ABSTRACT

The purpose of this study is to find out the effects of single parenting on students’ psychosocial Development in Secondary schools in the Buea Sub-Division. Specifically, the study sought to examine the effect of parental control on student’s psychosocial development, to examine the effect of the socio-economic status of parents on student’s psychosocial development and to examine the effect of family size on student’s psychosocial development. Data was collected purposively, with the use of a questionnaire, from a sample population of 60students selected from three different schools. Data was descriptively analysed from the questionnaire by calculating frequencies and percentages. In the end, the findings of the study show that children from single parents lack parental control, which affects their psychosocial development, socio-economic status was also revealed to affect the psychosocial development of students while family size was not shown to have any effect on the psychosocial development of students. Following the findings, it was recommended that parents play a vital role in the development of their children in an attempt to socialize and help their children develop appropriately in life, parenting style as a matter in which parents express their beliefs, which will go a long way to affect their children positively or negatively.

CHAPTER ONE

GENERAL INTRODUCTION

Introduction

The family is an important unite in society, it is the first socializing agent the child interacts with and it has a great influence on the child’s physical, mental, moral, and psychosocial development (Roska and potter 2011; Cacalagh and Fomby; 2012). Single parenting may have profound negative impacts on student’s psychosocial and academic development as parents play an important role in most children’s psychosocial and academic development.

Chapter one present the background of the study, the state of the problem, research questions, purpose of the study, objectives of the study, hypothesis, justification of the study, significance of the study, the scope of the study, and operational definition of the terms.

Background of the Study

Historically, parental involvement emerged as a compensation program since the 1960s and 1970s in the United State of America (USA) and Europe as among other program aiming at encouraging minority low-income parents to prepare their children for more successful schools and prevent education delays for children (Bakker, Denessen & Brus-Laeven 2007). It was just an appeal to support lower school children achievers through parents’ intervention. Its execution manifests positive results by equipping parents with skills on how to help their children with home works for the enhancement of education progress. Being potential in education, attempt to increase parental involvement students’ academics has increased. Likewise, the Jomtien Conference on Education for All (EFA) of 1990 accredits that many nations in the world have to ensure efficient management of education by involving local community including parents. This is because when parents become involved in children education, it enhances students, community and users interests to be traced at the center (WCEFA, 1990). Consequently, it is an ideal for educationalist to ensure all challenges that are thought to hinder parental involvement are worked through particularly in secondary schools where currently students’ academic performance is declining from time to time. Moreover, the Salamanca Conference on Special Education held in Spain 1994discussed that, parents should be encouraged to participate in educational activities at home and schools for the purpose of supervising and supporting their children learning. Similarly, the government should promote parental involvement through policy statements that allow formulation of parent–school association with the intention of enhancing their children’s education. The argument draws strong support on how parents are vital in their children schooling in the way of demanding policy (blue print) which acts upon constraints that limit parents in monitoring children education in secondary schools. This would strengthen efforts towards achieving quality education for all (UNESCO, 2003). Furthermore, the World Education Forum Conference of 2000 held in Dakar, Senegal discussed the roles that governments should play in enhancing partnership with all education stakeholders including parents. This should go beyond not only in financing education and cost sharing but also should build in whole education process and learning for seeking quality education for all (UNESCO,2000). This explains how families and parental involvement is highly required not only in financing education but also in monitoring the whole learning process.

Conceptually, Parenting typologies such as authoritative, authoritarian, permissive and neglectful developed by Baumrind (1967, 1971) were found to be a pivotal element in defining the behavior and attitude of parents toward their children (Joshi, Sharma, & Mehra, 2009). Additionally, the interaction between parents and children is associated with cultural surroundings (Keshavarz & Baharudin, 2009). Many scholars and researchers in social science in the world like, Epstein, Bakker, Davis, Henderson, Lewis and Keith who have studied on parental involvement in students’ academic performance. For instance, Epstein (2002) argues that, no school improvement has been created without parental involvement which strengthened parents, teachers, administrators and students ‘partnerships which end into benefiting students, improving schools, assisting teachers and strengthening families.

