a reproach to any people” (Proverbs 14 verse, 34) even so does morality boast academic performance while immoral act is a hindrance to academic achievement among the youth this study will encourage parents and teachers to improve the morals education of the children and it will unveils the effect of moral education on the children’s academic performance. It will also help school planners to give adequate time to counseling and religious moral instructions. To the ministry of education, this study will suggest strategies which can be employed to avert unrully behavior in the school. It will help to produce good leaders of tomorrow, a progressive stable nation and improve productivity of our nations.      

• Basic Assumption of the Study

The study has the following assumptions, that:

• There is low academic performance among secondary school students in Kaura local government area of Kaduna state
• There is high level of morals decadence among secondary schools of Kaura local government of Kaduna state.
• There is low guidance and counseling activities in secondary schools of kaura local government are of Kaduna state
  • Delimitation of the Study

The study is delimited to finding the effects of moral decadence on the academic achievement of secondary school students in Kaura Local Government  Area of Kaduna State and counseling implication. Also it is delimited to government secondary school in Kaura local government area of Kaduna state.

The study may be limited by lack of cooperation by respondents which may withdraw and ignore to fill the questionnaire. The principals may take it as a waste of time and refuse to give the researcher enough time to conduct the research work.