HOME VARIABLES AS PREDICTORS OF BEHAVIOURAL PROBLEMS AMONG SECONDARY SCHOOL ADOLESCENTS IN AKWA IBOM STATE, NIGERI

Abstract

The research explored how home-related factors influence behavioural issues among secondary school teenagers in Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria. It was guided by five research questions and five null hypotheses. The study utilized a correlational survey design with 600 respondents selected from a total population of 20,000 secondary class two students aged between 15 and 19 years. A two-stage sampling method was employed along with the Home Variables Questionnaire (HVQ) and the Students Behavioural Problem Questionnaire (SBPQ). The reliability of these instruments was assessed through the Pearson Product Moment correlation coef icient, yielding reliability indices of 0.76 for the HVQ and 0.87 for the SBPQ. The Pearson Product Moment Correlation Coef icient analysis was used to address the six research questions, while linear regression analysis was applied to evaluate the six hypotheses. Findings indicated that the marital status of parents, family structure, parents' economic status, home training, and parents' educational level significantly (p<0.05) predicted adolescents' behavioural issues in secondary schools. Regression analyses revealed that parents' educational level (R2 = 0.767, p < .001), economic status of parents (R 2 = 0.827, p < .001), marital status of parents (R2 =0.80, p<.001) were significant predictors of behavioural problems. The combined variables predicted (R² =.675, p<.000) all the behavioural problems faced by secondary school adolescents. It is concluded that parents' marital status, family dynamics, parental economic status, home training, and parental educational attainment were significant predictors of behavioural issues among adolescents in secondary schools with parent’s education level as the strongest predictor of behaviour problems of adolescents in Akwa Ibom State.