Family Structural Disruption as a Predictor of Academic Success and Socio-Emotional Well-being of Public Secondary School Students in Ondo West LGA, Ondo State

Abstract

A structurally disrupted or unstable family explains some events that upset the standard settings expected of in a family, which include divorce, separation, or death of either or both parents, and which are likely to predispose the children to a high risk of issues ranging between their academics, behavioural, emotional, and social life. This study thus assesses the influence of family structural disruption on the academic performance and socio-emotional wellbeing of students in a public secondary school in Ondo West LGA, Ondo State. A descriptive survey research design was adopted, and simple random sampling was utilized to select one hundred and fifty (150) students from five senior secondary schools in Ondo West LGA, Ondo State for the study. Questionnaires were used for data collection, which were analysed using descriptive statistics (mean, standard deviation) and inferential statistics for hypothesis testing (independent sample t-test) on SPSS 17.0 at a significance level of 0.05. The results showed that there was a significant influence of family structural disruption on the academic performance (t= 11.70, p< 0.05), the socio-emotional wellbeing (t= 17.34, p< 0.05) of public secondary school students. This study contributes to studies on students’ success and wellbeing by providing information on the influence of family disruption on the students’ wellbeing. The study recommended the need to enlighten the parents on the importance of home structure to the success and well-being of the children, and the implications of family structural disruption on their children, thus striving to build a happy home.

Keywords: Family, Disruption, Predictor, Academic Success, Socio-Emotional, Wellbeing