Contextually, one of the most important trends in parenting research over the past decade has been towards a greater contextualized understanding of the origins of parent–child relationships, the meaning they have to parents and children, and the effects they have on an array of outcomes in children. There are diverse examples of how ‘context’ has been used in research, denoting anything from an individual’s culture (e.g. African Caribbean) to a social setting (e.g. neighborhood with a high rate of violence). No clear consensus has yet emerged on which demarcation(s) of context may be most relevant or useful. To complicate matters, several definitions of context are confounded (such as that between ethnicity and income). As a result, the concept of ‘context’ has sometimes been criticized because of the vagaries and uncertainties in how it is operationalized. Nevertheless, we now have substantial evidence that at least some associations between parent–child relationship quality and child wellbeing differ reliably across sub-populations and social settings.

Theoretically, some of the theories  which will be used in related literature  review  include Social learning theory  by Albert  Bandura in the year 1997, the Ecological theory of Bronfenbrenner  (1979) and the psychosocial Development  theory by Erik  Erickson (1950 -1963).Researchers in the 1930s to 1960s, employing a variety of theoretical perspectives and methodological approaches, used various factor analytic methods to identify the major dimensions underlying observer ratings of general parenting characteristics.

In the typical study, trained observers spent considerable time interviewing or observing parents (or sometimes read through large files of material on parents) and rated parents on general trait
terms (e.g., strict, accepting, harsh) using Likert scales. Factor analyses of the data from these primarily European American, middle class samples typically identified two dimensions of parent behavior: One assessing constructs such as parental acceptance, warmth, or support and the other assessing constructs related to parental control. In five classic studies during this time period, the labels for  the first factor were: Acceptance versus rejection,7 emotional warmth versus hostility, warmth love versus hostility, and warmth versus hostility Labels for the second factor in these same five studies were: Dominance versus submission, detachment versus involvement, permissiveness versus strictness, autonomy versus control, and permissiveness versus restrictiveness. The consistency of findings across studies was impressive, and two influential literature reviews (one in the late 1970s and one in the early 1980s) concluded that these two major dimensions of parenting could be labeled as parental support and parental control or as parental responsiveness and parental demandingness. As discussed in these reviews, these two factors were usually found in studies employing global observer ratings, parent reports, or child reports of parenting behavior

Statement of the Problem

Given the falling standard in education and its equality in the country and efforts by successive government to solve these problems, one would have expected the problems that are still inherited in our educational system, reflected in poor performance among schools. This situation is not Only worrying and of concern to the government alone, as much of the stakeholders involved, especially parents lack of involvement and recognition of vital roles played by parents and families in their children’s psychosocial development. The family serves as a first point of contact for the child and it is the primary socializing agent of the children society.

No matter how unaffected they may act, children are hugely sensitive young people who are always affected by single parenting. That personality traits, social competence, psychological, emotional physical, psychosocial development and academic development of children takes place as a result of parenting styles parents may adopt and use to bring the child up. These effects are invariably felt mostly acutely in an educational setting. This are the type of parenting used in single parenting homes and both biological parenting.

Purpose of the Research

Research objectives

Main research Objective

This study is intended to find out the effect of single parenting on student’s psychosocial development in the Buea municipality.

Specific Objectives

1. To examine the effect of parental control on student’s psychosocial development.
2. To examine the effect of the socio- economic status of parents on student’s psychosocial development.
3. To examine the effect of family size on student’s psychosocial development.

Research Questions

The researcher has formulated the following research questions on psychosocial development.

Main Research Question

Does single parenting affect student’s psychosocial development in the Buea municipality?

Specific Research Questions

• How does parental control affect student’s psychosocial development?
• To what extent does the socio-economic status of parents affect student’s psychosocial development?
• Does family size affect student’s psychosocial development?

Research Hypothesis

Ha1: parental control has an effect on student’s psychosocial development

Ho1: parental control does not have an effect on student’s psychosocial development

Ha2: socio-economic status of parents has an effect on student’s psychosocial development

Ho2: socio-economic status of parents does not have an effect on student’s psychosocial       development

Ha3: Family size has an effect on student’s psychosocial development.

Ho3: family size does not have an effect on student’s psychosocial development.