EFFECT OF BROKEN HOMES ON ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE OF SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS IN NIGERIA

ABSTRACT
The study examined the effect of broken homes on academic performance of secondary school students in Nigeria. Descriptive survey research design was adopted with the sample consisting of 200 students and teachers drawn from ten randomly selected secondary schools in Esan West Local Government Area, Edo State, Nigeria. One validated instrument (effect of broken homes on the child’s academic performance questionnaire) was used for data collection and the data collected were analyzed using descriptive statistic. three null hypotheses were answered. The results showed that there were no significant effects on a child in term of broken home. There were no significant differences in the academic performances of a child from broken homes and unbroken homes. There is no significant effect on the academic performance of a child in term of socialization of the home. It is recommended that school counselors should be employed in all schools where they should provide necessary assistance to students especially those that are from single-parent families or broken homes to enable them overcome their emotional concerns. Implications of the findings for the parents and the school counselors were highlighted.