Effects of Physical and Psychological Abuse, Social Adjustment on Academic Performance of Junior Secondary School Students in Kebbi State, Nigeria

Abstract

The study was set out to examine the effects of physical and psychological abuse, social adjustment on academic performance of junior secondary school students in Kebbi State Nigeria. Two research questions and two hypotheses were formulated to guide the study. The study employed descriptive survey design. The population of the study was made up of 1,270 JSS three (3) students selected from five (5) schools. A total of 254physically and psychologically abused students were sampled using proportionate sampling technique. The researcher made use of an instrument adapted from that of Atiku, 2018. The three (3) instruments namely, Physically Abuse Questionnaire (PAQ), Psychologically Abuse Questionnaire (PAQ) and Social Adjustment Questionnaire (SAQ) were adapted and used for the study. It had a reliability coefficient of 0.81. The instrument had facial and content validity. The data generated from the field were collated and the mean score analysis was carried out in order to provide answer to the research questions raised in the study. The t-test statistics was used to test the hypothesis at 0.05 level of significance. Findings revealed that significant difference existed between physically and psychologically abused students on their social adjustment (P = 0.016) and also significant differences were found between physically and psychologically abused students in their academic performance (P = 0026). Base on the findings of this study, it was recommended that teachers and parents should be sensitized through media on the negative effect of physical and psychological abuse on social adjustment and academic performance among the junior secondary school students in order to boost their moral, socially and help in their cognitive development.